Has Al-Qaida won?

[Shady]

The economic effect on the "War on Terror" has definatley put the US in a precarious financial position.

How so Jack? How does Al Qaeda have anything to do with bad mortgage policy? Your talking point is a great one, but it lacks any connection to reality and to history.

[dre]

How so Jack? How does Al Qaeda have anything to do with bad mortgage policy? Your talking point is a great one, but it lacks any connection to reality and to history.

Actually the trillians of dollars dumped into the GWOT has a lot to do with the situation the US finds it in now. Increased oil prices after 911 partly due to perpetual war in the ME also played a big part in the financial meltdown in a couple of diferent ways.

[jbg]

Actually the trillians of dollars dumped into the GWOT has a lot to do with the situation the US finds it in now. Increased oil prices after 911 partly due to perpetual war in the ME also played a big part in the financial meltdown in a couple of diferent ways.

So what's your brilliant suggestion for an alternative?

[eyeball]

So what's your brilliant suggestion for an alternative?

You could surrender, or start negotiating a truce at the very least.

[Sir Bandelot]

So what's your brilliant suggestion for an alternative?

Start wearing a turban.

[dre]

So what's your brilliant suggestion for an alternative?

Stop letting the government and their corporate backers to fearmonger you out of trillions of your dollars for no good reason. That would be a start.

Edited September 11, 2011 by dre

[bush_cheney2004]

Stop letting the government and their corporate backers to fearmonger you out of trillions of your dollars for no good reason. That would be a start.

Gee...we could have had a Gun Registry instead!

[dre]

Gee...we could have had a Gun Registry instead!

You could have had THOUSANDS of gun registries.

[bush_cheney2004]

You could have had THOUSANDS of gun registries.

...no thanks...that would be little consolation for old ships, obsolete aircraft, and yellow (lemon) submarines.

[Shady]

Actually the trillians of dollars dumped into the GWOT has a lot to do with the situation the US finds it in now. Increased oil prices after 911 partly due to perpetual war in the ME also played a big part in the financial meltdown in a couple of diferent ways.

That's just not true at all. Bad mortgage policy leading to a collapsed housing market led to current economic and financial problems. The rise of economies like China and India and their increased demand of oil has had a larger effect on oil priced than any conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Once again, those are great talking points, but unfortunately disconnected from reality.

[dre]

That's just not true at all. Bad mortgage policy leading to a collapsed housing market led to current economic and financial problems. The rise of economies like China and India and their increased demand of oil has had a larger effect on oil priced than any conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Once again, those are great talking points, but unfortunately disconnected from reality.

Not really. Nobody with a brain would deny that instability in the middle east has put upwards pressure on oil prices. And nobody thats even taken a cursory look at the financial melt down would deny that the price of oil was a pretty big factor.

[Jack Weber]

Not really. Nobody with a brain would deny that instability in the middle east has put upwards pressure on oil prices. And nobody thats even taken a cursory look at the financial melt down would deny that the price of oil was a pretty big factor.

Never mind the defense budget of the US gov't...

How much per day has the "War on Terror cost???

[dre]

Never mind the defense budget of the US gov't...

How much per day has the "War on Terror cost???

Youll never know, because theres so many hidden costs involved and so many profiteers at every level.

Iraq alone is estimated at 1-3 trillion dollars by the time its all paid for.

Im guessing 5 trillion?

[Machjo]

Start wearing a turban.

Now you're confusing Islam with Sikhism. Only a small percentage of Muslims wear turbans, and even then not our of religious obligation but rather for cultural reasons. All Sikh men of a certain age must wear turbans. Get your religions straight.

[Machjo]

Here's what I think would have been a far more cost-effective response to 9/11:

1. Increase security at airports, maybe even learning from the Israelis since they have a pretty impressive track record on airport security themselves.

2. Once having received UN consent to go into Afghanistan, focus the entire mission on destroying Al-Qaida and (to the extent that the Taliban stand in the way) the Taliban too. Once the Taliban realized Al-Qaida is all the we want, they'd likely step aside or even give Al-Qaida to us just to get us out of their hairs ASAP. And even if they do decide to dcontinue to defend Al-Qaida, at least the was would have been concentrated on Afghanistan rather than a two-front war with Iraq too (heck, even the US military advised against attacking Iraq for various reasons, mainly owing to Iraq's non-invovement in 9/11), and even the CIA had expressed doubts about the sufficiency of evidence to support WMDs in Iraq. So much for listening to the experts, eh.

