Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

terrorist threat greatly exaggerated
Quote | Reply
With the recent thread about how cars kill so many more people than guns, I just thought I might post this little editorial:

http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news2/age30.html

"According to the US Centres for Disease Control, the odds of an American dying in a terrorist attack are about one in 88,000. The odds of dying by falling off a ladder are one in 10,000. And, according to an article in Foreign Policy magazine, even in 2001, car crashes killed 15 times more Americans than terrorism."

Yeah, yeah, I know, the terrorists will get their hands on a nuke and set it off in Disney World the minute we pull out of Iraq so the statistics are bound to change, but until they do the stats still indicate that there are many greater dangers to your health than terrorists.
Last edited by: TB in MT: Nov 18, 05 20:48
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TB in MT] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Unless you're an 18 year old kid from Nebraska on the streets of Fallujah.









But yeah, other than that stuff, we're pretty much good to go.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TB in MT] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
following your line of logic ...

"More people die of natural death than any other cause." Let's legislate to ban natural death.

Or how about this ... I'll go out and mow down let's say 10 kids in a pre-school with a shotgun. But since it's only ten compared to the great numbers who die of traffic accidents they might as well just ignore me.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, the terrorists will get their hands on a nuke and set it off in Disney World the minute we pull out of Iraq so the statistics are bound to change, but until they do the stats still indicate that there are many greater dangers to your health than terrorists." - TB in MT

Al Zakawi aka Mr Al Qaeda Iraq has just posted this on the internet in an attempt to appease his fellow Muslims in Jordan after recently bombing their asses. - "The attacks in Immam were not meant to target Jordanian civillians. We were targeting the Jews and Crusaders, the enemies of God."

Well firstly it beats me how God can possibly have civillian enemies threatening him that need to be blown to smithereens. I thought God was invincible.

Secondly he mentioned earlier that the Jordanians deserved a lesson because of their co-mingeling with the Infedels. Now it's a different tune as the whole country of his origin has gone in protest against him. I'm pretty sure that he felt that his bombings would have had the opposite effect as fundamentalists even in Jordan rallied by his side to bestow acollades for his heroic acts of martyrdom.

Thirdly in line with this 2 out of 3 bombs blew up two Jordanian weddings. Uh who was he targeting again???

Well PULL OUT OF IRAQ would give this nice gentleman Mr Al Zakawi aka Mr Al Qaeda Iraq aka The Wedding Bomber (he had this title before the Immam bombs for obvious reasons) a green light to take over.

Most likely result -

1) Iraq will transform real quick into a medieval Isalamic nation, much like Iran.

2) Since Al Zakawi is Al Qaeda guess who will likely be coming by to set up shop? No prizes but the initials OB may ring a bell.

3) Many Muslims around the world, those tottering on the brink between fundamentalism and sanity can now see for themselves how Allah and his martyrs have prevailed over the Infedel, the enemies of God. Iraq will now be The Great Nation representing all that is righteous and forming not only a physical geographical presence and home for the true believers but also a symbol and source of inspiration for such true believers around the world to go forward with the righteous task of cleansing the world of the ignorant masses.

4) In such a circumsatnce do you think Iraq and Iran could then join forces? Al Qaeda presence could just be the thing they need to resolve all this Shiit-Suni disagreement for the bigger goal.

Oh yes if you think the Iraqi invassion was a mistake this proposed withdrawal would compound the mistake a thousand fold. Through the invasion and then this subsequent untimely withdrawal, the USA will tell the world that it does not stand by it's commitments and cannot be depended on. The USA will effectively create the biggest threat to itself and the world not only in Iraq itself but by the strengthening this global threat that has no borders.

TB, you mention a nuke in Dysneyworld in a sarcastic tone. Like something like that is so far fetched. Well do you know something else that's so far fethched? .... How about 4 hijacked airliners being used as simultaneous missile attacks. Two bringing down the twin towers of the now non-existent World Trade Center, the other striking the Pentagon and the fourth failed to reach the White House only because of the bravery of the passengers who fought the terrorists in the plane causing it to crash killing all.

What do you reckon? Pretty innovative? Imagine what they could do if they had some real WMDs.

Wouldn't it be one happy party? Iran, the new fundamentalist Iraq and Al Qaeda with a little help from some Ruskies happily developing some nuclear fireworks and long range missiles? North Korea is in bad need of cash, I'm sure they could parlay for some useful nuke related stuff from there too.

