Terrorist.

SERENDIBITE: I'm all against terrorism, I'm not a big fan of terrorists; if you asked me if I liked terrorists, I would say no. But there are those commercials saying you should have a plan in case of a terrorist attack... and it has that girl saying "what should I do in case of a terrorist attack?" It sounds noble, but upon closer review, it makes no sense at all. First, what would a girl that age be doing alone? She'd probably be with a parent or some kind of adult, she doesn't need to know what the hell is going on. Also, parents exaggerate the danger of terrorist attacks. I'm not saying they're not dangerous, but as shown with 9/11, terrorists focus on big areas, and plus, 9/11 is really the only big terrorist incident in history (at least that I know of), so there's no point in scaring a kid senseless about something that is unlikely to happen again. Let's say the girl is alone, lives in Maryland, and she's watching CNN. Then it says "special report: terrorist attack in California." She'll probably go crazy thinking that the next attack will be her house, and probably die struggling to use the phone properly. That's an exaggeration, I love to exaggerate.

FogofWar: It is of course to persuade emotion to gain support. They have done this in every war. It is no different than the posters in Canada saying to join the Forces and fight the "Godless hun!"....but it doesn't make the horrors the Nazis committed any less real. People don't care about what is going on on the other side of the world unless it affects them. It does affect them; they just don't see it; and so they use emotions to portray the reality of it to the public. This is not uncommon to war; it has been done since the Egyptians began warring with the Hittites nearly 4000 years ago.

9/11 was not the only massive level terrorist attack. It was the largest; but Israel has been under fire from Palestinian rockets since the formation of Israel. Al-Queda has sunk ships in oceans; and destroyed embassies worldwise. Universities in the Middle East have been blown up during school hours; as have some 10,000+ grade schools in Afghanistan. In 1993; Osama bin Laden attempted to attack the World Trade Center and failed....it has happened many times in the past; and it has gone on long enough!

No; the average American is not in big threat...right now! But if al-Queda had their way; it would be.

"All that is requid for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."
-Edmund Burke

It may be relatively contained...and overall, not nearly as dramatic as what is being told; but terrorism is very real; and the world needs people to fight against it.

john1576: Fog. If there are Americans who think Terrorism is no big deal it is because they never had to carry dead children out of the Murray Building. It is because they do not sit with New York Fire and Police Officers today coughing and wheezing because their lungs are destroyed by the Dust Cloud of 911, they never had to flowers on the grave of a daughter killed in Afghanistan.

Icy_Uranus: Serendibite we don't have ads like the one you describe here in Australia. It sounds more like a scare campaign. We did have a a commercial telling people to report any strange behaviour and I couldn't help but laugh at some of the strange behaviour it was telling us to report.

"He was talking to someone about something, I don't know what, but it was suspicious"

"He was at work looking at websites he shouldn't have been looking at"

"This guy he's been hanging around and he looks strange"

According to these, I've seen terrorists everywhere.

FogofWar: We don't have any ads like that at all in Canada...at least none that I have seen.

Yes, it is a scare tactic; to get people to strive for their cause. Again, this was done against Nazi Germany in WWII as well. Every news report; and every recruiting poster; every advertisement of the sort; all referred to the Germans as 'Huns' or 'Kw@$w'. They made references to the Germans being hairy beasts; and one report even stated that they ate children...well the Germans weren't doing that; the Nazi party was still in need of haulting.

It is an overdramatic ad to give people emotional support for the cause....it's no different than the soap operas; and 'chick flicks' that litter everything we watch today. If they didn't hype up the emotional drama; then it wouldn't even be remembered.

davidk14: Most people are peace loving people. I believe that. We want to see the best in our fellow humans. We want to live in the present with love and move into the future with love. Unfortunately, there are those that live in hate and they pray on us. They sit in the shadows, plotting to take out as many of us as possible whether on a plane, a building, a train, a marketplace. Fogowar quoted perfectly my feeling from Edmund Burke - "All this is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing". Sometimes, it's needed to remind the folks that freedom is not free.

FogofWar: Exactly David....and sadly, it's easy for people to forget the cost of freedom when they have never faced losing it....how many people in our society could care less about the world around them, as long as they get their Starbucks (Timmies for us Canadians) and ipods.

When people don't see fighting occur on our own back yard, they tend to lose touch with the reality of it...and the reality is that there hasn't been a war on Canadian soil since 1885.

davidk14: Fog, History tends to repeat itself. There is a time period during the last century which reminds me of the current head in the sand attitude. Perhaps a few moments actually.

FogofWar: And that's the importance of learning history...those who forget history are destined to repeat it.

davidk14: Fog,
Perhaps like how 1939 America discounting the Nazi threat comparison to current day Islamic Terrorism threat which many want to rename as something other than it is?

FogofWar: 1930s saw Hitler rise to power, target Jews, force them to wear armbands signifying they were Jewish; the building of alliances to form an axis power, the invasion of Poland.....and the rest is common knowledge.

The 1990s saw the Taliban rise to power, target 'infidels' (non Islamic), force them to wear armbands signifying they weren't Muslim, the building of alliances to form al-Queda, the attack on the USA....and again, the rest is common knowledge...

I'm not saying the Taliban is Nazi Germany...but again, those who forget history are destined to repeat it.

