ddw - You're dead right with the cancer analogy, but I see a whole bunch of cancers. One set of cancers is the various terrorist groups who use indiscriminate violence to pursue their goals...and there are many such groups.

Another cancer is the multinational oil companies, who have enormous influence on international politics and whose influence has led to a whole series of horrific wars in the last hundred years approx. They have also worked behind the scenes to keep us all dependent on oil when the whole world could have developed non-polluting sources of power decades ago. They intend to keep us dependent until the oil is exhausted, and the atmosphere is possibly ruined for generations...all to make more money. That is truly criminal behaviour.

Another cancer is the general pursuit of profits without regard to environment or human health or sanity...this is endemic in the whole free enterprise system, and in the so-called Communist states as well (meaning now primarily: mainland China).

The tobacco industry is another cancer...directly causing real cancer in millions of people. So is the alcohol industry, truth be told, but I'm not suggesting reinstituting prohibition...it didn't work then and won't now.

I think you are right that the USA is in for the long haul, and the American public will back it...because of the WTC attack, and that is precisely what worries me the most. It means utter disaster for the Afghans, and possibly for Iraquis, Iranians, and numerous others as well.

I frankly do not believe this war is being fought to end terrorism, although I may be wrong. I believe it's being fought to clean up a whole bunch of "problems" (from the American point of view), meaning it's being fought for major financial, commercial, and geo-political reasons which will affect a great many countries all over the world.

There is great danger in that. Greater danger than that posed by the terrorists themselves, ultimately.

Like I say, though, I may be wrong. But that's my gut feeling. I think this thing has been a long time in the works (since Desert Storm, possibly), but it needed a major provocation...an outrageous act...before it could be done. Some terrorist outfit has provided that provocation. Maybe Bin Laden, maybe not. In the end, it won't really matter who it was to the millions who may die as this lengthy war is fought.

It would be a darn good thing if I was wrong about this, so let's hope I am. Seriously. If I'm not there is a worse time ahead than we have seen before, ever.

- LH