We cannot be numb when after each bombing we are either cringing, suppressing our tears and wondering how the old and wily fanatics continue to persuade the young Muslims to commit such atrocities …. especially against the innocent.  Is it really the reward in Heaven of receiving 72 white, dark eyed virgins as suggested in an article posted earlier?  What rot.  And how do we fight these people?

My heart hurts just a little bit more whenever I read or hear about American GIs being killed or maimed by a suicide bomber (or a roadside bomb).  If our troops are in harm’s way, it is incumbent upon our government leaders to do all in their power to give those GIs as much protection as is able.  Since the President is the Commander-in-Chief, he should take his role as leader of all American forces with utmost priority.  The health care debate should not overshadow the decisions the President must make as Commander-in-Chief.

I hope this does not turn into one of those 300+ comment Democrat v Republican post sites…

That being said, it was clear nine years ago—around 9/11 and at the beginning of the Bush administration—that these behaviors were occurring at at least two levels: the "terrorist cell/group/gang" level and the level of the countries that were aiding and abetting these terrorists either as a matter of policy or by turning a blind eye. There has been very little of strongly addressing these "host" countries but they must be addressed. Whatever it takes to shut them off from their support of terrorists, whether it is economic sanctions, political ones, diplomatic, and even military should be applied and regularly. Disapproval should be stated as well regularly. Backup and the "face" must of course come from the Presidential level. I am not numb but I am tired of people not seeing what is going on. I don’t see the American people as victims—rather I see the American people as inherently very powerful. However at least half of us who voted did so for a president who fairly clearly was not going to support the strategy described above. Now that the deed has been done we must find other ways of addressing the situation. I think the first thing people must grasp is that the environment in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan is nothing, nothing like anything people in the US have faced. Only immigants for the most part truly get it. Most people of European extraction would have to go back several hundred years in their own history to understand the level of living and dying practiced in these countries. It’s not just "helpless victims" who are being killed there, but opposition leaders, intelligence chiefs, police, and others who are trying to institute change. The second thing people must get over is misguided pity for the "oppressed" and the assumption that all you have to do is "wave a magic wand twinkie" and the country will become democratic. If these horrible behaviors were sanctioned with more than just a wrist slap perhaps they would start to come around. The third thing people must see that leaders do is not to buy the constant lying and misreprestation that goes on in major influence organizations like the UN, and not to accept a lot of tinpot dictatorships that the US has a recent history of doing. Since our leaders were capable of doing that 200 years ago v the Barbary pirates, and also called a spade a spade, we must have some leaders now who can do that as well.The fourth thing people must do is to try their best to evaluate countries by what they actually do, not by what their enemies say they do.

These bombing murders—and see, even the popular name "suicide bomber" focusses on the perpetrator and makes him/her a star rather than on the people who were killed—these murders are tragic and disgusting and such a waste of human beings.

Wow, F Fox, I had to read your post twice to process your personal thoughts.   While Americans are processing your "four steps" of evaluation, not buying the lies, getting over the misguided pity and the fact that America can in no way make a difference in any country, reasonable well informed people will remember 9/11 and the 3,000 who died,  innocent people killed in their own countries and the recent arrest of terrorists in our country due to our highly skilled intelligence.    This in, no way, hoists the terrorists to star quality.

Feet on the ground, F Fox, with sleeper cells of terrorists already in our country and the knowledge that we are the "infidels" to these terrorist groups and their goal is to rid the world of infidels.   Instead of following your four steps, I believe I’ll keep my eye on the ball and keep up the good fight to rid the world of these cowardly bombers. 

  America can and has made a difference in many countries.   Let’s just think for a minute about countries who have gained their freedom and for the most part prospered because of direct action or leadership by the United States.   Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, South Korea, Japan, Bosnia, Israel, Germany, etc etc.  

I don’t think we are immune at all. Some of these bombings do affect us even from afar. The soldiers that serve in that section of the world come home to us as a reminder. Our military and VA hospitals are scrambling to cope with the injuries from the suicide (let’s not forget the roadside) bombs.

The issues that prompt people into becoming human sacrifices range from religious ideology to fear that if they don’t cooperate their families may be executed. It may be easy for some of those bombers to make that choice because in some cases they have no hope for a better life with the present regimes in place. The only way to change that culture is through education and economic change. 

No, I don’t believe for one second we are immune to it.

For years and years we all heard of the awful atrocities taking place all over the world as it relates to suicide bombers. We’d see it on our evening news and cringe, always with a feeling of "THOSE poor people, to have to live through that…."  Until the day THOSE people became US, when airplanes dove into our skyscrapers.

It changed how we viewed our own security and we realized how vulnerable we really are. We are not immune to attacks and yes, we too can see our people killed in a blink of an eye. I think that realization stays with each and every one of us. So when we hear of the countless reports of suicidal attacks we collectively sigh a sigh of relief that we dodged a bullet (literally) one more day. But there is always that fear in the back of our minds of when and if it will happen again.

Immune? No. Saturated? Yes.

I’ve said it before (etc.): Talking with fanatics get’s you killed. Kill them first… 

We aren’t immune, but I agree with feeling helpless.  Also, most of us  have no idea of daily life in these areas.  It is always my hope that eventually we will all ‘co-exist’ and get along, but in light of all that…… gosh, it is harsh to think that we have lowered ourselves to the terrorists level…… but sometimes, that’s the way I feel.  I’m assuming that most of us grew up during Viet Nam, and it wasn’t until I was much older that I came to understand a bit of what was going on.  But as a child, seeing the news on TV, I feel that I just got used it, hearing about the horrors and bombings, like it was normal (hey, I was in elementary school…..) but it still doesn’t change the fact that it was going on. 

I would really just like to see us all live and let live.  Naïve, but that’s me.

Not immune.  Blown away by the horror.  Each day treading the waters of our own personal joys and torments.  Always dazed, confused and sufficiently distracted by the dreck of the corporate American agenda.  Every day decent people wanting, needing to do something - their  resolve wasted in the wake of lies, incompetence, greed and vanity of yesterday’s false prophets.