The Global War on Stupid Slogans

[argexpat]

Now the Bush administration has decided that "war on terror" is no longer an apt slogan, and has officially changed it to "global struggle against violent extremism," claiming that the new slogan rightly recognizes the political ramifications of fighting terrorism, as opposed to just the military ones. In other words, dropping smart bombs and violently overthrowing enemy regimes is not enough (or maybe too much); there must be a political component to successfully fight terrorism. Which means diplomacy, something Bush's tough-talking-sheriff act wouldn't allow.

But kudos to Bush for finally figuring this out four years after September 11 (and never mind that liberals have been arguing this ever since). And it's too bad Bush couldn't acknowledge this during the campaign, when instead Kerry was pilloried for essentially saying the same thing. (Remember Kerry's infamous "global test"?) Imagine if Kerry had suggested changing the slogan from "war" to "struggle"?

So the War on Terror is now the Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism. What strikes me first about this retooled slogan is the word "struggle," which echoes the terrorists call of jihad, which in Arabic means (gasp!) "struggle." So we're in a jihad against violent extremism. Couldn't the insurgents in Iraq make the same claim? Violently overthrowing the government of Iraq in order to (according to the new rational) spread democracy and killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians in the process is violent extremism by any measure. Arguably for a good cause (if you believe the hype), but violent and extreme nonetheless.

But if Bush had been able, or willing, to be honest and realistic about terrorism and how best to combat it, instead of resorting to partisan demagoguery and naked exploitation of 9/11 for political gain, we may have made some real progress toward combating it. Instead, it's the terrorists who are winning their jihad.

 

[stsburns]

How would you defeat terrorism? Just hypetheticly speaking? In great detail would be great! :mrgreen:

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by stsburns:
How would you defeat terrorism? Just hypetheticly speaking? In great detail would be great!

Not with this guy!

 

[shuamort]

How would you defeat terrorism? Just hypetheticly speaking? In great detail would be great! :mrgreen:

One can't.

A war on an intangible enemy or an idea is never winnable. (Paraphrased from Sun Tzu's Art of War).

 

[AliG]

'Terror' never goes away..it is the eternal enemy..the constant ranting of this in the mainstream media allows it to remain in everyones minds.
Its very effective...evidence-Bush won his second term...

I think its funny how the 'terror' king in Bush's mind has not been caught...(Osama)

 

[epr64]

How would you defeat terrorism? Just hypetheticly speaking? In great detail would be great! :mrgreen:

Europe: through police work. Combined networks of efficient and trained anti-terrorist police. Result: all terrorists in jail.
US: start an illegal war because of greed. Lie and don't listen to anyone who doesn't say what you want. Create racism, and fuel it for years. Result: more terrorism.

How would YOU defeat terrorism, ass****? By listening to those who had it on their soil for years, or by listening to ape resident (no typo) who has only had the courage to let others be killed (remember TXNG?)

Just think... if you can.

Just my 0.02€

Y

 

[stsburns]

Not with this guy!

I see you like picture books, its nice to see how you stayed in the lines, but more to the topic, Billo if I were to employ you to defeat terrorism, how would you do it?

 

[stsburns]

Europe: through police work. Combined networks of efficient and trained anti-terrorist police. Result: all terrorists in jail.
US: start an illegal war because of greed. Lie and don't listen to anyone who doesn't say what you want. Create racism, and fuel it for years. Result: more terrorism.

How would YOU defeat terrorism, ass****? By listening to those who had it on their soil for years, or by listening to ape resident (no typo) who has only had the courage to let others be killed (remember TXNG?)

Just think... if you can.

Just my 0.02€

Y

Wow you need to read on more of how we actully indirecly gave Osoma guns. Left over from the Kuwait War, but he later used the weapons to promote his own ideas. And if you think this is just a war against Osoma, your morning wakeup call is here, and Osoma is one of many. If you hate Bush, so be it, but in the end your still missing the big picture. So here is the other .98c more.

