# Coordinated Terrorist Attacks **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 11, 2001, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862 "2001-09-11T13:54:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/21 "2001-09-11T16:53:47Z")
An invasion of Afghanistan would be an enormous mistake - another Vietnam, in fact. Anyway, it’s unclear that they were involved (they have condemned the attacks, FWIW). I’ve heard that this is the anniversity of the Camp David accords. ---
**Author:** ![rushtopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e47774/32.png) [@rushtopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rushtopher)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/22 "2001-09-11T16:58:47Z")
> [@](#): > > They’re not the wrong people. They’re the neighbors, brothers and parents of blatently violent terrorists. Not only do they condone the acts by their silence, they’re probably a lot more sympathetic to these violent causes than we realize. So by that logic, we should have put to death all of Tim McVeigh’s neighbors? His parents? Maybe innocent 3rd cousins? Tell me, if you happened to live next door the Unabomber, would mind if the US government shot you and your family because of where you are. Better yet, would you have supported air strikes on Montana? Initiating war with some country in the MidEast would result in the loss of life far greater than what happened today. Your logic is the same that the terrorists employed “They support the evil USA and therefore should die!” ---
**Author:** ![B.O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f08c70/32.png) [@B.O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.O)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/23 "2001-09-11T17:02:46Z")
> [@](#): > > It seems to me there is little hope of fighting this. Who are you going to attack? Remember: Lybia was bombed after a disco in Berlin was blown up. This took Lybia out of the terrorism business, because they knew there is more where that came from. This is several magnitudes larger. And you can expect a reaction of adequate size.This country has woken up and has realized who the new threat is. And as long as this threat doesn’t have nuclear capability, after waht happened today, it will be taken out. The Taliban just declared that Bin Laden is not involved. Interesting. What makes them so sure? You fight terrorism by denying terrorists the support they need. ---
**Author:** ![hapaXL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@hapaXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hapaXL)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/24 "2001-09-11T17:07:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Demise \* > \*\*Nits make lice. \*\* I’ve seen my share of dumb shit on this board. But this is, by far, the most ignorant, racist thing I have ever read here. Do you know what kind of people have used this argument in the past? Do you want to be associated with them? Innocent people are innocent, regardless of nationality. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/25 "2001-09-11T17:17:53Z")
A bee buzzing around a lion doesn’t bother the lion much - until the bee stings it. This is war, and the bee is about to get crushed. Who provokes the military might of a pissed-off United States? I feel as badly for the people that are about to die as the ones who just did. At least theirs was quick and without time to panic. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Determinist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@Determinist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Determinist)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/26 "2001-09-11T17:21:59Z")
How many innocent people did the U.S. kill when we were at war with Japan? A half million? Lets not be hypocrites and pretend it is not also within our means to rationalize mass murder for political purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/27 "2001-09-11T17:28:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by B.O. \* > **Remember: Lybia was bombed after a disco in Berlin was blown up. This took Lybia out of the terrorism business, because they knew there is more where that came from.** That’s debatable. The attack on Lybia was in 1986, I think. The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 (?) over Lockerbie, Scotland was in late 1988, and Lybian agents were tried for it (or are still being tried for it, I really don’t recall the resolution of the trial). Granted, after that Lybia was mostly out of it, but they were still accused of housing, and possibly taining, terrorists well into the Clinton administration. Apparently an Arab newspaper in London is saying that bin Laden “associates” claimed three weeks ago that something big was coming up. And the Taliban is “denouncing” the attacks, and also is reiterating that bin Laden is safe with them. It’s going to get uglier before it gets better. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Red\_Menace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@The\_Red\_Menace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Red_Menace)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/28 "2001-09-11T17:33:09Z")
> [@](#): > > How many innocent people did the U.S. kill when we were _at war with Japan_? A half million? Lets not be hypocrites and pretend it is not also within our means to rationalize mass murder for political purposes. Italics mine. This is a completely different situation. This is the unprovoked mass murder of American civilians. ---
**Author:** ![reallylame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@reallylame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reallylame)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/29 "2001-09-11T17:45:11Z")
Don’t even try to relate what happened today with what happened in WW2. When you are a war with a country there are no innocent people. Everyone in the country that declares war on you is a viable target. They work the farms to feed the troops, they build the bombs, the tanks …etc. In a situation like this you do it like they do in Israel. You find out who did it, then you take out everyone of them that you can find. You try not to hit civilians, but you don’t not act out of a fear to hit innocents. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/30 "2001-09-11T18:04:26Z")
