The Only Way To Defeat Terrorism

Terrorism isn't of any particular religion, nation or color and its causes are commonly known: grinding poverty - hunger, joblessness, hopelessness and brutality. It is fed by a crushed spirit and nurtured by frustration and hatred.

Even in the U.S. there are plenty of American terrorists who commit a wide variety of brutal crimes. They're called "thugs" and packed away in prisons. As for overseas terrorists, they're called "militants" and killed or locked away.

In foreign lands like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the U.S. invasions and wars have brought widespread suffering to its victims. Death and destruction, hunger and fear and an abundance of orphans are but a few of the measurements. In response, the number of terrorists has multiplied, along with their determination to seek revenge.

There is only one way to stop terrorism and that's to shrivel its roots. Stop the wars, end the occupations and invest in feeding the hungry and give them the means to feed themselves. Help them create jobs and build a better educational system. Give them the potential for better lives.

If you think this is expensive, you're right. But why are we instead, so willing to pay the staggering price of war in lives, body parts and in mountains of money.

End the wars, close the several hundred U.S. military bases all over the world, slash spending on weapons, missiles and fighter planes and we'll have an abundance of funds to use at home and abroad, and to pay down our creditors.

If this seems like an impractical dream, then sit back quietly while the government continues down its current path, and anticipate more 9/11's and a nation fiscally and morally bankrupt, taking with it all you've worked for.

If only we opened our hearts to humanity, we would discover our similarities far out weigh our differences. This happened with such former sworn mortal enemies as China, Germany, Japan, Russia and Vietnam, all of whom are now our allies. In fact except for Vietnam, each of whom loans us money.

Working together with our allies and our current mortal enemies, we could build a safer and far more prosperous world, to the benefit of all of humanity.

Dick