One of the things that I remember about Cairo, Egypt was being covered with flies. The damned things are the end product of over four thousand years of tormenting humans and almost impossible to kill by swatting. The locals just tolerate them. I finally got so annoyed that I complained to the hotel management. The guy behind the desk produced some bug spray that was slightly less lethal that VX nerve gas. Just one little spritz and a hundred flies drop out of the air at once (amazing stuff!).

Concerning Islamic terrorists: The madressas (religious schools) have been cranking these people out for decades prior to Sept 11. There's thousands of people in the Middle East that see it as their religious duty to kill westerners (preferably Americans). Our negligence concerning this was understandable and perhaps forgivable because we had a Cold War to win. However the Cold War is over and this new/old problem requires resolution. Creating a "honey trap" in Iraq was a wise tactic. The problem now is to reduce the fly population while also reducing the breeding rate. I think it's achievable if we're sensitive to the culture and use force appropriately.

Gary