Threat and Proportion

We often here that the Jihadists want to end our way of life and they hate us for our freedoms. But if history has taught anything it is that it is not possible to occupy a country where the majority do not except your presents.No Matter how big and powerful you are. The German and the japanese didn't like us there but they excepted defeat. Afghanistan for the Russians is a perfect example. Men living in caves armed with Our surfuce to air missiles wreaked havoc on Russian helicopters. For a long time SAM's where a dime a dozen on the arms markets. They seem to not be as prevalent today. I might be wrong. My Question would be how would the Jihadists destroy our way of life and take away the freedoms of the American People? Granted We've surrendered some of our freedoms to them, but we have only our fears to blame. I understand that they could blow up a rail car next to chemical factory down the street from an elementary school and kill hundreds and thousands of people. But so could any nut job who thinks the world is to blame for his troubles. So we need to protect our assets better, Obviously. But just as obviously the terrorist could never end our way of life much less put our women in burkas. How would they occupy this country and assert control. It probably safe to say that American would be the most fierce insurgency any force has ever encountered. We have to ask ourselves questions of threat and proportion. There will be 100,000 deaths from heroin this year and higher numbers ahead as the Afghan bunker crop this year will increase purity, according to the U.N. I imagine that most Americans are shaking their heads saying "how can a country, we occupy, not unly be the supplier for 90% of the world heroin but have record production this year?" How? By not questioning threat and proportion If we had spend a tenth of the $1 billion a month we spend on the occupation, to pay farmers to grow something else we probably would have, first, cut down on one source of funding for the Taliban but we would have help diversify the afghan economy. Now I know that from our experience in this country that if you give farmers something in the hard times. It's near impossible to take them back in the good times, but if that is the worst effect we leave behind so be it. And If We had spent a tenth of the money on drug rehabilitation that we spent on... let's say... tax cuts for oil companies. How many of those 100,000 lives could have been saved? You could have the same argument for threat and proportion when comparing the threat to American lives from Al Qeada or the Columbian drug cartels? Some could argue that greater and more organized threats have already infiltrated our country in the forms of the Russian mob or Mexico's MS13 even Asian gangs or the most insidious of them all the "gay Mafia" kidding about the last one just trying to lighten the mood. For years to come we will hear of mistakes and read books about the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and of billions of dollars lost from "Waste and Abuse", pretty words for corruption. All because We did not question Threat and Proportion.