[pollyannaish]

I've heard Brigitte and her story is compelling and important. And I want to make sure that you understand I DO know what we are up against. I just think that we have a moral obligation to try to find a way to not make this tit for tat for the next thousand years if we possibly can.

It's a much harder thing to do. But the folks like the one at the top of the thread give me some hope that there is an opportunity for moderation...even if it is minuscule. I think it is incumbent that we try that first. Not negotiation between us and them, mind you because that won't work. But support of the moderating internal forces within Islam. They are there.

[rlmorel]

Absolutely. I certainly didn't mean to discount your viewpoint at all...unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) a weakness we have IS to turn the other cheek.

I am not a "glass parking lot" person, and I firmly believe that what we are doing right now, expending blood, lives and money in the Middle East, is the right and moral thing to do. We should be proud of it. We could be like the Nazis or Soviets and just go in and flatten the place, but...that is not why we went in there. It is in our best interests to improve their lives and try to break them out of the medieval mode they are stuck in. Then they might not be flying planes into our buildings.

Of course, it all may fail. The people who say Islam is not compatible with democracy may be right. And when a nuclear device goes off in an American city, all bets are off. But I am not willing to be a member of the "Glass Parking Lot" crowd until that point. That means I may be willing to sacrifice huge numbers of American lives to reach that point. My life, or the lives wife or family may be one of those lost. So be it. But I will not be a party to the scorched earth policy until then.