How would you deal with terrorism after 9/11?

[Forever Free]

The question is pretty straightforward. Feel free to explain your position if the poll choices don't accurately represent your position.

[Forever Free]

1. The second option was cut off

Its supposed to read "Attempt to address the root causes of terrorism (i.e. poverty, colonization, class inequality, the Arab-Israeli conflict)"

[Maple]

2. Other

Initiate a criminal investigation and pursuit into 911 rather than bombing everyone in some country indiscriminately.

Discover the root cause of the discontent, and address that.

Otherwise it'll just keep happening.

[Trillo]

3. "Discover the root cause of the discontent, and address that."

Isn't that "working multi-laterally with allies"?

[LynnTheDem]

13. Maybe it's the Canadian air...

I'm dual citizen living in the US, but born in Canada...and you & I are 100% in absolute total agreement.

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION for the CRIME that was committed.

[guajira]

34. I Totally Agree, LTD

What happened was a horrible crime and should have been investigated from all aspects, including how it could have been prevented by our government.

Turning one horrible act into a world war against terrorism was GB*'s way of protecting his job, getting sympathy from the world, and making sure he got re-elected.

Unfortunately Dems and American media played right into his hands. I still hope he will be held accountable someday for not protecting the country and for the innocent Americans and Iraqis who have been killed because of his policies.

[The Magistrate]

4. The First Option, Sir, Is The Correct, And Necessary One

Part of such an effort, of course, would be attempts to dry up sources of recruitment, by addressing such matters as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and by quashing Wahabbi missionary work in still mostly peaceable Moslem areas such as Indonesia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The grievances of the ideologues driving the movement, which can summed up as there being no Caliphite with them at its head, are not things that can be addressed. Some of what makes many responsive to their preachings can be addressed. But force, and force in abundance, is required; make no mistake. Both sticks and carrots work better in combination than either can alone.

No such policy has been pursued by the present administration, and that is one of its greatest failings. The invasion of Iraq is a colossal strategic cul-de-sac, on a par with the Athenian invasion of Syracuse in the Peloponnesian War, though unlikel;y to have quite so devestating an outcome.

[welshTerrier2]

16. sorry to hear you say this ...

i don't agree that "force in abundance" is required ... perhaps i would even go further to suggest that there is no terrorism ... or perhaps i might suggest that the only terrorism is actually being perpetrated by the U.S.

what terrorist movement that threatens the U.S. are we really envisioning? is it Al Qaeda? assuming we accept as credible the idea that Al Qaeda was responsible for 9/11, and frankly the jury is still out on that, what other terrorist actions have threatened the U.S. ... this is not to suggest there's anything wrong with being pro-active when necessary ... but perhaps some introspection rather than bush's phony nationalism (not suggesting you're doing this) is called for ...

if terrorists did, or plan to, attack the U.S., what is their motivation? you mentioned Israel and you mentioned Wahabbi ... but does that get at the center of "terrorist" motivation ... the U.S. puppeted Saddam ... we killed Mossadeq in Iran and imposed the Shah's tyrannical rule ... we sold our American goodies to the Saudi royal family at the expense of the common man in Saudi Arabia ... American corporate hegemony is alive and well in the Middle East and all over the world ... we assassinate, we corrupt, we exploit ... do these evils not sit at the root of so-called "terrorism" ...

we, the Americans, are no longer the good guys because we have not guarded the great powers we once held ... our good institutions have been eroded away by greed and corporate malfeasance ... and a world that once admired us for our democratic ideals now fears the beating of our war drums ... to call for force as a remedy may well be understandable ... but doing so seeks to remedy a reaction to the evil our own country has come to embody ... that "terrorists" would seek to do harm to innocent civilians should never be condoned ... but the solution to altering their course lies in understanding and changing what calls them to action ... my friend, we have met the enemy and they are us ... or is it we ??

the solution to terrorism, then, is not force but righteousness ... it is time to sweep the darkness into the sea and return this country to the bright promise it once held ...

[leesa]

38. Nonsense...unless your goal is to create more terrorists.

Did you become irrational overnight? How does bombing people's families, friends and homes stop terrorism?? It is EXACTLY what Bush has done and it is a disaster.

[ComerPerro]

5. Well, you can be damn sure I wouldn't let the people behind it

completely off the hook while wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on a completely unrelated and unnecessary preemptive war.

