How would you protect America?

Question

I constantly hear people who are against the war saying that fighting them there doesn't make us any safer. Alright, lets pretend that's the truth for a second and ask ourselves the follow-up question. If we pulled all of our troops out so they would be here to 'protect us', how exactly would that help?

We're not fighting an army that's going to invade us. We're fighting terrorists that are going to attack and retreat. What would these troops be doing here to protect us exactly? Patrolling the streets armed with assault rifles? I'm sure liberals would LOVE that right? Putting missile batteries on top of tall buildings to shoot down a renegade plane? On the border shooting anyone who tries to cross?

How exactly do you expect our army to protect us from this kind of threat? Or is keeping them tied up in the Iraq and Afghanistan really the only thing we can do?

To the guy below who called me 'ignorant' and claimed I didn't understand the situation. I just retired from the USMC after more than eight years of service. I pulled three tours in Iraq, and know very well who I was fighting. It's ignorant people like you who don't understand that most of the attacks are targeting us that don't get it. You have three major religious groups all blowing the crap out of each other (which accounts for the vast majority of the civilian deaths, NOT attacks against US interests). Those people by and large are not associated with international terror networks, but the few who actually do attack American interests usually are. They are not Iraqi nationals for the most part, they are Iranians, Syrians, Saudis, and even a few Afghanis.

So before you get off calling me ignorant, you might get your news from something a little more detailed than a 2 second sound byte.

Answer 1

The best way to do this is to keep the terrorists on their back foot anywhere and everywhere we find or hear of them.

Keep them moving like a gypsy....follow them everywhere...and stop using the military mind....you can't catch a mouse with a sledgehammer....we need to refine our military's fighting skills to think like them...then they will be able to find them.

As far as the borders go...BIG FENCES....SHARP RAZOR RIBBON...ARMED GUARDS...not the military.

To those of you who want the troops home, in our streets, protecting our country....you have never seen our military in our streets...and for the love of God...I hope you don't.

Our military is the finest in the world...and they are also the scariest. Be happy, be VERY happy they are here to protect you.

You DO NOT want a US Marine in the streets...watching your 7-11, in full combat armour...we have local police, county police, state police...see the point?

Answer 2

You own statements in the question provide the answer.

"We're not fighting an army that's going to invade us. We're fighting terrorists that are going to attack and retreat. "

This is absolutely correct and security is illusion. While it is true that engaging terrorists in the Middle East ties up many of their resources and personnel, it does not prevent them from attacking elsewhere. The Unites States is still at risk and will remain so no matter how long we stay in Iraq. You are not going to kill all the terrorists in the world and the war will end some day. The thing that bothers me about your statements and others like them is the utterly selfish nature in which they are presented. You present the idea that it is okay to keep the Iraqis in a constant state of war so long as you feel safer at home. You may be okay with this idea, but I am not. The ultimate answer to your question is that we are not totally safe and we are not going to be no matter what we do.

Answer 3

First, I would continue fighting them any where and every were in the world, militarily and diplomatically!

Second, I would make sure that our fighting men and women had the best rules of engagement to ensure they aren't statistics. That would include a draft to put the number of boots on the ground that's needed from the beginning.

Third, I would spend every day at the UN to get support. Also, I would create a special diplomatic corp. to work with every world government in the "Hot spots" of terrorism.

Fourth, I would make sure every country, that has or was creating Nukes, understood that I would bring the full United States Nuclear arsenal to bare on any country that had any connection with terrorism involving WMD of any form. For this there would be no tolerance!

Fifth, This would be the most controversial. I would limit the amount of air time the war protesters received. I truly believe that the war protesters embolden our enemies and cause greater casualties on the battle field.

Read these question I posed:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ar7ZsKv6AtAH1r6m.8AO.8Pty6IX?qid=20070627200305AA3OrHM
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvHwwX4_Nzer5h4GEaEX.YLty6IX?qid=20070713085301AAwiT0H

These are the first steps I would take.

