What are the chances?

Submitted by Michael (United States), Aug 5, 2008 at 15:09

Hi Jennifer, I've been away from my desk. But your comment deserves a response, albeit a tardy one.

First, no need to put "Michael" in quotes. That's the name my mother gave me. Second, you say "One huge point "Michael" fails to realize is that his equating the U.S. with Islamism would result in his death knell, should rolls reverse." Please describe the likelihood that we will wake up one day with Muslim overlords. The combined strength of all Al Qaeda cells worldwide before 9/11 was estimated at ten to fifteen thousand. And now, since we've been stirring the hornet's nest for the past seven years it still can't be more than 100,000 total.

That many troops couldn't even patrol a place the size of California. Plus, they have no advanced weapons. We, on the other hand, have state of the art remote weaponry. A guy at a computer in Nevada can blow up a car full of people in Pakistan with a couple of mouse clicks. And in fact, does so on a daily basis. Plus, we spend as much on military weaponry as the entire rest of the world combined. What are the chances we have any realistic basis to fear a handful of poorly armed radical Islamists? I'm thinking zero.

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