I saw this on the news tonight. There is an uneasyness growing in the pit of my stomach. If the CIA is saying that the voice on the tape belongs to Osama, and that he's not dead like they'd been saying (hoping) for the past 2 years, I think we're all in for a lot more trouble.

Instinct, common sense, whatever... is telling me that since he has told us to do something, and we don't do it, we will (some of us, those that live) live to regret it. Thankfully, for me, and for many others like me, my pride is far stronger than my instinct. I may be frightened of the consequences, but I'll be damned if I would back down at this point. I know Bush feels the same (for better or for worse), but I wonder if he'll continue to have any support.

Will his (few) allies in this war back down? Will Blair? Will the new Spanish government decide they've had enough after Madrid, and call it quits? Will Bush & Co be the last ones left standing, all their friends gone home?

Will that mean that Bin Laden wins?

America is the most powerful country on earth, but I still worry that they can't take on an enemy like this alone. I feel that if only they'd had more support instead of less for this war, they might have been able to tie it all up by now. I'm angry at countries like France, and my own beloved Canada, that they didn't have the gumption to stand and fight.

Civilized countries like America have standards in war that they must adhere to. It is what distinguishes them from terrorists. Unfortunately, this code of conduct only works when fighting other civilized countries. When fighting shady criminals like Al Qaeda, who throw the rule book out the window, America gets left at a disadvantage. So they take the plunge with things like Camp X-Ray, and they are critisized for it. Because it's against the rules. Like shooting children with bombs strapped to them in Vietnam was against the rules. America is caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to this kind of fight. Either they must lose their honor by fighting dirty, or they must lose the war - and the Western world as we know it.

So those of us from other countries, countries that haven't been so supportive, I say give the US a break and give yourselves a chance to survive. Go fight the terrorists with the "big, nasty, greedy Americans", and fight dirty. Scratch, bite and pull hair. Go for the nads. Kick the enemy when they're down. Don't fuck around with this. The enemy would do it to you. They already have.