Katie Couric's Notebook: Waterboarding Debate (CBS News)

Attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey called waterboarding "repugnant" but would not call the interrogation technique "illegal." Katie Couric says it's time for the American people to weigh in. (CBSNews.com)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• waterboarding
• torture
• mukasey

[Nilgard]

They would stop, because they would have to stop, once the US stopped giving them a reason.

Did the Muslims follow the Crusaders into Europe once they had beaten them out of Jerusalem? No, because they had by that point already obtained what they wanted to achieve.

One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. Never forget that. What if you were the underdog and the enemy where to invade all of the US, wouldn't you fight them off? If only with a stone and a courageous heart? I would...

[smith22ndmeu]

I agree that we need support at home. However, we disagree on how to obtain information. I also believe no matter what we do they will still continue to hate us and will only view that as weakness. I'm all for staying out of peoples business but we need to stabilize and get out of Iraq and Afghanistan first. They would love to see this country crumble and would not stop until that happens.

[Nilgard]

Why did the Vietnam war end (better yet; Why did you lose the Vietnam war?)? Due to lack of support from home!

In the same manor you could defeat terrorism by changing peoples world view, which would then stop hate and terrorism.

Also purely intelligence based initiatives such as the fifth echelon. It might put peoples integrity at risk but if it is but in government hands and not secret police hands (NSA (who has way to much freedom)) it can prevent a big terrorist attack.

[smith22ndmeu]

What do you mean by trying to defeat it at home?

[Nilgard]

It's foolish to try and extinguish a fire with gasoline.

[Nilgard]

Well my friend, that is an interesting question. Well you see terrorism is created from an underdogs hate! And once that hate has erupted, it's just not possible to defeat it with more bullets!

The best way to fight of terrorism would then be, since you have already fucked up Iraq and Afghanistan, to establish order there, if it's possible. And then move on and try to stop creating hate, and since that probably isn't entirely possible either, try to defeat it at home.

[smith22ndmeu]

Okay, I can understand that pissing off the locals is a bad idea. But how is it possible to fight off terrorism and not piss someone off?

[Nilgard]

First off, the best way to deal with terrorism is never to fight it off by pissing off the local people from which the terrorists gather new recruits.

Second, Swedish troops among many of my relatives are down in Afghanistan trying to do something about the situation (not necessarily terrorism, mostly retaining order).

Third, Great Britain is like the 51st state when it comes to "dealing" with terrorists in an inappropriate manor, which lead to an attack against them.

[smith22ndmeu]

However, its not just the U.S. terrorists want to/have attacked Europe as well. The London bombings ring a bell? Its all over, not just the U.S. It seems as if we are the only ones willing to do anything about it.

[Nilgard]

By disrupting their politics, replacing the rule they had for decades (however bad it was in your eyes) with anarchy, suspecting everyone to be a terrorist and treating them as such. Many innocent people have suffered for what the US have done, and I'm not saying that makes 9/11 justified, I'm just saying respect them and they'll respect you. Now that you have hung Saddam, and you have created anarchy under the fragile control of young american boys, you can never leave. Terrorists always win.