[Restorer]

I am deeply pessimistic for the future. I suspect we'll see a continuing deterioration of relations between Islamic countries and the West. Eventual result may be a rise of a new "caliph" controlling Morrocco to Pakistan, including some nuclear weapons. if those are used against US or European cities, the PC gloves come off and the Middle East will be conquered and occupied. The oil-bearing areas will be (justifiably) annexed by the West and the Arabs can go back to being essentially irrelevant camel-jockeys.

I'm not in favor of this outcome. I just think it's likely.

A far better approach would be to develop energy sources that would free us of dependence on Middle East oil. Then we could tell the Arabs to go p*ss up a rope.

[timestax]

bttt

[Austin Willard Wright]

I am also pessismistic. There are no good answers. I do know one thing: Islam can only be changed from below through a cultural revolution. This could take hundreds of years. I also suspect that the rise of a unified Islam under a caliph is far more likely if we remain in the Middle East, than if we get out, after killing Bin Laden. Without a U.S. devil to focus on, the various Islamic groups are far more likely to continue with their fracturus ways.

[ppaul]

A far better approach would be to develop energy sources that would free us of dependence on Middle East oil. Then we could tell the Arabs to go p*ss up a rope.

We already have the sources:

ANWR

:

Let's get busy and start using them!

[MHGinTN]

A far better approach would be to develop energy sources that would free us of dependence on Middle East oil. Then we could tell the Arabs to go p*ss up a rope. 82 posted on 11/6/01 12:54 AM Eastern by Restorer Tell me something, please: why did you choose to step off the trolly and insult Christianity in this thread? Is this a sign of the 'evenhandedness' the sycophantic socialist media wishes to prtray? I can agree 100% with the above comment regarding our need to become independent of these primitive oil sheiks. I'm even a cheerer for alternate energy sources and conservation (to doubt we Americans are extremely wasteful is absurd in light of the evidence) as ways to speed up our sekf-reliance. So why did you deign it necessary to pop out an oblique slur on Christianity when that particular religion wasn't the issue? We're not debating the crusades here; they happened long ago. I though the issue was the backwardness of Islamic culture/religion and the absurdities of said religion as created by Mohammed of the Hashim.