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This has always been one of my biggest issues with "counter-terrorism". If the costs of fighting terrorism outweigh the damage that a genuine terrorist group co
by jamesbkel 15y ago
This has always been one of my biggest issues with "counter-terrorism". If the costs of fighting terrorism outweigh the damage that a genuine terrorist group could inflict... who really wins?
As a US citizen, I don't doubt that some of our spending has directly stopped particular terrorist plots. However, my point for the past ~10 years has been: they [terrorists] are tricking us into burning money chasing them around the world. If we had invested a fraction of this to take care of people who have suffered from non-terrorist causes we would result with a net benefit.[1]
I want to reiterate that there undoubtedly threats to be addressed, but sometime I wish that politicians (and a fair amount of the general population) would leave the whack-a-mole terrorism game alone, take their (our) coin home and find something better to do.
[1]
Admit, this is an assumption. But I don't think it's a huge leap.
- coffeedrinker 15y ago>they [terrorists] are tricking us into burning money chasing them around the world The terrorists are not the ones gaining financially and they are not the ones tricking us.
- jamesbkel 15y agoI didn't mean to say that terrorists are gaining financially or that the "burn[t] money" goes to them. I'd be surprised if that's a real goal. My point was that regardless of where the money ends up, if it's misappropriated then it's a waste.
- coffeedrinker 15y agoI understood your point, and don't disagree. Terrorism is overblown as an excuse to spend the money in ways to benefit certain industries.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]