[imaginary girl]

6. Impeach *

First order of business.

[renegade000]

7. combination of second and fifth

eom

[cynatnite]

8. I picked other

How about military kick ass action to bring the perpetrators to justice AND getting to the root cause such as Middle East Peace.

Neither has happened and I don't really believe it ever will at this point.

[Quixote1818]

9. You forgot to add: Go and attack a country that didn't have anything

to do with the problem unilaterally. Our current policy.

[cynatnite]

11. Oh, yeah

Thanks!

That, too. :)

[Quixote1818]

10. I think 1and 2 or 2 and 5 together is the way to go. nt

[LynnTheDem]

12. Other;

Terrorism is a crime; I'd treat it as such. That's why we have international police forces and undercover ops (as long as rightwingnut bastards aren't blowing their covers).

If those same 19 men had walked into a bank and killed everyone in the building and then offed themselves, wouldn't we have treated that as a crime, requiring police work?

Addressing the root causes of why people resort to terrorism is a MUST and until we do so, we will continue causing more people to resort to terrorism.

Working WITH the world's police and intell forces should have been #1 priority. Exchanging information and tips is how international criminals get caught. But bush has alienated most of the world, and the world's not very interested in working with us any more. IMO, this is a disaster on a grand scale.

"Terror" is an emotion. There is no such thing as a war on an emotion.

"Terrorism" is a tool; a method; a flanking manouver; and it is available to any person on this planet. There is no such thing as a war on a method.

"Terrorists" is not a country. "Terrorists" is not a religion. "Terrorists" is not a race.

This insane and deeply stupid "war on terra" has made everything very much worse, both for America and for the rest of the world. It has created more terrorists and will continue to create more terrorists.

A basic aim of terrorism is to provoke over-reaction. bush rewarded al Qaeda far beyond their wildest dreams by his immense over-reaction to 911.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

14. Decisive yet measured strikes against the terrorists,

global commitment to rout out terrorist strongholds, and promoting of liberty and democratic action abroad. War is the last option, and with allies if we can, alone if we must.

Basically the way us DEmocrats have been doing it for the last hundred years.

[jcappy]

15. investigate the crime...

something that of yet has barely begun.

and when deep into a real investigation, then ask what our response is.

[Stop_the_War]

17. the second option

[Stop_the_War]

18. VOTE THE TERRORISTS OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE:

Terrorists include :
bush
cheney
rumsfeld
wolfowitz
rice
and so on....

[12345]

20. EXACTLY

[Al-CIAda]

19. Investigate and prosecute the 'New Pearl Harbor" crowd.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

39. Exactly...

We as Americans can't know how best to respond to an event, the true nature of which is unknown.

Evidence points to elements of our own government as being deeply complicit in the 9-11 attacks. Without a full and free investigation into the many unanswered questions, the truth will not be known. Without the truth, the correct response is impossible to discern.

Find the criminals and prosecute them for their crimes.

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041221155307646

[stillcool]

21. ah...investigate....for real...

and maybe spend some money developing new sources for renewable energy, so we could get the fuck out of all these terrorists home lands.

[Deja Q]

22. Those who decide to die fighting are the most difficult to talk to. Worse,

Before 9/11, they could have entered America with biological weapons and nobody'd have noticed. That would kill tens of thousands and hurt far more. Surely that seems a better way to go about things than hitting a building with a plane.

And I'm sure they felt a lot comfortable once they realized that our government didn't listen to everyone else a month before saying Osama is going to attack...

How do you convince a person who has no qualms chopping your head off without talking about it first to LISTEN to you?

It takes a LOT to get one man to the point where "kill 'em all" becomes a prevalent thought. And once one gets to that point, it's very difficult to get them to stop and listen. Especially if yours was the country that appeared to have done them harm in the past. (whether we had or not is another issue, but the 'militant Islamics' who always seemed keen on the World Trade Center seemed pretty naive:

Why one building and not what I said at the top?

Is it THEIR way of telling us that the rampant rabid capitalism has hurt and killed many; by hitting what must surely represent the largest figure representing capitalism, as created by corporate america? There was talk of an Afghani pipeline during the summer of 2001... nevermind those secret energy meetings, only Lord knows what more had been said within those documents. And as mny DUers have noticed, our capitalism comes at the price of the working class' well being, nevermind the foreign sweatshops and other forms of exploitation.

