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Jul 9 05 4:51 AM

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It's a radical idea, I know but maybe we should try talking to them. These people do what they do because they want something. Is it possible to give it to them? Insted of asking and talking, we shoot guns and don't even ask questions as to why everyone is fighting.


There is a long history to bombings and terrorism. Bombings in Beruit, first attack on the World Trade Center, bombings in embassies across the world, the attacks on 9/11, bombings in Israel, Indonesia, Philippines. The attack upon the school in Russia. There are so many that I cannot recall and list them all.

You believe talking to a fanatic will work? What is their goal? You should give up your beliefs and freedoms and follow their vision/version of Islam. When that happens they will stop. Or you defeat them, and they will stop. Will it be easy? No. This problem has been growing for years. It will take years to reslove the conflict.

Here is an excerpt from an interview of Osama bin Laden:
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In December 1992, bin Laden found the battle he'd been waiting for. The United States was leading a UN-sanctioned rescue mission into Somalia. In the midst of a famine, the country's government had completely broken down, and warring tribes-largely Muslim--had cut off relief efforts by humanitarian groups. Somalians were starving to death in cities and villages, and the U. S., which had moved quickly to rescue oil-rich Kuwait, had come under mounting criticism for doing nothing.

When the Marines landed in the last days of 1992, bin Laden sent in his own soldiers, armed with AK-47's and rocket launchers. Soon, using the techniques they had perfected against the Russians, they were shooting down American helicopters. The gruesome pictures of the body of a young army ranger being dragged naked through the streets by cheering crowds flashed around the world. The yearlong American rescue mission for starving Somalians went from humanitarian effort to quagmire in just three weeks. Another superpower humiliated. Another bin Laden victory.

"After leaving Afghanistan, the Muslim fighters headed for Somalia and prepared for a long battle, thinking that the Americans were like the Russians," bin Laden said. "The youth were surprised at the low morale of the American soldiers and realized more than before that the American soldier was a paper tiger and after a few blows ran in defeat. And America forgot all the hoopla and media propaganda ... about being the world leader and the leader of the New World Order, and after a few blows they forgot about this title and left, dragging their corpses and their shameful defeat."

I asked bin Laden why he would kill American soldiers whose work was to restore order and allow for the distribution of food.

"Why should we believe that was the true reason America was there?" he replied. "Everywhere else they went where Muslims lived, all they did was kill children and occupy Muslim land."


Is that why the USA was in Somalia? To occupy and take control of Somalia? Really?

This, of course, ignores things like the United States saving Muslims in Albania from Serbia. Now, the Albanians are slaying Serbians and no one reports or cares to stop it.

Is backing way, talking to, and pretending that being, nice, ignoring, or showing weakness will work?

Should the world abandon every Jewish person in Israel? What about non-Muslims in the Middle East, and Africa and Asia?

If you sat down with bin Laden, what would you say to convince him to change his course of action?

I cannot think of too many major conflicts where appeasement was a successful longterm tactic. And unfortunately, confrontation is never onesided, even the winning side takes hits. The terrible thing is that conflict brings a loss of life, on both sides. This time however, one side deliberately targets the innocent.

Although I do not agree with everything that President Bush has done, bringing freedom to countries in the middle east region is a step to break the cycle of teaching hatred. One thing it appears that the terrorists are doing is fighting their hardest in Iraq to break the will of the American public. They cannot defeat the American military, but if they can work to wear down the resolve of the Americans, make them retreat before the job is done...they will have won again, and move on to their next objective.

Part of the problem is that many Iraqi citizens who would otherwise assist the USA and allies in rooting out the terrorists and freeing their country, are unwilling to do it...to stick their necks out because of all the calls for pulling out, and that the United States is in the wrong. If they assist and the USA and allies cut and run, they are dead, or worse. The vast majority want freedom to vote and set their own destiny. A small, determined minority hopes to thwart them.

R-Tech

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