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

I can't help my ears from curling when I hear some Mr. President use the words 'modern', 'culture', 'civilisation', and 'revenge' in the same breath.

Hmmm... and we're supposed to be civilised, huh?

Either that or I think too much for my own good!

We're not only supposed to, we *are* the civilisation. At least according to Mr. Bush.

If the attacks had been made by a European country, or Australia, et al, I would agree with you, but the attacks were made by people who were 'brain-washed' by someone else into believing that by committing suicide in this manner they would achieve martyrdom.

Whatever the terrorists believed, they were given a target by another individual. This level of coordination and planning comes from following a plan laid down by one man (currently believed to be a resident of Afghanistan). The question is not the motive or beliefs of the terrorists, but of their leader.

That particular individual has made it his stated aim to bring down the democractic governments of the western world and start a holy war.

I agree that overwhelming military force could be counter-productive, but realise that it may take a significant number of men to annex Afghanistan and capture Bin Laden.

As to the erosion of our civil liberties, what civil liberties?

You are a number whether you like it or not. You were given a number when you were born. You will go through life collecting other numbers and being added to a range of databases.

Your entire life is a matter of record and the UK security services have virtually free access to the information.

If you own a mobile phone and it is switched on, then they can track your movements. CCTV is everywhere in towns, cities, parking lots, motorways, etc.

Exactly how much of your 'civil liberties' do you really think you have left?

However you are right in your conclusion. There will be discontent, terrorism and war, for as long as there are peoples struggling to survive. The West should do more to help these countries and realise now that as long as we continue to give money, that it will fuel corruption and be used to purchase arms. There must be a better way.

If I remember correctly then one major member of the 'cultivated' world has a basic law which states that anybody is *not guilty* as long as the opposite has been proven.

Not that I were trying to defend any suspect anyhow!

Although the issue of fanaticism certainly complicates things, it doesn't mean we shouldn't address socio-economic factors. What drives people to religious fanaticism? Socio-economic factors are presumably a big part of this. Our money would perhaps be better spent on building infrastructure, physical and social, in the developing world, rather than pursuing expensive, futile military expeditions. As to the erosion of civil liberties, I would certainly like it if we had more, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight to protect the ones we do have (like the right to be innocent until proven guilty which we've recently lost in the UK with the introduction of the Terrorism Act).

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