Slashdot Mirror
Modding A Paper Shredder
detaks writes "The university of alberta's undergraduate computing science student group modded the office shredder, with duct tape, 110volt case fans, and a athlon fan, to increase the speed of the paper shredder from 12 to 37 pages shredded before overheating. You can also read it in the google cache"
Acholi - Mot ki Yomcwing Botwo Me Mwaka Manyen Adhola - Wafayo Chamo Mbaga & Bothi Oro Manyeni Aeka- Keremisi jai be Afrikaans - Geseende Kerfees en 'n gelukkige nuwe jaar Ahtna - C'ehwggelnen Dzaen Albanian - Gëzuar Krishlindjet Vitin e Ri! Aleut - Kamgan Ukudigaa merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Alsatian - E gueti Wïnâchte & E glecklichs Nej Johr! Alur - Wafoyo Kado Oro & Wafoyo Tundo Oro manyeni Alutiiq - Spraasnikam & Amlertut Kiaget! Amharic - Melkam Yelidet Beaal Amuesha - Yomprocha' ya' nataya Play our Holiday Concentration Game, click here Angami - U kenei Christmas mu teicie kes a-u sie teicie kesa-u sie niepete keluo shuzaie we Apache (Western) - Gozhqq Keshmish merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Arabic - I'D Miilad Said ous Sana Saida Aragonese - Nabidà! & Goyosa Añada benién. merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Aramaic - Edo bri'cho o rish d'shato brich'to! Aranés - Bon Nadau! Arawak - Aba satho niw jari da'wisida bon Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Soorp Janunt Aromanian - Crãciunu hãriosu shi unu anu nãu, bunu! Asturian - Bones Navidaes & Gayoleru anu nuevu! Assamese - Rongaali Bihur xubhessaa lobo Ata - Maroyan na Pasko woy kaopia-an ng Bag-ong Tuig kaniyo't langon mga sulod Aukan - Wi e winsi i wan bun nyun yali Aymara - Sooma Nawira-ra Azeri - Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Bafut - Mboni Chrismen & Mboni Alooyefee Bahasa/Malaysia - Selamat Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru Bamoun - Poket Kristmet & Poket lum mfe Banen - Enganda ye hiono mes & Hion Hios Hes Bandang - Mbung Mbung Krismie & Mbung Mbung Ngouh Suiie merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Basque - Zorionak eta Urte Berri On! Bassa - Ngand Nwi Lam & Mwi Lam Batak Karo - Mejuah-juah Ketuahen Natal Bemba - Kristu abe nenu muli ino nshiku nkulu ya Mwezi Belorussian - Winshuyu sa Svyatkami i z Novym godam! To view the flags and hear the anthems of these countries, click here. Bengali - Shuvo Baro Din - Shuvo Nabo Barsho Bhojpuri - Naya Sal Mubarak Ho Bicolano - Maugmang Capascuhan asin Masaganang Ba-gong Taon! merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Bislama - Mi wisim yufala eerywan one gutfala Krismas & mo wan hapi New Year long Blaan - Pye duh di kaut Kristo klu munt ug Felemi Fali! Blackfoot - I'Taamomohkatoyiiksistsikomi Bohemian/Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a Stastny novy rok Brahui - Arkas caik xuda are Play our Holiday Concentration Game, click here Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloav ezh mat Bulgarian - Chestita Koleda i Shtastliva Nova Godina Bulu - Duma e bo'o Bura - e be Zambe e Usa ma ka Kirisimassu merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Catalan - Bon Nadal i feliç any nou! Cantonese - Seng Dan Fai Lok, Sang Nian Fai Lok Carib - Sirito kypoton ra'a merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Carrier - Zoo dungwel & Soocho nohdzi doghel Carolinian - Ameseighil ubwutiiwel Layi Luugh me raagh fee The World's Main Languages Cebuano - Malipayong Pasko ug Bulahang Bag-ong Tuig! Chamorro - Filis Pasgua & Filis Anu Nuebo Chaha Bogem h n mh m & Boxem as nana-h m Chamba - Wi na ge nyare Su dome Kirismass Cherokee - Danistayohihv & Aliheli'sdi Itse Udetiyvsadisv Cheyenne - Hoesenestotse & Aa'e Emona'e Chichewa - Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha Kristmasi Chiga - Mwebare