Terrorist still living among us in USA.

[zqt3344 21]

Just curious, last week there were 4 separate incidents of domestic terrorist cells within the USA that were thwarted by the FBI, yet I never saw once any Ovomit lovers on here pointing that out.

Could it be because maybe that would mean that you would have to acknowledge that maybe GW Bush and ####### Cheney were right after all in their assessment of eavesdropping and wiretapping to make America safe? And that all these soft on terror promises Ovomit made about closing down Gitmo and no more troops in Iraq or Afghanistan are not playing out like he promised now are they.

[Brit Abroad 166]

There have been "terrorists" in every country since long before the Cold War started. The world is a mobile place and immigration can only detect those who have a black mark against their name already.

It's ok to support eavesdropping and wiretapping as a short term philosophy, but each day sees a few more of our rights being eroded by laws to combat terrorism. Big Brother/Uncle Sam, whatever you choose to call the "State", needs to be under the regulation of the people who vote the government into power. Otherwise, you'll end up with a similar situation to the Middle East itself, where the powerful do as they please and everyone else does what they have to to survive, and often gets a very rough wedge.

Nowhere in the world is truly safe. Not any more. Technology blew that out of the water as soon as the internet taught us how to communicate with all manner of society's misfits. Nuclear weapons and long range missiles can pick us all off at will. In a country where life is held as sacrosanct, you will never fight an even war with those who believe that martyrdom is salvation. Religion is the world's biggest curse (and blessing, depending on the standards of human decency held by each follower) in creating difference and inequality.

Closing down Gitmo is a great idea. The problem is that the reality means SOMEONE has to take the detainees in. America doesn't want them. UK doesn't want them. France won't take them. Germany is not interested. Italy has enough home terrorists (Mafia) and nobody wants to take in people who have a large question mark over their head. So, where do they go? Do you repatriate and abandon those who were innocent, who possibly (and now, quite probably) have a grievance against the Allied Forces and are likely to take up arms against us? Until somebody else takes the problem off our hands, Gitmo cannot be closed. That's a reality that faced anyone who got into power. The wheels of government grind exceedingly slowly, even more so when it involves international diplomacy, palm greasing and "trades".

Stop trying to score political points and actually LOOK at the realities of the problems our world is experiencing today. Doesn't matter WHICH party is in power, the problems are the same. Fighting violence with violence is going to perpetuate the problem. Fighting violence with intelligence and improving global standards, communication and cohesion is the only way to ensure that peace becomes a viable prospect, and one that can be maintained. These things aren't fixed over night.

Spying on terrorists is one thing, but how far do you want it to go before you become a Police state and totally limited in what you can think, say and do, for fear of being hauled aside and locked up on criminal charges? Don't believe it could happen? Look at many of the southern African countries under military regimes. Harder for it to happen in a developed country, but it's not impossible. Look how many of your rights have ALREADY been eroded in the name of combating terrorism and then tell me you think any party is better than another. Beware the loss of hard won freedoms that somebody else paid for, that you take as a given right.

Quite frankly, WE should be forcing all our politicos to work together on a viable solution. It affects every last one of us, regardless of political or religious affiliations and bitching about who's got the right method doesn't achieve anything. Yet again, it's a case of personal rank and gain, the pissing contest, that stops them from making any meaningful contribution to problem resolution.

Edited September 29, 2009 by Brit Abroad

[Niels Bohr 72]

No chit sherlock! The conservatives are morons for making assumptions. (Implied towards post number 1)

Edited September 29, 2009 by Niels Bohr