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And you really want me to believe that we're going to change overnight and give the enemy the Full-Body Atomic Tan if they strike us again? Our catering to special interest groups and the "religion of peace" (gag) says otherwise.

All this "politically correct" garbage goes up in smoke if there is another 9/11 type attack. All of this "religion of peace" stuff being spewed by Bush and others is for public consumption. Privately, they are loaded for bear should another attack occur. We've had over two years to prepare for such a devastating response. Unlike in the aftermath of 9/11, we know where all the targets are. And the targets know that we know where they are.

BTW, I'll go out on a limb here and say that if Algore was president, even he would have such a plan in place, ready to go. Maybe Algore never would have gone into Iraq, hell, we KNOW he wouldn't have gone into Iraq, but you better believe he would have the military ready to act immediately in the case of another 9/11 attack. That said, I'm glad Bush is the president because we now have fewer targets to go after than had Algore been in office.

This is a case of the survival of western civilization. The attacks of 9/11 had very damaging impact on our economy. The airline industry was almost wiped out. In fact, had the terrorists followed up with some raft-launched SAM attacks against commercial airliners off the eastern and western seaboards in the months afterwards, you wouldn't be able to get anybody on a plane again for quite some time.

Look at the enormous costs our economy had to absorb just to ramp up security. My company spent millions of dollars improving security and putting safeguards in place to protect their employees in the aftermath of 9/11. Our field technicians now have 10-15 minutes added to each service call as they must navigate the intricate security measures of the companies they must visit. All of this time costs money and profit margins are negatively impacted.

Another attack could have dire long-term economic impact. What would our economy do if people were afraid to travel, go to the cities, go the the ballgames, etc.?

We cannot afford to live under the threat of terrorist attacks. We will do what we must do to ensure that they do not happen. Even if it requires a spectacular nuclear strike. It's either that, or our way of life will perish.

Even in the wake of September 11, I don’t think most people realize how dangerous the current situation truly is. One terrorist strike in the right place would be enough to mortally wound our economy. The Port of Houston, for example, is terribly vulnerable; not only is it a critical bottleneck for general shipping, it also is a major POE for our military forces, not to mention crude oil shipping. And with a good portion of the nation’s petroleum refining and distribution capability located in the Houston metro area — well, let’s just say that I pray with all my might that God and the government are keeping an especially close watch on Houston.

Good points, Sam.

I think the "go shopping" message right after 9/11 was the right one - it did reaffirm our confidence in the fact that our country would continue running, etc. And people responded the right way. (Although, as you point out, many of the costs were hidden and long-term, and the economic impact is still being felt.)

But that can only happen once, and the next major strike, if there is one, is going to initiate a struggle to the death. I think GWB gave the Muslim world a chance to sort itself out and decide which side they were really on. After all, no President wants to be the one who touched off the war from which there is no turning back, a war that could well destroy much of the world.

Sadly, it seems that most of the Muslim world has chosen the wrong side, or has been too timid in supporting the right one. I have a terrible feeling of inevitability about what is going to happen next, although I think Bush deserves much praise for trying to prevent it, or at least hold it off.