15 May Organization
Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) - Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) - Ansar Al-Islam - Armed Islamic Group (GIA) - Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) - Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALIR) - Aum Shinrikyo (Aum ) - Chukaku-Ha - Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) - Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine-Hawatmeh Faction (DFLP - Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) - Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) - First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) - Force 17 -Front du Lineration du Quebec (FLQ) - Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) - Harakat ul-Ansar (HUA) - Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) - Hezbollah (Party of God) - Irish Republican Army (IRA) - Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group, IG) - Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) - Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed) - Jamaat ul-Fuqra - Japanese Red Army (JRA) - al-Jihad - Kach and Kahane Chai - Khmer Rouge - Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT) - Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - Lords Resistance Army - Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) - Manuel Rodriguez - Patriotic Front (FPMR) - Morzanist Patriotic Front (FPM) - Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK, MKO) - National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC) - National Liberation Army (ELN) - New People's Army (NPA) - Palestine Islamic Jihad-Shaqaqi Faction (PIJ) - Palestine Liberation Front-Abu Abbas Faction (PLF) - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-Special Command (PFLP-SC) - Popular Struggle Front (PSF) - al-Qaeda - Qibla and People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) - Real IRA (RIRA) - Red Army Faction - Red Brigades - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) - Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17 November) - Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C, Dev Sol) - Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA) - Revolutionary United Front (RUF) - Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) - Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL) - Terra Lliure - Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) - al-Ummah - United Self-Defense Forces/Group of Colombia (AUC) - Zapatista National Liberation Army
http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Terrorist.html

 

[stsburns]

'Terror' never goes away..it is the eternal enemy..the constant ranting of this in the mainstream media allows it to remain in everyones minds.
Its very effective...evidence-Bush won his second term...

I think its funny how the 'terror' king in Bush's mind has not been caught...(Osama)

Try Osama is always moving. Also he has many safe havens like Syria and Pakistan. You also fail to exploit how Osama uses the media, by the releasing videos to the press. As for the media, they'll do anything in the name of "Ratings". They don't care who you are, where your from, as long as it makes a good story, your going to be on the news. FYI Osama iis not a terror mastermind, I mean he's lost most of his higher ranked soldiers. Bush, Bush, Bush, makes your argument seem very predictable, so what cards are you playing next?

 

[stsburns]

One can't.

A war on an intangible enemy or an idea is never winnable. (Paraphrased from Sun Tzu's Art of War).

Only if it seems intangible? "All war is based on deception."-Sun Tzu, its Ironic how you missed this one. Personally this is the most intellegent post to my response, and I respect your knowledge of war! Nice post!

 

[Middleground]

Try Osama is always moving.

Replace the word "Osama" with "the terrorists" and that should be the first clue on why this war will not yield any victors.

If the most high profile terrorist cannot be caught, how can the US et al stop them all?

 

[stsburns]

Replace the word "Osama" with "terrorist" and that should be the first clue on why this war will not yield any victors.

If the most high profile terrorist cannot be caught, how can the US et al stop them all?

Just like we have caught the drug lord Noreiaga, 1.catch the ones we can>2.get them to give more information>3.catch higher ranked indivduals linked to the organization>4.catch/kill leader. Killing may not be an option because it will be viewed as a "Matar" and Osama will be praised, because he kills in the name of his God. By the way who said he couldn't be caught, oh wait that was you! Oh how steadfast you are!

 

[Middleground]

Just like we have caught the drug lord Noreiaga, 1.catch the ones we can>2.get them to give more information>3.catch higher ranked indivduals linked to the organization>4.catch/kill leader. Killing may not be an option because it will be viewed as a "Matar" and Osama will be praised, because he kills in the name of his God.

Gosh, golly, geez, darn. I never knew it was the simple. Mission accomplished then.

By the way who said he couldn't be caught, oh wait that was you! Oh how steadfast you are!

Four years and counting.

 

[stsburns]

Gosh, golly, geez, darn. I never knew it was the simple. Mission accomplished then.
Four years and counting.

LOL! You and your left wing spin :spin: ! I hope you have a time table on when im going to post! Your next post will include "In Guns we trust", "Mission Accomplished", "Getting away with muder is impossible" - Popa Roach, just getting ready for your insults, your as easy to predict as watching TV, good job! :mrgreen:

 

[blogger31]

Europe: through police work. Combined networks of efficient and trained anti-terrorist police. Result: all terrorists in jail.
US: start an illegal war because of greed. Lie and don't listen to anyone who doesn't say what you want. Create racism, and fuel it for years. Result: more terrorism.

How would YOU defeat terrorism, ass****? By listening to those who had it on their soil for years, or by listening to ape resident (no typo) who has only had the courage to let others be killed (remember TXNG?)

