9. Should the U.S. lead the way in Anti-Terrorist activities? why or why not?
107341
No! Does everyone not seem to notice that terrorism became large scale when Bush came into power? Nothing like this ever happened when Clinton was in power. I won't deny that Clinton had his faults, but when he it came to international relations, the man was on top of his game. Unless, the US elects a more intelligent and a more capable president, I fear that any actions taken by Bush and the US government will only make things a whole lot worse.
137126
Protection of our domestic borders are probably the weakest link in our current defenses against terrorism. I can't agree to turn over management of our largest ports to a country from whom terrorists and terrorist funding has come.\nNo matter how confident you are of those whom are in charge, everyone has their price and thus are prone to corruption. I simply would feel more confident if those in charge were not from the United Arab Emirate...that's all!~
218202
Of course!  Between the PATRIOT Act and that lovely domestic surveillance program, we *want* the terrorists to be on US soil so that we can find them and catch them -- or just leave them out on the docks when a hurricane comes along.  It may look like a breach of national security in the interests of big business, but it's really a clever ruse which combines all of the worst practices of this administration into a very impressive terrorist-eliminating trap.\n\nThat is assuming, of course, that the administration can spy competently, was using reverse psychology in the "we fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" line of reasoning, and doesn't mind being the cause of accelerated global warming to produce larger and more frequent hurricanes to wash the terrorists away.\n\nHrm.  On second thought, maybe it's a pretty dumb idea after all.  Funny thing, of course, is that nobody would care if it weren't for the administration's doctrine of "security over fear and death" that it's been harping on ever since 9/11.
250832
america's goverment should stay away from muslim world. leave them alone will be the best way to keep american safe.\nthe future hold for AMERICA'S IMAGE??? GUN&WAR
690844
I really don't have an answer to your question, but I think we could go along way toward world peace by disbanding the military and just building a purely defensive force. We could protect our borders better if we concentrated our resources on protection of our own country. Things like happened on 9/11 would not be able to happen. I also think that the money saved would be better spent on the American people in need. Health care being one of my biggest issues. That being said there are to many greedy repuglicans in this country to ever happen, but it is my dream world.
948275
Democrats have no answer to terrorism. Fighting terrorism needs guts. Pandering to the liberal media and trying to be popular will not make us safe. Tough problems need sacrifice and hard solutions. America was not built on lemon juice. We need people like President Bush.
387054
The problem with this lead by example plan is that people won't follow the example.  The U.S. dismantling it's military would lead to the destruction of the United States.  The U.S. has an important role to play in the world in fighting terrorism and stopping extremist nations from getting nuclear weapons.  It's important to remember the lessons of history, when the U.S. had an isolationist attitude, Hitler was able to kill millions of people.  If the U.S. would have been willing to intervene earlier, then there would have been far less deaths.  Countries like Iran are ran by people who are just as evil as Hitler and have some of the same intentions.  Such as wiping an entire Jewish country off of the map.  The U.S. must stop things like this from happening.
1018844
Nope!!!\n\n"And what the hell is terrorism, anyway? It's not a thing; it's not a place; it's not a person. It is a political and military strategy, that's all. Having a 'War On Terrorism' is as ridiculous as having a 'War on Flanking Maneuvers'. You'll end terrorism when there's no longer anything for anybody to get pissed off about."\n\n"As for now, maybe if we looked at why people are pissed at us, we'd begin to understand. Hell, it doesn't matter whether they're right or wrong; it's what they perceive that motivates them. What you have to address is why they perceive things as they do. Only then will you start to get a clue. And spare me the bullshit about them hating us because of our freedom. We haven't been truly free in a long time. And now we're letting all this demagoguery convince us to give up what little liberty we have left. Big Brother Lives!"\n\n"Hack" Col, US Army
659575
No! Our best defense against terrorist attacks is to secure intelligence help from our allies, of course we now need to rebuild some, and rebuild "US intelligence" (An Oxymoron).\n\nIf we would keep our noses out of other peoples business and let business do their own dirty work most would would have no reason to launch an attack. If 9/11 happened the way they say it happened, and I have a lot of doubts about that, we knew about it according to the government. One guy was being tailed at the time by an FBI agent. (so they say) Many that the US claims to be the terrorists on the hijacked planes, I think 9, are still alive and well.\n\nThere are no guarantees in stopping one, it is impossible, but there are ways to minimize the threat, which we have not done.\n\nAs long as we support Israel and give them aid and weapons, we are going to be a target. I don't mind doing that, but there is a price to pay and those who think not are having  an Ann Coulter nightmare..\n\nYou can't make yourself the most hated nation in the world and not expect people not to come after you. I haven't seen any attacks on China.
