Amos---right you are---discuss. But, pray tell, does one deal with fanatics that maim and kill and do not sit and talk?

This discussion can evolve into, perhaps, finding out what it is terrorists (all terrorists--Iraq,AlQuaida,etc;)want to accomplish. Yes---one person's Terrorist is another's Hero. No one who kills innocents, however, should ever be considered a Hero. Basically it is a cowardly act and if it is a suicide bomber he has his own selfish and mistaken motives. Again--not heroic. I will leave out the humor of the dissapointment they find at the Pearly Gates with no Virgins waiting for them. That could be a whole funny essay.

Wars were, historically, for land, political change, and such.   Today we seem to be in a state of colliding cultures harking back to the times of the Crusades.

If the purpose is for the Western nations to retreat and leave the world scene it would probably mean hunger and subjugation for the nations in which the aggressive cultures (read Terrorists) reside. Unfortunately many of these people have infiltrated and taken residence in countries with open societies. To the detriment of those nations it now turns out. Think of Spain and France for starters.

The Anti Semitism in France, it seems, comes mostly from Muslim quarters according to most news reports. It is true that historically France had its problems with bigotry and anti Semitism but from news reports it does seem that is not the case now. Hopefully.

Philosophically now----can you imagine that we go to the Moon and beyond and look down on this really small part of a universe and it is totally fragmented. But you don't see that from the Hubble.

Bill Hahn