Is "terrorism" a real threat to America?

[UdoKier]

In other words, is there a real possibility that terrorism could topple our economy, our government, our society?

[BattyDem]

1. Nope.

The country has been conned. 9/11 was the Reichstag Fire all over again.

[lala_rawraw]

2. Yes, because if you account for

The real terrorists (cough), then yes, it very much is.

[Joe the Revelator]

5. here,here

keyword being REAL terrorists.

[punpirate]

3. Given the history of terrorism...

... against this country, especially over the years since the end of the Gulf War, one would be foolish to think that terrorism didn't exist--that would be denying a simple reality based in fact.

However, anti-American terrorism is not the huge, monolithic army-like structure that this particular administration has promoted, thus requiring a monstrous world-wide military effort and extreme political and legal measures at home. Those efforts will only help coalesce disparate terror groups around the world. In that sense, this administration has, knowingly, made the problem worse, for ideological reasons alone.

For that reason, the major attacks in 2001 were seen by this administration as an opportunity to be exploited, rather than were treated as something to be deterred when possible and adjudicated when they occurred.

The essence of this administration's thinking about terrorism can be seen in one thing--its all-out military response to the problem. Clinton's administration treated terrorism as it should have been--deterred when possible (as in the planned Millennial attacks) and prosecuted as criminal acts when they could not be deterred (as in the first World Trade Center bombing).

Treating terrorism as a world-wide military problem simply enables other ideological ambitions of this administration, while conveniently making terrorism worse. It's the creation of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

4. The threat of terrorism is insignificant, the real threat is incompetence

in the white house.

[Name removed]

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[Pepperbelly]

7. need more choices I think nt

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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