Check out http://www.freegeek.org, Free Geek, based in Portland, Oregon, as an example of how people can donate old equipment, volunteer renovating it for distribution to needy people, and volunteer to teach others. It's a great way for working technical people to give back the best way they know how... teaching others what they know and getting rid of those old Pentium Pro 90's they THINK they're going to turn into Linux servers but never actually get around to doing.
I'm going to be very pragmatic for a second and talk about retaliation. Terrorists behave and go about their business (terrorism) in a very particular way... it is ruthless, without rules or boundaries or honor... and they do so with very closed minds, discarding thoughts of "collateral damage" or long-term repurcussions. They are nimble, agile, and quick to react to changes in the situation.
How do you react to a terrorist act? With their modus operandi in mind, you don't do so with standard military procedure. That's why (in part) the colonists were able to oust the British... the British played by very specific rules of engagement (wearing red, marching in a straight line) while the colonists used whatever means were necessary to win.
If we are to effectively retaliate, and much more importantly, prevent future attacks, we must act with many of the same techniques and procedures that the terrorists themselves use. This means that our strike forces need to be nimble, agile, quick to respond to changing circumstances, and leave many rules of engagement behind when doing so is necessary.
Unfortunately, this approach is almost 180 degress opposite of how "civilized" societies conduct war. The truth of the matter is, as the WTC/Pentagon attacks so clearly demonstrate, war does not have rules. It is brutal, bloody, and without honor. If you think about it, there is no such thing as "honorable war"... it is an oxymoron.
My father told me when I was growing up, "Son, do everything you can to avoid getting into fights in school. But if something comes up where you DO have to fight, do everything you can to win." Well, someone else just picked the fight. Are we as a nation going to do everything we can to win?
My friends and I actually made/drank several using the following recipe (add ingredients in the order listed)... all jokes aside, it's actually a very enjoyable drink:
3 shots Everclear
1 shot Sloe Gin
1 shot Peppermint Schnapps
3 oz. Jolt Cola
3 oz. Perrier
200 mg. caffeine tablet, crushed (Vivarin, etc.)
1" cube of dry ice
(1) 1/4" stainless steel ball bearing (not to be consumed; just let it roll around in the bottom of the glass)
The drink is marroon, very bubbly, and tastes vaguely like cough syrup although it's actually quite tasty. It's dangerous to drink this with any other 'chemical substances' in your system, however, as we learned through hard experience.
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Check out http://www.freegeek.org, Free Geek, based in Portland, Oregon, as an example of how people can donate old equipment, volunteer renovating it for distribution to needy people, and volunteer to teach others. It's a great way for working technical people to give back the best way they know how ... teaching others what they know and getting rid of those old Pentium Pro 90's they THINK they're going to turn into Linux servers but never actually get around to doing.
I'm going to be very pragmatic for a second and talk about retaliation. Terrorists behave and go about their business (terrorism) in a very particular way ... it is ruthless, without rules or boundaries or honor ... and they do so with very closed minds, discarding thoughts of "collateral damage" or long-term repurcussions. They are nimble, agile, and quick to react to changes in the situation.
... the British played by very specific rules of engagement (wearing red, marching in a straight line) while the colonists used whatever means were necessary to win.
... it is an oxymoron.
How do you react to a terrorist act? With their modus operandi in mind, you don't do so with standard military procedure. That's why (in part) the colonists were able to oust the British
If we are to effectively retaliate, and much more importantly, prevent future attacks, we must act with many of the same techniques and procedures that the terrorists themselves use. This means that our strike forces need to be nimble, agile, quick to respond to changing circumstances, and leave many rules of engagement behind when doing so is necessary.
Unfortunately, this approach is almost 180 degress opposite of how "civilized" societies conduct war. The truth of the matter is, as the WTC/Pentagon attacks so clearly demonstrate, war does not have rules. It is brutal, bloody, and without honor. If you think about it, there is no such thing as "honorable war"
My father told me when I was growing up, "Son, do everything you can to avoid getting into fights in school. But if something comes up where you DO have to fight, do everything you can to win." Well, someone else just picked the fight. Are we as a nation going to do everything we can to win?
My friends and I actually made/drank several using the following recipe (add ingredients in the order listed) ... all jokes aside, it's actually a very enjoyable drink:
3 shots Everclear
1 shot Sloe Gin
1 shot Peppermint Schnapps
3 oz. Jolt Cola
3 oz. Perrier
200 mg. caffeine tablet, crushed (Vivarin, etc.)
1" cube of dry ice
(1) 1/4" stainless steel ball bearing (not to be consumed; just let it roll around in the bottom of the glass)
The drink is marroon, very bubbly, and tastes vaguely like cough syrup although it's actually quite tasty. It's dangerous to drink this with any other 'chemical substances' in your system, however, as we learned through hard experience.