You know what? I have no position. Why? I'm not in power, nor do I wish to be. It's their game to play shit like this, and I'd expect them to be mature adults instead. Maybe I'm beyond cynical, but politicians are a joke; looking to get in for themselves only.

[burythehatchet]

23. Arrest Perle, Wolfowitz, Cheney and Rumsfeld

[RBHam]

24. Other: Regime Change In America

Put the real terrorists on trial...

Paul Thompson's time line awaits...

http://www.complete911timeline.org/

[Darranar]

25. Combination of 2 and 5, probably. n/t

[chlamor]

26. Other- Stop being one- get rid of 725 military bases in 132 countries

Eliminate the 725 military bases in 132 countries. Cut military budget in half. Fund alternative energy solutions. Develop local food systems and currencies. And more

[Laurab]

27. I tried to vote them out of office

it didn't work.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

28. Investigate who was involved and let no one, not even Shrub, interfere

with the investigation, then, since it was not an act of war by any country, but a crime by individuals, punish the individuals responsible, even if some of the are Shrub and Condi.

[LaPera]

29. What terrorism?

Bush's fear mongering?

But..."The terrorist hate us because wer're free". (CASE CLOSED).

Yes, that's it! In all its simplicity.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LaPera]

32. God bless the world...............Perhaps? Maybe?

If that's the standard....

[pauliedangerously]

31. Let's start with September 11, 2001

If I had been in the President's shoes, on that very day, I would have publicly forgiven the hijackers and apologized to the world for whatever the US may have done to incite such a heinous act.

After that, I would have assembled the greatest minds available to work out a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians--it would have cost less than this stupid war and we would have accomplished the main objective: secure oil.

As far as combating terrorism, the only thing you need to do to defeat it is to erase peoples' fears. Terrorism isn't a very effective tactic without fear. From a military/tactical standpoint it's pretty lame compared to a wave of Stealth Bombers and Tomahawk Missiles.

But, I am speaking as a person who really cares about the future of humanity as opposed to someone who is trying to enslave the public.

I am not afraid to die. Terrorism doesn't worry me a bit. It's all the means to an end, whether it's a terrorist attack, heart attack, nuclear attack, or whatever...

What amazes me is that there are all of these religious-zealots running around telling everyone how great heaven is, yet they're all afraid to die. If heaven is as great as they say it is, what are they afraid of? I find their lack of faith disturbing...nah, AMUSING.

[rocktivity]

33. Other--I would deal with terrorism after 9/11

By dealing with terrorism BEFORE 9/11.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Al-CIAda]

35. Wargames Were Cover For the Operational Execution of 9/11

Wargames Were Cover For the Operational Execution of 9/11
Alex Jones & Paul Joseph Watson | Updated September 20 2004

Video Clip-
Alex Jones Discusses 9/11 Wargames in April 2004
http://www.prisonplanet.tv/articles/september2004/200904wargames.htm

======
For almost three years since 9/11 independent researchers have stockpiled individual smoking guns which prove that the official version of events was not only a lie but operationally impossible.
However, no single smoking gun has yet been forwarded to explain why air defenses categorically reversed Standard Operating Procedure and failed to respond to hijacked jetliners.
Until now. More and more individuals are looking at the facts and highlighting exercise drills that took place on the morning of 9/11.
It is clear that at least five if not six training exercises were in operation in the days leading up to and on the morning of 9/11. This meant that NORAD radar screens showed as many as 22 hijacked airliners at the same time. NORAD had been briefed that this was part of the exercise drill and therefore normal reactive procedure was forestalled and delayed.
The large numbers of 'blips' on NORAD screens that displayed both real and 'drill' hijacked planes explain why confused press reports emerged hours after the attack stating that up to eight planes had been hijacked. Click here for that article.
The drill scenario also explains a comment made by air traffic control personnel which was featured in a July 2004 BBC television report. Click here for that video clip and article. The controller is told that a hijacked airliner is heading for New York and responds by saying, "is this real world or an exercise?"
Alex Jones was one of the first to highlight the wargames in his documentary film 'Masters of Terror', which was released in August 2002. Click here to watch a video clip. Alex explains why the Associated Press later had to admit the fact that the CIA were running drills of crashing planes into buildings on the morning of 9/11.

