What does Terrorism mean to you?

I'd just like to ask the members of ATS a simple question. Is this war on terror the first time you honestly feared for your life?

And do you support the Bush administration's policies?

[edit on 15-10-2004 by Jamuhn]

I have feared for my life a number of times.
One time I crashed my Harley head-on to a car.
I had two ugly sky-diving accidents.
I spent three tours in Viet-Nam 66-67-68
My wife threatened to whup my butt once.
ZOOMER

haha ZOOMER, which was worst??? all the ones above the one with your wife or the wife one???

Terrorism isnt a big thing for me, I dont fear death, so therefor much dont scare me.

[edit on 15-10-2004 by ThichHeaded]

[edit on 15-10-2004 by ThichHeaded]

No - for decades the IRA targeted mainland Britain, exploding bombs and killing many innocent civilians. In the nineties I made a trip to London and drove over Hammersmith bridge the very same day that the IRA planted their largest land bomb under it. It was discovered before it was detonated but I still felt that I had had a lucky escape.

I've never been to the U.S. and I'm not likely to ever go now - only the other day an engineer came to service my gas fire and told me about the time that he was on a plane to the states on morning of 9/11 bound for Florida - they were diverted to Canada and spent their holiday there instead.

terrorism for me is just a small nuisance, the problem is smaller than auto safety, disease-carrying mosquito's, cancer and heart disease.

I don't think we should pay so much attention to it and spend a lot of that money towards fixing more important problems. The chances of myself being involved in a terrorist attack are so small i just don't worry about it.

thanks,
drfunk

I live in Los Angeles and I'm more afraid of being mugged while walking home from work than of terrorists.

Then again, I don't really dwell on either, because what's the point of life if you're always looking over your shoulder.

Do I agree with Bush's policies?

I really don't see much different. This summer I flew from LAX to Cleveland, then to Portland, and back to LAX, all with an EXPIRED DRIVER'S LICENSE. No one blinked an eye.

The war in Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism as far as I can tell - I'm sure Bush had his reasons for going there, but it certainly hasn't made us 'safer'.

I see no signs of Homeland Security anywhere I go. I can still go to concerts, sporting events, etc. with guns and bombs strapped to myself if I want, and not worry about being searched.
No men in black have shown up to my house because I check out Catcher in the Rye from the Library or rent Michael Moore films from Blockbuster. No one's knocking down my door because I go to aljazeera.com or ATS. Nothing mysterious has happened after having telephone conversations about echelon, m12, or al-queda.

I see no new cameras. No new police. No communiy watchgroups out profiling muslims in Southern California.

The only strict security I see is at the Oscars.

Nothing has changed. Nothing changes.

Homeland Security. Patriot Act. 9/11 Commission.

These are just words that are made up to make us feel safer.
Is it working?

I don't know.. is it?

I'm ex Australian Army so maybe I have a bias.

Do I think theres a threat Yes. How great. More than before 9/11 and Bali.
Do I fear for my life? No more than before 9/11, I just try to be more situationally aware. My example are my parents and elders. They went through WW2. People in London in the Blitz went through worse and just got on with it. Compared to that, I shouldnt let this consume me.

Whats Terrorism. to me.

Having a position you cannot negotiate on. ie.with AQ's get all westerners out of arab/muslim lands (including your aid and humanitarian agencies) and stop your dealings with us.

Grabbing a civilian, making impossible demands for thier release, terrorise and humiliate them, before executing them in the most brutal manner possible before a world wide audience, for the sole purposes of making a point and terrorising other westerners -v- rough interregation of known (I am against unchecked and systematic abuse of all and sundry) insurgents and terrorists for the purpose of stopping such killins and other attacks against hundreds.

Deliberate planned targetting of soft civilian targets like markets, aid groups, schools with the intent of maximum carnage -v- efforts of various degrees of success or failure to avoid them by professional forces.

Initiating close in ambushes of conventional forces patrolling in built up areas for the purpose of causing maximum casualties amongst innocent bystanders. Catch 22 for professional troops. Patrol an area, invite attack. Don't and abandon it to terrorists giving them greater freedom of movement and security and reinforcing the notion that the terrorists call the shots. The terrorist cares not and hopes for maximum civilian casualties. The professional soldier is damned if he does and dead if he doesnt. The only thing standing between him and a massive freindly bodycount is the prodigious expenditure in munitions. ROEs about careful well aimed shots are crap in Baghdad when you have several RPGs flying at you amongst the tracers. (this is not personal experience just observation and past training)

Waging war not for the purpose of securing freedom and a better life for your people but for the purpose of inflicting greater hardship and hatred upon them thus perpetuating the cycle of violence to archieve your own own popularly limited and sectarian goals -v- fighting for set limited polictical, economic and moral goals before seeking an end to the conflict and trying to heal the wounds.Note: I dont mean in a real justifiable sense, but the purest idea of the matter

This might sound naive, but thats how I define it for myself. I hope its clear enough.

Means another "fear" that has been instilled, something else to
worry about, something esle to watch out for.
I believe it's real, very real.
Whether it's on the 1-10 list of things to worry about of most NYer's,
probably yes. Pushing it to the back of our minds as we go through
our NY daily tasks for the day.