# Time to start rounding up the Arabs!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [September 11, 2001, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859 "2001-09-11T13:43:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Slip\_Mahoney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slip_Mahoney)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/21 "2001-09-11T17:20:28Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Anthracite \*
> \*\*So, who’s still against capital punishment now? Please post - I and others would like to see the reasons why this doesn’t warrant it.
>
> Just wondering is all… \*\*
**Anthracite,** we don’t have a punishment to fit this crime.
However, I must admit that this heinous act is severely testing my stance on capital punishment.
Incidentally, my wife, who is pro capital punishment, just asked me the same question.
Just when you think you’ve got your philosophy just right…
---
### Author:  [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/22 "2001-09-11T17:24:49Z")
My guess is that this is the work of Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organization.
He has the means and the motive.
If this is confirmed, here is what I hope we see:
Bush sends military forces into fucking Afghanistan. We remind the tinpot lunatic Taliban that we are not there to topple their government. We’re just going to go in and track down the bin Laden forces, hunt them down, round them up, drag their asses back the U.S., give them a trial, and then shoot them all in the fucking heads on live TV.
I doubt Bush will do anything of the sort. I voted for the guy, and I hope that some kind of military response occurs. The message must be sent that you fuck with the U.S. at your peril. Shit on the pansies who say that such a response is barbaric. Fuck 'em. This kind of thing must be met with proportional response.
This is akin to Pearl Harbor. We were attacked by a well-trained, sophisticated bunch utilizing a well-coordinated plan. **WE ARE AT WAR**.
Let me repeat: Some kind of military response **MUST** occur once we find out who is responsible. It doesn’t have to be nuclear, but it has to be **MASSIVE** retaliation on a scale so astounding that it will make any such organization or government think twice about doing this kind of thing again.
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### Author:  [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/23 "2001-09-11T17:37:20Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \*
> \*\*Patience folks. We’ll get them, and we’ll get them, _but good_. Let’s just wait until we’ve got a good idea of who “they” are.
>
> Meanwhile, I’m thinking that this will be the water-shed event that puts an end to tollerance for terroism. \*\*
Do these idiots not remember our response to Pearl Harbor? You DON’T want to piss off the United States! Bombing a military vessel (aka the Cole) is one ting. Killing potentially THOUSANDS of innocent civilians? The Lightning is coming, boys. Shelter will do you NO GOOD.
I REALLY feel for the poor people on the planes. What hell those people must have gone through. My thoughts go to all.
(On the bright side, my best friend who lives in NYC and wokrs not far from the WTC is fine.)
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### Author:  [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/24 "2001-09-11T17:54:17Z")
Why did the mods close my thread about nuking these suckers. I mean we nuked Japan over WWII and they just attacked military basis. These suckers attacked CIVILIANS. Why not nuke one of these little piss ant countries and let em know we mean business.
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### Author:  [@Acco40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acco40)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/25 "2001-09-11T17:57:43Z")
Unfortunately, nothing of the appropriate sort will happen. We will not punish anyone.
We will not punish anyone because that is what makes America great: freedom, and the belief that two wrongs don’t make a right.
It’s a good thing, too. If I was prez, and I had the authority, I’d blow all our enemies to holy hell (as they deserve), but that’s me… _call me un-American if you want._
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### Author:  [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/26 "2001-09-11T18:01:13Z")
Hey! JACKASS!
You’re frothing at the mouth for retaliation and you have no idea who you want to nuke.
“One of these little piss ant countries”?
Ok. Jordan? Yemen? Iran? Maybe the UAE? Why not Lebanon? Hell, those bunch of “towel-headed terrorists” deserve it, right?
Oops, can’t forget about Egypt. And it’s a shame that Israel will be caught in the splash, but well, hell, you’ve gotta nuke something, right?
**Bill** , you’re great at putting your foot in your mouth. Now’s not a good time to do it.
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### Author:  [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/27 "2001-09-11T18:09:15Z")
I re read my post and I see I wasn’t clear.
I understood Johns meaning. I think that rightious indingnation for racism is inappropriate in any context now.
No one is rounding up anyone yet. There is much to be angry about right now. Hypethetical occurances not happening yet cloud issues.
