I think Sharon has made some very compelling points in this thread. One of the most compelling is her last one: that failing to bring Valerian Triffa (sorry, I don't know who he is either) to justice for his actions leaves him free to repeat those actions. The point here is less about retribution, and more about prevention. We may be motivated to some extent by a thirst for vengeance, but what "we who wish for war" are seeking (yes, I object to the phrasing, but I'll let it pass for now) is primarily to prevent such things from being done in the future. I don't know if we will be completely successful, but I am convinced that we have to try. And most of us place more faith in the military and other efforts currently being pursued by the US and allied governments than we do in Larry's suggestion that we should instead change any behavior of ours that offends Mr. bin Laden in the hopes that he will stop on his own, because he will then have no quarrel with us.

I don't know whether war is "natural" and unavoidable or not. I would like to think that we may be able to evolve out of it, although I am skeptical that we will ever do so. But it has always been true, in all societies, that if we are to have rules -- locally, nationally, or internationally -- we need some means to enforce those rules. Currently, most of us recognize that the "rule" against flying airliners into skyscrapers full of innocent people has been broken, and the organization that perpetrated this act has threatened to break this and other rules again in order to pursue its "Death To America" agenda. Whether you like it or not, the time has come for the world to enforce that rule and try to prevent a repetition of the act.