GP2,

To begin with, we can't focus completely on the threat of terrorism because we've first got to resolve the mess we've created in Iraq. We've left ourselves quite vulnerable here and in other parts of the world because so many of our assests are deployed or refitting.

Are terrorist acts legal issues? As opposed to what? If a guy comes here and blows a few things up taking lives with him, well, yeah I'd say that is a legal issue. Is it an act of war? From whom? McVeigh, Nichols, Kazinski (sp), Bundy, were terrorists; do we declare war on their home states? The majority of 9/11 terrorists were Saudi, no declaration of war there.

Terrorism is a tactic, not a country. You can't very well wage war against a tactic. However, those responsible for employing those tactics should be hunted down and prosecuted to the fullest extent.

I didn't defend Clinton. Matter of fact, I said he screwed up. I did say, though, what I remember his reasons being and what I thought the reaction from the public would have been. That neither condones nor condems his actions.

The efforts to prevent future attacks are centering around law enforcement. The news today reports that a radical cleric was arrested in the UK and will be extradited to the US. Granted we had to make some affirmation to the stipulations of no death penalty or military tribunal, but either way it's one less radical on the streets.

I've never advocated revoking the Patriot Act in whole. I do believe it needs to be tweaked, however.

Finally, once the mess in Iraq is squared away, I think the DoD may need to take a look at restructing the force in such a way that more Black Ops are available for "search and destroy" type missions. This of course would require tremendous diplomacy and a revamped foriegn policy. But I'd like to see Task Force 21, or something like it, utilized in such a way, in conjunction with Homeland Security, to go from country to country and root out the terrorist cells.

It doesn't seem that invading a country with our full military force is very effective in quashing an ideology. It seems to rather be strengthening their resolve. Although some say, "I'd rather fight them over there than here," imagine what the innocent inhabitants of "there" feel about that. Think it improves our image any or fosters a will of cooperation?

911 happened because we treated terrorism as a crime. It is a crime until it is state sponsored. Once that happens we need to deal with that state in wahtever fashion is effective. On the ideology side. This country has a low tolerance for religous zealots when the combine that with guns. All the way back to Joseph Smith and the Mormon movement. Once they built an army and became a threat we mobilzed force and put them down. David Koresh was fine until he started stockpiling wepons. Once he did that we killed him and burnt his church.

David Koresh? Dang that intolerant Bush, he'll attack and kill anyone one, even in his own people like Sadamm did - without even being attacked first.

Oh yeah, that was Clinton\Reno wasn't it?

Which state (country) sponsored 9/11?

Gh,

You know which ones you want me to say Yemen and SA and then ask why we did not attack them diretly. Yemen and SA where smart enough to play ball with us and for the most part did not allow training camps and other activities on their soil. I believe they play big roles in the sponsorship of terror and need to be dealt with. polotics dictate later rather than sooner. SA will have to be taken down from the inside out IMHO. A cultural change. A successful Iraq plays a big part in that getting started in SA and Iran.

How do we go about proving with enough credibility which acts are state sponsored and which are not? How paramount would that be before declaring war on a country versus hunting down and prosecuting those responsible?

I would use the next door neighbor test myself. Would I want someone acting like Sadam living next door to me? Would I want some one acting like Saudi Arabia living next door to me? I would arm myself and react to the threat with a neighbor like Sadam. With a neighbor like SA saying and appearing to do all the right things while his kids created problems I would suspect and investigate and then take action or not take action depending on what I might find.

Hey, that sounds kinda like what Iraq was doing with neighbors like Iran and Turkey.