khuhika - Ha Noel merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Choctaw - Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth Play our Holiday Concentration Game, click here Corsican - Bon Natale e Bon capu d' annu Cree - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi Creek - Afvcke Nettvcakorakko Merry Christmas Creole/Seychelles - Bonn e Erez Ane Croatian - Sretan Bozic Merry Christmas Dagbani - Ni ti Burunya Chou & Mi ti yuun Damara/Nama - Khiza Danish - Glædelig Jul og godt nytår Click on any language Name for detailed information Dibabawon - Marayaw na Pasko aw Bag-ong Tui g kaniyo tibo na mga soon Dinka - Miet puou yan dhiedh Banyda tene Yin Dine/Navajo - Ya'at'eeh Keshmish Divehi - Ufaaveri aa ahareh Happy New Year Dschang - Chrismi a lekah Nguo Suieh Duri - Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak Happy New Year Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! Egyptian - Colo sana wintom tiebeen English - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year The History of The Christmas Card Eritrean - Rehus-Beal-Ledeat Esperanto - Gajan Kristnaskon & Bonan Novjaron Estonian - Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi ja Head uut aastat Éwé - Blunya na wo Ewondo - Mbemde abog abyali nti! Mbembe Mbu! Faroese - Gledhilig jól og eydnurikt nýggjár! Fali - Use d'h Krismass Farsi - Sal-e no mubarak Fijian - Me Nomuni na marau ni siga ni sucu dei na yabaki vou Finnish - Hyvää Joulua or Hauskaa Joulua - 0nnellista uutta vuotta Flemish - Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar French - Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année! Frisian - Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier! Friulian - Bon Nadâl e Bon An Gnûf Fulfulde - Jabbama be salla Kirismati Gaddang - Mangamgam Bawa a dawun sikua diaw amin Galician - Bon Nadal e Bo Ani Novo Gari - !Soalokia God i gotu vasau, mi lao ke ba na rago vanigira ara dou i matana! Gciriku - Mfiyawidi yaKrisimisa & Marago ghaMwaka waUpe Georgian - Gilotsavt Krist'es Shobas & Gilosavt akhal ts'els German - Froehliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr! Gikuyu - Gia na Thigukuu njega Na MwakaM weru wi Gikeno Gitskan - Hisgusgitxwsim Ha'niisgats Christ gankl Ama Sii K'uuhl! Golin - Yesu kule nongwa kaun umaribe ongwa ena mone di mile wai wen milo Greek - Kala Christougenna Ki'eftihismenos O Kenourios Chronos Greenlandic - Juullimi Ukiortaassamilu Pilluarit Guahibo - Pexania Navidadmatacabi piginia pexaniapejanawai paxainaename Guambiano - Navidadwan Tabig tugagunrrigay & Sru pilawan kasrag utunrrigay Guarani - Avyaitete ahi ko Tupa ray arape qyrai Yy Kapyryin rira To view the flags and hear the anthems of these countries,click here. Guarayu - Imboeteipri tasecoi Tupa i vave! & Ivve ava Tupa rembiaisu toyuvirecoi turpi oyeaisusa pipe! Gujarati - Natal ni shub kaamnao & Saal Mubarak Gwere - Osusuku Omusa & Masuke Omwaka Gwich'in - Drin tsal zhit shoh ohlii & Drin Choo zhit zhoh ohlii Han - Drin tsul zhit sho ahlay & Drin Cho zhit sho ahlay Hausa - Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara! Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka & Hauoli Makahiki Hou Haya - Waihuka na Noeli & Waihhuka n 'Omwaka Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Shanah Tova Heiban - Ati kalo gathje uwa gigih Herero- Okresmesa ombwa Ombura ombe ombwa Play our Holiday Concentration Game, click here Hiligaynon - Malipayon nga paskua & Malipayon Nga Bag-ong tuig Hindi - Shubh Naya Baras Holo - Seng-tan khoai-lok! Hmong - Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tahiab Hungarian - Kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket és Boldog újévet! Hungduan - Maphon au nitungawan. Apo Dios Kituwen baron di toon Iban - Selamat Ari Krismas enggau Taun Baru Ibanag - nga