I remember you, ER a couple of years ago stating that TB had an agenda..but you couldn’t put your finger on just what that was. I realize conspiracy means more than one…but for anyone with an agenda…from lawn nazi’s to the President of the United States…it usually takes more than one person to carry out the *plan*.

In that context, my post stands on its own merit.

Every. Last. One. Of. Us.

Do you feel there is a deeper, underlying explanation for the attack, a driving force or Plan other than the men who conceived of, financed, planned and executed the act? In other words, are we fighting something like the Drug Cartels, or a full-fledged Evil Empire?

Is there a conspiracy? After all, the terrorists believe there was a conspiracy, that WE were deliberately occupying Muslim lands, corrupting Muslim culture, defiling Muslim holy places. I think that’s nonsense, but they don’t. And a lot of Muslims may believe that but have no intention of acting on it. In fact, a lot of Muslims may not believe it at all. I don’t believe that, but they certainly did, and they were willing to die for it.

I do believe there is a widespread feeling in the Muslim world that someone (namely US and Israel) is attacking their values and beliefs, corrupting their society, stealing them blind, an evil force subverting everything they hold dear and true. But feelings like that exist all over, including among many Americans.

Sure, a few Americans act on those feelings and blow up Govt buildings, but that doesn’t mean they are part of an organized conspiracy that involves a substantial portion of the people who may feel that way.

Just because you believe there is a conspiracy doesn’t mean there is one–any more than cavalierly dismissing it as paranoia means there isn’t.

My take on it is that those anti-US feelings have been co-opted and exploited by well-financed terrorist groups made up of fanatical Islamists and they have been mobilized against us. Again, the best analogue I can come up for this is Drug Cartels. But I don’t believe in the War of Civilizations theory.

But I do believe if we treat it that way, we may just wind up with one.

What do *you* feel he is trying to accomplish?

Here.