It makes me laugh when people say 'how did the world let Hitler get to power without stopping him', then turn around and ask 'why are we even in Afghanistan?'...again Those who forget history are destined to repeat it....oh yah...that's why we are there!

john1576: Fog. In some ways there does not seem to be any similarity between the Taliban and the N.A.Z.I. Party. In the 1930s Americans were dismayed at the cruelty and opportunism of the N.A.Z.I.s but felt it was simply a passing fad in Germany. In England there was confusion over what sort of Government Mr Hitler was running. Some folks believed he was Fascist while others were not so sure, he could just as easily be Socialist. With the Taliban it is very clear cut, they are steeped in religious psychosis open to any nutcase who can take control of them. Also a lot of American business leaders sympathised with the N.A.Z.I.s (Britain's biggest Spy Operation just prior to W.W.2. was centred on the U.S.A. N.A.Z.I.s when war broke out the F.B.I. dealt with them). Few people in the U.S. (apart from G.I.Johnny) have much interest in the Taliban.

FogofWar: Of course there are differences, but when parts of history repeat themselves, it should be handled with the experience we gained the first time around.

Hitler was socialist in his mind...and the Taliban are straight forward militant dictatorship...but the fact is both took extreme radical measures against people based on religion...and I don't care whether it's Jews, Christians, Muslims or whatever....when religious hate turns to full out militant force, the world needs to intervene, or witness another form of holocaust...this one won't be in camps...it will be with car bombers and plane hijackings...but the fundamental religious intolerance is the same.

There are many that oppose Afghanistan, yes, but fortunately John, they all seem to flock here...so it is very biast on these types of forums. Out in the real world, there are millions who take time out of their day to welcome home our soldiers....the highways from Trenton to Petawawa, Ontario were lined with hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Canadians who came to cheer our boys when they returned to Canada.

john1576: Fog. Anyone in their right minds would agree with you that Afghanistan has to be an ongoing, active peace Keeping operation for as long as necessary. The Shri Lankan Government (or at least many in the educated section of Shri Lankan society) are still seething with anger at the 'betrayal' of the Shri Lankan people by the American and British media. They saw the Tamil Tigers as a lethal drug running, gun smuggling operation that brought wide spread misery to the region. Only God know what the Afghan region will be like if the Americans and Canadians and others leave. If the Tamil Tigers are anything to go by, the religious Taliban would soon turn to drug running, gun smuggling, money laundering, etc.

davidk14: The question will become, when US Forces are brought home from Iraq later this year and from Afganistan next year, will the mission have been completed. Will it have been premature. Will we have to go back again. What about Somalia.

hot_hung_stud: Wow John you appear to be so clever. I am sure a big strong man like you could carry anyone out of a burning building. I would like to be all limp in those big arms. But I wouldn't stay limp for long.
Add me up sweetie.
You have caught my eye.

Outbackjack: History is written by the victors.

Sadly the Sri Lankan government has become a terrorist entity itself,persuing the Tamil Tigers.This has resulted in the persecution of the Tamil people.

The same can be said for the Israeli government in the regards to the Palestinian people.

Two wrongs dont make a right.

john1576: Hot Hung. lol, but sorry am not Gay. By the way Gay associations in the Police and Fire Service in England have strict rules about conduct during work time. If they meet a chap they are attracted to they are only allowed to make sexual advances during off duty times.

mcdaniel1970: 1 word for terrorism islam.islam is nothing but a cancer.true love casts out fear,islam embraces fear.peaceful religion? no way never.if you say it is you havent even read the koran.and our christian president(lol)(only on election day)has no time for isreal,only his palastinian/muslim allies(or lies for short)recent remarks by iran reflect common attitudes toward american policy.or better yet the elderly lady who lost her job said isreal should go home(lol)where?bury her next to hitler please.no excuse for one who was alive to remember attrocities in germany during ww2.america is in trouble when you have idiots everywhere who blame jews/isreal.and people wonder why america isnt blessed as a nation(what a shock)remember england used to embrace christian values,now look at them.history should teach people you cant oppose god.thats our great society these days(gays,abortion)truth by definition implies exclusivity,meaning everyone cant be right.truth cant be relative either.humans are unique among all creation.im not taking any chances when it comes to eternity,or buying into a theroy(evolution when it was first propagated,a theroy)all graves of all religious minds bear witness that the people who created a religion didnt go anywhere but to a grave,except one and only one.the one who was nailed to a cross(dare i say)jesus/god in the flesh.

davidk14: McDaniel...I read a book awhile back named, "Tea with Terrorists". It quoted parts of the Koran which supported the claim by many that the Koran is actually a terrorists manifesto. Many believe this and many dont.

FogofWar: I know many Muslims who are not terrorists...nor do they support the terrorist organizations. In fact, the vast majority of Iraq and Afghanistan oppose the irradical movements, and are helping us rid them. I do not agree with Islam either, but to say it is all terrorist propoganda is as much a racial profiling as what the terrorists themselves are doing to us 'infidels'. It's not up to us to decide whether they follow the Kuran, it's up to us to protect the ones who do not follow it the way these radicals say they should.

flashie: i know alot of westerners who would be horrified to know about black ops false flag bollocks too

flashie: since hitler the pawn in the chess game

FogofWar: I'm sure Flashie.

davidk14: The Talaban recently hung a 7 year old for being a spy. You're right, it had nothing to do with the Koran.

FogofWar: The Taliban is a radical Islamic extremist group, who twists the writings of the Koran to fit their ideals and justify their actions (which are clearly against the Koran). Don't forget Hitler was also a Christian, and truly believed what he was doing was for the best.

One man, or one groups' actions does not represent that religion as a whole. Again, I don't agree with Islam, but it is not Islam itself that is the enemy, it is the people who take it out of context who are...