<p>"The USA has been dealing with terrorists and their threats long before 9/11/01. Long before the color code system and the Patriot Act..."</p>
<p>Buddy, I made that point already. US intelligence was doing a find job of minimizing terrorism prior to 9/11 and the fluff they added after was unecessary at best. You're preaching to the choir here. Like I said though, all you need to screw up the world's most complex computer is a bucket of water. </p>
<p>There didn't need to be an overhaul of US intelligence, just a couple of tweaks. I mean, seriously, the Department of Homeland Security? You mean you couldn't just better organize the FBI, CIA, National Guard, NORAD, the ARMY to do that job? DHS from now on will continue to be nothing more then a bloated pork project with a role that was already handled by an already ridiculous number of government organizations. </p>
<p>If the threat is set to say, Orange. What exactly am I supposed to do? Do I bring an extra set of clean underwear that day in case I **** myself laughing at how ineffective that is at informing me?</p>
<p>Finally, if it happens, it happens. If AIDs happens, it happens. If asteroid hits Earth tomorrow, it happens. ***** happens, no matter how much you try and minimize it. The rest of the world we'll hopefully learn from its mistakes and everyone we'll move on. Look at how Israelis handled the Tel-Aviv night club bombings a couple years back. They upped security and continued partying on Friday nights.</p>
<p>Thats what our media wants us to think ICrisis....just that "it happens" and we need to just move on. Thats BS. I watched a movie recently that was made to make America more aware of the terrorists threats. This movie showed what was happening in the Mid East on a regular basis...not the bombings and stuff, but just the total brainwashing by the radical muslims. They showed HUGE crowds of people shouting "death to America", they showed little children, in front of their classmates saying "I want to strap bombs to my chest and go into the marketplace and kill as many Americans as I can for name of allah", and these kids were like 7 years old. They showed people dancing and celebrating when 9/11 happened. They showed even younger children saying "I want to blow Bush's brains out". I mean it was a disgusting movie that made me so angry. But now I know what kind of threat we are dealing with. Its just a pity that our media doesnt want us to know about this kind of stuff.</p>
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Buddy, I made that point already. US intelligence was doing a find job of minimizing terrorism prior to 9/11 and the fluff they added after was unecessary at best. You're preaching to the choir here. Like I said though, all you need to screw up the world's most complex computer is a bucket of water.
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<p>my bad, i misinterpreted this part...</p>
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Because the West was on full alert at that time.
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<p>I thought you were trying to downplay the system installed prior to 9/11...to me it sounded like you were giving credit to our civilians/local police for being alert and vigilant and not recognizing the system and protocol involved with each threat level prior to the events of 9/11...</p>
<p>I'm kind of torn on the issue of DHS... it has its pros and cons...</p>
<p>There definitely has to be more communication between FBI, CIA, NSA etc...and obviously the creation of a whole nother department is not going to make this communication process any easier. </p>
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If the threat is set to say, Orange. What exactly am I supposed to do? Do I bring an extra set of clean underwear that day in case I **** myself laughing at how ineffective that is at informing me?
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<p>All it means is that you should be more aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activities to the proper authorities as an attack may be imminent. That's all it is... it just tells people to be more cautious... (usually with good reason, from a tip, inside intelligence on a possible attack, etc)...</p>
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Thats what our media wants us to think ICrisis....just that "it happens" and we need to just move on. Thats BS. I watched a movie recently that was made to make America more aware of the terrorists threats. This movie showed what was happening in the Mid East on a regular basis...not the bombings and stuff, but just the total brainwashing by the radical muslims. They showed HUGE crowds of people shouting "death to America", they showed little children, in front of their classmates saying "I want to strap bombs to my chest and go into the marketplace and kill as many Americans as I can for name of allah", and these kids were like 7 years old. They showed people dancing and celebrating when 9/11 happened. They showed even younger children saying "I want to blow Bush's brains out". I mean it was a disgusting movie that made me so angry. But now I know what kind of threat we are dealing with. Its just a pity that our media doesnt want us to know about this kind of stuff.
