we are about to enter a vicious cycle

[kane]

At least that is what I fear.

Lets look at the middle east for a minute. They have been fighting in that part of the world long before there was a such thing as Israel or Palastine. the greeks, persians, egyptions, british, romans, mongols and prussians have all fought wars in that part of the world at some point or another. And they are just a few on a very long list of people that have bled on that land. Now, as it has been for recent history, the jews and arabs are fighting a war of terrorism. The palastines bomb an israelie bank so isreal blows up a palastine factory so the palastines shoot up a bunch of people at a resturant and isreal then attacks a supposed palastine bunker ect ect ect. . . it goes on and on forever and ever.

I'm sad today for many reasons. First is for the mass loss of life that has occured. Second because I know that because of this we will never again be the same country as we were before this happened. We will put it into the backs of our minds at some point down the road but like a scar it will always surface to remind us of the past and people will find themselves sometimes wondering if it is safe to take their familes to disneyworld or up to the top of a skyscraper and that is sad. But what saddens me the most is that now we are about to enter into something we cannot win.

I think retaliation is needed and must be carried out but make no mistake there will be no retaliation, no vengence that will fully satisfy our thirst. we will lose 1000's of people to this attack and anything less than that in return will be not enough. But the raw fact is that there are not 1000's responsible for this act and our government knows that and they know that right now we have carte blance to pretty much do as we desire but that if we step over a line, those that now are our friends and support us will turn on us and we can't afford that. If we decide kill 1000's of innocent people in retaliation then we are no better than the cowards that carried out this act and I think we know and understand that. But what is more is that these are people that cannot really be fully stopped. We will catch the people responsible for this and they will be punished and then some other group will try something against us as a retaliation for us punishing thier comrads and we will be forced to fight back against them. Then we too will enter the cycle of violance that has haunted the middle east since before recorded time.

I'm not posting this for any one reason or to say that retaliation shouldn't happen. I belive just the opposite and like most want vengence. I guess I post this say that today is a sad day because I know that vengence, no matter how called for, carries a heavy price and once we deliver it we will have gone down a road from which we cannot return. As Shakespere wrote in McBeth " I am in blood, and they say that blood shall have blood."

I hope for the best and implore each person to do the same and to love you neighbors no matter what color they are. After what has happened america is now going into uncharted waters so now is not the time to point fingers and make blanket statements about muslim or arabs but it is a time to understand. Understand that this action is one carried out by a very small number of radicals not an entire nation of people. Understand that we will catch and punish them. Understand that with that, we enter the cycle or, as one of my friend likes to say, " we are officialy in the game".

anyway. I'm starting to babble. I just wanted to post this because I have been reading this board heavily since all this has happened and am often saddened by what I read.

I know that gary will make a smart ass remark and amputate your head will call for someones head and various other will think I'm an idiot/asshole/tree hugger or whatever. I think I'm a realist. I've been thinking about a line from a song for the last few days that goes " It's very real and true and sad and hopeful. . .just like me"

I think it sums up what we've all been going through lately

[Amputate Your Head]

Tree hugger.

j/k