Muad’Dib said: > [@](#): > > Do you guys think that Bush will have any trouble funding the millitary and missle defense now? Actually, this very event shows how ridiculous the vaunted missle defense is. Cruise missiles aren’t what we have to fear. And nothing in the president’s plans would have accounted for this. ---
**Author:** ![Demise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@Demise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demise)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/31 "2001-09-11T18:06:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hapaXL \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Demise \* > > \*\*Nits make lice. \*\* > > I’ve seen my share of dumb shit on this board. > > But this is, by far, the most ignorant, racist thing I have ever read here.\*\* You think that’s bad? Fuck you. You have no fucking clue. > [@](#): > > \*\*Innocent people are innocent, regardless of nationality. \*\* True, if they are actually innocent. That remains to be seen. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/32 "2001-09-11T18:10:07Z")
this sure does suck. if revenge is the answer, who decides who dies first? when do we stop killing? when is it enough? isn’t it enough already? events like these are high on my list of reasons for the total abolishion of all organized religion (i know, wont ever happen, don’t bother to respond to my pipe dream…) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/33 "2001-09-11T18:14:41Z")
The Red Menace wrote: > [@](#): > > This is the unprovoked mass murder of American civilians. The Pentagon was full of “American civilians”? Hardly. While the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings certainly qualify as attacks on civilian targets, the attack on the Pentagon does not. There is little difference between the attack on the Pentagon this morning, and the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. ---
**Author:** ![Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donovan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/34 "2001-09-11T18:20:12Z")
**Mornea** said: > [@](#): > > WHOA. Hold on everyone. WE DON"T KNOW WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. It could be a group of people born and raised right here in the good ol’ U.S of A. yeh, anyone remember Oklahoma City? I remember the same shitstorm about ‘those damn Arabs’ and retailiation and all that… oops, it was a US citizen. Chill out about naming targets for retailiation until we have at least a ghost of an idea about who is responsible… ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/35 "2001-09-11T18:20:38Z")
I could be wrong, but we don’t know for certain where in Afghanistan Bin Ladin is. Assuming he is determined to be responsible, finding the whereabouts of the core leadership of his group would be top priority. Then capturing (US/UN elite forces, maybe)and trying them in a UN court would seem the most rational, responsible act. I doubt that this will happen. They have eluded US intelligence for years with the apparent support of the Taliban. The Taliban official I saw on CNN was hard to understand, but what I gathered was that he denied any responsibility without denouncing the attacks themselves. I think that an invasion of Afghanistan would be a huge mistake as it would piss off the Moslem world. Whatever course the US follows, we cannot afford to be seen as attacking Islam itself as this would be a call to Jihad. I really hope the US Army/National Guard has set up some facilities for the thousands leaving Manhattan right now. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/36 "2001-09-11T18:23:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > A bee buzzing around a lion doesn’t bother the lion much - until the bee stings it. > > This is war, and the bee is about to get crushed. Problem is, the bee died in the attack. Who does the lion go after now? The hive? Okay, but which hive? And by what method do we destroy the hive- by cutting down the branch, the whole tree, or burning down the forrest? No nation state in their right mind will claim responsibility, unless they want to be turned into a cloud of charged particles. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/37 "2001-09-11T18:24:39Z")
> [@](#): > > While the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings certainly qualify as attacks on civilian targets, the attack on the Pentagon does not. There is little difference between the attack on the Pentagon this morning, and the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Except that there is no real military purpose to it. The Pearl Harbor attack severely diminished the US’s ability to wage war on Japan, and would have been even more successful had the carriers been in port. Today’s attack is useful only for starting a war. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/38 "2001-09-11T18:24:45Z")
In the Middle East there are people dancing in the street, REJOICING the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. Are THEY innocent civillians? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/39 "2001-09-11T18:27:43Z")
> [@](#): > > There is little difference between the attack on the Pentagon this morning, and the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The Japanese did not attack Pearl Harbor by crashing an airliner full of innocent people into it. I don’t agree with this notion that we should just slaughter innocent people in whatever quarter we determine these attacks came from. But we damn well better annihilate whatever individuals and organizations are _responsible for planning and executing this attack._ ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2001, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862/40 "2001-09-11T18:31:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by enolancooper \* > \*\*In the Middle East there are people dancing in the street, REJOICING the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. > > Are THEY innocent civillians? \*\* Innocent of what? Did they commit these atrocities? Sure, they might be pathetic, sick-minded fools, but that doesn’t make them deserving of death. And I assume you know which people, where and how to separate them from those who are horrified at this? Killing innocent people is wrong. Simple. It doesn’t matter what country. What will killing them do? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coordinated-terrorist-attacks/80862.md?page=3)