[Griff]

The big problem with tw's whole line of thought here is that he irrationally believes that our government can protect us from terrorism. The tools of the terrorist are cheap and readily available. Halting the free flow of capital, as represented by Phil Gramm, while serving tw's other political goals would be or will be ineffective. Other attacks on freedom will follow. From censorship to gun control to national IDs encroachments on our liberties will do nothing to make us safer. Reducing freedom here will only create potential domestic terrorists. What we are seeing is opportunism by statists using our present crisis of confidence to push their extremist agenda.

The only way to reduce terrorism is to reduce hatred of America overseas. That means getting our boot off the throats of the Iraqi people after ten long years of bombing, getting our troops out of Saudi Arabia (holy ground to the muslim faithful), and ending our financial backing for Israel. We need to give up our interventionism.

I heard Doris Kearns Goodwin, cheerleader for the omnipotent state, preaching that one of the main reasons we are despised by extremist moslems is the equal status of women in our culture. Bush keeps saying we are hated because we have freedom. I consider both these responses to be at best idiotic at worst simple war propaganda. As Joe Sobran put it, "They don't hate us for our virtues, they hate us for our vices."