But then I am pretty pissed. I am mad at whoever did this regardless of their beliefs or race.
I guess it just rubbed me the wrong way.
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### Author:  [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/28 "2001-09-11T18:09:27Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Anthracite \*
> \*\*So, who’s still against capital punishment now? Please post - I and others would like to see the reasons why this doesn’t warrant it.
One murder doesn’t make it okay to commit another murder for revenge.
Two murders don’t make another murder okay.
Five murders don’t make another murder okay.
Ten murders don’t make another murder okay.
One hundred murders don’t make another murder okay.
One thousand murders don’t make another murder okay.
Ten thousand murders don’t make another murder okay.
See the trend?
We are all shocked, horrified, and angry.
That still doesn’t make another murder okay. Taking another life doesn’t lessen the tragedy. From the point of view of someone who opposes capital punishment, it makes it worse. 10,000 murders become 10,001. It’s still murder.
I’m not looking for a debate. Just want to point out that it’s not obvious that everyone should be screaming for blood.
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### Author:  [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/29 "2001-09-11T18:13:34Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by lno \*
> \*\*Hey! JACKASS!
>
> You’re frothing at the mouth for retaliation and you have no idea who you want to nuke.
>
> “One of these little piss ant countries”?
>
> Ok. Jordan? Yemen? Iran? Maybe the UAE? Why not Lebanon? Hell, those bunch of “towel-headed terrorists” deserve it, right?
>
> Oops, can’t forget about Egypt. And it’s a shame that Israel will be caught in the splash, but well, hell, you’ve gotta nuke something, right?
>
> **Bill** , you’re great at putting your foot in your mouth. Now’s not a good time to do it. \*\*
People are very very angry right now. Loved ones have been killed, our nation has been attacked. Just let this initial wave of rage pass.
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### Author:  [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/30 "2001-09-11T18:13:41Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by John Corrado \*
> \*\*Because we all _know_ that they’re the only people who could be responsible for what happened to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It’s also well known that _all_ Arabs are terrorists and obviously support the killing of innocent Americans. Lord knows no _American_ would do such a thing.
> Sigh. Sorry; it’s just a pre-emptive strike at what I _know_ will happen- hundreds of talking heads jumping on TV to talk about Arab terrorism and Muslim extremists well before anyone really knows what’s going on. Just like in Oklahoma. And lots of private racism, and insults, and things about how “your people” do this sort of stuff.
> I hope it doesn’t happen. But somehow, I doubt it. \*\*
Thank you for expressing what I hope (but doubt) most people will be thinking. While **Wildest Bill** ’s idiotic foaming at the mouth isn’t going to be unusual in the coming weeks (and I understand just how angry today’s horrible events make people) it’s good to know that a violent knee-jerk reaction against any old ‘towel-head’ isn’t supported by everyone.
**Anthracite** : I still do not support the death penalty in ‘normal’ circumstances. But then again, I don’t think these are ‘normal’ circumstances and I will be as glad as anyone else when those responsible get their comeuppance.
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### Author:  [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/31 "2001-09-11T18:16:35Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Why not nuke one of these little piss ant countries and let em know we mean business.
Er, Bill, I was under the impression you were a devout Christian. Shouldn’t you be letting God take care of this matter?
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### Author:  [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/32 "2001-09-11T18:17:02Z")
Unfortunately, suicide missions like these make closure and a sense of justice difficult as those criminals who are most directly involved have already blown themselves to smithereens, making their trial and punishment quite difficult.
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### Author:  [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/33 "2001-09-11T18:21:14Z")
lno,
Iraq, Iran and Suadi Arabia would be a good start. Of course don’t attack Isreal they are an ally. Think about it we can avenge our dead and take out an enemy of Isreal and us. Sounds like a good deal to me.
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### Author:  [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/34 "2001-09-11T18:25:34Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Wildest Bill \*
> \*\*lno,
>
> Iraq, Iran and Suadi Arabia would be a good start. Of course don’t attack Isreal they are an ally. Think about it we can avenge our dead and take out an enemy of Isreal and us. Sounds like a good deal to me. \*\*
You wish innocent people dead and call yourself a Christian?
Hypocrite.
