Reading news.google.com today I find mention of Twin Suicide Bombings on Israeli Buses, Moscow Suicide Bomer Kills 10, Injures 51, Video Claims to Show Hostages Being Killed, France Pushes to Save Hostages in Iraq, and Darfur Conditions Said Worse, Talks Resume.  And that's just a single snapshot of the current situation.  That doesn't include the two planes that were taken down in Russia or the Italian journalist killed last week.  From a quick glance it would appear we have a world wide war on our hands.  The Islamic extremists versus the non-Muslims. 

This is consistent with this post I made and with Bin Laden's open letter to America.  Ry and I were talking about this a few weeks ago and didn't come up with anything much better than what Bush is already trying to do in Iraq.  Provide a “shining beacon” of non-religious prosperity and tolerance to the Islamic world in their own backyard.  Then capture or kill anyone that tries to destroy our example or us.  Short term we will draw them to the people best able to deal with them -- our soldiers in armored vehicles and airborne gunships.  As long as they are drawn to the fighting in Iraq they aren't bringing down our civilian airplanes, commercial buildings, or blowing up our buses.  Long term we need to destroy the culture that breeds these type of intolerant people.  We have been doing that, but unintentionally, which is part of the reason they hate us so.  Their young people see the sex, recreational drugs (including alcohol), and general decadent lifestyle (gambling, women with exposed skin, etc) and fail to have an interest in the Spartan religious life.  We have been destroying their culture through subversion of their youth with our culture for decades.  As our communication and culture propagates around the globe they see the “end of the line” for their way of life and their religion.

So... it appears to Ry and I they have a sensitive spot they are responding to with violent action.  That must mean they want us to stop.  I do not believe they will ever willingly stop their war on our culture.  We have been in a culture war with them for 1500 years or so.  It's not going to stop in the next five or ten years.  Our only course of action that will guarantee this war will stop is to finish the job.  Their culture must be destroyed.  Don't we have sufficient evidence that they want nothing less than our total destruction?  If you don't think that is true then take a look at Bin Laden's letter again.  So... given that we must destroy their culture then we should expend more effort in accomplishing this task.  The question is how do we do this?  One of Ry's suggestions was dropping porn magazine out of airplanes over Muslim population centers.  How about air dropping samples of wine, beer, cards (gambling), and dice?  Or even just putting free internet access in their cities?  They apparently have a “soft spot” in the minds of their youth.  We should take advantage of it.  Long term it is our only acceptable solution.  The visible alternatives are not acceptable.