Southern Avenger

I hate to break the news to Mr. Scheuer but the Muslim world was at war with the U.S long before George Bush invaded Iraq. A little history lesson:

1979
Nov. 4, Tehran, Iran: Iranian radical students seized the U.S. embassy, taking 66 hostages. 14 were later released. The remaining 52 were freed after 444 days on the day of President Reagan's inauguration.

1982-1991
Lebanon: Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.

1983
April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 marines. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut.

Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait: Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring 80.

1984
Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military.

1988
Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families.

1993
Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.

1995
Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen.

1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.

1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. 4 men connected with al-Qaeda 2 of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.

2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. 17 sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.

2001
Sept. 11, New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.: hijackers crashed 2 commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; 2 more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,9921: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. (See September 11, 2001: Timeline of Terrorism

And the above is just a "highlight film". So for all you folks out there that think the Muslim world's hatred of the U.S started with Bush/Cheney, get over it and read a little history.

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Jack is correct. Additionally, our seemingly unwavering support of Isreal hasn't helped matters.

I just wish we could let other countries do their own fighting so we could focus on our own problems stateside. Our "sphere of influence" has created an empire that cannot be sustained.

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Nice commentary but doesn't suggest a single thing that we should do differently. Typical liberalist, socialist, bs. Criticize everyone but offer no solutions. The pendulum has swung too far both ways, too far to the right with Bush and now too far to the left with Obama. Unfortunately we can't seem to find a nice middle ground. This is what happens when you govern by the polls, same as Clinton, give the people what they think they want. Of course the people don't have near the information that our government has so we are uneducated in our feelings and beliefs. Unfortunately we are at war not with the Muslim world but with the "radical Muslim world", those that want to kill and destroy our society. I agree with the other posters that this did not start with Bush and it has been going on for decades not years. We didn't start this fight but we must continue the war on terrorism whether it is Muslim (al Qaeda, Taliban, Hamas, etc.) or North Korea (not your typical terrorism in it's typical definition, but still creates terror through the threat of the adoption of WMD's and their potential use). Unfortunately the rest of the world, NATO, U.N., etc. has no cajones, and expects the US to do the work of the world. Wake up!

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Nice commentary but doesn't suggest a single thing that we should do differently. Typical liberalist, socialist, bs. Criticize everyone but offer no solutions. The pendulum has swung too far both ways, too far to the right with Bush and now too far to the left with Obama. Unfortunately we can't seem to find a nice middle ground. This is what happens when you govern by the polls, same as Clinton, give the people what they think they want. Of course the people don't have near the information that our government has so we are uneducated in our feelings and beliefs. Unfortunately we are at war not with the Muslim world but with the "radical Muslim world", those that want to kill and destroy our society. I agree with the other posters that this did not start with Bush and it has been going on for decades not years. We didn't start this fight but we must continue the war on terrorism whether it is Muslim (al Qaeda, Taliban, Hamas, etc.) or North Korea (not your typical terrorism in it's typical definition, but still creates terror through the threat of the adoption of WMD's and their potential use). Unfortunately the rest of the world, NATO, U.N., etc. has no cajones, and expects the US to do the work of the world. Wake up!

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Dear Evil,

Thanks for the suggestion although I'm not sure what your point is. I'm not even sure why you would mention H.W or Cheney in a response to my post. I was simply pointing out that American interests have been attacked for many years in many places during many American (Democrat and Republican) administrations long before the W and Cheney admistration.

Having said that, I know where you are trying to go with your comment; it's all H.W, Cheney's and W's fault that the muslim world views the U.S as satan. Thanks Evil, but no thanks. I don't have the time to listen to you whine and recite everything you've read on liberal blogs about them. Nor do I have the time to debate this topic with you as it is clear to me that you will simply break it down to it's most childish level.

Yes, it is generational war and you seem intent on playing the child. Might I suggest you change your tag name to EvilBinky.

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