Pascua Icelandic - Gleðileg Jól og Farsaelt Komandi ár! Igbo - Ekelere m gi maka Keresimesi na ubochi izizi afo ozo Ikiribati - Te Mauri, Te Raoi ao Te Tabomoa nakoimi nte Kirimati ao te Ririki ae Bou Ilocano - Naimbag a Pascua ken Naragsac nga Baro nga Tawen! Imbongu - Gotenga malo Jisasi Karaist Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal & Selamat Tahun Baru Inupiaq - Annaurri Aniruq & Paglaun Ukiutchiaq Inupiatun - Quvianaq Agaayuniqpak Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit Iroquois - Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson homungradon nagwutut & Ojenyunyat osrasay Italian - Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto Javanese - Sugeng Natal lan warsa enggal Jèrriais - Bouan Noué et Bouanne Année Kabyle - Assegwas ameggaz Kadazan - Kotobian Tadau Do Krimas om Toun Vagu Kahua - Na vagevageha surireua na Kirisimasi ma na harisi naoru Kala Lagaw Ya - Ngi ngayka Koei trimal Kaz Kambaata - eman haaro wegga illisholce Kamba - Ithiwa na Kisimsi Kiseo & Na Mwaka Mweu Museo Click on any language Name for detailed information Kannada - Hosa Varushada Subhasayagalu Karelian - Rastawanke Sinun, Uvven Vuvenke Sinun Kaqchiquel - Dios tik'ujie' avik'in Kashmiri - Christmas Id Mubarak Kawalib - Amirnar Krismas Gi Khasi - Krismas basuk & Snem thymmai basuk Kinyarwanda - Umunsi Mwiza Kirundi - Noeli Nziza & Umwaka Mwiza Kom - Isangle Krismen & Isangle beng i fue Konkoni - Khushal borit Natalam Korafe - Keremisi ewewa Korean Sung Tan Chuk Ha Kosraean - Tok Tapeng & Engan ya sasu Koyukon - Denaahto' Hoolaank Dedzaanh Sodeelts'eeyh Krio - Appi Krismes en Appi Niu Yaa Kuanua - A Bona Lukara na Kinakava Please send us your additions or corrections. Kurdish - Seva piroz sahibe u sersala te piroz be Kwangali - Kerekemisa zongwa & Erago moMumvho gomupe Kyrghyz - JangI jIlIngIz guttuu bolsun! Ladin - Bon Nadel y Bon Ann Nuef Lakota - Wanikiya tonpi wowiyuskin & Omaka teca oiyokipi Lamnsó - Kisheri ke Kisimen & Vijung ve kiya kefiyki Lango - Afoyo Chamo Mwake & Apoyo Mwaka Manyeni Play our Holiday Concentration Game, click here Latin - Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis Latvian - Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!+ Lausitzian - Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto Lebanese - Milad Saeed wa Sanaa Mubarakah Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu ir laimingu Nauju metu Livonian - Jovi talshpivdi un Vondzist uto aigasto Lower Tanana - Bet'oxdilt'ayi bedena' ch'exulanhde dranh ninoxudedhet To view the flags and hear the anthems of these countries, click here. Lozi - Kilisimasi ya nyakalalo & Silimo se sinca sa tabo Luganda - Amazalibwa Agesanyu & N'Omwaka Omujaa Ogwemirembe Luhya - Isuguku Indahi & Nu Muhiga Musha Luo - Sikuku Mar Higa Kod Mor & Mar Kiga Manyien Luritja - Wai! Nyuntu Larya? Luxembourgeois - Schéi Krëschtdeeg an e Schéint Néi Joer Macedonian - Srekan Bozik I Nova Godina Madura - Pada salamet sabhala bengko areja Makassar - Salama' Natal & Selamat Tahun baru The History of The Christmas Card Malagasy - Arahaba tratry ny Krismasy Mambwe - Kristu aye namwe umu nsikunkulu ino iya Mwezi Malayan - Selamat Hari Natal Malayalam - Puthuvalsara Aashamsakal Maltese - Nixtieqlek Milied Tajjeb u Sena Tajba Mandarin - Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan Mandobo - Mepiya Pagasaulog sa pagka-otawni Jesus aw maontong kaling Omay! Mangyan - Mayad paq Pasko kag Mansaka - Madyaw na Pasko aw malipayong Bag-ong Tuig kamayo, mga lumon The World's Main Languages Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa Maori - Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritimeti e te Mataiti Ou Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh Margi - Use aga Kirismassi Marshallese - Monono ilo raaneoan Nejin & Jeramman ilo iio in ekaal Mataco-Mataguayo - Lesilatyaj ihi Dios ta i ppule ye, Letamsek ihi wichi ta Dios ikojejthi ta i honat e Maya/Yucateco - Utzul mank'inal Click on any language Name for detailed information Medlpa - Enim Mutuiyo! Meithei - Krismas Hlomum & Kumthar Lawmum Mingrelian - k'irses mugoxuamant & axal ts'anas mugoxuamant Mongolian - Zul saryn bolon shine ony mend devshuulye Monégasque - Festusu Natale e Bona ana noeva Moro - Nidli pred naborete nano Moru - Medu amiri ovuru Yesu opi amaro Muyu - Lip Ki amun aa Natal Kowe Naasioi - Tampara Kirisimaasi Naskapi - miywaaitaakun mikusaanor & kiyaa maamiyupiyaakw minuwaach pipuun Ndjem - Mbeya mbeya Ebiel & Mbeya mbeya mbu Play our Holiday Concentration Game, click here Ndogo - Esimano olyaKalunga gwokombandambanda! & Nombili kombanda yevi maantu e ya hokwa! Ndonga - Okrismesa iwa & Omude Mupe wa Punikwa Nepali - krist Yesu Ko Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva & Naya Barsa Ko harkik Shuvakamana Newari - Nhu Da Ya Vintuna Nii - Nim Ono Niuean - Monuina a Aho Kilisimasi mo e Tau Foou Norweigan/Nynorsk - Eg ynskjer hermed Dykk alle ein God Jul og Godt Nyttår Norweigan/Bokmål - God Jul og Godt Nyttår Notu/Ewage - Keremisi dave be Nyanja - Kristu akhale ndi inu munyengo ino ya Christmas Nyankore Mukhulukhe Omwaka Occitan - Polit nadal e bona annada Ojibwe (Chippewa) - Niibaa' anami'egiizhigad & Aabita Biboon Oneida - Wanto'wan amp; Hoyan Oriya - Sukhamaya christmass ebang khusibhara naba barsa Orokaiva - Keremisi javotoho Oromo - baga wagaa hara isinin gaye Palauan - Ungil Kurismas Pompangan - Malugud Pascu at saca Masayang Bayung Banua! Pangasinan - Maabig ya pasko & Maliket ya balon taon Papiamento - Bon Pasco i Feliz Aña Nobo Pashto - De Christmas akhtar de bakhtawar au newai kal de mubarak sha. Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag unen hallich Nei Yaahr! Pohnpeian - Peren en Krismas & Peren en Parakapw Polish - Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku. Portuguese - Boas Festas e um feliz Ano Novo Punjabi - Nave sal di mubaraka Pashto - Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha Q'anjob'al - chi woche swatx'ilal hak'ul yet yalji Komami' Quechua - Sumaj kausay kachun Navidad ch'sisipi & Mosoi Watapi sumaj kausay kachun Quiche' - Dioa kkje' awuk' Rapa-Nui - Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi & Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua Rarotongan - Kia akakakaia te Atua i runga i te rangi Teitei, e ei au to to teianei ao, e kia aroaia mai te tangata nei. Rengma - Anu keghi Christmas nu amapi kethighi wa salam pi nthu chupenle To view the flags and hear the anthems of these countries, click here. Rheto-Romance - Bella Festas daz Nadal ed in Ventiravel Onn Nov Romani - Bachtalo krecunu Thaj Bachtalo Nevo Bers Romanian - Craciun fericit si un An Nou fericit! Rongmei - Mei kathui nata neila mei Khrisrmas akhatni gai mei tingkum kathan tu-na arew we Roviana - Mami tataru Kirisimasi koa gamu doduru meke qetu qetu vuaheni vaqura ia Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom Salar - YangI yilingiz gotlI bulsIn! Sambal - Maligayang Pasko at Masayang Ba-yon Taon! Sámi - Buorit Juovllat ja Buorre Oddajahki Saamia - Muwule Omwaka Enjaya Samoan - Ia manuia le Kilisimasi ma le tausaga fou Sango -Gloire na Nzapa na ndouzou aho kouè, Na siriri na ndo sessé na popo ti ajo so amou nguia na Lo. Santali - Raska nawa Serma Saramaccan - Nuan wan suti jai o! Sardinian - Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou The World's Main Languages Scots Gaelic - Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ur! Secoya -Sihuanu'u Ejaerepa aide'ose'ere & Sihuana'u huaje ametecahue Semandang - Selemat gawai Natal Seneca - a:o'-e:sad yos-ha:-se:' Serbian - Sretan Bozic. Vesela Nova Godine