[Grovenet] 9/11

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Well put, I think. Thank you Mike.

It makes me wonder. If we Americans do as we've done before and simply walk
away, can we? Will the terrorists leave us alone then or will they follow us
back to North America? 

Ron D'Eau Claire 



-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of Steele, Mike
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 8:44 AM
To: Forest Grove local interests list
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] 9/11


Now that we're in the 6th year of a war that could last a century or more,
it strikes me that the US is just beginning to sense what this means.  We've
been at this longer than we were involved in the Civil War, WWI, or WWII.  A
truism in warfare is that the winner never gets to declare victory first;
the first move is for the losing side to quit, capitulate, crumble, or ask
for surrender terms.  For that side to do such means that there is a certain
degree of social and governmental control still operating, with recognized
leadership, a hierarchy, clear lines of communication (often to third
parties), etc.  Well, virtually all of that is missing in this case.  There
is no government, no structure, indeed, no armies in the field.  We're
seeing asymmetrical warfare.  The enemy is amorphous, hard to detect, hard
to find, and quite willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.  The scale of
values is asymmetrical.  US commanders in the field are not of the opinion
that their soldiers' lives are best used when ended.  The enemy offers
eternal rewards and incentives for self-sacrifice.  We have perhaps 165,000
combatants in two Muslim countries; I hear that terrorists can muster 65,000
or so...but they can also grow them about as fast as they sacrifice
themselves, and the potential population base is over 1 billion.  They come
from all quarters and have countless schools that teach them the values they
live and die with.  So, they aren't going to disappear any time soon.  

The whole scenario reminds me of Lebanon two decades ago...a quagmire with
uncontrollable violence, well-armed militias, and deep animosities among the
various groups.  As Colin Powell said, "You break it, you own it." 

It'll be interesting to see what sort of endgame comes about. Meanwhile, we
grieve.

--Mike