Lets get realistic guys. We're not going to nuke anybody. We're not going to attack every arab country that professes to be our enemy. We're not going to intentionally target civilian populations. We're not going to get into a major land invasion of mountainous Afghanistan. It would be a Vietnam-style quagmire. Look what happened to the Soviets.

However, President Bush said yesterday that an act of war has been perpetrated against the United States. He's right. A massive response is required -- and quickly, while it still has the 100 percent support of congress and an outraged American public. We need to do our homework thoroughly and quickly. This seems to be happening.

Let's assume we conclude that Osama bin Laden and his cohorts are found to bear the brunt of the blame for WTC/Pentagon. Bush is already coalition building. NATO is on board. We should assemble a truly gigantic air armada. I'm talking all 100 B1B bombers, all 18 B2s, maybe 10 carrier battle groups, several hundred F-14s and F-18s (carrier-based), F-117s, F-15s, F-16, F-111s, A-10s, AH64s and other attack copters. We should enlist the help of our allies, arab nations included, ala the Desert Storm. Israel and Britian would love to jump in with both feet. If the Saudis won't let us park our aircraft on their bases, we should say "Fine, you're on your own from now on with Iraq."

Then we should hit them with everything we've got for as long as it takes to destroy 100 percent of their military capability, the entire Taliban political infrastructure, and all terrorist bases and training camps.

We must make it clear to the world that this is what is going to happen to anyone who attacks Americans on American soil. Then, when we are finished, if there is anything left of the Taliban, we should tell them we are going to do it all over again unless they start treating their women better.

 

The problem is some of those camps may not even be in Afghanistan. They could very well be inside our allies' territory.
Are you going to bomb them too? There is no way bombing and missle attacks are going to take out even half of them. It doesn't work against them. They don't depend on the infrastructure Serbia did. We really have nothing to bomb.
The only way is to rely on patience and intelligence. Go in and take out a camp and get out. Massive attacks will get us in the same trouble soviets got. We can coordinate sychronized attack, but the trick will be two folds.
1. Overpower each camp with most precision (which means missles are out of the question mostly, unless used in conjunction)
2. Get in and out

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tanqueray
[B]

I have read the story several times.

 

Flying Pig-

(1) We should take out every terrorist base in the Middle East as a separate but related exercise -- while our air assets are still there.

(2) The Soviets got bogged down in a ground war they could not win in extremely mountainous terrain. We can't do this.

(3) Sorry, I forgot B52s, lots and lots of Tomahawks, and a well thought out commando mission to snatch Bin Laden.

 

Saudi Arabia let us use their air bases to park our planes?

Not likely. Don't forget the "insult" which supposedly provoked Bin Laden to mount his attacks against the US was precisely that the infidel Christian armies of the West were permitted to defile, by their presence, the holy soil of Saudi Arabia.

Do you believe that? The mind set which regards the presence of US troops on Saudi soil as a blood insult to Islam, the mindset that sees the slaughter of innocents as a great triumph is really very alien from what we're familiar with.

The fact is that the rationale for Bin Laden's attacks, the defilement of Holy Muslim soil by the presence of Christians, may seem insane to us does not alter the fact that it has great power among the Arab masses.

But the real story is that Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya and powerful and wealthy fanatics in Saudi Arabia wage war on the US through proxies like Bin Laden. There is an enormous reservoir of assasins in the middle east and the "team" that hires them is unimportant, there are as many "teams" as there are missions. It's like the Hydra of Greek mythology. Cut one head and another grows (Cerebrus also I think). You've got to put a spear in its heart.

I think it's time to settle scores, bring down the governments which sponsor, use, provide financial support and comfort to terrorists. The Ba'athist government in Iraq, (and the one in Syria), and the training camps for these groups where ever they are, all have to go.

I'd wait until the camps are at full compliment again as I'm sure everyone has taken a vacation since last Tuesday.

2x6

 

Am I the only person here who understands why they hate this country? The middle east has been one big holy war for thousands of years. Why the US felt that it needed to get involved in the creation of Israel is beyond me. Sure, some of you can give me a reason why, but the bottom line is, it was none of our business.

This will NEVER be forgotten by any of these countries. The US has no business in the area. We're constantly managing to kill innocent civilians with stray bombs and missles. Sure, they kill our soldiers, but if we weren't there it wouldn't be happening. If we weren't constantly dicking around in their affairs they wouldn't be burning US flags, bombing embassies, hijacking planes, or flying them into buildings. What they're trying to tell us is to stay the **** out of their business. Instead, we've got to go prove how big our dick is and go kill a few thousand innocent people.

Everyone says "Oh, they were dancing in the street", but those same people will be cheering when we fly over and kill a few hundred/thousand people, which will inevitably be the wrong people. Do any of you really think we'll get the person who actually planned this? I think not... we'll allow a week of searching, then public opinion will dicatate that they just pin it on someone. It's all propaganda.

When you go get on that plane next month you'll have an "air marshall" and a 2 1/2 hour wait to get in the damn airport. You'll feel safe... just as safe as when they did the SAME DAMN THING after the rash of hijackings 20some years ago. Within a year, you'll forget about all this and it'll all go away.

I am sympathetic to the victims of this event and I'd like to find a way to prevent it, but I just feel like the true cause of all this isn't that there wasn't a security door to the cockpit... it's our history of bad foreign policy. If you're bored, go read what Nostradamus wrote would happen this year...

 

baked,

You know, youre right. We should apologize for the past and cut our loss of thousands of Americans, the WTC complex,and part of our nation's defense nerve center in the nation's capitol.

Dont worry, they wont use the airlines any more for the next act of terror. Next time, you wont see it, hear it, smell it, or taste it.
Jumping out of a 110 story skyscraper or getting crushed by it will seem like a gift when you are suprised by blood running out of every orifice of your body.

I'm bowing out of this thread.
The only thing we can really do now is be ready with God when it is your time to go.

 

Baked,

We did not create Israel. Britain, Jews and the U.N. did. I already posted a link to a historical overview.

You blame the U.S. because:
1) Our stray bombs kill civilians. Are you talking about Iraq and our raids to enforce the no-fly zone? Or are you saying that we shouldn't sell arms to our allies, who then use them to attack their enemies?

2) We have no business in the area. Apparently, we have no business in any area except the U.S., if we aren't allowed to have political ties in the Middle East. Are you advocating total isolationism (i.e., no troops abroad, no support of any allies, no arms sales), and do you truly think that this would make America immune to terrorism?

3) We have a bad foreign policy. How would you change it? Based on your comments, the 'bad foreign policy' seems to be supporting Israel. Of course, you think that we created Israel (and believe in Nostradamus), so maybe you are confused about what our foreign policy is.

I will never understand the need to blame the victim for the attacker's actions.
Tanq

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by baked
[B]"Am I the only person here who understands why they hate this country? The middle east has been one big holy war for thousands of years. Why the US felt that it needed to get involved in the creation of Israel is beyond me. Sure, some of you can give me a reason why, but the bottom line is, it was none of our business."

 

Don't want to speak for baked but what it seems like he is saying is this: don't blame the victim but understand the attacker (their motivations, their perspective). For no other reason but to stop them from doing it again - and for an even better reason - to figure out a way not to hate each other (enough to do something like 911)

Can't anyone see the horrific cycle ?