Sicilian - Bon Natali e Prosperu Annu Novu ! Sinhala - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa Slavey - Teyatie Gonezu Soga - Mwisuka Sekukulu Songe - Kutandika kua Yesu kuibuwa! & Kipua kipia kibuwa! The History of The Christmas Card Sorani - Newroz le to Piroz be Sorbian - Wjesole hody a strowe Nowe leto. Somali - ciid wanaagsan iyo sanad cusub oo fiican. Sotho/North - Mahlatsi a Matswalo a Morena le Ngwaga o Moswa Sotho/South - Litakalerso Tse Monate Tsa Kere Semese Le Mahlohonolo a Selemo Se Secha Slovakian - Vesele Vianoce a stastny novy rok Slovene - Vesele bozicne praznike in srecno novo leto Sorbian - Wjesole hody a strowe Nowe leto Spanish - Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo Click on any language Name for detailed information Sranan - Wan switi kresneti nanga wan bun nyun yari! Subanen - Piak Pasko Pu Piag Bago Tawn Sudanese - Wilujeng Natal Sareng Warsa Enggal Happy New Year Suena - Kerisimasi kokopai Surigaonon - Malipayon na pasko sanan bag-on tuig! Happy New Year Swahili - Krismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpya Swedish - God Jul och Gott Nytt År Tagalog - Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon Tahitian - Ia ora i te Noere e ia ora na i te matahiti 'api Tagakaulu - Madyaw Pagsalog sa Pagka-otaw ni Jesus & Aw mauntong na bago Umay! Tala Andig - Maayad ha pasko daw bag-ong tuig merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Tamazight - Asseggwas Ameggaz merry christmas, christmas, countdown to christmas, chanukah, kwanzaa, season's greetings Tarifit - Asuggas Asa'di Tamil - Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal Tanaina - Natukda Nuuphaa Please send us your additions or corrections. Tayal - Pqaquasta ta. Pquasta hentang na Jesu Telugu - Nootana Samvatchara Subhakanshalu Thai - Suksan Wan Christmas lae Sawadee Pee Mai Tlingit - Xristos Khuwdziti kax sh kaxtoolxetl Tok Pisin - Meri Krismas & Hepi Nu Yia Tokelau - Ke whakamanuia te Kirihimahi & Tauhaga Fou fiafia Tonga - Kristo abe anduwe muciindo ca Christmas Tongan - Kilisimasi Fiefia & Ta'u fo'ou monu ia Toraja - Salama' Natal & Selama' taun baru Trukese - Neekirissimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech! Tshiluba - Diledibua dilenga dia Mfumu - Tshidimu tshipia - tshipia th silenga Tswana - Keresemose o monate le masego a ngwaga o montsha Tubetube - Yayaliyaya Yesu sikabi kaiwena Tumbuka - Kristu wabe namwe munyengo ya Christmas Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Tutchone/Northern - Ut'ohudinch'i Hulin Dzenu & Eyum nan ek'an nenatth'at danji te yesohuthin ch'e hadaatle sh'o Ukrainian - Veseloho Vam Rizdva i Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku! Umbundu - Natale, Natale, Oyo O Natale & Eteke Lio Bowano, Illimo Ciwa To view the flags and hear the anthems of these countries, click here. Urdu - Naya Saal Mubarak Ho Uvean - Italo fa ide tau fou nei eseke Uyghur - YanghI yiling ahlqIs bolgey! Valencian - Bon Nadal i millor any nou Vespi - Rastvoidenke i Udenke Vodenke Vietnamese - Chuc Mung Giang Sinh - Chuc Mung Tan Nien Happy New Year Votian - Yvaa rashtagoa! & Yvaa uutta vootta! Season's Greetings Waray-Waray - Maupay nga Pasko ngan Mainuswagon nga Bag-o nga Tuig! Warlpiri - Miri Kirijimiji & Nyuntunpa Ngurrju nyayirni yapa The World's Main Languages Welsh - Nadolig LLawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda Yup'ik/Central - Alussistuaqegcikici Yupik/Siberian - Quyanalghii Kuusma & Quyangalleq Nutaghamun Aymiqulleq Xhosa - Siniqwenelela Ikrisimesi EmnandI Nonyaka Omtsha Ozele Iintsikelelo Namathamsanqa Happy Chanukah Yiddish - Gute Vaynakhtn un a Gut Nay Yor Happy Hanukkah Yoruba - E ku odun, e hu iye' dun! Zarma - Barka da Issa hay-yan hann & Barka da djiri barey-yan Zaza - Newroz'a tu Piroz be Zia - Kerisimasi wosewa Zime - El ma ka bar vra aso vei Lu & El ma ka kim na mireu Zulu - Sinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka Omusha Onempumelelo
