The leaders of Al Qaeda are at it again, only this time we know a little bit more about the things they want to do because of an arrest in Pakistan of a computer operator, who just happened to operate the web based communications of Al Qaeda. This arrest and the information gleaned from it is why Tom Ridge announced to the world the names of specific targets on the East Coast. Way to Go Tom! Set up a self-fulfilling situation why don't you? It should come as no surprise that the targets are economic in nature. Create a depression and you have a weakened enemy. The NY Times said today "...the desire by Al Qaeda's leaders to inflict economic damage on the United States, Britain and other Western countries is not a new goal. An Arab intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said intelligence accumulated since even before the Sept. 11 attacks showed that Al Qaeda and its affiliates wanted to attack financial institutions. "This was not something that was just learned yesterday," the official said. However, there had been a spike in recent intelligence pointing to financial targets. He said he believed that two banks in New York were specific targets, although he declined to identify them. He also said intelligence showed that Al Qaeda and its affiliates wanted to bomb banks in Britain and Switzerland. "They don't just want to attack buildings - they want to attack the financial structure of the United States, Britain and other European countries." Since the Sept. 11 attacks, terrorists have struck economic targets numerous times. The October 2002 bombings in Bali were intended to harm the tourist industry. Last November, terrorists bombed the Turkish headquarters of HSBC, the London-based international bank, as part of coordinated attacks in several locations in Istanbul, including the British Consulate, that killed a total of 62 people. And in recent months, terrorists in Saudi Arabia have struck at the infrastructure of the oil industry. "They know they are hitting the Saudi system at its most sensitive points, because of what the price of oil means to the American economy and the world economy," Michael Chandler, the former chairman of the United Nations Monitoring Group concerning Al Qaeda, said yesterday. "They are not stupid, these guys. They have some very good ideas, and they know what will have an impact.''
They may know what will have an impact, but they seem not to be able to see what will happen as a result of their actions in the long term. Mr. Bin Laden and company had better review their Western Civilization History books, especially United States History. He will find that the US is able to recover from just about any problem that may come our way. Mr. Bin Laden has not included in his calculations the nature of the American people. Through out our history, whenever we have been attacked, we have responded by becoming stronger. We have the ability to put aside differences, focus on the problem and solve it. I would like Mr. Laden to look at what Adoph Hitler and the Axis powers tried to do in the 1930's and the study the price they paid for their efforts. We have weathered the Great Depression, and became a world power because of the things we had to do get out of the depression. Our Banking system was revamped because of the abuses that helped usher in the depression. If the United States is attacked again, we will respond by doing what is needed to protect us, then correct the problem, and then eliminate the threat. It may take 10 years, but we can and will do what it takes to survive. There are reasons why the West triumphed and the East declined after the Middle Ages. Those reasons are still valid today. That is why we invent the technology that everyone else uses. ( If you want to read about those reasons, I suggest Will and Ariel Durant's Story of Civilization.) I want the world to be a safe place for my 7 year old granddaughter. She should be able to travel the world and see its wonders without being concerned that she is a target for terror just because some leader has a grudge against another leader and thinks its OK to kill randomly to make their point. Remember Mr. Laden and company, Allah is watching you and is recording what you do in his name.
Later,
Mr. T.
Social Science Rules! Defoliate Bush in 2004!
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