h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The RIGHT thing to do is to collect ALL necessary evidence before the US just outright blames somebody. I agree that whoever did this should be brought to account BUT any action has to be thought out carefully. The stability of the world depends on America's reaction.

Let's hope and pray that we NEVER see this sort of violence again.

Simon Jarvis ([email protected])

I totaly agree. But amarica will take revenge the hsve to but that Country will probaly take revenge back...

No they won't. No one has provoked the United States of America like this. The most sobering thing that I have seen so far is that most Americans think this is more significant than Pearl Harbor.

No one who stands against us in this matter will survive.

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As a very first step I'd recommend that the Pentagon and Twin Towers scenarios be deleted from MS Flightsimulator...

"Rhigt lets wipe out a whole country becase some little terrorist groop attake us"

I THINK NOT!

Who said anything about a whole country? Read the words. Those responsible. Seeing as how a country has not declared war on us, I don't see how your statement makes sense.

Attack the ones responisble.

Leave the country alone.

If the country obstructs us from taking the perpatrators of the crime, then we should make war with them. We should depose the government and install something else in its place.

Two Bit Triggger Pumping Moron
An opinion can be argued with; a conviction is best shot. - T E Lawrence

All to true... all to true.

I think it would be great if the terrorist leaders of the world that we have identified just suddenly started disappearing in the night.

Let the fear be carried by the terrorists for once.

Or - the US could join the movement to have the international tribune for war criminals put in place where those responsible could be tried and punished following a set of - internationally recognised - rules. As somebody wrote somewhere above, like it's now happening to Milosevic in the Hague...

I do feel with the American people, I do understand that there is quite naturally a thirst for violent revenge - but like other comments, I don't think it is the wisest. I cannot see how it can avoid leading towards a spiral of violence that will be impossible to stop.

Let alone that I don't think there will be a single, tangible enemy -- a widespread cell-based terrorist network is hard to locate and hit without hitting innocent civilians.

And I like to think that one major difference between those madmen behind this attack and the civilised world of which the US is a main part is that we do not easily attack innocent civilians...

Why? These people have committed crimes in the United States of America. We have courts with jurisdiction over these crimes. There's no reason to turn it over to anyone else.

Our criminal justice system gives the accused a presumption of innocence, right to confront witnesses against you, the right to remain silent, the right to a trial by jury, the right to remain silent, we don't allow ex post facto laws, etc.

Where else would the guilty have a better chance to face justice than here?

Two Bit Trigger Pumping Moron
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world; and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men every day who don't know anything and can't read. -- Mark Twain

At the personal level, I know what should happen now.

I am an American. I am going to donate blood, volunteer for the Red Cross, and do all that I can to help out. I will pray for the victims and their grieving families. That is what should happen now.

Yeah, I was talking with some of my classmates about this. I am all for a trial--if possible--under American jurisdiction. The only problem that I see, other than actually being able to get whoever did this to trial, is getting a fair jury. I'd give it my best shot, but I'm not sure I could be disinterested, and I doubt that there are many others who could either.

Another couple of points. American jurisdiction would allow for a federal execution if convicted. As I've said before, I doubt that there are many Americans that would be against the death penalty in this case--similar to McVeigh. But someone else brought up an interesting idea--Napoleon on St. Helena. Stick whoever masterminded it in solitary for life--the island would just be the icing on the cake. But this would probably violate the Constitution.

Besides, where would you try someone internationally in a case like this? The Hague seems to be more for war crimes--and defining this as a war crime could start to make things get awfully sticky. The US has not supported the ICC--it would seem awfully odd to want it now. Quite frankly, I believe that most people would want such a trial in US jurisdiction.

One more idea. I realize that is very premature, but one day we will start having to think about how we can truly remember all these people. I mean, Pearl Harbor has the battleship memorial, Oklahoma City has a memorial, and WTC needs to eventually have one as well. I believe that we are already making a good start just by how we have all reacted--generally positive and looking for either justice or vengance--preferably, to me at least, justice. But I think that the best thing we could do in a year or two would to be to rebuild those towers--with another appropiate memorial of course--and show the world that, not only will we not tolerate such attacks, but that we will always overcome them, stronger than before.

Why is it when sombody whoops the crap out of Europe, it's ok for the US to shed a little blood ? It's like some of you feel like britain , france, and other european countries are worth AMERICANS fighting and dieing for, but we should now turn the other cheek when we are attacked? Those of you who want to sing Koom-Bi-Ahh, and bad mouth my country, need to thank your lucky stars, that my country, and my family didn't turn the other cheek when Hitler handed you all's ass to ya'.

Ah, but that was in the past. Things are different now. That sounds fatuous, I know, but I'm not happy with the idea of _Britons_ shedding blood for Britain, let alone anyone else. I'm also not all that keen on the idea of Americans shedding blood for America. America has fought for us in Europe before - we do still owe as much assistance as we can give, but that doesn't mean we have to like what form that may take. And it doesn't mean that fighting is the right way to proceed.

All of NATO's members have agreed that they stand together under Article 5 to stamp out terrorism.

What will happen the next time that the IRA (whichever one) decides to bomb mainland UK? Will this be considered an act of terrorism? Will we come down on these people as we have pledged that we would? It is a very difficult situation as we all know that parts of America part funds the IRA groups and sympathises with them.

Before we can proceed we have to define what we mean by terrorism. The KLA could have been seen by terrorists by the Serbian government. We saw them s freedom fighters. The anti-Taliban geurillas in Afghanistan are seen as a resistance by the west because we see the Taliban as an oppressive group and do not recognise their government. Pakistan who is the only country to recognise the Taliban has also vowed to stamp out terrorism will see the anti-Taliban actions as terorism, so may call for action.

Tough times ahead methinks!

Problems with american justice in this matter:
* Unbiased jury and judge - you're not going to get one in the USA. (not a criticism - you wouldn't get one in the UK if a similar act had been carried out in London)
* Death penalty - various countries have human rights legislation against handing suspected criminals over to countries if they are likely to face the death penalty if convicted. Including, if I recall, the whole of the EU.

Any country who has lost citizens in the attack could legitimately try any suspected criminal, so there are lots of options, even before the politicians start looking for loopholes and fudges...

I feel the same but HOW can we let our governments know? I want to voice my opinion and it seems to me there are many people who want a peaceful course of action to be taken but I just don't know how we can make ourselves heard. Any ideas?