Have we gone too far in our war against Terror?

To answer this question we must first understand the term terrorism. Otherwise, how are we to determine if we have gone "too far" with anti-terroristic measures. Terrorism, as defined by Webster, is:
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.
This definition brings many questions to the debate at hand. For one, is the success of terrorism predicated on the destruction of property? From the definition, it is actually dependent on intimidation created by the threat of violence and destruction. Therefore, by intimidating our country, have the terrorists already achieved their goal? It is a very interesting question, and I believe I have a very interesting answer. To say that terrorist pose no threat to our country, since there have been no serious attacks since 9-11, is simply false. There are "attacks" on a daily basis. Threats are a form of terrorism, and in many cases, the damage they do is similar to the damage done by a physical attack. For this reason, I say the threat is very real, and the danger posed is equally real. The question of going to far to stop terroristic activities is actually laughable. Our society has become so entrenched, and so based upon personal gratification, the idea of sacrificing for the good of the country has become almost extinct. The cries of "you are violating my rights", and "free speech", and even "you can not racially profile to ensure security" have become a large part of our societal debate on terrorism. Imagine if the prevalent attitude of today would have been around in the 1940's to the same degree that it currently exists, what would have happened in Europe during WWII? I don't dislike the German language, but I am certainly glad that our forefathers sacrificed their liberties to defeat the evil that existed during their time. In my opinion, you can never do "too much", or go "too far" to defeat evil. The only reason we have our freedoms is the fact that those befor us have sacrificed to help us keep them. Do you want your children, and their children, to be free, or do you want them to grow up in a world where terrorists rule with intimidation? We can never go too far when terror is concerned, in fact, do not feel that we have gone far enough. "Ask not what your country can do for you....".

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Is Russia a threat?

The birth of my first child has slowed my writing, for good reason, but there is a question that has troubled me for sometime. It is true that no one country can threaten the United States militarily, and no terrorist organization alone is a significant long term threat (they can do serious damage, but they can not defeat us), but what would happen if a semi-super power joined forces, and sponsered a terror group? Would the partnership create cataclysmic problems for our country? For some time, the actions of Russia, and the relationship between Putin and Iran has caused a bit of concern, but it seems that the true character of the Russian government is coming to the forfront, and along with it, a troublesome relationship with the extremist regime in Tehran. It appears that for the first time since the coldwar, there was a state sponsered assasination this week orchestrated by the Russian government. The victim, an ex-KGB spy, was poisioned with radiation, and he had some very strong words before dying Thursday. Ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of his murder from beyond the grave on Friday, in a statement read out the morning after he died of an unknown poison in a London hospital. Litvinenko left a statement for the world stating the, "You (Putin) may succeed in silencing one man. But a howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life." Along with this development is the continued arms trade between Russia and Iran, and the pressure from Moscow to keep the UN from sanctioning Iran. Why? More evidence was revealed today when it was reported that
Russia has begun deliveries of the Tor-M1 air defence rocket system to Iran. So, what will happen with Russia? Is there any cause for concern?
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