I hope I am not being misconstrued here (not specifically by you, but by all I have responded to). I want to make it clear that I am disgusted & outraged by what has happened.

But at some point the violence has got to stop. It could be escalated by an inappropriate response by America, which could lead to a large amount of deaths throughout the world. Or it could be seen as a starting point for full & inclusive international discussions on how such atrocities can be avoided. In the event of escalation, it is likely that such discussions would take place when the violence has exhausted itself, so why not save lives & move to that point now.

I emphasise inclusive, because no decision will be made by excluding anyone, including those who harbour terrorists - they are probably the most important groups to be involved, otherwise it will just end in the same situation we have now.

I might be dismissed as an idealist, but I have my set of moral values & I would rather die knowing I held fast to those values, than live knowing that I had dropped those values when it suited me.

I have a lot of respect for the views of MK Ghandi, some of which may be appropriate to the current situation.

http://www.indiaspace.com/quotes.htm
http://www.gandhiinstitute.org/