Full -
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2004/080904wargamescover.htm


=====

The war drillers
Without knowing it, but many of the participants on Sep11th, who had been part of some war drills, "played" 9/11. The next few weeks, might already prove, who was "in" and who was "out". Will the real perpetrators loose their last drill? Most obviously, one or more of the following persons, played foul play on that morning:

http://inn.globalfreepress.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=325

======

Agency planned exercise on Sept. 11 built around a plane crashing into a building
- JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
(08-21) 15:08 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
In what the government describes as a bizarre coincidence, one U.S. intelligence agency was planning an exercise last Sept. 11 in which an errant aircraft would crash into one of its buildings. But the cause wasn't terrorism -- it was to be a simulated accident.
Officials at the Chantilly, Va.-based National Reconnaissance Office had scheduled an exercise that morning in which a small corporate jet would crash into one of the four towers at the agency's headquarters building after experiencing a mechanical failure.
The agency is about four miles from the runways of Washington Dulles International Airport.
Agency chiefs came up with the scenario to test employees' ability to respond to a disaster, said spokesman Art Haubold. No actual plane was to be involved -- to simulate the damage from the crash, some stairwells and exits were to be closed off, forcing employees to find other ways to evacuate the building.
"It was just an incredible coincidence that this happened to involve an aircraft crashing into our facility," Haubold said. "As soon as the real world events began, we canceled the exercise."
Terrorism was to play no role in the exercise, which had been planned for several months, he said.
Adding to the coincidence, American Airlines Flight 77 -- the Boeing 767 that was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon -- took off from Dulles at 8:10 a.m. on Sept. 11, 50 minutes before the exercise was to begin. It struck the Pentagon around 9:40 a.m., killing 64 aboard the plane and 125 on the ground.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/08/21/national1518EDT0686.DTL&type=printable

=====

DU thread-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1587996

[Just Me]

36. (1) Domestic terrorism is 23X a greater threat to Americans.

(2) "Terrorism" fails to justify war/occupation of another country;
(3) Who are "terrorists" (really);
(4) What creates the desperation underlying acts of terrorism;
(5) What, precisely, separates "terrorists" from violent criminals;
(6) Can we ever guarantee complete security, ever;
(7) Is our "security" better served working with one another to protect our communities;
(8) Does a punitive approach work better to ensure security;
(9) Is our system (or any system, for that matter) ever proven to be perfect;
(10)Do we choose to empower people or a "government"?

[Clark2008]

37. Combination of Nos. 2 and 5

After 9/11, we had to take some military action against those who harbored OBL.
Of course, if Bush had actually read the damn Aug. 6 memo, there might not have been a 9/11, but I digress.
I would couple that with an open dialogue as pointed out in No. 2.
Fighting terrorism should be a multi-faceted approach - not an excuse to drive a war for oil.

[K-W]

40. Fight organized crime like it is organized crime.

We needed to use the sympathy of other nations to get them to work with us to fight international crime with international policing. You stop these networks by making it impossible for them to access nations.

At the same time we declare openly that we no longer have any agressive intentions in the middle east. We pull our troops out of Saudi Arabia and begin closing foriegn bases. We reduce the size and scope of the military and slash its budget mercilessly. We then rely on having a small stockpile of deterrent nukes(until we can get rid of all of them) and a small, but elite military of the best soldiers in the world with the best equipment in the world.

We would have nothing to fear from anyone anywhere if we were liked, had nukes, and had an elite efficient military. We dont need a war machine to be secure.

This is an easy question to answer, the problem is that the solutions are deemed unacceptable.

Edit: We should also severely restrict our arms corporations and scale them back, we need to stop arming the world. We also need to decriminalize drugs. These two actions would destroy the massive global black market economy that supports so many illegal activities including corruption in our own government.

[Coventina]

41. "Terrorism" is nothing but organized crime

I've never understood why it needed to be handled any differently.

[BuyingThyme]

42. Ridiculous.

You're making way too much sense. You want us to find and capture terrorists as is they were criminals? Way too much sense.

[lala_rawraw]

43. I would still like to deal with 9/11 itself...

As a 9/11 "person" I am still waiting for someone to hold someone, somewhere accountable. Until that happens, I cannot even begin to construct a thought as to how to deal with future events.