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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | garymaher@juno.com |
| Subject | Re: Why we will not be attending IPO again this year :-( |
| Date | Wed, 18 Feb 2004 22:24:14 -0500 |
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On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 13:00:11 -0500 audities-owner@smoe.org writes:
> Unfortunately, the
> US givernment has
> decided that the
> best way to clamp
> down on an almost
> non-existent
> terrorist threat
As much as I dislike the idea of our little Audities world being infested
with political dialogue, I found this post to be tremendously disturbing,
so I felt compelled to respond.
I guess you live far enough away from New York and Washington that you
didn't feel it. Well, I promise you I felt it. My house is less than 30
miles from NYC, and I could see the column of smoke from my home for a
couple of days. I had friends in the building who are lucky to be alive
today. It's easy for you from a safe distance to say the threat is
"almost non-existent". For those of us in harm's way, the threat is very
real and something we've had to get used to living with every single day.
The last thing I need is for my friends and loved ones to be among the
next 2,500 victims of this "almost non-existent threat".
> alter its
> foreign policy to
> make itself less of
> a target
Ah, so you're saying it's our own fault. Lovely. Or are you saying we
should just give in to the terrorists? Nearly as lovely, and a clear
invitation to more attacks.
>, and impose
> sanctions against
> those countries
> connected with the
> September 2001
> attacks,
We attacked one of them. Does that count? (That was a weak attempt at
humor. I don't buy Bush's bullshit any more than the next guy. DOESN'T
ANYBODY ELSE SEE THE BLATANT CONFLICT OF INTEREST?
http://www.hereinreality.com/carlyle.html )
Actually, it's a little hard to impose sanctions when our enemies are
rogue groups that are apparently not supported by or aligned with any
particular nation. Are you suggesting we sanction Saudi Arabia? As
unhappy as I may be with the Saudis' wishy-washy efforts to stop
terrorism, the creation of a rift between the Saudis and the US appears
to have been one of the terrorists' goals. They're as pissed off at the
Saudi government as we are. What good would sanctions do?
> but rather
> to harass innocent
> travellers from
> friendly countries.
Unfortunately, despite our technological advances, we haven't yet
perfected the terrorometer. (If a pink plus sign appears, you're a
terrorist.) It is anticipated that the next batch of terrorists will not
be a bunch of 20-32-year-old middle eastern men, but individuals selected
from a variety of ethnic groups. Richard Reid (the Shoe Bomber) is a
half-Jamaican, half-English chap from Bromley. Jose Padilla (the accused
attempted Dirty Bomber) is a hispanic native of Brooklyn.) So we have to
err on the side of caution here. And like it or not, the sense that our
security process is excessive and/or a pain in the ass serves as a
deterrent to terrorists, because it makes them more afraid that they well
get snagged. Still, our security is not the strictest in the world, it's
just that people were used to travelling freely here. Unfortunately, we
are now in a war zone, so that's a thing of the past.
Hey, Americans love Canada! I think the American on the street pretty
much thinks of Canada as a little brother. Some of us even joke about it
as being the 51st State (in a loving way, with no disrespect to Puerto
Rico)! But we're having a bit of a crisis here, so please bear with us!
Just to throw some facts on the fire, let me concluded with this:
"Have terrorists tried to cross into the United States from Canada?
Yes. While none of the September 11 hijackers entered via Canada, several
unsuccessful plots to attack American targets have been planned by
foreign terrorists operating out of Canada. Moreover, Canadian
intelligence officials estimate that some 50 known terrorist
organizations have cells in Canada."
(From http://cfrterrorism.org/security/borders.html)
Gary
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