[Pinch]

Hi Becki,

Good point. I have been looking at the differences between these situations and all I can come up with is the delta between religions fundamentalist terrorism and ideological terrorism. While heinous in its own right, you generally never saw the Baader Meinhof Gang or Red September or any of the other "political" (socialist/communist/leninist/stalinist - call them what you will) terrorist group strap on a couple of kilos of C4 and march into a crowd of civilians and "die for the cause".

That is a key reason, I believe, why the terrorists and fanatics you speak of are such a bigger and more difficult problem. Containment would be difficult when the focus point of the movement is exported under the rubric of a religion.

[Burkeman1]

The German and Italian red terrrorists were rich western kids playing terrrorist as were the punks who made up the weathermen in the US. Communist suicide bombing was very common in the thirld world.

[Becki]

Containment would be difficult when the focus point of the movement is exported under the rubric of a religion.

You are so right! That is how they got this far, and especially why they have been able to operate here for so long. The trouble is, it's a Pandora's box to deal with it under the label of Religion. I think that is why President Bush is taking pains to make sure that he doesn't alienate them as a religion. It is a thin line to walk, but he has done it well so far.

Becki