was a first post
Lest we forget why we have been fighting the al Qaeda terrorists and are now ready to invade Iraq, we should remember some basic facts about the present war.
What is its immediate cause?
About a year and a half ago, Middle Eastern terrorists -- at a time of peace and without provocation -- simply murdered 3,000 Americans. They blew up four airliners together with their crews and passengers, toppled the World Trade Center, and attacked the Pentagon. In addition, they caused billions of dollars in damage to the American economy, threw millions out of work, and forever changed the daily lives of an entire country and of much of the world besides.
Why did they attack us in such a manner?
Our enemies struck at icons of American economic and military power and used terror in lieu of conventional weapons and tactics. Knowing they could not defeat the United States military or appeal for support to the American people, they thought to create a climate of horror and fear to further their own political agendas. Perhaps we were supposed to quietly withdraw our troops from the Middle East, insist on concessions for Yasser Arafat, and grant de facto spheres of influence to al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terrorist groups. Yet just as the fundamentalists gave us no thanks for saving Muslims in Kosovo, Bosnia, Kuwait, and Somalia, so too they would have looked at such dispensation as decadent compassion and been emboldened rather than appreciative.
But who exactly are our enemies?
The hard-core group of Islamic fascists, known as al-Qaeda, involves perhaps no more than 10,000 or 20,000 loosely coordinated killers. But like the Italian fascists, German Nazis, and Japanese militarists, their largely pampered leaders hope to capitalize on latent anger against the West among Islamic populations at large -- to bully, threaten, or hijack weak regimes in the Middle East to obtain de facto political power. Post-9/11 cheering on the West Bank or amused smiles in the salons of Beirut and Cairo were seen as initial successes. Without at least tacit support from civilians, the terrorists could not exist.
What do they really want?
It is hard to tell, inasmuch as their grandiose schemes are as illogical as Hitler's -- but no less dangerous. But if we take them at their word, their Middle East would look something like the Taliban's Afghanistan or the mullahs' Iran -- a vast tribal, patriarchal, and theocratic society on a continental scale. It would be run by zealots and religious extremists who would institute a medieval sort of Islamic law, even as the leaders themselves, like Ottoman grandees of old, would continue to be parasitic on the West -- importing their own eyeglasses, medicines, videos, and electronic technology. Politically, they would hope to expand on the model of Iranian theocracy and terror, using vast oil revenues to buy missiles and eventually components for nuclear weapons -- first to obliterate Israel, then to either blackmail or attack us. The ultimate goals of demented thugs like a Mullah Omar or bin Laden are, of course, contradictory and absurd -- how can one hate and wish to destroy the West, when it is the only source of everything one uses -- from oil-drilling equipment and SUVs to machine guns and cell phones? So they are a lot like the Visigoths and Vandals who liked the appurtenances of Rome yet on their own accord could not create, but only ransack them. Take a look at present-day Iran and recent Afghanistan to ponder the ruin and barbarity that their rule could bring to hundreds of millions in just a few years.
Do they have any support?
