Re: How Different Are We?

I do not agree with Gross at all. Just because terrorism is worse in other places, we should not fight it? If I was a terrorist, I would attack America before any other nation. It is the "Great Satan," the representitive in the Western World, security is much looser than places where terror is prevelant, like Israel, and people here are very easily frightened. If a bus blew up here, it would be the top news story for a month, and the bus companies would shut down because people would be so frightened. If you do not stop terrorists right now, or give in to them and negotiate, they will believe their tactics worked, use them again, and increase their operation in size. If you don't believe that the U.S. is being targeted by Al Qaeda terrorists, look to World Trade Center 93', the Khobar Towers bombing, the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the U.S.S. Cole, and 9/11/01. These are just large operations in which scores of Americans died. There have also been numerous attacks on other nationalities by Al Qaeda in the last year, such as the Bali bombing in which nearly 200 people died, the takeover of a Moscow theater that led to the deaths of over 100 hostages, and the attacks on Israeli targets in Kenya. If the U.S. gives in to Al Qaeda, they will just get stronger and use stronger means to carry out their operations, such as chemicals, gas, and nukes. Terrorism is a virus, and if we don't destroy it, it will destroy us. As for the great manipulation taking place brought up by Gross, I do not think that the working man will benifit from having to fear each time he takes the bus to work. I do not see how fighting Osama Bin Laden benifits the rich only. It is because of men like him that the Arab world has not recieved messages of democracy, and freedoms which we take for granted. Defeating the terrorist bigots will not only benefit the American establishment, but will benefit all Americans, as well as Arabs who have been denied freedoms because of the fanaticism and mid-evil mentality that the terrorists live by.