2 planes exploded in Russia

[Rowan]

Evidence of terrorism mounts in Russian probe
Explosives found in one jet
One of two Russian airliners that crashed nearly simultaneously was brought down by a terrorist act, officials said Friday, after finding traces of explosives in the plane’s wreckage. An Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in a Web statement.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5810127/

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040827_1609.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in638203.shtml

[amberstar]

I saw that on the local news tonight....it's so tragic.

[The 14th Colony]

Nothing can bring back those people, but it shouldn't have happened, not after America's 9/11 woke up the world to the potential of terrorists. Russia did not take America's war on terror seriously, they thought it had nothing to do with them and their security was frighteningly lax. It's such a crying shame that after our 9/11 that Russia still allowed last minute travellers to buy tickets and board without showing a passport and proper ID.

[Archangel]

14th
They didn't have to look at 9/11 for an example. They've been dealing with this crap since Chechens tried to declare independence from Moscow. If that didn't improve things, do you think an event 1/3 of the way around the planet would?

[The 14th Colony]

Point taken, a very solid point. And they dealt with Osama Bin Laden long before he attacked America. Maybe if decades of communism and building up their armies hadn't drained the nations financial resources, they would have paid more attention to things like airport security. Or not. It shouldn't take much forethought to conclude that stricter care has to be taken regarding all persons who board an airplane. Heck, even if not for the 4 hijacked flights over America, the PLO showed the world back in the seventies how easy it was for terrorists to get aboard airliners if proper care was not taken. And after the recent bombings in Chechnya and the incident in the theatre last year when the audience was held hostage by Chechnyan rebels, Moscow should have been more careful. Other than copying American space shuttle designs, and the B-52 bomber design from WWII, and stealing technology through the years, Moscow really hasn't learned much from the West at all.

[Archangel]

The West didn't learn much from the west. The problems that England had with the IRA should have been a wake-up call. Oklahoma City Qhebec in the '60s, etc.

[thomas7g]

They are the modern KKK, just gone global and medieval and more deadly.

[thomas7g]

Note... we just arrested some kids plotting to blow up an subway station in New York....

[Archangel]

Christ, it will never end.

[The 14th Colony]

The West didn't learn much from the west. The problems that England had with the IRA should have been a wake-up call. Oklahoma City Qhebec in the '60s, etc.

Sadly I must agree with you again. The trouble is, as the 9/11 Commission put it regarding the CIA's not foreseeing 9/11, "lack of imagination" plagues too many nations as far as the effective surprise tactics of terror groups. Too bad the governments can't see the forest through the trees. I'm just a civilian and I said years before 9/11 that someday suicide bombers would hijack planes and crash them into buildings. I had no lack of imagination about it, it seemed innevitable to me that crashing planes into buildings would be the obvious thing for terror groups to pull off next. And now, government officials and Homeland Security agents are meeting (either have met already, or it's an ongoing thing) with Hollywood writers and filmakers to try to foresee what terrorists might attempt to do next (since so many filmmakers so vividly portray terror plots and devious villians).

But back to the Russian tragedy, I wonder how Moscow is going to handle this? I wonder if Chechnya will be Russia's Feluja, or Baghad, or Tora Bora.

[thomas7g]

Two French Journalists were captured in Iraq today.

The kidnappers claim they will kill them unless the law that bans religous clothing in french public schools be abolished.

[The 14th Colony]

Jesus. And France thought that by not helping the U.S. fight in Iraq, they would be spared the wrath of terror groups.

[The 14th Colony]

There were 2 Chechnyan women, one on each flight, each a widow of a rebel killed by Russian troops.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5853658/site/newsweek/

[The 14th Colony]

Originally Posted by thomas7g

Note... we just arrested some kids plotting to blow up an subway station in New York....

Do you have a link to that? I'm not seeing it on my homepage news.

[Archangel]

Originally Posted by The 14th Colony

Sadly I must agree with you again. The trouble is, as the 9/11 Commission put it regarding the CIA's not foreseeing 9/11, "lack of imagination" plagues too many nations as far as the effective surprise tactics of terror groups. Too bad the governments can't see the forest through the trees. I'm just a civilian and I said years before 9/11 that someday suicide bombers would hijack planes and crash them into buildings. I had no lack of imagination about it, it seemed innevitable to me that crashing planes into buildings would be the obvious thing for terror groups to pull off next. And now, government officials and Homeland Security agents are meeting (either have met already, or it's an ongoing thing) with Hollywood writers and filmakers to try to foresee what terrorists might attempt to do next (since so many filmmakers so vividly portray terror plots and devious villians).

But back to the Russian tragedy, I wonder how Moscow is going to handle this? I wonder if Chechnya will be Russia's Feluja, or Baghad, or Tora Bora.

A lot of the complaints that politicians have about the CIA and the lack of military awareness can be directly attributed to said politicions. They cut funding, they draft stupid rules concerning the gathering of intel, and on and on. I would say the politicians are more at fault than the various agencies involved. Good luck getting them too admit it, though.

[The 14th Colony]

Originally Posted by Archangel

A lot of the complaints that politicians have about the CIA and the lack of military awareness can be directly attributed to said politicions. They cut funding, they draft stupid rules concerning the gathering of intel, and on and on. I would say the politicians are more at fault than the various agencies involved. Good luck getting them too admit it, though.

Again I agree. Who wouldn't agree with that. To quote myself:

Too bad the governments can't see the forest through the trees.

[Archangel]

And they would probably cut down the trees to get a view of the forest.

[The 14th Colony]

Good analogy. True, that.

[Archangel]

Just replying to yours

[thomas7g]

The 2 kidnapeed french journalists
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/...ain/index.html

The NY Subway bomb plotters
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast...lot/index.html

[Ian_W359]

Originally Posted by The 14th Colony

But back to the Russian tragedy, I wonder how Moscow is going to handle this? I wonder if Chechnya will be Russia's Feluja, or Baghad, or Tora Bora.

Pardon me, but isn't it already (and much worse)???

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europ...nya/index.html

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict over the last decade, and much of the country was reduced to ruins, with the capital, Grozny, virtually destroyed...

Ian W359

[Darth Marley]

Before the USSR collapsed, a friend of mine hosted an exchange student from Russia.
He informed him that the Chechens were subjected to much worse "racism" than any group here in the states got. Russian mothers would caution their children to behave or else "the Chechens will get you."

On the morning of 11SEP01, I though the attack on WTC was the most boneheaded move the Islamists could pull off. I figured then that all our efforts to stop the bloodshed in Chechenya would cease, as well as putting an end to the USA sparing the lives of Muslims in Palestine and Bosnia.

Now, for the most part, the USA has taken to the understanding that Russia's Chechen enemy is the same enemy we face in the war on terror.

[shiningstar]

I am truelly saddened by the loss of life over there.

DarthMaryley I think you were right on about your post.