posted on September 20, 2001 12:28:02 AM new
A non war. Sortof like the "War on Crime" and the "War on Drugs". Is that it? Though this is from tomorrow's Times, and uaru says, (edited) that the US news and the "wires" are the only reliable source despite the practice by the white house of chopping away newspapers and agencies from favor and direct info if they should displease anyone in the white house, it seems more than plausible and would account for the upcoming speech by bush in which he is to ask for your patience.
AMERICA and Britain are producing secret plans to launch a
ten-year “war on terrorism” — Operation Noble Eagle —
involving a completely new military and diplomatic strategy to
eliminate terrorist networks and cells around the world.
Despite the mass build-up of American forces in the Gulf and the
Indian Ocean, there will be no “D-Day invasion” of Afghanistan
and no repeat of the US-led Operation Desert Storm against Iraq
in 1991, defence sources say.
The notion that a US-led multinational coalition would attack
Afghanistan from all sides for harbouring Osama bin Laden, the
wealthy Saudi dissident leader and prime suspect for the terrorist
outrages in New York and Washington, has been rejected in
Washington and London. The sources also say that the planned
campaign is not being focused on just “bringing bin Laden to
justice”.
The build-up of firepower by the Americans in the region, notably
the two aircraft carrier battle groups that are to be joined by a
third carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, is seen as a major display
of available military capability. While it is important for these assets
to be in the right place in case of a political decision to launch a
strike, there are no plans for a “short-term fix”.
The dramatically different anti-terrorism campaign is being planned
to meet what is now regarded as the most dangerous threat to
global security, known as asymmetric warfare. “We’re expecting it
to last from five to ten years,” one source said.
This 'long haul' will certainly provide a means to continue the blank check of defence spending which congress so nicely provided as well as remove all budgetary pressures from the administration for the time being.
posted on September 20, 2001 05:27:26 AM new
Sara - does it not rather decrease the effect of having krs remove it if it stays up in your post for all the world to see?
posted on September 20, 2001 05:50:59 AM new
I can see it now. 10 years and $1 billion later, and the best they'll be able to accomplish will be "just say no to terrorism".
Barry
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The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
posted on September 20, 2001 05:58:02 AM new
Oh no Barry. It will be national ID cards, numerous restrictions on travel, surveillance on communications, and all the paranoia that goes along with living in a totalitarian society.
posted on September 20, 2001 07:41:41 AM newSnowy...
Awful, isn't it? What really makes me sick, is until fred originally posted that link, I had no idea our wonderful leaders were even considering such a thing. Recently, to call me apolitical would have been an understatement. They have my full attention now, though.
posted on September 20, 2001 08:01:35 AM new
I'd heard this mentioned on tv a couple of few days ago, probably CNN or maybe ABC, same name, except it was going to be an 8 year thing. Someone must've heard me going "hmmm," now it's been bumped up to a less obvious 10 years.
posted on September 20, 2001 08:46:57 AM new
This should keep defence spending in business for many years on a war that will never be won by the use of weapons.
Countries in which bin Ladins network is based...
Al-Qaeda ('The Base') is a conglomerate of groups spread throughout the world operating as a network. It has a global reach, with a presence in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Jordan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Xinjiang in China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Mindanao in the Philippines, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Dagestan, Kashmir, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, Eritrea, Uganda, Ethiopia, and in the West Bank and Gaza.
posted on September 20, 2001 10:45:31 AM new
I, personally, don't worry about the big brother stuff. There is so much communication going on in the world that I'm sure they are busy enough to not worry about mine, and even if they did, all they'd learn is that Aunt Myrtle's bunion is infected. I would prefer them to scan communications and issue ID cards than to see what happened last week happen again.
What is freedom if you're too afraid to experience it?
posted on September 20, 2001 12:52:09 PM new
Yeh! but Ben Franklin did not live in an era where there were the capabilities for mass distruction on the scale that we have today. There are other means I am sure that would make the death toll numbers in New York seem paltry. It probably boils down to what you wish to give up to survive - if you wish to survive.
buyhigh
posted on September 20, 2001 01:31:24 PM new
Your chances of dying are exactly the same as they were Sept. 10th. 100%, the same as they were in Ben Franklin's time.
posted on September 20, 2001 02:41:48 PM new
Snowy,
Good to see you posting again. Yes, we are talking about moving toward what has conventionally been referred to as a police state. The issues facing us as a nation are extremely complex, complicated. Changes which will likely be permanent need to be subjected to a reasoned scrutiny. People must feel deeply in order to act strongly, but without a reasoned and clearly articulated plan of action to reach defined goals, we are in danger of instituting changes which we may later regret and find ourselves unable to change.
Until we are able to define clearly exactly what we are doing and rationally explain why, then we are still in a state of confusion. Congress has begun to temper the hysteria by refusing to take immediate action on some of Ashcroft's proposals, mainstream media coverage is becoming a little calmer and more balanced, a greater number of people seem to be more reflective than simply emotional, so patriotism rather than nationalism seems to be on the rise.
They have my full attention now, though.