If I Were President

[Hollus]

''If I were the president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United Stated in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize- very publicly and very sincerely- to all the widows and orphans, the impoverished and the totured, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism. Then I would announce to every corner of the world that America's global military interventions have come to an end. I would then inform Isreal the it is no longer the 51st state of the union but- oddly enough- a foreign country. Then I would reduce the military budget by at least 90% and use the savings to pay reperations to the victims and repair the damage from the many American bombings, invasions and sanctions. There would be more than enough money. One year's military budget in the United States is equal to more than $20,000 per hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born. That's one year.

That's what I'd do on my first three days in the White House. On the fourth day, I'd be assassinated."

-William Blum

[geoffrey]

Osama would destroy you immediately.

The big misconception of the looney left (I say this because most of the left understands what I'm saying) is that Osama just wants an apology. If the US stops aggression, al-Qaeda will go home and nothing bad will ever happen again. Especially if we give them money, they'll love us and accept that the western way is ok!

Too bad Osama want's the destruction of anything non-Islamic.

So unless your willing to become a theocracy of Islam, your a target to them. Have fun when try that without a military.

[Hollus]

Osama would destroy you immediately.

The big misconception of the looney left (I say this because most of the left understands what I'm saying) is that Osama just wants an apology. If the US stops aggression, al-Qaeda will go home and nothing bad will ever happen again. Especially if we give them money, they'll love us and accept that the western way is ok!

Too bad Osama want's the destruction of anything non-Islamic.

So unless your willing to become a theocracy of Islam, your a target to them. Have fun when try that without a military.

I think the miss-conception is that there is a centralized terror network of Islamist trying to achieve world domination. In reality I see a growing movement against western imperialist oppression. I understand that the current Islamic ideology that’s so fervently against western society has been largely influenced by the philosophy of Sayyid Qutb. Qutb was a western educated Egyptian who studied at Colorado State in the 1950s. During his time in the US he experience what he considered a “shocking” and “primitive” society that evoked the worst traits in human nature: materialism, poverty, tyranny, immorality, and ignorance – things he thought could only be solved through submission to God's sovereignty, as fulfilled in Islam. So Qutb returned to Egypt and entered politics in the hope of defending Islam from corrupting western influence. He did not advocate the use of violence in achieving his political goals. Only through the vicious torture which he endured at the hands Egyptian guards trained in the art of torture by the CIA¬- in a tactic to repress resistance to American imperialism- did he find the inspiration to advocate violent resistance. Qutb was executed but, his interpretation of jihad and its application for societal change has influenced many later Islamist activists, both violent and non-violent.

Their ultimate goal was, is, has always been, for Muslim lands to be governed by Muslims.

In 2002 a taped message from Osama bin Laden began: “The road to safety begins by ending the aggression. Reciprocal treatment is part of justice. The [terrorist] incidents that have taken place…are only reactions and reciprocal actions”

In 2004 a taped message from Osama said: “The greatest rule of safety is justice, and stopping the injustice and aggression… What happened on 11 September and 11 March [Madrid] is your commodity that was returned to you… we would like to inform you that labeling us and our acts as terrorism is also a description of you and of your acts… Our acts are reaction to your own acts, which are represented by the destruction and killing of our kinfolk in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine… Which religion considers your killed ones innocent and our killed ones worthless? Reciprocal treatment is fair and the one who starts injustice bears the greater blame… The killing of the Russians was after the invasion of Afghanistan and Chechnya; the killing of Europeans was after their invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan; and the killing of Americans on the day of New York was after their support of the Jews in Palestine and their invasion of the Arabian Peninsula.”

I think appeasement from the position of strength is a powerful and noble action that will go much further in building peace than our bombs will.

[geoffrey]

I think appeasement from the position of strength is a powerful and noble action that will go much further in building peace than our bombs will.

You sound like Chamberlain, with fascism on your doorstep hoping for "peace for our time."

Muslim extremism is our time's fascism. The only way to accomplish security for our future is the destruction of all Muslim extremism, destruction through military terms. As we let more and more countries fall into the grips of extremist Muslim belief, we lose the war slowly. Just as we nearly lost the war against Hitler as we let him spread his dominance throughout Europe hoping that being nice and supporting him would end his aggression before it got to us.

September 11 told us differently. The threat is now, and real. Muslim fanaticism is already here, and has already killed too many. We need to root it out and destroy it completely. All muslim non-secular regimes with any ties to terrorism or military aggression should be toppled.

If Osama really wanted peace and the end of Western involvement in the middle-East, he obviously isn't too bright or just ignorant of the American way.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Winston Churchill

[Hollus]

You sound like Chamberlain, with fascism on your doorstep hoping for "peace for our time."

This is not WWII. One striking difference in that comparison is that England was not in a position of power in facing Hitler’s aggression. In this case, we are the aggressors.

