Regarding your excerpt, MBC....terrorist acts have surely increased in Iraq due to Iraq. Chechnya, India, the Phillippines, Israel, and perhaps all of the others are not because of Iraq. They are because of radical Islamic extremists who would be doing it whether Iraq happened or not.

That list doesn't show much since it only covers the first 9 months after we invaded Iraq and most of the terrorist attacks it lists are in Iraq in opposition to our invasion. It doesn't really show much of an increase in Islamist terrorism in those nine months over the previous nine months if you exclude the areas where terrorist activities were already high. Such as FARC assassinations in Colombia, suicide bombs in Israel, and Chechen resistance in Russia. So, roughly categorizing what might be non-background level of terrorism outside of Iraq.

I'd be interested to see a list of terrorist actions outside of Iraq over the last three years. I have no idea if it has gone up or down

9 months prior to Iraq Invasion

Hostage Rescue Attempt in the Philippines, June 7, 2002: Philippine Army troops attacked Abu Sayyaf terrorists on Mindanao Island in an attempt to rescue U.S. citizen Martin Burnham and his wife Gracia, who had been kidnapped more than a year ago. Burnham was killed but his wife, though wounded, was freed. A Filipino hostage was killed, as were four of the guerrillas. Seven soldiers were wounded.

Car Bombing in Pakistan, June 14, 2002: A car bomb exploded near the U.S. Consulate and the Marriott Hotel in Karachi, Pakistan. Eleven persons were killed and 51 were sounded, including one U.S. and one Japanese citizen. Al Qaida and al-Qanin were suspected.

Attack on a School in Pakistan, August 5, 2002: Gunmen attacked a Christian school attended by children of missionaries from around the world. Six persons (two security guards, a cook, a carpenter, a receptionist, and a private citizen) were killed and a Philippine citizen was wounded. A group called al-Intigami al-Pakistani claimed responsibility.

Attack on Pilgrims in Kashmir, August 6, 2002: Armed militants attacked a group of Hindu pilgrims with guns and grenades in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Nine persons were killed and 32 were wounded. The Lashkar-e-Tayyiba claimed responsibility.

Assassination in Kashmir, September 11, 2002: Gunmen killed Kashmir’s Law Minister Mushtaq Ahmed Lone and six security guards in Tikipora. Lashkar-e-Tayyiga, Jamiat ul-Mujahedin, and Hizb ul-Mujahedin all claimed responsibility. Other militants attacked the residence of the Minister of Tourism with grenades, injuring four persons. No group claimed responsibility.
Attack on a French Tanker, October 6, 2002: An explosive-laden boat rammed the French oil tanker Limburg, which was anchored about 5 miles off al-Dhabbah, Yemen. One person was killed and 4 were wounded. Al-Qaida was suspected.

Car Bomb Explosion in Bali, October 12, 2002: A car bomb exploded outside the Sari Club Discotheque in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, killing 202 persons and wounding 300 more. Most of the casualties, including 88 of the dead, were Australian tourists. Seven Americans were among the dead. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility. Two suspects were later arrested and convicted. Iman Samudra, who had trained in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda and was suspected of belonging to Jemaah Islamiya, was sentenced to death on September 10, 2003.

Assassination of an AID Official, October 28, 2002: Gunmen in Amman assassinated Laurence Foley, Executive Officer of the U.S. Agency for International Development Mission in Jordan. The Honest People of Jordan claimed responsibility.

Attack on Temples in Kashmir, November 24, 2002: Armed militants attacked the Reghunath and Shiv temples in Jammu, Kashmir, killing 13 persons and wounding 50. The Lashkare-e-Tayyiba claimed responsibility.

Attack on a Bus in the Philippines, December 26, 2002: Armed militants ambushed a bus carrying Filipino workers employed by the Canadian Toronto Ventures Inc. Pacific mining company in Zamboanga del Norte. Thirteen persons were killed and 10 wounded. Philippine authorities suspected the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which had been extorting money from Toronto Ventures. The Catholic charity Caritas-Philippines said that Toronto Ventures had harassed tribesmen who opposed mining on their ancestral lands.

Assasination of a Kurdish Leader, February 8, 2003: Members of Ansar al-Islam assassinated Kurdish legislator Shawkat Haji Mushir and captured two other Kurdish officials in Qamash Tapa in northern Iraq.

9 months after Iraq Invasion

Truck Bomb Attacks in Saudi Arabia, May 12, 2003: Suicide bombers attacked three residential compounds for foreign workers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 34 dead included 9 attackers, 7 other Saudis, 9 U.S. citizens, and one citizen each from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Philippines. Another American died on June 1. It was the first major attack on U.S. targets in Saudi Arabia since the end of the war in Iraq. Saudi authorities arrested 11 al-Qaida suspects on May 28.

