Standards for Normalcy

IMHO, Rob (Don't you just love those acronyms?), I believe that we and other countries that have been sticking their collective heads in the collective sand should help them root out terrorists because I am sure that the average citizen doesn't want them around, either. The problem is that words like "nice, kind and sweet" don't exist in their vernacular, so when governments and the locals tried being nice to them, they took it as an invitation to root in and do what they do best, which is maiming others for whatever cause came into their little skulls.

I think that a lot of the problem comes from the fact that:

1.) we have made many Arabic countries rich due to the black gold (read oil) they are sitting on and

2.) their governments are either dominated by a bunch of wimps or that on some level they agreed with them and simply looked the other way.

In retrospect, many governments in that region acted like they were sitting on a lit bomb and acted like all was well, which for a while it was. Well, the fuse has burned down, the bomb has exploded and thousands of lives have been immutably altered.

I also think that education and early intervention is going to be the key. It also amazes me when I see people preying not only on each other but on those who are supposed to be their brethren.

What do you think?