you are not comparing apples to oranges, dear friend. i too am struggling with the same question. when slapped in the face, we as people are supposed to turn the other cheek. that, however, is a personal choice. our government is not an individual; it is a body tasked, mainly, with protecting its citizens.

and that's what it boils down to, i think. our government's main purpose is to maintain our freedom, and protect us. surely, airport security is going to change drastically in the future; that is one form of protection. but to allow a crime of any size to be perpetrated against american citizens, anywhere in the world, is tantamount to our country sending out a news release stating "kill americans, get a free watch". and to let tuesday's attacks go unpunished would be unfathomable; it would undermine our government and endanger every aspect of our free society.

now, i am opposed to the death penalty, but i feel people convicted of death-worthy crimes should spend the rest of their lives in jail. but that's not an option in this situation, because the "criminals" here are protected by foreign governments, and protected by a lot of armed supporters as well. i don't know how effective it will be, but i just don't think we have any choice but to strike back at whoever did this, and whatever countries supported them.

spinning: mogwai: ep + 2 (the most haunting mogwai album, i think)