Just think... if you can.

Just my 0.02€

Y

Really? All the terrorists are in jail? So we don't expect to see any terrorist activity in Europe ever again huh? Remember it is Europe and not America who has had terror attacks since 9/11. That was a wake up call for the world not just the US. Since then America has arrested and stopped far more terror cells then Europe. Mainly because Europe is full of a bunch of sissies who want to understand the terrorists and know why they want to kill people. Well all countries except for the UK and Tony Blair that is.

 

[stsburns]

Replace the word "Osama" with "the terrorists" and that should be the first clue on why this war will not yield any victors.

If the most high profile terrorist cannot be caught, how can the US et al stop them all?

You :surrender !

 

[Middleground]

LOL! You and your left wing spin :spin: ! I hope you have a time table on when im going to post! Your next post will include "In Guns we trust", "Mission Accomplished", "Getting away with muder is impossible" - Popa Roach, just getting ready for your insults, your as easy to predict as watching TV, good job! :mrgreen:

Is that all you can come up with? Sigh.

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by stsburns:
I see you like picture books, its nice to see how you stayed in the lines, but more to the topic, Billo if I were to employ you to defeat terrorism, how would you do it?

I would start a commission to investigate the reasons that drive people to such a psycotic level of hatred that they would take their own life to destroy ours. I would look into what the US is doing thru its foreign policies that might possibly be the genisis of such hatred. I would look for a way to engage in a dialouge with these groups to find out what is pi$$ing them off so much. I would then evaluate their grievences in comparison to our national security and see if there were some issues which we could find a middle ground. If there were no issues where that was possible, then so be it. We stand our ground. But at least at that point we could say to the world we exhausted all possible means to settle our differences and make changes that would benifit everyone.

I'm not talking about negociating with terrorists. Just hearing their complaints in regards to the US. However, if they said to me, as one of their complaints, "Were jealous of your freedom." I'd tell them to f___ off!

I guess the most important thing to stress is that you don't solve any problem without dealing with its root causes. That is an absolute, no compromising part of any solution. Which is something haven't seen the current Administration spend any effort to address.

 

[epr64]

Really? All the terrorists are in jail? So we don't expect to see any terrorist activity in Europe ever again huh? Remember it is Europe and not America who has had terror attacks since 9/11. That was a wake up call for the world not just the US. Since then America has arrested and stopped far more terror cells then Europe. Mainly because Europe is full of a bunch of sissies who want to understand the terrorists and know why they want to kill people. Well all countries except for the UK and Tony Blair that is.

Blinders are dangerous for your health

Once again: you CANNOT eradicate terrorism through militarily invading a country that has nothing to do with terrorism activity. If you think you can, please keep your eyes closed and remain under your bed.

As for the "multiple" terrorist cells that the US arrested... why is it we never hear 'bout it? Oh, I see. You mean the taxi drivers that young and afraid GIs arrest without reason, torture for some months and then release without charges... because they didn't do anything? True, you arrested a lot of THOSE terrorist cells. :roll:

:2wave:

Y

 

[stsburns]

I would start a commission to investigate the reasons that drive people to such a psycotic level of hatred that they would take their own life to destroy ours. I would look into what the US is doing thru its foreign policies that might possibly be the genisis of such hatred. I would look for a way to engage in a dialouge with these groups to find out what is pi$$ing them off so much. I would then evaluate their grievences in comparison to our national security and see if there were some issues which we could find a middle ground. If there were no issues where that was possible, then so be it. We stand our ground. But at least at that point we could say to the world we exhausted all possible means to settle our differences and make changes that would benifit everyone.

I'm not talking about negociating with terrorists. Just hearing their complaints in regards to the US. However, if they said to me, as one of their complaints, "Were jealous of your freedom." I'd tell them to f___ off!

But I think war history has shown, always shoot and ask questions later. Meaning we go to war, then if we get tired of war, then lets talk peace! But I like your thinking! But isn't hearing them out somewhat negociating? But I do like that you would tell them off! :mrgreen:

 

[stsburns]

Is that all you can come up with? Sigh.

Well I couldn't do the whole anti-Iraq War stereotype, I mean that it would take a couple of posts for that! But I could consider your Sigh as your :surrender , or no debate!