A weird and creepy coincidence that one of the men has a very similar name to the ringleader
of the 9/11 hijackers

I dunno, I’m as anxious and suspicious as the next person (watching that BBC “jihad.com” doc last night really made me sick and frightened) but to me all I can think about the above story is “um, probably your average illegal immigrant.” Of course they can’t explain why they have maps and lots of money, what illegal foreigner COULD? Heck, I was endlessly consulting maps and carrying the max amount of daily ATM cash when I visited NYC. They’re going to start clearing the streets of EVERYBODY, aren’t they?

We cannot extricate ourselves from the Iraq situation NOW, but how long do we babysit that nation? How many American soldiers have to lose their lives before the mission is accomplished? What is the mission again?

Furthermore, if the poison seeps in from outside of Iraq, what are we doing as an international community to locate and actively boycott those regimes that support this jihadist tripe? Right-wingers on the various blogs I frequent assure me that the war in Iraq is a big ruse to distract the world, while the real war is sub rosa and that the coalition’s “on it.” Yeah, tell it to the marines.

War in Iraq on the one hand and favorite nation status to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on the other is a very dangerous mixed message on so many levels.

In closing, after living in Kuwait for 15 years, I know how capricious Gulf Islamists are when it comes to adopting progress and the ways of the future. They do what suits them at any given time — feminism and tolerance is all well and good to get the UN and the west off their backs, and then, boom, back to the Dark Ages. Whatever we do has got to be lasting and preferably on their dime.

We can all construct narratives of grievance – when a racist decides to let off a bomb in a mosque because of Muslim opression of whoever or whatever, will you understand that?

Both sides of this conflict claim that that is what they are doing and, in the meanwhile, many innocents lose their lives. I do believe in standing up for my life and those of my loved ones — it’s unfortunate if it comes down to violence, but that’s a cross I’m willing to bear. But, at what point do we say we are making progress with a War Begets Peace mindset?

What I’m trying to say that is peace may never happen. And, no, it’s not a defeatist attitude, but a rather pragmatic outlook on the world as we’re handling it today.

The truth is: I don’t know … I’m as confused about all of this as everyone else and don’t know how to feel. Just tired and a bit afraid of it all. How can we move on?

The enemy of my enemy can still be my enemy. Especially if that enemy is actively trying to kill me, and is racist, anti-gay, anti-woman, and anti-democratic. Jihadis are imperialists. They’d love to rule the world, and killing you in the process is just the first step.

I find it rather strange when I see someone try and justify the ‘resistance’ in places like Iraq on the basis that it is anti-imperialist. People who purposely place bombs in mosques or blow up little kids, or kill United Nations workers (have you forgotten the bombing in Iraq that killed so many United Nations workers?) are not simply resisting occupiers. They are fighting a war to impose their own vision of occupation on others. To be a freedom fighter, you have to actually fight for freedom. Personally, I have a problem with pacifism at all costs, but that’s just me.

anyone who kills someone else for no reason loses all rights to be respected in any way, shape or form. They deserve a worse punishment than death.

Better the perpetrators of such horrendous acts (emphasis on the actual and identified criminals – not an ephemeral group) than me because a) they have no respect for their own lives to begin with, b) after they’ve turned into depraved killers, I no longer consider them very human and don’t believe in catch-and-release programs, and c) I have a life to lead without having to watch out for “ists” or enforcers.

My concern lies with grokking people like you and me before they acquire FundieRabies.