5/11    When I was really young, I used to think that suicide bombers were
        stupid because after they blow themselves up, there would no longer
        be any more bombers. I thought that if I had to bomb, I'd just place
        bombs around so that I can live the next day to bomb more people.
        Anyways, as silly as my childish idea may seem, what baffles
        me today is how bombers keep coming and coming, as if they're
        resurrected or something. Where are they getting these people?
        http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4535323.stm
        \_ theres lots of desperate poor /expendable people in the third
           world.  The _real_ bombers are the ones that are arming the suicide
           bombers and giving them the orders.
                \_ Yes, there is an unending supply of people willing to kill
                   themselves.  The only limitation is on the planning and
                   infrastructure.
                   \_ Because the population is infinite!
                      \_ No, the population just has to reproduce more quickly
                         than it explodes.
        \_ You don't undertand tribal societies very well. When you kill
           one member of a family, the rest of the family is honor bound
           to avenge the death. That is why our campaing to bomb the
           to avenge the death. That is why our campaign to bomb the
           Iraqis into submission is doomed to failure.  We think of
           the self first. They think of the family honor first.
           \_ how is blowing up yourself outside of a line of dudes
              applying for a job avenging your family honor? - danh
              \_ Like I said, you just don't understand it.
           \_ Wasn't it Sun-Tzu or some famous general who once said that
              war cannot be won without psychology? I think this is a perfect
              example where we have superior fighting force that doesn't
              understand anything about psychology. Superior force != winning.
              \_ Li Zi said that if one is
                 willing to give a way his life, he would trigger fear
                 down to thousands of people.
        \_ When Bush decided to invade Iraq 2 years ago, I told everyone that
           it's going to be very similar to how Israelis and Palestians
           fight, that we (and civilians) would be on the receiving end of
           waves of suicide bombings. No one said anything, and some even
           shrugged it off because they're hot blooded and want nothing but
           revenge for 9/11. We have a lot to learn about ourselves.
           \_ I haven't seen the waves of suicide bombings in the US.
        \_ From my what my Syrian and other friends have told me most
           of the bombers either have mental problems or are borderline
           mentally retarded, and thus are vulnerable to brainwashing.
           \_ yes, and your point being...?
              \_ That it isn't cultural.
           \_ From interview given by NPR, most sucide bombers are Saudis,
              Syrian comes in second.
                 \_ How come most armies don't use suicide bombers then?
                    \_ I am not aware of any armies that do.
                       \_ Early on in Vietnam War, NVAs would kill round eyes
                          or S Vietnamese generals, take their clothes, then
                          dress up as S Vietnamese soldiers. They got into the
                          U.S. compound and at the right time, get close to
                          American generals and... KABOOM! In addition, they
                          used a lot of orphaned children (with backpacks) as
                          bombs because they knew that Americans didn't shoot
                          at children. They also wired up dead Americans with
                          bombs so that when they're found, the rescuers
                          would get blown up as well. While these things
                          didn't diminish the US military power, it had
                          detrimental effects on the morale of our troops.
                          Needless to say, I think the NVAs were much better
                          at psychological warfare than Americans.
                          \_ Meh -- I don't think it was so much a matter of
                             the NVA being good at psychological warfare, as
                             it was a matter of the US being so bad at keeping
                             up troops morale (not to mention being crippled
                             by politics from the counter culture back home).
                             There were just so many things wrong with the
                             way the US was prosecuting the Vietnam War in
                             terms of goals, strategy, philosophy, recruitment
                             practices, etc.  Relating the morale of US
                             troops late in that conflict to ANY nation's
                             efforts at psych warfare would be speciously
                             conclusive.
                       \_ The Kamikaze was on suicidal missions, although they
                          used planes instead of bombs.
                          used planes instead of bombs.  I think the US
                          military cannot give orders to go on suicidal
                          missions.  It can only ask for volunteers.  Don't
                          know about other militaries.
                          \_ Japanese had a ton of different ways to
                             commit suicide.  Kamikaze planes are just the
                             most famous.
                             http://www.ww2pacific.com/suicide.html
                             There is at least an oral history of Koreans
                             and Russians suicide bombing tanks in WWII.
                             \_ Luftwaffe pilots did suicide missions
                                when the Red Army was closing in on
                                Berlin.  They fly their planes into
                                bridges taken by the Russians to blow
                                the bridges up.
                             \_ A story that resonates w/ Poles is that
                                Polish prisoners in German camps actually
                                did suicide dives out upper-floor windows
                                to land on top of and kill individual
                                German guards