Criminals like these at first never have real support. But if, like a Hitler or Mussolini, they demonstrate success in stirring up resentments and winning concessions from supposedly weak enemies, then they can win over the masses through their ardor and élan. Most people usually welcome a sense of increased national importance and pride on the cheap -- as long as it does not entail real costs. So al Qaeda is like the Nazi party circa 1926, in a high-stakes game for the hearts and minds of the so-called Arab street, which so far likes the rhetoric but is not yet sure of the eventual price tag. Blowing up Jewish kids in schools or shooting a few unarmed Americans is easy and plays well, but being barred from traveling to Europe or America, earning ostracism from the World Bank, and having your entire military obliterated in mere hours -- all that and more requires some careful consideration. Wearing a bin Laden T-shirt or bragging that Saddam Hussein stands up to a strong America afraid to use its power is one thing; seeing GPS bombs glide through the windows of mansions in Lebanon and Syria is another.
But why would any in the Middle East follow such a pitiful band of cutthroats?
Fear, for starters -- the terrorists can murder newspaper editors, government officials, or military officers who oppose them. Despair plays a role too among the Arab dispossessed. Over 300 million in the Middle East live under regimes that are corrupt and tribal, dysfunctional autocracies without elections or the rule of law. With rising populations and failing economies, despots can only defer reform by using their state-run presses to vent tension against those more successful, such as Israel and the West. Hating the Jews is old stuff for the weak and envious, and so apparently is despising the country that gives you Star Wars, 757s, and vaccinations. A mass, crybaby adolescence has infected the Middle East. At first this pathetic, passive-aggressive view of the West intrigued Americans, then it disturbed them; but now it has become not merely tedious, but downright repellent to us. There are root causes for the spread of terror, but they are entirely self-induced.
So who are we really at war with?
We fight first the terrorist nucleus, and so must hunt all of them down in a global chase where there is little quarter asked for or given. Further, radical regimes that in the past have harbored terrorists, stockpiled frightening weapons, and are either openly or covertly aiding al Qaeda must be confronted to change or be vanquished. In the past where would an Abu Nidal or Abu Abbas have gone without a haven in Syria, Libya, or Iraq?
Who is winning?
It is not even close so far. After little more than a year, and at a cost of fewer than 100 American casualties, al Qaeda is about half ruined. The Taliban is gone. Iraq is terrified. And equally awful regimes like those in Syria, Iran, and Libya are apprehensive precisely because they know they are guilty of spreading murder and mayhem against Western innocents. We know where the terrorists thrive -- in outlaw states like an Afghanistan, Somalia, or Sudan, theocracies like Iran, or dictatorships like Iraq. When those regimes are either gone or reformed, the world of our enemies shrinks.
Could we lose?
Militarily, no. Their only hope is to frighten or demoralize us to such a degree that in our wealth and leisure we feel too afraid, smug, or distracted to take them seriously. So far only about 10 percent of Americans -- naively hoping that compromises could guarantee our security -- would throw in the towel, withdraw, hand over a sixth of the world to them, and thus grant them the power to do the greater evil that they wish.
How will we know when the war is over?
When Europeans and Americans are no longer rounding up terrorists in their countries, when mullahs and sheiks are quite afraid to broadcast calls to kill Americans, and when so-called allies volunteer their help without our own bribes and coercion. I might add, also, when an American diplomat, without qualification or embarrassment, says publicly that he has nothing but support for Israelis who hunt down killers and terrorists. In other words, we will win when a sense of deterrence -- lost during the last decades -- is reestablished, one that sends the message to our would-be enemies that the killing of Americans is synonymous with their own near-instantaneous destruction. The Nazis and the Japanese militarists alike came to realize the Americans were not necessarily pacifistic and malleable people, but rather scary and unpredictable; al Qaeda's supporters must come to the same conclusion.
But won't they just attack us again and again?
War is tragically endemic to the human condition. We can only do our best in our own time as befitting our station and pass on our lessons to the next generation -- even though we sometimes forgot such precepts ourselves. Just as the collapse of the Soviet Union created an entirely new climate in eastern Europe, so too the defeat of al Qaeda, the new government in Afghanistan, and a post-Hussein Iraq will send a powerful message to the lunocracies of the Middle East: join the world of democracy, freedom, law, and prosperity -- or perish trying to destroy it.