[LuNa7ic]

What is your view on terrorism? What do consider to be terrorism and not terrorism? Are the laws too strict or not strict enough? Should we be actively waring against it or not?

What do you think?

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Terrorism has been around for thousands of years dont see why we need anything to change now when the same laws have worked for a very long time.

But one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter, in the old days they would just kill them until they had to stop, but nowadays we arent supposed to do that kind of thing, shame.

[warriorscot]

Terrorism has been around for thousands of years dont see why we need anything to change now when the same laws have worked for a very long time.

But one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter, in the old days they would just kill them until they had to stop, but nowadays we arent supposed to do that kind of thing, shame.

[jen147]

Terrorism has been around for thousands of years dont see why we need anything to change now when the same laws have worked for a very long time.

Ask someone who had a loved one die on 9/11 if they think anything needed to change or if the same laws worked.

I say be on the Offensive not the Defensive.

[dsenette]

Ask someone who had a loved one die on 9/11 if they think anything needed to change or if the same laws worked.

ask any family in northern ireland that lost someone to an IRA bomber....or any other person who lost someone to terrorism...

in most cases....it doesn't help to have laws...as terrorists are criminals...criminals find a way to commit a crime no matter what....

[warriorscot]

We have had terrorism in britain for a long time, although the whole new law thing is an american push(and we arent liking it one bit), we didnt have this bother with the IRA or after lockerbie, all things as bad as 9/11 or worse to us as these were people from only a hundred miles away doing these things to us.

Did we change our laws so drastically as to undermine civil liberties, NO we didnt we changed a few but they didnt affect our rights as an average citezien they were mostly to encourage succesful prosecutions of known terrorists.
Yet we solved the problem then and now the IRA havent attacked britian for a long time now and northern ireland is starting to become alot safer, and we didnt have to lock people up without charge for extended periods to do it.
We didnt let them win by taking away the things that make our nation what it is, if we let people succomb to fear and remove civil liberties people will have died for nothing. And the terrorists will have won their battle.

And how can you be on the offensive wothout yourself becoming a terrorist(something so accurately shown to be the case in several US anti terror interventions) lets not talk about guantanemo bay, all these things make a mockery of the ideals of the civilised west that these terrorists are trying so hard to destroy and succeeding not through direct action(as they could never wage a succesful war) but through small examples of force and playing on peoples fears.

But Dsnette is right, terrorists will be terrorists no matter what laws you put down to stop them, if you arrest one person and lock them up without charge 10 will take their place in a training camp, for every bomb you intercept another 10 will be sent. Laws can only go so far, the way to stop terrorism is to remove the reason why they are becoming terrorists.

And the ironic thing of the new wave of terrorism, is that they are using US bought weapons and trained in camps built with US money traught by people trained by US operatives on how to be good terrorists.

[Dr. Gutstein]

We have had terrorism in britain for a long time, although the whole new law thing is an american push(and we arent liking it one bit)

Like you say in your first post "Terrorism has been around for thousands of years dont see why we need anything to change now when the same laws have worked for a very long time."
There are different types of peoples around the world.I not agree with terorists for what they are doing but i understand some of them who will do anything for their family or for a son or daughter...surgent or something else..
Just i dont understand those who kill's themselfs for some reason!!!
Like self-killers (or how they are said?)

[Avohir]

Its certainly a threat, and certainly something that needs to be addressed... but as I recall, the statistic is that cancer kills more people a day than terrorism does in a decade.

[Kat]

Hi guys! This is a great discussion so far. I just wanted to pop in a friendly reminder to everyone reading this:
I know tempers and emotions can and SHOULD run very high on this subject. However, we need to remember that while it's ok to state our opinions, we will NOT tolerate any flaming in this thread. Please feel free to openly discuss what you feel should be done to combat terrorism...within reason. If I see that this thread is jumping off into a discussion of how we should all go out and become "Freedom Fighters" or something of the such, it will be closed down immediately.

Thanks!

[brianmil0923]

Laws will not influence the lawless.

In order for a law to be of any use whatsoever, it needs to be enforcable. Yes, Terrorism laws are on record, but generally it takes a military/special police action to arrest these suspects. I guess they don't respond to court appearance tickets sent to them by mail.