686360
It could and in some cases is backfiring. While I doubt if we will be seen as a threat to all, most radical Muslim entities are now pointing the finger at us saying we are the aggressors. This accusation has a ready ear among Muslim young who are poor and disenfranchised making them fertile ground for Al Qiada's doctrine of hate. Also some of the other Muslim countries are starting to see us as the aggressors motivated by greed for oil. It is going to take some very adept leadership to counter these perceptions if they can be countered at all. \n\nAlso at home on the domestic front a lot of Americans are losing faith in the War. Many Americans now see Bush's plan as being overly aggressive and motivated by petroleum. Many people are calling him the "Big Oil" president. There is no doubt that the war on terror is losing Alis.
1065638
Perhaps the rest of the world feels that the Middle East wouldn't be a threat if the U.S. weren't instigating them into a fight by invading their countries. I think if we're not looking for specific terrorists, then we should just stay out.\n\nIf the people in a country want to set up a democracy, that's great, and if they ask for our help, we may provide it. I think forcing change on another country is going too far, and yes, it is possible to go too far. We don't know when to stop a war, or to let go of other countries, letting them determine their own fate.\n\nI think the fact that many Americans spit out the same thing that our politicians are telling us shows us the power of propoganda.
645106
And don't forget that we allow women to drive cars, hold jobs, and even advise the President of the United States. Clearly we are the Great Satan and should all be killed. Oh, and our worst sin, we don't kill Jews on sight.\n\nThat's why Muslims danced in the streets on 9/11.\n\nMuslims everywhere, including on this website, repeatedly call for our destruction and say they are at war with us. \n\nGood, let's take them at their word and fight an all out war with the entire Muslim world using every weapon at our disposal, starting with our nuclear arsenal. Last I heard we have enough weapons to kill everyone on Earth five times over. The Muslims shouldn't be difficult to take care of.
815019
Absolutely.\n\nMost terrorism is conducted by the secret services, primarily CIA/MI6/Mossad/ISI.\nThe main culprit is CIA, who were at the root of 9/11.\nIf the secret services were closed down, the terrorism would stop, and most of the reasons for war would disappear. Enormous savings would be made, the world would be far more peaceful and happy, and no-one would be living in fear.\nThe only reason it is not done is that those who control the secret services make great profit out of their activities.
215404
Why should we support a terrorist organization just because it was democratically elected?\nHitler, too, was democratically elected. \n\nWhy all together, should we support people who danced on the streets on 9/11?\nThey hate our guts because we represent humanistic values which are anti-Islamic. \n******\nThey don’t hate the West because of Israel. NO they hate Israel, because it is a part of the WEST in their midst.\nAs such it is too much of a exposure of the failure of their Islamic “cultutre”
482653
I think the terrorists planned to use 9/11 because it would indicate that the "day the U.S. called for help." But in my thoughts, I don't think the terrorists got as far as they hope. From historical references, people claimed there were more terrorists but Bush grounded all flights, and the towers held long enough to keep thousands more safe.
4830
Nope. Let's look at the different rationales for war:\n1) WMDs: none found.\n2) Link with Al Qaeda: none proven.\n3) Make Iraq safe for democracy: not accomplished.\n4) Take the fight to the enemy: well, perhaps, but invading an arbitrary Middle Eastern country is hardly the way to go about doing this.\n5) Fight the war on terror: nope. The war in Iraq hasn't decreased terrorist attacks at all; rather, Iraq has become a magnet for terrorists.\n6) Make America safer: it's impossible to prove one way or the other, but any added safety we have is at the cost of the lives of American troops and Iraqi civilians.
143969
If you mean prevent the growth of terrorists, then it would be to bring up the standard of living in poor countries and educate the people, destroy despots and introduce a free society that allows and nurtures their specific religions and beliefs without denying others. Since there will always be poverty and governments that are cruel to their own people, it will take a long time. Effectively you have to transform entire societies.\nTo prevent the introduction of terrorist activities within the US, we should adopt similar restrictions and intelligence gathering as that in other countries that are currently under siege, perhaps similar to Israel?