i am sure many of you are aware that it is 912 days from 9/11(it is a leap year), so it would have been 911. 911 is the american emergency number. i saw on the tele the number 113 on the back of an ambulance, am i write in thinking this is the spanish emergency number. Here in europe the date works the right way, biggest to smallest so yesterday the date was 11/3. Am i wrong about this, as it seems a huge coincidence.

Two things: 1. "311 is Spanish emergency number, like 911 is Americas emergency number." - Fact or Fiction? My sources say it's false. see google. 2. "remote detonated, cell-phone activated" devices. Anyone? I just heard this on CNN, saw it in the Time article, but have no further info from any sources. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,600197,00.html?cnn=yes E.

To Wildcat, saw your question of what OBL/AQ hopes to get out of mass casualty terrorism. OBL is a sociopathic fantasist who believes that he is acting out a continuation of long lost Islamic history. Read all about the Crusades, the ending of the siege of Vienna, the removal of Muslim rule from Spain in 1492- OBL and his minions take these events as personal insults that have to be avenged by mass murder. At the same time, AQ's rat kings are opposed to human legislature. They have the absurd notion that they can restore the caliphate (which ended in 1924 when Turkey turned into a secular state) with Osama as the emperor. And they hate the US becoz it would provide the biggest opposition to their plans. Yes, I know that Osama's rants and raves against America and the infidel west's 'crimes, sins, atrocities' etc are a perversion of historical fact which are comparable in their poor logic to the hate speech of Hitler on Jews or KKK white militants on blacks. However, a messianic meglomaniac who thinks he's taking orders from GOD himself will be locked up in a self constructed fortress of their world view and cannot be argued or reasoned with. Also, the apocalyptic terrorist sees himself as infinitely superior to states, populations and law. That's why he claims to want to 'punish' the world on god's behalf. It doesn't matter that he can't possibly carry out the goal of restoring the caliphate- but as long as AQ and the Islamist terrorists are out there, they WILL continue their thirst for blood and gloat at the results. That's why it is absolutely imperative that they be killed, captured, humiliated and discredited utterly. No country or state or peoples should feel obliged to change their behaviour in the hopes of escaping AQ's mercies. They WILL find some historical 'wrong' that they have invited themselves to take revenge for.

It can be found by google: anyone who wants a superior piece of writing explaining the difference between 'practical' terrorists (ETA,IRA,Jap Red Army) and Apocalyptic terrorists (Aum, Al Qaeda, GIA) must look at Ralph Peter's pdf 'When Devils Walk the Earth'.

Mind you, the apocalyptic terorists have basically meant 'practical terrorism' can only be practised if the worst effect is vandalism/property damage, kill or even injure one person and you go into the same boat as the apocalyptic terrorists as far as popular opinion is concerned, I personally don't advocate terrorism of any description but the IRA did some pretty impressive show pieces towards the end of their campaign, the dud mortar strikes against Heathrow is one example that springs to mind.

TriggaFingaz, Thanks! Although, I couldn't find 'When Devils Walk the Earth', I was able to locate several articles by Peters. What I couldn't wrap my mind around was the religious component. I (subconsciously?) neglected the religious aspect and was searching for what UBL and his followers were "really" after. When analyzed from this religious extremist frame of reference the contradictions are understandable. i.e. A logical plan of attack but when executed, logically leads to defeat. Why follow it? Because it's divinely inspired and must succeed. All, Does anyone have a link to 'When Devils Walk the Earth'

/ WHEN_DEVILS_WALK_THE_EARTH.pdf

Yup, that writing by Ralph Peters was so well done. All the talk about 'protecting the poor Muslim people' is just a cover to the AQ Islamist's desire to wash the world in blood and violence. They're perfectly willing to slaughter Muslims who don't bow down to their particular interpretation of faith. They create a splinter religion of their own. There is a book I recommend called 'Terror in the Mind of God' written by Jurgenmeyer, explores all kinds of religiously inspired killerss including Sikhs, Aum, Baruch Goldstein and the 1993 WTC bomber. He talks about cosmic war where the religious zealot sees beyond the temporal plane views the world as a fight between God and his 'enemies'. BTW this is a paper book, not online doc.

Good recomendation Trigga. My much dog-eared and well marked copy has occupied a prominent spot on my main bookshelf for over three years now. I know I've used it repeatedly as a reference source for posts on this board before... 2000 University of California Press. And still in print. WHY WE ALWAYS WIN, CL

Vae Victis: Misfortune to the defeated. Now I fully understand the meaning of that sentence. Last Thursday I saw 200 of my fellow citizens killed, 1500+ wounded. Then, panick turned Spain upside down in Sunday's election. Today, a quick glance of this web site shows me tons of trash thrown to my country. Well, my Spanish fellows have panicked and chosen wrong, we all will pay for that for sure. But believe it or not, defeated and humilliated, Spain is still an ally in the war of terror, and it'll be.