mbs: Uh . . . because we're here? I can assure you that if I was a member of the Indian parliament, my line would be totally different, though I hope my goals would not be. My wife has already accused me of looking like a Hindi extremist.
DH: What conceivable military response could the U.S./NATO take that would stop a recurrence of this sort of thing? It doesn't take that many dedicated, desperate, and disciplined people to wreak major havoc. Any likely military action is likely to produce fresh volunteers for the cause, not long-term peace.
So what's your idea of a nonridiculous approach?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
mbs: As I said in another post, I doubt that any U.S. policy is going to "solve the problem" or "win the war." It will be like the war on drugs, scaled up but equally futile. The task of the left is not to propose how to 'solve the problem.' The task is to prevent as much as possible harm to innocents -- at home and abroad. You can't do that if you fail to acknowledge the crime, the criminals, and the legitimacy of retribution because, in the eyes of your audience, you have zero moral standing.
Comrade Jimbo was apparently positing a political posture, but one to which no self-respecting gobshite could lend credence in the present context. Check how I responded to him to see what I mean.