Yeah good one, for them guys on the hill fighting for instant Iraqi withdrawal. Yeah we need that about as much as a submarine needs wire mesh windows.
Last edited by: kangaroo: Nov 18, 05 22:16
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [kangaroo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
So my post was silly? Sort of like the posts about how guns are no big deal compared to automobiles, if you look at the statistics. That was more my point.

But, yeah, I am standing by my snide comment at the end. You may be of the opinion that the whole Muslim world is all set to get together and get coordinated and come get us. (a great Iran-Iraq alliance w/ Zarkawi as the leader? Huh?) I am of the opinion they will screw each other over fighting for power and never get around to getting organized or ever getting us. Most of the shit in Iraq is fighting between ethnicities for vengeance and/or power ... Yes, there are sinister worldwide plots in the works: Which is why we need to keep tabs on 'em but I don't think we'll get anywhere toward actually controlling the situation abroad. Spying, covert stuff, special ops, even bombing certain targets (nuke facilities) ??? Sure, I'm down with that. Securing our borders would be good too. But trying to control a huge chaotic country of 25 million very different people (that borders on like 7 other countries) half way around the world? Can't be done for very long. We'll leave sooner or later and I'd be amazed if much progress is made between now and then.
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TB in MT] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
"I am of the opinion they will screw each other over fighting for power and never get around to getting organized or ever getting us."

It doesn't matter what your opinion is, ...or mine for that matter. The fact is 9/11 is a reality and so is all that other terrorism killing civillians becoming more consistent. 9/11 they were pretty organized as with the London Bombings. Given more firepower there's no reason to believe they can't get just as organized if not more organized given better opportunities.

So you suggest just keeping an eye on them? Considering what's been going on, that eye will likely get blown up in your face!

No .... Bush, Blair, Howard and now even the Jordanians and others know the score. The way to deal with this is to get at terror from every possible angle, constantly working toward that and hitting hard when the opportunity arises, And thank goodness they know the score even if you don't.

My apologies if I implied your comments were silly. My intention was to point out that your comparison of number of deaths from auto accidents, diseases and terrorism is out of context. Yes death is death but how it happens and why and how acceptable is the way it happens and the solutions needed in each of the different causes for these deaths are hardly the same.
Last edited by: kangaroo: Nov 19, 05 10:01
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TB in MT] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I don't think your post was silly. Your statistics are cetainly accurate, and from that perspective, you make a valid point.

But allow me to be critical of this perspective (not of you personally though My Friend).

You point out that the chances of us dying in a terrorist attack are minimal. You're right- they are. So our individual lives are safe. From an individual perspective there really is nothing much to worry about and clearly there are more pressing individual concerns such as cancer, traffic accidents, etc.

But our concern over terrorism can't just be individual. It can't just be, "Well, I'm still alive, I can still drive my car and I made my mortgage payment so frankly, I am not feeling this... I am removed from it individually."

It is a bigger issue than that, one that has been contested around the world by mankind since the beginning of history. One society or group of individuals (extremists) who want to exert their will on the rest of the populace.

That is the bigger issue of terrorism. And, it is a two part problem: While trying to eradicate tthose who wish to exert their will on us, we must strike a balance where we do not, in turn, wind up doing the same thing to them.

It is a treacherous and lethal balancing act with astronomical stakes.

I would respectively suggest that the threat of terrorism extends beyond our individual lives, and therein lies its primary threat.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes death and injury caused by Terrorism is in a different format than that from auto accidents or disease.

And we don't need to wait for the death toll from terrorism to become more significant and threatening before we decide to make an effort to put a stop to it.

And dealing with terrorists who have no sense of right and wrong ... forget about the balancing act and lean toward, just do what's necessary to send them to their heaven where they can't inflict any harm on others would be a more pragmatic approach.
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TB in MT] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I commute by metro every day into Washington DC and I work two blocks from the White House. Does that change my odds of dying in a terrorist attack. I understand the statistics you cite but they don't apply to me.

Not complaining, just making a point. We will get hit again, changes will be made and then we will get hit again. Bin Laden is old school. The independent home grown network who follows his ideology will be the next attackers and they are a lot harder to stop.
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [kangaroo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Actually I was being sort of silly (playing the statistics game), so no worries. Your reply was good.

But the bigger point is whether worldwide terrorism a huge deal or not. My argument is that it is not as big a deal as we are making it and that its impossible to control it from "every angle." Yes 9/11 was huge, but trying to take over and control entire nations is not the right response, even if it were possible, which it isn't.