Answer 4

Should we pretend we're fighting terrorists in Iraq too? Because we're not. We're policing a civil war. Al Queda has about as much chance of taking over Iraq as your or I do.

How would I protect us from terrorists. I'd start by funding areas that need to secure themselves like NY, Washington, Chicago, LA etc. Homeland Security is a joke right now. It's a slush fund going to places who don't need it while leaving the areas that will be targets to fend for themselves.

Next I'd modernize the military to fight enemies like terrorist organizations. You're right there aren't any armies looking to invade us, so why should the bulk of the military prepare like there are? I'd train more special opps and use the terrorists same tactics to attack, kill, and then retreat. Why occupy an entire country and piss off the entire population all the while just creating more people who hate us.

I'd improve our moral standing. I'd prosecute any terrorist I caught and didn't kill instead of holding them in an offshore prison camp.

I'd fortify are port security as well.

Most importantly I'd begin aggressively getting the nation off of foreign oil and fund research into other sources of energy. Leave the freak show middle east to themselves.

Answer 5

Hooorah to you, and phhhhhhhhtttttttt to the guy who called you ignorant.

It is morons like that guy that are spewing the same crud as their precious CNN and the likes of Harry Reid. People that are talking from behind a desk yet not listening to the ones that are actually there.
Those that criticize our president for being in Iraq obviously don't have the same level of Intel that he does. I'm sure he is talking to people like General Patraeus constantly getting updates.

God bless you and all of those who serve and protect us from today's threats.

The only way to fight this problem, so as to minimize the chances of another attack here is just what you said. Keeping them so tied up "over there" making them constantly change their tactics and home bases will also keep them in total disarray.

Answer 6

How would I protect America?
First - Bring home the approx. 40,000 American military currently stationed in Germany and post them along the Mexican border. They have all the training & equipment needed to secure a border.
Second - get a message to Amedinajad (sp.) that he has 1 month to cease funneling money and arms to Hamas, Hezbollah and all forces fighting us in Iraq. If he doesn't comply - LEVEL Tehran with conventional bombing, a la Berlin 1945.

Answer 7

I would fully implement The Patriot Act, I would reinstate the wire taps of Terrorists, I would expel all mohammedans from America who are not Citizens, I would stop extending Constitutional Privileges to people who are not Citizens, I would place Armed NG Troupes on our Southern Borders with permission to use Deadly Force when they feel it is appropriate, I would warn the mohammedans that with the next attack on American Soil we will send a Nuclear Strike on Mecca, and Medina, and Tehran, I would execute everyone in Getmo, and every mohammedan Terrorist we capture.

That is just the begining...............

Answer 8

Most experts believe that armies are ill-equipt to deal with terrorists. Armies are trained to fight other armies. Our best weapon against terrorists is a strong intelligence community, and working with the state police of other countries (and within our own).

The reason we need to take the troops out of Iraq isn't so that they can patrol the streets of the US. We need to get them out of Iraq so that men and women who have already had their tours of duty extended and their leaves cancelled can finally get back to their families for awhile. We need to do it so that we can move more troops back into Afghanistan, especially along the Pakistani border, since the majority of terrorists are in Pakistan.

Having them in Iraq isn't helping quell the terrorism problem.

Answer 9

I would give Pakistan an ultimatum that they capture and surrender all terrorists within their country (since the vast majority reside there) within oh say 3 months or get destroyed. If they didn't comply I would bomb them back into the 3rd century. Enough pussy footing around. Let's put an end to this crap... Honestly, I couldn't give 2 craps if we have to kill a bunch of civilians across the world the protect civilians in our own country.

There is much more to do, but that is a good start.

Answer 10

I agree, I think we might as well fight the war in Iraq and Afghanistan because that's where most of the terrorists are. If we were to retreat, we might find a lot more attacking us in our own country. Pulling out of Iraq right now would be utterly disastrous.