Sard,

Thanks. Yeah, there are a multitude of causes for terrorism. Within that multitude, if you actually care about reducing it, it's unfortunately necessary to identify some of them. Particularly those in large part created and extended over time by our country. In a prior discussion - if it can be termed such - with TK, I presented the rationale that numerically we cannot kill all the Muslim terrorists in the world due to their population size, its rate of increase, and our nation's part in policies that actively encourage Muslims to hate the U.S. enough to take up arms against us. He never disputed that.

Therefore, the only way to end, or at least minimize the "war on terra" is for the U.S. to reduce the global motivation for Muslims to hate us to the point of acting on that hate.

I'm kinda' with Wailuku regarding your attempted point of the American public uniting in opinion and expression. I doubt it would affect the terrorists or insurgents significantly. Their motivation comes from a source other than American public discontent and lack of unity.

The lack of American unity does reduce the efficiency by which any national task or policy is executed and achieved. But that lack of unity is also a big part of what makes us distinctly American. Supporting the administration - if you agree with it - and opposing the administration - if you disagree with it - is among the most patriotic of possible American actions. Unconditional support of an administration just because it's in power at the time, and whether you agree with it or not, is the complete opposite of individual freedom. I'll take Patrick Henry any day, thank you.

Part of my responsibility as an American is to do what I can, and believe, will continue to make this a land where people will continue to risk life and limb to get here to have a try at achieving their dream. Which has a lot to do with my personal disgust and opposition to the current administration. Sorry for being a bit too partisan, but I haven't found a way to avoid it.

I guess I'm not quite as intellectual as you infer, as I didn't understand the last paragraph in your 5/20, 4:13 post above. I used to try to avoid any putdowns, even in this forum, but it was TK I think, who finally cracked my willpower, and I caved. I don't think you're intellectually inferior; I just don't understand some of your reasoning, so I question it in hopes of generating a more revealing response from you. I should reduce the arrogance of my posts, but it seems like I would have to type (and I'm not a good typist!) even longer and more thoughtful posts. I'll see if I can't cool it a bit, tho.

You can audit cyber-space, but like they say, there is no dress rehearsal for real life, and you can't audit that. I agree that to stop learning is death, or at least a very close approximation.

Yeah, another C&P in your 8:04 post, but it's a pretty good one. I like most everything he says, but I instinctively distance myself from anyone supportive of Bush. Just a survival instinct I must have picked up some where.

He mentions Condi Rice a bit. I've been perplexed by Condi ever since she joined the Bush team. I saw her when she was a Dean at Stanford a few times and thought I'd never met a more intelligent and informed and reasoned person. Then she joined Team Bush and seldom utters a reasoned sentence anymore. I figured she joined just to pad her resume, but I don't see how the lobotomy could have been worth it.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.