X-Message-Number: 20558
Date: Thu, 05 Dec 2002 14:23:49 -0800
From: "John Grigg" <>
Subject: How terrorism will really hurt us...

Anton wrote:
It also seems strange for people who are hoping for/expecting postive 

technological changes in the future to assume that the Muslim religion won't 
become tolerant, then accepting, then liberal (as it at times has been). The 
current threat of certain Muslim groups is certainly repulsive and alarming, but
not something that will last forever.
(end)


Anton, the mellowing you talk about took Christianity(or perhaps I should better
say the nations/governments which "loosely" subscribed to it) centuries to 
achieve.  At this point we just don't have centuries to wait for Islam to 
"de-radicalize" in an era of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.  


I agree with you that the threat of certain criminal Muslim groups is not 
something which will last forever, but the big question is HOW LONG we will have
to be dealing with them?


My worst fear is not atomic or even nanotech weapons in the hands of Muslim 
extremists.  It is instead how governments around the globe will use real and 
especially imagined terrorist threats to curtail our civil liberties and gain a 
stranglehold over possibly world-changing technologies like nano, A.I. and 
biotech.


They will say "we limit your access to these things for YOUR own good."  At that
point I will shake my head very sadly at the truly horrible thing we let the 
terrorists get us to do to ourselves.

best wishes,

John
   


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