Bali
Finland. Then, even more horrifying, Bali.
We know Indonesia has a large Muslim population. For a long time, I looked on that part of the world as proof that Islam wasn't the problem, it was the social problems of the Arab world that were perverting Islam. I hate myself for wondering now if Dean Bartkiw isn't right, and if I'm just naive. I don't want him to be right, I really don't.
Anyway, even though this wasn't in Australia, it's hard to conclude that it wasn't primarily Ozzie tourists they were looking for, y'know?
The next Great War? [shiver]
(Bjørn Stærk has some pretty good comments.)
Dean Bartkiw goes a little far. Most Muslims are more reasonable than the fanatic fundamentalists who are our sworn enemies. Only a few million want to see the streets run with our blood. But for them, the Quran is a detailed guidebook in just the sort of activity that we are seeing, when read within the context of a young life filled with bloodthirsty and death-craving propaganda. Our commercials sell soap. Arab commercials sell the idea of the sweet smell of a martyr's blood.
Don't give up hope, Dean. After the "pig in the python," the millions of mentally poisoned males in the Middle East, age out, in maybe twenty years, things will simmer down. In the meantime, expect bombs and snipers galore. Unless we kill enough of them first that we demotivate many of the rest. It worked in Japan, after all.
> Ozzie tourists
I keep thinking of Kelly, Sharon and the lads. I'm guessing "Aussie" was what you were thinking.
In any case, Bali was truly a horrific tragedy, with more dead than the passengers on Flights 11, 77 and 93 combined. If it was the work of al Qaeda, as it appears, that ought to eliminate those snide comments about "Dubya's War." Terrorism is WWIII.
Randy,
Not to deter from the tragedy in Bali, but "Ozzie" and "Oz--short for Land of Oz" are becoming acceptable colloquialisms to refer to our Australian cousins.
On the other hand, while I'm not ready to accept the WWIII analogy, I agree that this war is not going to be over quickly. We should brace ourselves for a conflict as significant as the Cold War in length and the degree to which it informs all future foreign policy.
Let me add to Mr. Gersh's comment we should also not confine our attentions to the ME any more than we fought the Cold War exclusively in Europe. The events of the past few days in Bali and Ulster reinforce that in my mind. But I agree, we will prevail as long as we are willing to stand up to the bastards.