I also doubt it was ETA…
last news say that the bombs were scheduled to explode at the railway station to kill as many as during the WTC…
fortunately, the train that was really loaded with bombs was 10’ late and it was the one suppose to hit Atocha station (which is PACKED at this time of the year)…
bunch of cowards…
definitely looks like Al Qaeda style!
This is where my Marine family tends to come out. My father who is a retired Marine (one of many in the family) states it best as “Kill 'em all, their god will sort it out”…with emphasis on “Their god”.
Many good things have come from the GWB plan, Pakistan and India talking peace, other mid east nations getting rid of weapons, Iran letting inspectors in…the list is long. In the end we can all wish for a more peaceful earth - that being said, there will always be some out there who resist change and dont want peace. We need to deal with then harshly (kill them).
I think it was the Barristas.
I think it was the Barristas.
C’mon man, move on!!!
Here’s the solution - Saeco coffee machine in the shop (don’t know if they’re good but I guess they’re cool?), offer free coffee to anybody who comes in during a bike ride and as a bonus you now brew your own and don’t need to go to Starbucks.
More customers in the store, you and your staff nuked out on coffee, no strange encounters with Barristas, what more could you want?
And on a serious note, I feel sorry that there are people in this world filled with so much hate that they could even contemplate an act like that in Madrid. It’s horrendous.
Happy to report that my brother is fine. Wasn’t too worried since he’s been in San Sebastion not Madrid. He flys home this weekend, but I’m not sure if it’s from Madrid or not. Imagine the airport security will be unbelievable.
I think it was the Barristas.
You know, I got hundreds of e-mails about my Starschmucks post
glad to know that…
I think security is going to be unbelievable in Europe in general now…
Kill 'em all, their god will sort it out"…with emphasis on “Their god”.
Unless your father is an atheist, or an adherent of an Eastern religion, “their God” is also “his God”. Picky, I know, but people forget.
Ken Lehner
ETA has just denied any involvement in the attack in Madrid.
They have always claimed responsibilty right away after each attack, always called the police before to tell them a bomb was about to explode, and usually targeted admin etc… (with some exceptions as they did kill tourists)…
in any case, it seems that it’s Al Qaeda now…
So Art Franke’s Special Forces haven’t been able to do what the lawyers after the original WTC attack couldn’t do, either (see another thread).
Yeah, I feel a lot more secure these days…
Ken “not” Lehner
I would be very proud if they were my Special Forces, but they are America’s Special Forces. I love them like they were my own though.
If you want to bet against America in the war on terrorism, you are making a foolish wager. People can bet successfully against this country for a short time and come out ahead. The 200 year track record for such bets is not good, however. A strong America will triumph in this war in my lifetime and the world’s future will continue it’s unstoppable trend for the better.
I know the reality of an ever improving world is tough to comes to grips with, but you are a hardened triathlete stud, so I know you will learn to cope eventually.
(I said “your Special Forces” because you referred to them, not because of ownership issues)
Here’s a true story that I think is relevant to the War On Terrorism ™:
A friend of mine had a problem with field mice coming into his house. First he tried killing them in the house, but they kept coming. Then he tried to keep them from coming into his house, but that didn’t work. He then tried to find and destroy their nest(s), but they kept coming. Finally, he used his brain and figured out why they were coming in: they were after the dog food. So, he secured the dog food, thereby removing the reason for them coming in, and the problem was solved.
How this relates? We will never win this war by defending our borders and removing air travelers’ shoes, or by bombing the hell out of Stone Age level countries, or by sending in Special Forces, as long as the terrorists have reasons (as perverted as they may be) for attacking us. As long as we support corrupt Arab monarchies, tyrants and their ilk because we need to protect our insatiable appetite for oil, they will have a reason to hate us.
Art, why didn’t we win the war in Vietnam? We bombed the hell out of the North, killed perhaps millions of Vietnamese, but we didn’t win. We were the biggest, baddest force around, but the only way to win militarily was to pave over the whole country.
Ah, the “ever improving world”. I know you’ve argued this in other threads, and I won’t start that again. I’ll leave it that we just (hopefully respectfully) disagree.
I’d like to share your optimism on the war on terror…
However, it is going to be very hard to fight people that have lost all hope…
“…it is going to be very hard to fight people that have lost all hope…”
According to the Yale professor I cited earlier, quite the contrary is true. The militant Islamists have not only a lot of hope, but faith as well. They believe they are solely responsible for the defeat of the Soviet Union, they look at the rapid expansion of Islam under Saladin as proof that Islam is superior, and they believe Allah, the only true God, is on their side. This is not a bunch of dead-enders seeking an end to economic repression and deprivation. This is a bunch who feels Islam should politically rule the world and they are willing to kill and be killed to achieve that end. Again–this is about 1-200,000 out of 1.2 billion Muslims, so don’t assume the majority of Muslims feel this way.
Don’t flame me–I am just reporting as she stated in her presentation.
"Don’t flame me
Actually, I agree with you for once.
Good! Let’s “virtually” have that beer together.
“Let’s “virtually” have that beer together”
You’re on. That’s two things we can agree on!
It is not hard to understand why they hate us. This is not difficult. We are free and wealthy and successful. They are under tyrany, poor and failures.
You are correct. We need to address the root issues. We need to secure the dog food by helping make them free, wealthy and successful. This is difficult. We are starting by helping them to be free. Iraq and Afganistan are for starters. Success there will start a chain reaction in my life time to free the peoples in the corrupt Arab monarchies you claim to want to help.
I suppose an alternative would be to run up the white flag and subject ourselves to tyrany, poverty and failure. I don’t vote for that plan.
We lost in Vietnam because our political leaders didn’t choose to win. They chose process and half measures rather than victory. It takes courage to win. It takes courage to deal with the fact that the Western world is living a fairy tale that will never end unless we allow it.
The courage is in you. Let it rule.
I never said anything about being easy. Being optimistic is hard. Fighting a long war is hard. We won the cold war. It was hard. We will win this one.
Having recently been subject to tyrany, the people of Spain know all of this. That is why they are one of our very best allies. I hope we can help them deal with this tragedy.
“We lost in Vietnam because our political leaders didn’t choose to win.”
Viet Nam was lost because it was a pointless endevour to begin with. Even from a military point of view. China was poised to move in if the war effort had moved into north Viet Nam. Getting the hell out of there was the next best thing to not having been there in the first place.
You and I are both old enough to remember the Viet Nam era and the turmoil it caused. Let’s hope there is never another one.