Jeeze Little Hawk! You been up all night!!! I'm up early, and here you all are still at it! Well, where to start. One reason we Quakers have the ability often to go where others can't is that we stopped going places to convert folks. We used to do that, in George Fox's day and for a while after, and we used to get killed pretty regularly. I think one of the changes came with Elias Hicks ( I know all you Wilberites are saying spoken like a true Hicksite! ) But, by establishing what became a universalist tradition, we learned to listen and help. No you can't go from the individual instance to the general, but there comes a point when the examples of individual actions can change the world.
As to those who believe our army is badder and more committed than the Russians, well, historicaly more wars dragged on or were lost by over comfidence than any other thing. The English found that out when they lost an entire expeditionary force armed with Martini rifles to Zulus armed with asagis.
The fact is even should we be able to bring Afganistan to its knees, the terrorists we are facing have recrutes from the Philipeans to France. What terror can you bring to make someone who is going to strap a bomb onto his own body and blow you up with him think twice? There is no sence to that arguement. We have to address what it is that makes such people, and in fact, it is unlikely religion alone. It is a deep sence of unfairness.
Cheers all, Good morning. Larry