We don’t cut their heads off, but what’s wrong with arm-twisting?

NOW that World Airways has decided to pull out of Shannon (with more carriers of US troops in the war on terror to follow), I wonder if the America-haters have cut off their noses to spite their faces.

We have been under attack since 1979 by terrorists, as follows:

November 1979: our embassy in Iran was attacked and Americans kidnapped.

April 1983: our embassy in Beirut was attacked, 63 killed.

October 1983: our Marine barracks in Beirut was attacked, 241 Americans killed.

December 1983: our embassy in Kuwait attacked.

September 1984: our embassy in Beirut attacked.

April 1985: Madrid restaurant frequented by US soldiers attacked.

August 1985: Rhein Main US Air Force site attacked, 22 killed.

April 1986: Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, blown up, 259 killed.

January 1993: CIA building, Langley, Virginia, two employees killed.

February 1993: World Trade Centre, New York, van exploded, six killed, 1,000 injured.

October 1995: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seven US servicemen killed in barracks.

June 1996: Dharan, Saudi Arabia, 19 US servicemen killed, 500 injured. Also simultaneous attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, 224 killed.

October 2000: USS Cole attacked in Aden, Yemen, 17 US Navy killed.

September 2001: New York city — you know what happened.

Many, many more attacks have been inflicted on our allies in this global war. Proinsías de Rossa and Amnesty International make accusations about rendition flights without one shred of evidence. Even if we did have terrorists aboard, we weren’t going to cut their heads off, but try to stop atrocities like the aforementioned.

Is some arm-twisting to prevent terrorist attacks worth it? In my opinion it is. What would you have us do? The loss to Shannon airport will be Germany’s gain. Hopefully, it will not lead to diminishing US interest in the Irish economy.

Bill Hurley, Lt Col (retd)

US Marine Corps

Hyannis

Massachusetts

USA