<p>I understand that the US has been dealing with terrorists for a long long time before 9/11. I was personally well aware of the name Bin Laden before 9/11 and the US has known about him for decades. How they handled it, well it wasn't exactly perfect as we can see. But I am fully aware of just how much effort our intelligence services are putting into this serious problem, and I'm thankful for that. I have known people personally who have applied to and been accepted to jobs at places like the FBI (hard not to, I work with and major in computers). These are our by far our best and brightest and great citizens to boot. It really is thankless work. They do a great job of stopping the vast majority of threats before they even happen, but when they screw up once, it's a disaster and people look down upon them for that. They shouldn't. There are so many people out there working hard everyday to keep our civilian butts from getting blown up and yet no one will ever hear of them, they won't be heaped on praise when they do things right. It often comes at the expense of their personal lives as well. But when one thing goes wrong, everyone comes down on them, the press, the public, the government. Screw that. If I could thank these nameless federal agents, computer techs, and law enforcement officials everyday I would. They deserve all that praise Dubya and those politicos (both sides) take when things go right.</p>
<p>I don't think we're really that far off in opinion. I just think that sometimes the way our decision makers throw around that manpower and throw around our firepower can be misdirected at times. And that's the terrorist's hope, that we misdirect our resources and focus enough that we mess ourselves up. Like I said, the terrorists' ability to strike us is inherently limited. No matter what, al-Quaida or some other terrorist group by themselves will never ever turn America into a facist Islamic state (BinLadenland if you will). They can only hope to disrupt us enough so that we fall under our own problems. And that I fear just as much as I fear terror attacks happening daily on US soil. I think we do a good job focusing on one end of the spectrum but not as much on the other.</p>
<p>BTW as benevolent as I think your intentions may be I would not be visiting any radical Islamic websites. Firstly the government does keep track of visitors to websites like that (they have since before 9/11 FWIW) and it's not a good look. Second, you're exposing your computer to all types of malicious software through that. I mean, if they're sophisticated enough to transmit encrypted plans and such through the internet, they're definitely sophisticated enough to write a virus on their homepage.</p>
<p>Are you sure you don't live in a bunker in northern Idaho? :) </p>
<p>I kid, I kid. </p>
<p>I worry that with the passion and agressiveness you go after this subject that you don't have a counterpart in Iraq doing the same thing but with a different twist? Are you becoming what you hate? Is that healthy?</p>
<p>McGizzle has made some good points, observations about the situation. Why attack Mc as unAmerican or unknowing? </p>
<p>I remember Senator Patty Murry getting attacked as a supporter of Bin Laden for asking the question Why do these people love him? She answered because he funds things on a local level, we tend to fund governments. </p>
<p>Haven't you ever thought to yourself or others WHY do they hate us? Why not the Mexicans or Canadians (actually that's unfair, does anybody anywhere really hate the Canadians? Outside of Celine Dione?) </p>
<p>Why us? Could we possibly be doing anything to stir the pot?
Why are they shouting death to Americans? Why not death to New Zealanders? Death to the Chinese?</p>
<p>Why us? Could we possibly be doing anything to stir the pot?
Why are they shouting death to Americans? Why not death to New Zealanders? Death to the Chinese?</p>
<p>Becauz we are a powerful nation, we believe in liberalism and terrorists promote fear, they want to scare the hell out of us in order to control us and to convert us to their medieval beliefs. They wanna extend the islamic religion worldwide but we're just stepping in their way with our human rights and all.</p>
<p>You're right but, we're the most powerful and influential country in the world. And we are also fighting them for their oil! It just doesn't help us increase in popularity.</p>
<p>"we're just stepping in their way with our human rights and all"</p>
<p>HAHAHAHAHAH....Yes...because you guys are the only beacon of light left in the world. Please shine your wisdom of democracy and equality on us, poor ole' citizens of underdeveloped nations. Please grant us the chance to enjoy all your great freedom. Oh and don't forget to invade our country to ensure us PEACE and FREEDOM.</p>
<p>The causes of terrorism are many and varied. To assume that the reason "terror" exists can be explained by a single all-encompassing reason such as "they hate our freedom" is both shallow and pedantic. To assume the perpetrators of the Bali club bombings, the London attacks and Beslan share in their motivation is childish.</p>
<p>megaman believe me I travelled a lot around the world and I know how people see us... I'm sorry I wasn't very clear about my reply, but I'm not sayin' I think we are the best country in the world I was just writing down what I heard so many times come from the europeans mouths! I wasn't bein' arrogant at all...</p>
<p>No, I understand, thats what sucks about internet, the tone changes so many things.. I like the US, a lot...but I just have a huge issue with your whole foreign policy...and Bush's administration for that matter.</p>
<p>That's my point a bit, what are we doing to attract such love? These are not homegrown terrorists like they are in other places, these are terrorists from abroad. What is going on via our policies to draw their interests. Alot of countries are quite free and people enjoy even more liberties than we, what are they doing different?</p>