In a message dated 2/12/03 6:55:13 PM Pacific Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:


> As of yet, the only person who declared war on the USA (and actually on the
> entire civilized world,) is Osama bin Ladin, who did not speak for any
> country.

Yep.  That's right.  And virtually no one took him seriously until planes
started crashing into things.  I'll go read that posting you mentioned in a
bit.  Probably quite useful to know exactly what the enemy says his
intentions are.

Re: "You can debate all you want whether some of OBL's targets where
legitimate
or not or whether what he did was terrorism or not, it's irrelevant.  OBL
represents a gang of thugs, a gang of terrorists.  He committed terrorist
acts and none of the targets where legitimate."

Is any act of war legitimate?  If so then of all his targets only the Cole,
the Pentagon, and possibly that oil tanker would count as legitimate military
targets.  Yes, the Pentagon while a military target was attacked in a manner
that involved terrorism. Osama is NOT a nice man but he is somewhat logical
in his actions.  We can predict that until caught or destroyed, his
organization will attempt more such terrorist and/or military attacks.  He is
not going to call off the war.

So far, for the last few years, Saddam has not done anything to attack us.
We are going to be perceived as attacking him and the Iraqi people.  That
will create more and more sympathy for Saddam and push more and more Muslims
to support the most anti-American group around - Osama and his organization
which Denys is accurately describing as "a gang of thugs, a gang of
terrorists".  Depriving Osama of the support in men and money that he needs
should be of extreme importance.  We cannot do it only via military actions.
We can do it by getting the minds of as many Muslims as possible to view
Osama and his gang as monstrous creatures to be scorned by all good Muslims.

Wayne

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