3. Increases collaboration with Interpol to capture other terrorists worldwide.

Just these three points alone would have saved the US economy at least billions of dollars, if not trillions, not to mention the likelyhood of greater success against Al-Qaida and in a shorter time too.

[Sir Bandelot]

Now you're confusing Islam with Sikhism. Only a small percentage of Muslims wear turbans, and even then not our of religious obligation but rather for cultural reasons. All Sikh men of a certain age must wear turbans. Get your religions straight.

Muslims do wear turbans though. Seen one on the picture of Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Al- Zawahiri, and lots of others on the most wanted list. If I am mistaken about this, so are the vast majority of people in the west. Good luck on correcting this misperception!

Edited September 11, 2011 by Sir Bandelot

[Shady]

Not really. Nobody with a brain would deny that instability in the middle east has put upwards pressure on oil prices.

There's always instibility in the Middle East. But I'm not sure instability in Syria, Libya, and Egypt has much to do with the war on terror and 9/11. The biggest upward pressure on oil prices is a significant increase in demand, due to expanding economices of China, India, and in South America.

And nobody thats even taken a cursory look at the financial melt down would deny that the price of oil was a pretty big factor.

It wasn't a big factor at all. Not even close to the factor the collapse of the housing market was.

Never mind the defense budget of the US gov't...

Acutally, as a percentage of GDP, defense spending is lower than in past years, and becomes less and less in future years.

Once again guys. Those are great talking points, but they're not connected to reality.

[bush_cheney2004]

There's always instibility in the Middle East. But I'm not sure instability in Syria, Libya, and Egypt has much to do with the war on terror and 9/11. The biggest upward pressure on oil prices is a significant increase in demand, due to expanding economices of China, India, and in South America.

That's a fact...Jack. Oil production is up....way up compared to 2001. But those kind of facts do not match some people's ideology. "Instability" was not invented in 2001.

Acutally, as a percentage of GDP, defense spending is lower than in past years, and becomes less and less in future years.

Once again guys. Those are great talking points, but they're not connected to reality.

Yes, while there have been increases in US defense spending, it is way down as a percentage of GDP from decades past.

[bush_cheney2004]

Muslims do wear turbans though. Seen one on the picture of Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Al- Zawahiri, and lots of others on the most wanted list. If I am mistaken about this, so are the vast majority of people in the west. Good luck on correcting this misperception!

Too late....that comment was ignorant the second you typed it. Better luck next time.

[bush_cheney2004]

....Im guessing 5 trillion?

Correct...you are only guessing.

[Tilter]

Now you're confusing Islam with Sikhism. Only a small percentage of Muslims wear turbans, and even then not our of religious obligation but rather for cultural reasons. All Sikh men of a certain age must wear turbans. Get your religions straight.

I guess you don't realize that the presence of this comment will disgust most posters--- I thot most Muslims would be looping the "palistinian" celebration tape today.

[Guest American Woman]

Machjo, on 11 September 2011 - 09:18 AM, said: Now you're confusing Islam with Sikhism. Only a small percentage of Muslims wear turbans, and even then not our of religious obligation but rather for cultural reasons. All Sikh men of a certain age must wear turbans.

I guess you don't realize that the presence of this comment will disgust most posters--- I thot most Muslims would be looping the "palistinian" celebration tape today.

Speaking for myself, it doesn't disgust me in the least. Fact is, I learned something, as I thought Muslim men generally did wear turbans.

[Machjo]

Probably the reason for this false impression is that many men in Afghanistan do wear Turbans, as descendants of Muhammad in Iran and Iraq do too (in the case of descendents, or "siyyids", it's always a green turban, but even there it's optional and not a religious obligation). In most Muslim countries though, very few men wear turbans, so it really is a regional thing and not so linked to religion. If we're looking at religious obligation, or turbans being worn as a religious prescription as opposed to simply local cultural norms, then definitely we're looking at Sikhism, not Islam.

[Sir Bandelot]

Too late....that comment was ignorant the second you typed it. Better luck next time.

When intended to be ignorant, luck is not needed. As well you know... ignorant comments are also your specialty.

[bush_cheney2004]

When intended to be ignorant, luck is not needed. As well you know... ignorant comments are also your specialty.

Indeed...I can spot them a mile away. Yours was a more glaring example. Carry on....