More dead since 9/11 than on 9/11. Are we safer?

Question

A milestone was passed today. As of today, Sept 22. 2006, more Americans have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq than died on September 11. About 90% of them died in Iraq. Less than 300 in Afghanistan.

So, now that more have died in the war than in the attack, do you feel safer? And do you feel as though continued loss of life is going to eventually solve the problem? Do we continue, or do we pull out?

Answer 1

Are we safer?

No, I don't think so. We've had a lot of our freedom taken away too for more of a political agenda than safety, it seems. The Bush administration has used fear and scare tactics for political reasons which is just outrageous. The time between the first WTC bombing and the second WTC bombing was 8 years, so we know these attacks take a lot of time to plan.

We've also made a lot of new Islamic militants with the Bush administrations' policies. When civilians and others are killed, their family members will always remember it and some may even join with the Islamic militants for revenge. So we are making a lot of new militants from US killings.

Answer 2

Surely we've put a good dent on the enemy...I know we've killed a few thousand or so. Oh, and Americans killed in 5 years of combat compared to one day isn't exactly a great correlation to explain anything on. There have been worse wars.

Do I feel safer? I was never in danger in the first place...I don't live in a big city where an attack is more likely. Frankly, I'm more nervous about the "normal" people I see on the street than any terrorist attack.

And...we have to continue...if we retreat that will show weakness and also all that life and time we've spent will be for nothing...we have to keep fighting, even if we don't like it.

I thought the war in Afghanistan was justified...why we went to Iraq, I have no idea...but what matters is that we're there now and we should see it through....

Anyone else have Vietnam deja vu?

Answer 3

I wonder how many insurgents have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq? I bet it is much more. Estimates range in the several thousand, but no one knows the exact figure.

But actually your question is based on an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.
So what are we supposed to do? Just only kill the same number of terrorists as the number of innocent people killed at the Twin Towers?

Or is your question based on the misconception that the whole reason for the war in Afghanistan and Iraq is merely revenge for the people who died on 9/11? And is this mature thinking?

So now I will answer your question on the same maturity level.

We should not pull out of Iraq or Afghanistan. We are fighting a type of war like no other. We are not fighting a country. We are fighting an ideology that is revered by millions. This ideology is backed by the Koran and gives the legal means to murder all non-Muslims.
I know some Muslims will say this is not true, but they are wrong. They do not protest when non-Muslims are murdered by cowardly suicide bombers. There silence is even more disturbing. Some will say that a Jihad is a defensive war, but history does not back up this claim. Islam has always been spread by the sword.

I will add that killing terrorists (insurgents) will not do much. We must kill the message that they carry. To do this we must go directly after countries that support there missions financial and spiritually. We need to stop supporting the Saudis since their schools teach the hate that creates fundamentalist ideals We need to stop playing footsie with Iran the longest supporter of this Ideology. Democracy will not work without separation of Church and State. Without this basic concept, democracy in the region is pointless.

In closing, I feel that we need to forget about following current rules of engagement. Also, we need to stop listening to the UN since they are incompetent. Look at the UN's Human Rights Commission - it is a joke.

We need to go back to "total war" and get out of this Vietnam paranoia that we are in.
If there are terrorist in a town, than flatten the whole town. Let us go back to the bombing that occurred in WWII.

Some will say this will create more terrorists. Good we can kill them too. Besides, where do you think all the terrorist came from before 9/11. The terrorsit were created before 9/11. Yes, they might receive more recruits today, but they always have. Before 9/11, terrorists blamed it on our foreign policies to recruit. Since the Crusade Muslims have always blamed everything on the wests. Now we are blaming ourselves. I am tired of the west being blamed for everything that happens. You know what, since we are blamed for everything, let us just turn the whole middle east into a huge parking lot. Heck we will get blamed for it even if it doesn't happen.

Some will say this will kill too many innocent people. It is already killing too many innocent people. So what is the point? I know all human life is priceless, but my children and other American children come before anyone Else's.

Answer 4

It is just amazing how people have no historical perspective, or only look at the numbers, not the goals or the threat. If we used the number of military deaths vs the deaths in the Pearl Harbor attack, then we would have quit very early into the war. We lost over 6600 military personnel per month during WWII! Think about that. Just about everyone's life back at home was personally touched by a loss when it was over. It's nothing like that right now.

Do I personally feel safer? Yes, to a certain extent. I will feel even safer when Congress finally gets the borders under control.

Answer 5

I think the intervention on Afghanistan was correct, for reasons of Taliban, terrorism, etc. It was not such a big bloodshed either. But with Iraq, it was a big mistake. The only thing Americans have gained is more hatred against them. You are a bit safer, because of higher security measures in the US, but attacking Iraq makes no difference, because that was not the enemy.

Answer 6

Continued loss of life on the other side is what is needed. All and I mean all terrorist must be killed. To do that our guys are going to die also...but as you probably know we are winning. It is a war! Do you not know that? El Qaeda has said that all Americans..civilian and military are legitimate targets.
It is a war...keep telling yourself that...it will sink in some day.

Do you think that we should have stopped fighting the Japanese after the military casualities in World War II exceeded the casualities in Pearl Harbor?

What kind of thinking is this?

Answer 7

Definitely not safer.
The perpetrators of 9/11 have not been brought to justice, and until they are there is a permanent threat of a similar or larger event.
This is likely to happen in the run up to the elections, when the perpetrators of 9/11, the US government, need to collect votes
They will conduct another hoax, blame it on Iran, start another war, and hope to get hoards of people to back them like after 9/11.

Answer 8

Depends. Safer from terrorist, probably a bit safer. But if they want too, they will attack again. And the will probably successful again. Safer from our own government, hardly at all. We need to realize that our personal freedom is being stripped away by our own government in the name of protection from terrorism. Remember the original version of the Patriot Act. And let us not forget the "shoot to kill" order of any US citizen caught protesting the G8 convention in Georgia a few years back. It was confirmed that body bags were brought in should they be needed.

Answer 9

YES .. MANY have died in to defend freedom from Hitler .. was it worth it YES! Unfortunately FREEDOM is not free .. it costs lives to keep us free ... If the terrorists had succeeded in killing 50,000 or more when they crashed the planes into the world trade center as they intended would we be talking about the milestones? We need to defeat the terrorists .. it's going to take time and yes, unfortunately cost lives, but it MUST be done if we are to continue to survive and be FREE. The terrorists want us ALL DEAD. They are not going to stop until they get what they want ... WE need to do whatever is necessary to stop them .. it's that simple!!

Answer 10

yes we r not safe.meaning of freedom are lost some other where every country is doing that,that is an order from America.i think its wrong to attack on any country in the name terror,as long as the matter of Afghanistan America is right but not too but in the matter of Iraq he is totally wrong he can dismiss the govt. of Saddam but not like that he is doing these days.i think let them stable their govt peacefully.i think we should pull out them from Iraq but not from Afghanistan.