Suicide Bomb Attacks in Morocco, May 16, 2003: A team of 12 suicide bombers attacked five targets in Casablanca, Morocco, killing 43 persons and wounding 100. The targets were a Spanish restaurant, a Jewish community, a Jewish cemetery, a hotel, and the Belgian Consulate. The Moroccan Government blamed the Islamist al-Assirat al-Moustaquim (The Righteous Path), but foreign commentators suspected an al-Qaida connection.

Hotel Bombing in Indonesia, August 5, 2003: A car bomb exploded outside the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 10 persons and wounding 150. One of the dead was a Dutch citizen. The wounded included an American, a Canadian, an Australian, and two Chinese. Indonesian authorities suspected the Jemaah Islamiah, which had carried out the October 12, 2002 bombing in Bali.

Suicide Bombing in Riyadh, November 8, 2003: In Riyadh, a suicide car bombing took place in the Muhaya residential compound, which was occupied mainly by nationals of other Arab countries. Seventeen persons were killed and 122 were wounded. The latter included 4 Americans. The next day, Deputy Secretary of State Armitage said al-Qaeda was probably responsible.

Synagogue Bombings in Istanbul, November 15, 2003: Two suicide truck bombs exploded outside the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues in Istanbul, killing 25 persons and wounding at least 300 more. The initial claim of responsibility came from a Turkish militant group, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders’ Front, but Turkish authorities suspected an al-Qaeda connection. The next day, the London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi received an e-mail in which an al-Qaeda branch called the Brigades of the Martyr Abu Hafz al-Masri claimed responsibility for the Istanbul synagogue bombings.

More Suicide Truck Bombings in Istanbul, November 20, 2003: Two more suicide truck bombings devastated the British HSBC Bank and the British Consulate General in Istanbul, killing 27 persons and wounding at least 450. The dead included Consul General Roger Short. U.S., British, and Turkish officials suspected that al-Qaeda had struck again. The U.S. Consulate in Istanbul was closed, and the Embassy in Ankara advised American citizens in Istanbul to stay home.

Attempted Assassination in Rawalpindi, December 25, 2003: Two suicide truck bombers killed 14 persons as President Musharraf’s motorcade passed through Rawalpindi, Pakistan. An earlier attempt on December 14 caused no casualties. Pakistani officials suspected Afghan and Kashmiri militants. On January 6, 2004, Pakistani authorities announced the arrest of 6 suspects who were said to be members of Jaish-e-Muhammad.

And to show that I'm more serious about fighting terrorism than everyone else, from now on I'm draining all non-essential fluids prior to boarding. So, uh, make sure the bathroom handsoap dispenser is stocked, Mr. Airport Janitor Maintenance Engineer.

Barney sez, "Sharing is caring". I care, Traci. I care.

Umm.... well... heh.... I do, but... could you like, get me some fig newtons first? I've got the munchies BIG TIME!

:evil:

How is it iplicit?

He is actualy the one claiming conservitve opinions are being dismissed out of hand. You dodge this point why? Because of it's tone?

Why then so agrieved by this even to the point of turning it around to a dismissal of other well crafted enlightened folk dismissals... Are you hard pressed to find supporting evidence that this is not the case? Perhaps even guilty of unleshing various degrees of said furious anger, or do you actualy belive it has no point in open debate, or do you so savor the golden oppertunity to drive home a counterpoint point without it being waived off by the "pig headed" conservitive originator.

If responce matters not and you wan't unvarnished opinion as you claim in this post meaning she should :my words: (grow a pair) and "just state an opinion" as you advise below. Should not any counter arguments be weighted the same?

They seem counter-intuitive advice wise, perhaps becuase Eric dosen't give a mad Fvck and Neph certainly does I would ask is your advice is tailored to each?

Either way as far as Me Vs. Them it is a Feeling/Belief that should not be argued I'm sure the Us (Enlightenened/world citizen/Liberal) Vs. them (neocon/hick) is a living breathing feeling/belief of a great majority who post here and feel unheard by the majority. Realize that sometimes it's a struggle for us thinking non-backwoods hicks on the otherside to not dissmiss unfounded opinions or inside jokes as clasic moonbat fare. Even when you find them chuckleworthy they are all not worthy of a hauty chinstroking "interesting"

I thought you didn't enjoy preaching to the quire and this post struck me off hand as a blatant STFU disenter thread. When you are the fishbowl gardian it is something to check against. Especialy when complaining about the larger pond being chalk full with slow swimmers that disagree are stupid and need to listen to reason.

Bah, me too. Fvcking hippies give me a headache (although I listen to worse on the inter-office mail-server)

I'm not exactly sure what you just said.

Then you must be suffering from stolkholm syndrome :evil:

Apparently that particular herbal cancer cure is quakery. At least, it can't be shown to be effective in preventing the cancer. Maybe it does cure it once it starts.

From an ABC story on the people arrested: