I agree with RNE's post. This new war is going to be a close-and-personal terror war. Events in New York make it clear that this war must be fought if our society is to survive. However I find myself wondering if our democratic, free and open society can co-exist with this sort of war. This brings me to a disturbing line of thought. I wonder if our civilization has bumped against a limit? We have been patting ourselves on the back about the world growing smaller through instant communications, inexpensive air travel, globalization of free trade, etc. However by making the world smaller and providing easier access to all parts of the world, we may have opened a "Pandora's box". Afganistan has always been dirt poor and a mess politically. The people there have always been ferocious fighters and religious fanatics. Until recently this didn't matter because the country was land locked, isolated and far away. Now it does matter. I think engaging in open war against Afganistan is probably a lose-lose situation. If we do nothing then the place will always serve as a Petri dish for terrorists. However if engage in open war then we'll probably suffer the same fate as the English and the Soviets. I agree with the analysis that all of Afganistan isn't worth the expense of a single cruise missile. This is a tough situation. I'm glad I don't have to solve this problem.

Gary