Subject: Catalyst to Terrorism: Larry, two of the many fallacies regarding the war in Iraq are revealed in the "Fort Dix Six" incident. The first is that we're fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here. That's clearly not rue. I guess we are fighting them there and here. The second fallacy is that the Iraq war deters terrorism when it actually acts as a catalyst to transform taxi drivers and pizza delivery men into terrorists. These individuals view the war and subsequent occupation as an attack on their religion. P

RESPONSE: It is your second point that is the most telling. Our actions are making more members of the Muslim faith perceive our actions as an attack on their religion and thus embrace terrorism as a means of defending their religion. Further, as under Republicans we abandon more an more of the things that we claim make us a better society (torturing prisoners, holding captives without any recourse to prove their innocence for years, secret kidnapping, wire tapping and accessing personal private records without a Court Probable Cause Standard) our claim of the higher moral ground is destroyed.

The actions of Bush Republicans continue to create more terrorists both abroad and at home. The battle is (or should be) one for the hearts and mind of people throughout the world rather than one that seeks militarily to impose our perception of Democracy. And of course, the actions of Bush Republicans have so distorted the perception of American, that where democracies have been elected in the Middle East they are religious, and fanatic and non-secular and view America as the enemy. Nothing so unites a people as being attacked by foreigners. Supporting Bush Republican policies only make America less safe.