The world is huge and uncontrollable, even if we are the richest and most powerful nation for the time being ... We have tried for 30 years to stop the flow of illegal aliens from different angles and we have hardly made a dent. We have tried for 30 years to stop the drug trade from every angle and haven't made a huge difference there. Those are things we can affect from right here in our own country, so how can we really be effective in a country half way around the world? Sure, terrorism is even more serious but we can only do so much abroad and a behemoth of a government is not the answer.

I'm in the camp that invading Iraq took our eye off the ball (the ball being dudes trying to attack us here) and emboldened terrorists: Didn't we give them exactly what they wanted by going over there? In 2001 few terrorsits could claim they killed Westerners, now thousands can say they did it in Iraq, all because we made it so much easier. Invading Iraq created more terrorsists, gave 'em great training and spread us too thin. I don't even think we learned a lot about the terrorists who want to get us here by going after totally different dudes there. I see no shame in getting out.

Ain't too many Mohammad Attas in Iraq right now (maybe a few, getting a little taste), the dudes who are really hoping to get us are plotting and planning in S. Arabia, Europe and right here. I think the thug kids with RPGs and husband-wife suicide bombers in Iraq are actually distracting us from stopping more dangerous Atta-types. Most fighters in Iraq are opportunists who would not otherwise be terrorists, don't you think? ... We wrongly think we are kicking ass while those guys (9/11 types) are still around ... Iraq may be a distraction from worse problems we don't know enough about yet. And I don't mean Iran ... Just my opinion.
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TB in MT] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
"Just my opinion."

Exactly! Your opinion ...my opinion ...anyone's opinion ...

My opinion just happens to be different from yours.

From what I see and have experienced, I am of the opinion that this threat is international and is embedded in a mentality which has Islam as it's basis. As such Iraq is now a huge part of fighting this scourge whether we like it or not. That won't just go away even if we try to just abandon Iraq.

Also my opinion is that this threat is huge because it is so widespread and the the fanatacism is determination personified and is dogmatic beyond what words can describe. How do you describe things that make no sense but yet is fully entrenched and embedded in a mentality? I'm sure when this mentality is embedded into an individual he carries it and believes in it until his last dying breath. And when the that mentality and entrenched belief includes having a personal responsibility to eradicate as many civillians as they can because they are God's enemies and in doing so they are martyrs who are guaranteed a place in heaven, ...that's scary but exactly the mentality nevertheless.

Besides the way these fanatics talk their actions ...9/11 and the increasing consistency of terror attacks to me is proof of this over and over again. With this mentality, if these guys ever get that increased capacity they are striving for, the terror we have seen thus far could be just the tip of the iceberg. That aside, what sort of human beings are we if we allow these people to continue to run around the globe doing what they do to others and occassionally to our own without making all efforts to stamp them and their archaic beliefs that keeps too many people in poverty ...OFF THE FACE OF THIS EARTH!

I was in the armed forces myself. If I had to go fight, that's what I was prepared to do. I mean that's what combat trained personell are prepared to do when they join the armed forces. And in any kind of war there is the price to pay in casualties ... no matter how insensitive that sounds it's true. Stamping out terrorism is not a meaningless objective. Iraq as I said before is a huge and crucial part now in this fight against Islamic Fanatics and the containment of it's further spread globally.

Just my opinion.
Last edited by: kangaroo: Nov 20, 05 8:59
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TB in MT] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I think your statistics are wrong. Either you will die in a terroroist attack, or you won't. So it is actually 50/50.
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Tom, not to lighten the issue, but in the pic you posted, did you notice that one terroist forgot his weapon, but brought his "MC Hammer pants"?

The other guys sure didn't bring a knife to a gun fight. Geez.

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TripleThreat] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Looks like he is the assistant gunner on that 60mm mortar tube. He has obviously been asked to please, dont hurt em'.
Last edited by: NeedMoreEngine: Nov 20, 05 20:03
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [TripleThreat] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
All I think of now is that sub-human is Hammer dancing and singing You Got Too Pray too keep his evil buddies spirits up.

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [Mr. Tibbs] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
He does appear to be doin' the "Hammer Shuffle", doesn't he?

2 Legit to Quit

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --
Quote Reply
Re: terrorist threat greatly exaggerated [kdw] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
The statistics for death are 100 %. "We were born to die." - Falstaff
Quote Reply