Once a "terrorist' attack occurs....mass murder is mass murder, no matter what ideological/political label is attached to it.....


why can't we all just have a poptart and get along......

[dsenette]

mmmmm poptart

[don77]

We didnt let them win by taking away the things that make our nation what it is, if we let people succomb to fear and remove civil liberties people will have died for nothing. And the terrorists will have won their battle.

Have you been to New York lately ? better yet shortly after 9-11 ? I was, have family there and when the dust settles they live their lives as normal, to this day with the occasional threat of subway terror, they take necessary precautions and go along normally,

Comparing terrorism of a thousand years ago to what it is today, You cant compare, sure same sick mentality, But in today's advanced technology age and the creation of the weapons regardless of who's hands there in, No comparison

And the ironic thing of the new wave of terrorism, is that they are using US bought weapons and trained in camps built with US money traught by people trained by US operatives on how to be good terrorists.

To some extend I see your point here, But if we are talking about terrorism for what it is today, we are talking more then just the middle east,
Take whats happening in France with the riots, I consider that terrorism and I know I ain't buying them gas,
Oklahoma bombing years ago happen on US soil by a US citizen.

The bottom line is life as we once knew it has changed.

On another note how do you deter someone from committing these acts when it was what they were taught and they think dying is honorable ?
you have to stop it before it happens

[warriorscot]

We are all taught dying is honourable it is only the cause that you die for that changes. Technology has changed the way they attack not the ideals and principles we have to fight.

Yeah maybe the normal people lived there lives like normal, but what about the people who are locked up in guantanemo in countervention of both civilian and military law. I would call that changing the law and letting them win by proving their point.

And the western world isnt changing their laws to combat home grown terrorism.
An interesting side fact is that we have been fighting islmaic extremism in some form for several hundred years, the only thing in the past was we were as bad as they were.

[HarryMay]

The losers in both the American civil an d revolutionary wars could ber called terrorists,but they had a groundswell of supporters who believed in their cause.One must always be ready to defend their comm. ideals and beliefs against a corrupt ruling party,and that means fighting a war based on terror and gorilla tactics.You must ask yourselves how many liberties and how much freedom you are willing to lose before you make a stand.Remember this country was built upon the foundation of armed insurrection against an oppressive governing force.Hence the minutemen who stood and fought may very well be called terrorists by todays' standards.I personally believe that the kind of man/woman who is willing to give their lives fighting for a cause they believe in,right or wrong,have the moral fibre that makes the fight for liberty and justice something that we all should be proud of.Personally I abhorr violence,and being a non-rascist skinhead for 20 some years I get it from all sides.Violence begets violence and it is all around us.Living in L.A. I think of all the gangs and consider them terrorist cells,but the gov.ment does not.So what is a terrorist.I would like to thank the vet.s and all their families today for the bravery and courage they have shown the world,today being veterans day.

[starjax]

Warriorscot....

I disagree with the comments about american weapons, goods, services being used to train terrorist. IED stands for improvised explosive device. doesn't take a genius to make a pipebomb. nor are the ak47's and rpgs american. more left over russian black market weapons.

doesn't dissuade the fact that Terrorism is the use of indiscriment violence to cause fear. through fear they gain percieved control to push their own agenda and persecute those they see [bleep] beneath them.

[warriorscot]

I didnt say they were american guns or weapons but it is a fact they gave the mujahadeen the money and training, and the mujahadeen was then for the most part incorprated into alquaeda. Your right an IED isnt hard to make if you know how, i know how to make several myself, only becasue i was taught by some fine fellows from a bomb disposal unit, and im doing a chemistry degree. And i know that it was true that US aid is still being used and the men the US trained are still training terrorists because i asked some guys in intelligence after 9/11 and they said yeah it was true but it was hardly a secret then, its just no one likes to talk about it especially in america.

And by no means are other nations innocent of it either, the SAS have trained half the terrorists(freedom fighters) in asia. And many use some fine armaments stamped MADE IN UK, its what governments do they help who its convenient at the time, it was the russians and the abundance of off the books money at the USs disposal that made the mujahadeen very rich, because everyone wanted to give each other a black eye without resorting to actually attacking each other.

And historically it always backfires in a rather grand fashion every know and again, and unfortunately this is the now.