Fear of terror attacks?

[Mara]

With fears about a future attack running high and anxiety about Iraq growing, many Americans now wonder if the terrorists may be winning, an Associated Press poll found.

http://www.comcast.net/News/DOMESTIC//XML/1110_AP_Online_Regional___National__US_/0a9ad027-f5c9-4381-ae58-06734752f3ca.html

Do you agree with the AP's poll?

[RHooks]

Not entirely. I don't think the terrorists are winning. I do think a terror attack is likely at any time. I don't think the political conventions would be a likely target. I don't think my governments ability to protect from a terror attack has increased or decreased so my faith in the matter also remains unchanged.

[Impresario]

Defining “winning” is necessary for the poll to have any meaning. Terrorism's aim is to create terror - terrorist strategy cannot be evaluated in conventional military terms. If in one's daily life a rational person feels terrorized then perhaps the terrorists are achieving their goal. People bring their own belief systems to questions like this, which is apparent from the quote:
"I think we're twitching on the edge of Armageddon; a lot of people I work with feel the same way," said Michael Miller, a 49-year-old software tester from Las Cruces, N.M.

Armageddon many time has a biblical connotation from the book of Revelations. There is a significant "Rapture " movement in the USA. The popularity of the "Left Behind" series of book exemplifies this. Also, one cannot deny that we are still a provincial people in many parts of the country. The less you have actually experienced first hand, the easier it is to imagine bogeymen and monsters under every bed.

That said it is healthy to have some trepidation about terrorism. We all should be more prudently cautious. Deterring terrorism and attempting to eliminate it should be of the utmost priority. I imagine during Lincoln's presidency it appeared as if the republic was literally collapsing but we prevailed. "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure." Eliminate the words civil war and replace them with a great struggle against terrorism. How contemporary remains the application of Lincoln's words. “It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain." Does this not still apply to the victims of 911 and the soldiers who have died in the fight against Al Quaida? If history has taught us anything it is that we cannot cower in fear and must confront evil head on. No, this is not an endorsement of the war in Iraq - what I am addressing is that Neville Chamberlain was dead wrong.

[Terry Penrod]

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http://www.comcast.net/News/DOMESTIC//XML/1110_AP_Online_Regional___National__US_/0a9ad027-f5c9-4381-ae58-06734752f3ca.html

Do you agree with the AP's poll?


Sure I agree with the results of the AP poll Mara.

It simply confirms that many people are cowardly, self-absorbed, short-sighted and lack the stomach to see a tough job through to the end.

But we already knew that didn't we?

Cheers, Terry

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[Mr. Natural]

Thanks to the way the media always presents a one sided view of the news, with shock value, bad news and anything else to grab TV ratings, it's no wonder people think terrorists are winning the war. All we hear about are the killings and bombings on a daily basis. We hear little of the progress made and the people that support the effort against the terrorists.
During the floods of 1993 here in St. Louis, thanks to the news coverage people thought the whole town was underwater. :doa:

[DanTheManPR]

Thanks to the way the media always presents a one sided view of the news, with shock value, bad news and anything else to grab TV ratings, it's no wonder people think terrorists are winning the war
Anything to make money.

[Bruenor]

On topic, other people have mentioned here already, the media is very powerful and has skewed the situation to a point where it doesn't seem to matter the good that is done, the view will always be death and destruction. It sells papers/advertising and people eat it up like crazy.

This is true in many different areas though, such as how Americans are portrayed to Canadians through various press outlets.

[Nyghtfall]

To tell you the truth, I'm regretting having posted that reply. As it stands, I've better things to do than involve myself in yet another political debate over and issue I discussed ad nauseum(sp?) on GMV. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a command to delete it. Can one of the moderators do it for me, please?

Thanks.

[Ojnod]

I can't delete in this forum, but you can always hit edit then it has a checkbox to delete the message up top.

[Nyghtfall]

Thanks, Donjo. That took care of it.

[DanTheManPR]

************DEAD HORSE BEATING ALERT*************
http://www.yukonweb.com/arts/tni/graphics/horsey.gif




I'm sure Terry, Gaim, Lou, et al are already typing up ten-page rebuttals :deal:

I like reading these political debates. lets you see what people who dissagree with you think. I myself rarely have the energy to type up even a moderately long post, although I will reply if I think there is something obvious that somebody didn't mention.


I recall someone on the old 3dg forums refering to Gaim's long posts as nothing more than "mental mastrubation", made for people who already agree with that posters opinion.