Muslim extremism is our time's fascism. The only way to accomplish security for our future is the destruction of all Muslim extremism, destruction through military terms. As we let more and more countries fall into the grips of extremist Muslim belief, we lose the war slowly. Just as we nearly lost the war against Hitler as we let him spread his dominance throughout Europe hoping that being nice and supporting him would end his aggression before it got to us.

You do realize this is Washingtons policy towards "any society that might serve as a succesful example of an alternative to the capatilist model, and to prevent the rise of any regional power that might challenge American supremacy..."-William Blum

September 11 told us differently. The threat is now, and real. Muslim fanaticism is already here, and has already killed too many. We need to root it out and destroy it completely. All muslim non-secular regimes with any ties to terrorism or military aggression should be toppled.

Should this only apply to non-secular regimes? How 'bout secular regimes with ties to terrorism? Or how 'bout your own government?

If Osama really wanted peace and the end of Western involvement in the middle-East, he obviously isn't too bright or just ignorant of the American way.

I think he's got a better idea of the 'American way' than most North Americans.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Winston Churchill

Oh NO! Not crocodiles!

[Montgomery Burns]

William Blum is a radical leftist, so of course he blames America for every ill in this world. That is typical of the far left. Blum called the first Gul War a "desert holocaust" and likened the preemptive strike against Iraq to Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Blum also described the Cold War as an anti-communist "conspiracy" manufactured by America's military-industrial complex.

Osama bin Laden praised Blum's book Rogue State, calling it "useful." OBL also quoted another of Blum's books, which argued that the only way to prevent terrorist attacks was for the US to "apologize" to the "victims of American imperialism." Instead of distancing himself from Osama, Blum proclaimed himself "glad" of the Al-Qaeda madman's endorsement, saying, "This is almost as good as being an Oprah book." Blum attributed bin Laden's approval of his work to their common conviction that "anti-American terrorism arises from the behavior of U.S. foreign policy."

Blum said: "I think bin Laden shares that view, and that is why I'm not repulsed by his embrace of my book, because that is one of my major themes."

The guy is a far left radical popular on America-hating whacko conspiracy sites like Counterpunch, Dissident Voice, Zmag, etc, and far left universities.

[geoffrey]

Whatever Hollus,

If you honestly believe that if we pull all the troops out and bring them back home, that Osama will be satisfied and go on living his life you are sadly mistaken.

We have to destroy all forms of Muslim extremism in the world. We are not the aggressor, we are acting in our defense, you sound worse than Chomsky saying that we have these things coming to us. Terrorism is not an acceptable protest, and we've got to destroy them all.

Secular or not, sorry for making a distinction when none should be made, we have to destroy every regime that supports terrorism against the west.

[Hollus]

William Blum is a radical leftist, so of course he blames America for every ill in this world. That is typical of the far left. Blum called the first Gul War a "desert holocaust" and likened the preemptive strike against Iraq to Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Blum also described the Cold War as an anti-communist "conspiracy" manufactured by America's military-industrial complex.

Osama bin Laden praised Blum's book Rogue State, calling it "useful." OBL also quoted another of Blum's books, which argued that the only way to prevent terrorist attacks was for the US to "apologize" to the "victims of American imperialism." Instead of distancing himself from Osama, Blum proclaimed himself "glad" of the Al-Qaeda madman's endorsement, saying, "This is almost as good as being an Oprah book." Blum attributed bin Laden's approval of his work to their common conviction that "anti-American terrorism arises from the behavior of U.S. foreign policy."

Blum said: "I think bin Laden shares that view, and that is why I'm not repulsed by his embrace of my book, because that is one of my major themes."

The guy is a far left radical popular on America-hating whacko conspiracy sites like Counterpunch, Dissident Voice, Zmag, etc, and far left universities.

You've said absolutly nothing to discredit him.

[JerrySeinfeld]

''If I were the president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United Stated in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize- very publicly and very sincerely- to all the widows and orphans, the impoverished and the totured, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism. Then I would announce to every corner of the world that America's global military interventions have come to an end. I would then inform Isreal the it is no longer the 51st state of the union but- oddly enough- a foreign country. Then I would reduce the military budget by at least 90% and use the savings to pay reperations to the victims and repair the damage from the many American bombings, invasions and sanctions. There would be more than enough money. One year's military budget in the United States is equal to more than $20,000 per hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born. That's one year.

That's what I'd do on my first three days in the White House. On the fourth day, I'd be assassinated."

-William Blum

ahhh, yes; the "i'd-like-to-teach-the-world-to-sing-in-perfect-harmony" foreign policy model.

keep singing while the islam nutjobs self detonate all over the place.

the "harmony" approach seems to be working swimmingly for the French....and the Dutch