Hi.

I'm new to this site and thread, but I'm impressed by how civil everyone is to each other on this volitile web of issues.

Re. mutual respect between genders, I think the Muslims and Christians and atheists probably fall into a very similar spectrum from idolization & abuse to love & repect. I think Gareth's absolutely right, in general if not precisely.

Re. Why the attack? In a 1998 interview, Bin Ladden states why he and his fellow fighters attack the U.S. (Basically, the U.S. support of Israel and perversion of Arab governments to further U.S. military domination of the area.)http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/terror_980609.html The interviewer in 1998, has since been interviewed as has another journalist of that area, Eric Margolis: they both indicate that he in no way seems crazy or maniacal.

All I gotta say is: the U.S. gov. is there, and we & NATO set up & help Isreal, and influence Arab governments not because U.S. policy makers care about the Jewish prophecies, but so that we can have military domination of the most oil rich area of the world. (The toll this takes on both Jews and Muslims in the area could be seen as a continuation of Gentile anti-semitism: the Palistinians pay w/ every liberty, the Isrealis w/ some death and the constant anxiety & guilt of war, and the rest of the world happily drinks up the cheap oil.)

If we could convince our government (wishful thinking, I know) to spend the 40+ billion not on military but on implementing a whole new non-oil based energy system, then maybe we wouldn't have to dominate and control that part of the world. We're going to run out of oil eventually anyway, why not convert now (besides the fact that we'd ruin the fortunes of the oil barrons and many corporations).

Clearly dreaming in Seattle,

Dorrie