The Central Questions of Our Time

[OrangeEmpire]

Donald Rumsfeld addressing the American Legion

Today, another enemy -- a different kind of enemy -- has also made clear its intentions -- in places like New York, Washington, D.C., Bali, London, Madrid, and Moscow. But it is apparent that many have still not learned history's lessons.
We need to face the following questions:

* With the growing lethality and availability of weapons, can we truly afford to believe that somehow vicious extremists can be appeased?

* Can we really continue to think that free countries can negotiate a separate peace with terrorists?

* Can we truly afford the luxury of pretending that the threats today are simply "law enforcement" problems, rather than fundamentally different threats, requiring fundamentally different approaches?

* And can we truly afford to return to the destructive view that America -- not the enemy -- is the real source of the world's trouble?

These are central questions of our time. And we must face them.

The ‘central questions of our time’

Answers anyone?

 

[volinbham]

The last one is the most interesting one to me.

This perception in one form or another (or various degrees) is more widely held than I would have once believed.

 

[OrangeEmpire]

I've got a question to add. Have we as a society in the wake of 9/11 so succumb to fear that we have lost all perspective and over reacted to the point we are letting fear control us instead of dealing with the legitmate security concerns created by terrorism in an intelligent effective manner?

In short, did we overreact to 9/11 out of fear?

 

[volinbham]

No.

The challenge has been melding all the different reactions into policy actions. The diffused power of our democratic republic makes policy development and implementation messy.

 

[I bleed Orange]

What I don't understand is America after the attacks of 9/11 wanted to go to war, well since it wasn't a quick war, it's like we've forgotten why we are fighting, and really don't care to get the bad guys anymore. The majority of the American people have turned against the president, and I don't think that's fair. Tha's why Bin Laden attacked us. He even said that they can go over there attack us, then not to long after that we will forget about the attacks and move on. Then they will attack us again. Just think what would happen if we pulled our troops out of Iraq? All heck would break loose, and I would bet everything I own that we would b attacked again pretty soon after that.