Posted on 07/03/2002 7:24:57 PM PDT by Mr. Bob
I think we responded in a way they never expected. They were so used to a sissified government that lobbed a few cruise missles every time they hit. Even though I can't stand the guy, I think Bill Maher made a dead on assessment. He wasn't calling our military a bunch of cowards, he was calling the U.S. Government and it's past eight years of impotence a coward. And he was right. The first WTC attack we did virtually nothing. Kobar Towers, nothing. USS Cole, nothing. I know I'm omitting a few others, but the answer is still the same. Lob a few missles. And we even told the world we we didn't have the fortitude to do anything about it. Heck, Clinton turned down the Sudanese offer to take their number one man. What did that tell the world? It told the world we were weak and would do nothing. Well, they finally met a man and a nation who had had enough. We hit back hard and they finally understood.
Make no mistake they will try and hit again. They've just lost the edge now and they'll have to wait for another opportunity. They are not warriors, they are spineless manipulators. They wait until one is asleep or looking the other way and then hit from behind. We also have disrupted their finances and made it more difficult for them to form and communicate. And regardless of what the media tells us and the rest of the world, we have more allies than they do. They cannot move, train or plan in the open now without someone noticing and informing us. And because of all this, it is going to be that much more difficult to obtain weapons of mass destruction they need to carry out their plan. This is not to say they won't try and there aren't rogue elements who won't sell them what they want. But it's just that much more difficult now.
I also have to believe that we (the U.S.) also told ALL nations friendly and especially not, that the financial spigots are going to slam shut if we don't get cooperation. Just like in the cold war, we outspent out advesaries. Those nations that depend on us for support know where there bread is buttered. Which is why I also wholeheartedly support the elimination of Saddam Hussein and the takeover of his country. Place a democratic republic in place and let their people decide free from fear and dictatorship. Success of that mission will signal to Iran, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and all other countries that supported these scum that the same can happen to them if they don't play ball with the rest of the civilized world.
I refuse to call it a war on terror. It's plain and simple war. It's a war on arab nations and their ideals that declared war on us. It's a war on islam and it's intentions to rule the world. I don't buy the "radical" islam theory. Until their islamic leaders stand up and fight to take back their religion and prove to the world they want no part of what is happening, then they are just as guilty and accomplices. Both here and abroad. It's up to them to make that move now. Otherwise we can arrange another method of persuasion.
They haven't hit because we've struck back hard. But that doesn't make them any less dangerous or their desire to has waned. It just put the timetable back on our side. And that timetable depends on whether we have to annihalate them or until they come to their senses.
I dunno. That's what it took.
Why did the anthrax letters suddenly stop? Same answer.
You're posing questions which are unanswerable to those of us who are not omniscent.
They will fight when they can win, and commit only the assets necessary to achieve that win. That win will give them publicity, which they think will bring in more recruits, to carry on the battle.
This is a committed enemy, willing to fight a prolonged battle. The best way to stop them, Arm every American who wants to be armed. Then when an attack comes the attacker is at the disadvantage.
Boonie Rat
MACV SOCOM, PhuBai/Hue '65-'66
I was was waiting to see if someone else would notice it. LOL : )
Anywhoo, perhaps your title confoosed the enemy. : ) (I'm off duty now.) : )
Congrats on your many accomplishments Mr. Bob, and may you be healthy and live til 120. FReep on! FRegards. : )
If he isn't dead already then he's certainly too scared to show his dopey face on tv. He's been bombed, his people imprisioned, his financial network has been damaged.
I think we haven't seen anymore attacks because he's just not capable of pulling any off right now. I mean, look at the ham handed way the WTC attack was carried out, and that was when he was at full strength and we were still sound asleep.
No, we do not need a National CCW, that would infringe on our right to keep, and bear arms, it would change it from a right to a privelege.
What we need is for any state CCW to be honored nationwide.
President Bush is the reason there have been no further attacks - his leadership.
But the enemy has by no means given up.
And that includes ALL the enemy - indlucing the Al Q'aida, their terrorists friends and the GlobalSocalistCommunists - inside and outside of America.
Hi Mr. Bob.........good post.
There is no doubt of that. All they have to do is to wait for the public and the government to go back to sleep and then they will do it again. I fear the public is nodding off as we speak.
The terrorists probably figured that the attacks would literally crash our economy. They figured that if they showed they could hijack our planes and punch a few holes in our skyscrapers and public buildings, that people would be afraid to fly and afraid to go into the major cities. I guess they figured people would be afraid to go to ball games and other public gatherings. Well, they were wrong. Within just a few days, it was pretty much business as usual.
As well, our military response probably took them by surprise as well. I think they were expecting us to lash out blindly and indiscriminately within days, or even hours after the attack. It was probably their hope that we would, in our rage, hit enough innocent targets to turn not only the entire Islamic world against the United States, but other non Muslim nations as well. They also probably expected another "Desert Shield", where we would spend many months building up our conventional forces which would not only make convenient targets for further terrorist attacks in their own backyard, but would mire us in a "Vietnam-style" quagmire.
Instead, we took our time responding. We narrowed down our suspects to Al Qaeda and the Taliban and then went about systematically and methodically destroying their bases of operations in Afghanistan without committing very many ground troops at all. No quagmire. No significant casualties. We achieved our objectives to remove the Taliban from power rather effortlessly and put a serious hurt on Al Quada in the process. And we aren't done yet!
Even more disconcerting to the terrorist was the fact that the attacks of 9/11 united this country as no other event since Pearl Harbor. The American people have given President Bush and the military carte blanche to do what must be done to both punish the terrorists and also to prevent future attacks.
I think it is obvious even to the terrorists, that another attack on the scale of 9/11 will probably result in their annihilation. The American people will demand it! In fact, even without another 9/11, the U.S. is already poised for more action. We aren't going to "wait on events" as President Bush has stated on several occasions now. There are strong indications that our actions in Afghanistan were nothing more than a tune-up for what is to come later. And this no doubt has the terrorists second-guessing any future attacks. Unless they are very stupid, they must surely realize that their actions on 9/11 have not achieved the effects that they wanted to achieve and they are lying low - for now.
Will another attack come? Most likely it will. After all, this is what the terrorist are living for. They do not want peace. They want to destroy infidels and spread Islam all over the globe. But it has now been over nine months since 9/11 and the United States has had all this time to prepare a response for any future attacks. You can bet that the contingency plans have already been drawn up and are set in motion. If another attack was to occur (such as Independence Day), you would likely see a U.S. response within hours and the results will not be pretty (from a Middle East point of view).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.