The Price of Terror

[The_Rorschach]

Consider how much the Imperial Chinese gov't paid to battle Mao compared to what the little socialist strategist himself paid, or what the Russians sank into Vietnam against the price of America's defensive measures. . . Or what America doled out in the Middle East during the eighties to keep it from becoming Soviet solvent. . .And you'll see a standing army always costs more than seperatist soldiers, and can sometimes be less effective.

Britain did lose the Revolutionary War after all, though I doubt many stop to consider our nation's current perile in context of its rather remarkable past.

Common sense I know, but this article points out exactly how very chinked our 'World's Last Super Power' armour is. . .

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1579641,00.html

United Nations - A new United Nations report has found that all major al-Qaeda-linked terror attacks - except the September 11 hijackings - cost less than $50 000 each. Here is a list of attacks, their estimated cost according to the report, and the number of people killed.

August 1998: Simultaneous bombings of United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Cost less than $50 000. Tanzania attack killed 12 people, all Africans. Kenya attack killed 219 people, including 12 Americans.

October 2000: Bombing of USS Cole in Aden, Yemen. Cost less than $10 000. Killed 17 US sailors.

September 2001: Four jetliners hijacked. Two crashed into World Trade Centre towers; one hit the Pentagon; one crashed in Pennsylvania. Cost "over six figures." Nearly 3 000 people killed.

October 2002: Two nightclubs bombed in Bali, Indonesia. Cost less than $50 000. Killed 202 people.

August 2003: Bombing of JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. Cost about $30 000. Killed 12 people.

November 2003: Suicide truck bombings at two synagogues, the British consulate and London-based HSBC Bank in Istanbul, Turkey. Cost less than $40 000. Killed more than 50 people.

March 2004: Bombings on four rush-hour commuter trains in Spanish capital, Madrid. Cost about $10 000. Killed 191 people.

Edited by Andrea Botha

[FartinMowler]

Wouldn't be great if the media didn't keep saying "Alll it would take is some terrorist to put a small amount of poison in our water sytem" :/ Most of these stupid people most likely learn this shit from movies and the internet.

[AChimp]

Yeah, I always thought that it was a little self-defeating for them to show stuff like "OMG! Look at all the security features we have to put on our product because of thieves and here's exactly how they work!!!!!!1" on the news. :/

[kellychaos]

Off on a tangent here but Achimp's comment made me think about all those forensic shows like CSI. It's like their showing killers what to avoid in commiting their crimes. I even heard the term the "CSI effect" used on Court TV in relation to jurors. In other words, jurors are more savvy about evidence gathering, ballistics, medical examinations, ect. to the point where it's actually determing the outcome of trials.

[Royal Tenenbaum]

"jurors are more savvy about evidence gathering, ballistics, medical examinations, ect."

Why is that bad?

[Zbu Manowar]

And what the hell is up with this useless colored threat level bullshit? Seriously, aside from panic just what the hell am I supposed to do when it's yellow, orange, red, and a picture of Dubya screaming like a girl??

Fucking hell, nice to know that when America is faced against a suicidal band of assholes that couldn't even invade our country we turn into a little whiny preschooler who picks up a few rocks then pisses himself right after he throws them.

[The_Rorschach]

The Colour Schedule is supposed to dictate how sensitive one should be to their surroundings. For instance, when Red, ANYTHING out of the ordinary, somewhat suspect or unique in occourance should be questioned by the individual, investigated at least superficially and reported to the authorities if is important enough.

The others are variations of the theme.

[El Blanco]

Ror, remember, terrorists and guerilla fighters aren't trying to take and hold territory. They are using harrassment and disruption techniques. All hit and run type of stuff. Of course that is going to cost less than a full standing military.


"Alll it would take is some terrorist to put a small amount of poison in our water sytem"

What poison? How much is a small amount? What water system? We don't have some giant grid where everybody in the country gets water from the same place.

Off on a tangent here but Achimp's comment made me think about all those forensic shows like CSI. It's like their showing killers what to avoid in commiting their crimes.

You think they show everything on CSI? Or that every little trick they use would actually work? As good as their technical advisors might be, its still Hollywood.


Fucking hell, nice to know that when America is faced against a suicidal band of assholes that couldn't even invade our country we turn into a little whiny preschooler who picks up a few rocks then pisses himself right after he throws them.

Care to elaborate on this pearl of wisdom, or did you just pull that out of your ass?

[The_Rorschach]

"Ror, remember, terrorists and guerilla fighters aren't trying to take and hold territory."

Mao took and held China. The VC took and held N. Korea. ;)

[El Blanco]

Mao actually had some serious manpower.

And the VC didn't take anything.

[The_Rorschach]

We weren't discussing assets, we were discussing tactics. You stated flatly, Guerilla Fights Aren't Trying To Take And Hold Territories. Whether it is one Guerilla Fighter or one million is a moot point as it has nothing to do with your statement. Mao counts, and no amount of semantic wimpering on your part will negate it.

As for Vietnam, the NVA utilized the southern VC as cannon fodder to wear down resistance from southern ARVN installations by using them as preliminary spearhead skirmishers. The use of VC soldiers in this fashion was adopted as an intentional device on the part of the North Vietnamese politcal leadership in order for them to solidify their own power base without unnecessary sacrifice, and secondarily, dispersing the amount of individuals they would have to share power with afterwards.

The NVA battalions were kept in reserve in order to act as reinforcements, according to General Vo Nguyen Giap, in order to 'exploit any breakthroughs' opened by the VC. So, whether or not the US was defeated on the battlefield or not, the NVA did win the war and did so from the backs of the VC - Those pesky, yet effective, Guerilla Fighters you don't seem to enjoy crediting as anything more than a mild irritation.

[ArrowX]

Why does your government say that the terrorists hate freedom?

They hate the govornment because youur leaders throw their weight around like one collective redneck. In comparison youre country is like a fuckin KKKmember standing in the middle of the Million man march.

[kellychaos]

Off on a tangent here but Achimp's comment made me think about all those forensic shows like CSI. It's like their showing killers what to avoid in commiting their crimes.

You think they show everything on CSI? Or that every little trick they use would actually work? As good as their technical advisors might be, its still Hollywood.

I'm not naive enough to think that they're all that current on the techniques (or would want to be). I just found it an interesting trend among the public and I was kind of wondering why this trend in forensic shows, both real and fictional, has taken off so successfully recently.