This is a Holy Muslim War. They will not stop until every one of them (or us) is dead.

The Clerics want us to attack Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, or Iraq. Then they can they can justify this Holy War to Saudia Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Kuwait, and all of them to join in a fight against the West. We/They won't finish this until every Arab/American is dead. If there is one left standing, they will have a "calling" from Allah to attack the U.S. If there is one American left standing, we'll be duty bound to destroy Islam.

So you're left with two options here. We either stay out of the fight, but heavily arm and secure ourselves kind of like Israel. We give up our overhead luggage. We turn in purses and wallets for safekeeping when we get on the plane. We are run through metal detectors multiple times and possibly searched. We are questioned every time we travel. Our lives are investigated for every plane trip to make sure we aren't terrorists. We refuse to be drawn into a Holy War, but we have to severely limit our freedoms at home as a price for security. We have to move back into smaller "fuedal" communities, because we can then know who the "outsiders" are. We will have no sense of trust to strangers. We are questioned everywhere we turn, for every purchase and rental.

Or we kill every living Arab in the world.

That's my frustration tonight. I feel like the way we "used" to live is gone. I feel like we now have to live in suspicion of all terrorist groups. I feel I need to go certify myself for a concealed handgun permit (I do live in Texas, after all).

I think "Dubya" is pushing us toward killing every living Arab in the world. You see, once we attack Afghanistan, they and most of the Arab world will declare war on us. We'll be deporting large numbers of Arabs and confiscating their assets. The ones we miss here will be renting trucks and buying fertilizer. Your children in the suburbs won't be safe anymore. Every time any person buys something, we'll have to be doing a $100 background check.

I'm depressed.

Glen Austin

That's why I don't like the comparisons to Pearl Harbor. A nation (Japan) attacked us. There were weeks and months of diplomatic gestures prior to the attack. Japan was "supposed" to notify us prior to the attack. We had a clear enemy, we fought them, and ultimately created a gigantic weapon of mass destruction (the atomic bomb) to destroy two cities before they finally signed a peace treaty. After the war, we poured billions of dollars into Japan to rebuild their industries, buildings, and economy to where they rival the United States in the modern world.

Another nation did not attack us. If we demonstrate to the world by good police work that Islam did not attack us, or Afghanistan, or Syria, etc., but a few really twisted and sick criminal individuals, then we can still care for Islamic people here. We isolate the "bad" to a few people who become the focus of our attention. We give up a few freedoms flying and travelling and renting and buying. We look twice at the person next to us.

This is a gigantic police investigation, looking for a few hundred (or a few thousand) really criminal people and the cowardly people who would help them. A few Ranger/Seal/Marine strikes with selected camps in the Middle East should kill the worst of them.

Declare a war on money used to sponser terrorism. One smart thing I heard today was that Osama bin Laden is still receiving a lot of money from his parents ( a very wealthy Saudi Oil sheik ), even though the father has publicly denounced the actions of his son and vowed to never send him money again. One of bin Laden's brothers has a secret security clearance in our own government. If we discover that his father lied about never sending him money again, then we need to freeze his assets and force him to pay out the life insurance/ADD of all the people in the WTC and Pentagon. We should force him to rebuild the twin towers with his own money. Then we should tell him that his son will be tried and killed. This kind of hypocrisy cannot go unpunished! I'm mad about this! This guy is really rich and wants to play both sides (terrorists and legit governments). That is what we need to really get angry about. As far as I'm concerned, this sheik can just drown in his own oil.

The leaders of Islam here in Dallas are condemning the action, saying that the Koran does not advocate the ultimate destruction of non-Islamic faiths. Jews and Christians go to heaven, too. I laud their stance and fear for their safety. I still would recommend most Muslims in this country go home, not because I don't like them, but because I really do fear for their safety. I fear that continued terrorist actions will cause many people in our nation to decide to take justice into their own hands.

You see, our (American) demands for justice and revenge is just more bloodthirst brought about by our own selfishness, and our feelings that "dang it" we're the greatest military power in the world and NOONE does this to us.
But if we act on this rage, we will start WW III or Armageddon.

Glen Austin

How about those great kids of yours?

The two things I think I'll remember forever out of watching the memorial service on TV at 12 EST, were the children and the old people.

The boys (and girls) choir that sang had kids not much older than my 6 year old. I'm having to tell him now that our world is a very dangerous place to live. He asks if terrorism (the bombs, the death) could happen in our town. Honestly, I want to lie and tell him no, and I try to rationalize it, but the sad truth is YES. If we engage in this war millions of people will die and American will no longer be the home of the free, only the brave. His innocence and the innocence of all those poor kids have been ripped from them. He now has to realize at a very young age that the world is an ugly dangerous place. These were lessons my parents didn't have to teach me until I was in my teens. And I'm very angry about that.

The other sight I'll remember forever was the looks on the faces of people over 70. They lived in the last great World War and sincerely hoped we would never have to face something of this magnitude in our lifetime. They are shocked that we would be attacked on our own soil. And yet, I feel that this is just the beginning. We have failed to put good airport/airline security in place (like Israel) and it will simply be a matter of weeks before we have another kamikaze commercial flight. If the terrorists can't hijack airline flights, then they'll try air freight, or even private planes loaded with explosives. Our freedoms are completely and totally under attack here, but the only response we can have is to voluntarily live with more resticted freedoms until terrorists decide it is futile to attack us. That is why WE are the target, and Israel is NOT. They have done their homework.

Be prepared to have kids die as schools, churches, big buildings, and even our water and transportation infrastructure is attacked.

My answer. Yes, I'm prepared to die. If I have to, I'll fly to Afghanistan, learn how to live as a Marine, and kill Arabs in large numbers if I have to, just to spare the lives of my 3 precious children. But, I don't want to sit here like an idiot and watch mommys and daddys and kids die by the thousands here in America. We haven't lived in that kind of uncertainty in over 100 years. (If you don't count Pearl Harbor and WW II.)

But remember also, the Afghanis love their children, too.