Ending the war on terror

Just a thought.......does anyone on this forum believe that the "war on terror" will ever end? Is there some measure we can use to determine if we won or not? Our government tells us we're winning....what is the evidence of that? Terrorism still happens every day. Is it only by not seeing any major terroristic activity on U.S. soil in the recent past that we determine we are winning?

Do you really think this is like other "wars" (such as the war on poverty, war on teenage pregnancy, war against illiteracy, war on crime, war on drugs, etc) we fight that are merely a thinly disguised use of a terrible situation to win election?

Being totally honest, I cannot envision a day in the next few hundred years in which Israel isn't being terrorized by radical Muslims (and vice versa), the western European nations and North America aren't endangered by the possibility of terrorists, and even Asia will become more of a target in my opinion.

What year was Israel created? Was it 1947? Have we had any sort of peace in the Middle East since then? No, not even close to anything resembling peace.

I'm afraid many of my countrymen think of the "war on terror" as a competition. It's not. It's just politics as usual. Nixon used the war on drugs to divert us from Vietnam. Kennedy used the Cuban Missile Crisis to distract us from the Bay of Pigs. Ford tried to use his "whip inflation now", or WIN buttons, to distract us from Watergate. Carter tried to distract us from the Iran hostage situation and huge lines to buy gasoline. Reagan tried to distract us from the Iran-Contra scandal. Bush the elder tried to use the first Gulf War to distract us from "read my lips, no new taxes". Clinton tried to distract us with the definition of what "is" is. Bush the younger uses the phrase "war on terror" to defend pretty much any and every action found objectionable to his opponents.

All of those examples were and are terrible problems that must be addressed. However, politicians use situations like that to distract the media and voters. They always have, and they always will. And don't think any particular party is immune. They are all the same. Winning election, or reelection, is the all-important subject to them.

I would truly love to hear one of our "leaders" come on worldwide television and lay out realistic objectives that would indicate we have "won" any of the "wars" we seem to choose to fight. The trick here is that there is no winning. It's an endless battle that generations of those running for office can use. Just once I'd love to hear our current government tell us what "winning" is.

sad but true. i dont have any other comments.



all hail...aw fuck it.

Well said Onward. The saddest part is the a true "war on terror" is more than worthwhile. Unfortunately it is just a tool used by the Bush administration to further their agenda.

we've been told time and time again it will last generations...a hundred years...no matter which puppet is in office.

Thank you Onward.....

It is good to hear other voices of reason

peace

I'm afraid many of my countrymen think of the "war on terror" as a competition. It's not. It's just politics as usual. Nixon used the war on drugs to divert us from Vietnam. Kennedy used the Cuban Missile Crisis to distract us from the Bay of Pigs. Ford tried to use his "whip inflation now", or WIN buttons, to distract us from Watergate. Carter tried to distract us from the Iran hostage situation and huge lines to buy gasoline. Reagan tried to distract us from the Iran-Contra scandal. Bush the elder tried to use the first Gulf War to distract us from "read my lips, no new taxes". Clinton tried to distract us with the definition of what "is" is. Bush the younger uses the phrase "war on terror" to defend pretty much any and every action found objectionable to his opponents.

Well said Onwardthoughthefog.....It is sad but I think the information age is helping to open a lot of eyes and ears....but hey I am an optimist stoner. lol