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 By Jack Lepiarz July 30, 2006 For the past five years, politicians have been continually harping on how the terrorists pose a huge threat to our existence. Republicans in particular have launched a seemingly endless barrage of allegations against Democrats, accusing them of being "soft on terror" (while any objective look at the current administrations track record will clearly show their own ineptitude in the area of homeland security). Dick Cheney made sure that Americans understood how serious the threat of terrorism was in the 2004 election when he told voters that there could be more attacks if they made the "wrong choice" in the election. Apparently, using fear is a very effective tactic. But stranger yet are those that believe that terrorists could actually topple the U.S. government and impose a Muslim regime in the United States, and that this could happen if we pull out of Iraq. But let's be realistic: there are only 12,000 terrorists in Iraq (as per the latest U.S. estimate) as opposed to about 130,000 U.S. soldiers. In other words, U.S. troops outnumber terrorists more than 10 to 1, only in Iraq. That's not a very convincing threat. 12,000 terrorists are not going to topple the United States of America. 100,000 terrorists could not topple the United States. The Nazi war machine--one of the most organized and most powerful militaries of the 20th century--could not topple America. A group of ragtag religious extremists that has only managed to kill 2,500 Americans in three years of conflict is not a force that presents a severe threat to the United States of America. Rogue countries building nuclear weapons are a much greater and much more pressing threat. Of course, there's also the possibility that pulling out of Iraq could lead to increased terrorist attacks like what happened on September 11th. Although, if you really think about it, September 11th could have been prevented had the Bush Administration paid any attention to the numerous files outlining the possibility of terrorists hijacking airplanes to attack the United States homeland (such as the one entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside U.S."). It's also possible that terrorists might get their hands on a nuclear device and detonate it in a major metropolitan area. There are still a number of nukes that are uncounted for after the fall of the Soviet Union. However, there has been little to no effort to find these devices and get them under control so that they do not fall into the hands of the terrorists. The real threat facing the United States right now is the possibility of nuclear proliferation, which should not be taken lightly. Some fundamentalists with AK-47s and mortars are not going to be able to topple the United States, despite how much Republicans try to persuade the public otherwise. If we were to take the money from Iraq and put half of it into homeland security, we would be much better off than trying to annihilate every terrorist in the Middle East. Such a goal is unrealistic and a bit naive. The only threat posed by these Muslim extremists is that they might obtain nuclear weapon and set it off somewhere in the U.S. Otherwise, they pose little to no threat. Statistically, an American with a gun is more dangerous than a terrorist. Sure, terrorist attacks will occur from time to time. The key is not to go overboard in seeking revenge. Otherwise, you get sidetracked and wind up in wars that really have nothing to do with your original goal. And that's what we have in Iraq. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a senior at Madison High School. Born in Waco, Texas, he lived with the Big Apple Circus for much of his early childhood, eventually moving to Madison, New Jersey, where he now resides. Although he is often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open-mind towards new ideas and treat people the way he would like to be treated. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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