Why this war sucks
I miss the days of the Cold War. Sure, I was younger and far more naive about things back then, but there were some key factors that made the Cold War relatively more benign than our current War on Terror.
For instance, take the space race. We probably wouldn't have bothered exploring space and developing the technologies that now make things like GPS, satellite TV, and telecommunications possible, if we hadn't gotten into a spitting contest with the Russkies over whose ballistic missiles could shoot higher.
If bin Laden would only start a space program...
I'm not saying that we didn't destroy many lives in the name of the Cold War, but at least some productive good did come out of those five decades of otherwise foolish stick-waving. I don't think we could say the same for the current conflict. All we're doing is destroying each other. The terrorists only know how to destroy, and we only know how to meet force with more force. It's a shame, but I have to say, it's a sad situation when one finds themselves looking back at the Cold War warmly.
Oh, and just to pre-empt any of you McCarthyism fans out there: I am not a communist. You friggin' idiots.