"The War On Terror Is Over"

[sabrina 1]

The War On Terror Is Over

No human’s death is ever a blessing. But this comes close. Many modern revolutionaries have committed terrible crimes in pursuit of a vision that, at least in theory, had moral value. Osama bin Laden’s vision, by contrast, was both totalitarian and parochial. And he murdered freely in its pursuit. He was evil in both ends and means.

But we have more to be grateful for than this one villain’s demise. We must give thanks for something broader: The war on terror is over. I don’t mean that there is no threat of further jihadist attack. In the short term, the threat may even rise. I don’t mean that we should abandon all efforts at tracking terrorist cells. Of course not. But the war on terror was a way of seeing the world, explicitly modeled on World War II and the Cold War. It suggested that the struggle against “radical Islam” or “Islamofascism” or “Islamic terrorism” should be the overarching goal of American foreign policy, the prism through which we see the world.

Dismantle Bush's Police State. Bin Laden had ten years to claim victory as he watched with glee, apparently not from any cave as the cartoon propaganda from the Bush era always claimed, as the terror he hoped to engender in the American people, took hold and they willingly gave up their rights in an attempt to 'feel safe'.

Even before the U.S. killed bin Laden, the Arab Spring had already rendered him irrelevant. President Obama now has his best chance since taking office to acknowledge some simple, long-overdue truths. Terrorism does not represent the greatest threat to American security; debt does, and our anti-terror efforts are exacerbating the problem. We do not face, as we did in the 1930s, a totalitarian foe with global ideological appeal. We face competitors who, in varying ways, have imported aspects of our democratic capitalist ideology, and are beating us at our own game.

Bin Laden was a monster and a distraction. It is good that he is dead, partly because the bereaved deserve justice, but also because his shadow kept us from seeing clearly the larger challenges we face. The war on terror is over; Al Qaeda lost. Now for the really hard stuff; let’s hope we haven’t deferred it too long.

Yes, the financial collapse of the World's Economy is the biggest threat facing this country and its future position in this world.

OBL is dead. That was the stated mission of the War in Afghanistan. Now the mission has been accomplished.

It's time to restore our Constitutional rights taken away by Osama Bin Laden but aided and abetted by the war-mongers and fear-profiteers in the Bush administration and by those citizens who supported cowering in fear rather than rendering OBL powerless over us.

Too bad he didn't see an America un-phased by his acts of violence rather than the one he predicted he would see, long ago.

But that is now in the past. It's way past time to undo the harm done to this country by the World's Most Wanted Terrorist. But this is not up to him, it is up to the American people.



Mission Accomplished!

[ixion]

1. Excellent. Now let's get back to sanity and commence with dismantling

the unPATRIOTic Act, the MCA, DHS and TSA and all the other rubbish put in place to crush civil liberties.

And while we're at it, let's end the so-called 'war' on (some) drugs, too.

[CrispyQ]

4. Yes!

:bravo:

[Hannah Bell]

10. more like recommence dismantling the new deal. the war will not end,

neither the foreign wars nor the war at home.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kenfrequed]

3. I reccommend this!

We can now start taking apart the last of the Bush nonsense.

[sabrina 1]

5. Let's hope so. While I cannot participate in the

celebrations and flag-waving of any death, no matter how evil the person was, since I believe that makes us no better than them, I think the author of the article in the OP expressed it best.

I could, however dance in the streets if this leads to the restoration of our Constitutional rights and an end to the Bush era destructive laws that made OBL the victor in the so-called WOT.

[Kurovski]

6. K&R. (nt)

[suffragette]

7. K&R

[uppityperson]

8. k&, am glad I took time to read the OP linked article.

[sabrina 1]

9. Yes, it was a thoughful, well-written article and

gets to the most important point about all this. What difference does it make if OBL is dead or alive if his successes remain in place. It's way past time for America to stop letting fear determine how we live and I hope that his death will be the beginning of the restoration of our freedoms. Otherwise, it means nothing.