Ill-informed hypocrite, no less. Saudi Arabia is a US ally. The true culprits are not known. You, sir, are understandably angry and upset, but an idiot nonetheless.
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### Author:  [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/35 "2001-09-11T18:29:39Z")
Bill
last time I checked, Saudi Arabia was relatively moderate , and also ONE OF OUR ALLIES!
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### Author:  [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/36 "2001-09-11T18:36:53Z")
Arabs and Muslims in America, and perhaps the rest of the Western World, are going to catch hell for this for a while. But considering the facts of the events, is it not fair that a Muslim terrorist group be considered the prime suspect from the get-go? People bring up OK City, but this is so much different. Trying to take out a government building in the Pentagon is one thing, and there are many groups/ideologies that would consider it fair game- see Tim McVeigh. But the attack on the WTC, home of civilian workers, points to someone other than an American. Look at international “bad guys,” and who do you have? What’s left of the militaristic IRA? Attack America? Their prime source of income? No chance. Columbian drug lords? They need a good economy in order to keep their business going. The Russian mob? Same as the Columbians, they need money to flow. Of active terrorist groups, only an Arab group remains as a viable option. I doubt very highly that it’s Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or Hizbollah, as they tend to stick to the Middle East, and their attacks, while often shocking, tend to be very small in scale. Their M.O. tends to be a single suicide bomber. This is something that reeks of Osama bin Laden, and the simultaneous bombings in Africa a few years back show that he has the organization and wherewithal to do something like this.
Is it bad that Arabs and Muslims will be targetted for harassment wherever they are minority groups? Yes it is, but the victims of such hatred will have to understand that it is someone who thinks they are acting on their behalf that is the cause of their misery. I in no way encourage anyone acting out in any way against the local Mosques or anything **STUPID** like that, but unfortunately I understand why anyone doing that does so. But please, get a grip and don’t make the situation worse. \<-- that’s just a little plea to the world in general, not pointed at any individual.
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### Author:  [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/37 "2001-09-11T18:40:47Z")
Look, Bill.
I understand that you want revenge. I do, too. In the dark pits of my soul, I had a moment of secret hope that there will be conclusive evidence pointing toward state-sponsored terrorism, and that the country in question will be turned into a puddle of molten glass.
But it counterproductive, foolish, ignorant, and flat-out WRONG to call for retaliation - NUCLEAR retaliation - against a random country.
Call for justice, call for revenge, call for pizza, sure.
But do NOT call for nuking “one of these little piss ant countries”, especially after you use such derogatory and insulting terms as “towel-heads”.
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### Author:  [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/38 "2001-09-11T18:43:41Z")
**Bill** , you’re an idiot!
A. Saudi Arabia is our ally and our primary oil supplier. you may remember that we fought Iraq 10 years ago to defend the Saudis against invasion.
B. Iran is headed by a reformist party that is trying to reestablish a working relationship with the US.
C. Iraq might applaud today’s attacks, but they are not stupid enough to provoke a war with us.
You are a racist, hate-mongering pinhead, Bill, and you make me ashamed to be a Southerner sometimes. You are exactly the kind of person who helped lock up innocent men, women, and children during WWII for the crime of being of Japanese descent. Please don’t soil the memory of the people who died today with your asinine comments.
Jackass.
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### Author:  [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/39 "2001-09-11T18:46:04Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by lawoot \*
> \*\*Bill
>
> last time I checked, Saudi Arabia was relatively moderate , and also ONE OF OUR ALLIES! \*\*
The Sudi Arabian government is one of three nations on the planet to recognize the Taliban. When there was the bombing of the American barracks there some years back, the Saudis were not exactly helpful in the investigation. The Saudi “friendship” with America goes about as far as our wallets go. When they have a belligerent neighbor and they have the opprtunity to have us fight for them, they say we’re best buds. After that…
And as for them being “moderate,” they aren’t the Taliban, but they are the strictest of Mulsim countries that doesn’t go out and call for America’s destruction.
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### Author:  [@ultress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultress)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2001, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-start-rounding-up-the-arabs/80859/40 "2001-09-11T18:47:03Z")
We are Americans. We will survive this as we have all the bad parts of our past. Yes, this is war. But who is willing to go out and fight?
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