Can Terrorists Destroy The World&;#063;

Terrorism. Let's find some synonyms for that word: Organized
violence. Genocide. Annihilation. Mass Suicide.

I wanted to add these words: nationalism, freedom fighter. But I find
that the words don't really fit in the definition of terrorism.

I find other words: Hollywood, Cinema, Acting, and Dreaming. And I am
surprised that these words are synonymous with terrorism. How?

Suppose you were some precocious artist in Hollywood who dreamt up a
last day film involving the knocking down of the World Trade Center,
the Pentagon and perhaps the White House before September 11, 2000. Let
me tell you what will happen to you.

First, you will be taken to a psychiatric Hospital for brain check.
Then if you were found to be of sound mind, you would be taken by the
FBI for questioning to determine the source of your Satanic
inspiration. And as you would be unable to prove it, you will be taken
to a penitentiary in Guantanamo near Cuba -- far away from the United
States, so as not to influence the good guys. Of course your terrific
film would be censured.

But now that your dream is real -- the Twin Towers collapsed in broad
daylight taking away thousands (no thanks to the terrorists), you will
be the most sought after person on earth to dream up the sequel.

So the saying goes in some quarters that these evil boys will someday
destroy the world. Whether you call them nationalists, freedom
fighters, terrorists or the basest creatures on earth, does not matter.
You may go to the School of Semantics.

Terrorists have a lot of factors in their favor. One. They have huge
sums of money. Two. They have the scientific know-how to take care of
their deadly weapons. Three. They have a very large network spread
across the globe. Four. Modern technology have made communication and
access to information easy for their members. Five. They are
inconspicuous -- very hard to find. Your friend, neighbor, or that your
prodigal son, may be a terrorist. Six. They believe that they are
fighting a just cause, and are prepared to die. Seven. They are
prepared to use the deadliest weapons on earth to advance their cause.
Eight. They are constantly changing tactics.

Herein lies the danger. And there are plenty of these terrorist groups
to contend with -- Basques in Spain, Catholics in Ulster, Huks in the
Philippines, Aum Shinrikyo in Japan, and the Al - Qeada network in
Afghanistan. And if you want to sample more esoteric names of these
killer groups, you may only have to hop around Palestine, or some
Middle East lands. In fact, there are thousands of terrorist groups all
over the world competing for media attention.

So if you have a mission to wipe out terrorists, you are in for a long
haul. Those car bombers, suicide bombers, shoe bombers, and tower
destroyers may well turn out to be the precursors of a greater
catastrophe yet to come.

Terrorism has introduced a new field of study to occupy our academics
and scientists for the rest of their lives. This new discipline
includes topics like agroterrorism, bioterrorism, ecoterrorism,
cyberterrorism, chemical terrorism, and nuclear terrorism. And more is
to come.

Now suppose these terrorists break down the whole computer systems in
the world. Or what would happen if they poison the air and water source
with a deadly gas? Or what happens if they unleash a plague on man and
beast! Or what will be our fate if they detonate a nuclear bomb?
Curtains for civilization!

Let it be known that there is no power on earth to wipe out terrorism.
Let us instead address the political, economic, social and religious
problems which breed terrorism. This may save us from the coming untold
destruction of the world by the terrorists.

"Where were you when the world stopped turning?" is the lyric of a song
by a musician in remembrance of the collapsed Twin Towers. Dancers took
to the dance floors, and the song went to top the music chart show.
That was good.

But by the time the terrorists actually prepare for the show - down,
there will be no musicians and dancers to celebrate the world's end.
That would really be the time when the world would stop turning!