"If we go home, they'll simply follow us. We have no choice, so we should look at it as a long term project."

Uh. What?

If we go home, they'll simply follow us?! Are you kidding me? Put that cup of Kool-Aid down, please, and think about what you're saying.

Did the Viet Cong follow us home? Did the Germans? The Japanese? The Colombians? The Panamanians? The Spanish? Did the Iraqis? Did anyone? EVER? How will they follow us? With boats? An air armada crafted from goat-skins and meticulously-carved rock?

And "we have no choice?" Since when? Of course we have a choice! We have tons of choices!

You want a war, that's what you're choosing. You think "kicking ass" is "how to win." You are trapped in your own brain's narrow pathways. Maybe if the consequences of your war-mongering came to your house, you might feel a little differently. Or maybe not; maybe you'd advocate killing more Afghanis.

The good news for you is that you're not alone. The bad news is that you're not alone in being obtuse.

I commend your son for his service, but....your fears about the Taliban somehow toppling Pakistan are absurd. You might as well fear Mexico overthrowing America.

Pakistan, while a sometimes scary place, is nevertheless a very developed country with a VERY professional military. The Taliban receive Pakistani support from the ISI on occasion, but not the other way around. And that relationship is problematic for both parties very frequently.

The "domino effect" that you allude to is really just hyperbole used to trump up a case to expand the war effort. For your own son's sake, you should think about what you're backing.

...that the "conversion" in question was really a matter of comfort. Buddhism was too weird for her, but she felt at home with Catholicism because she thought JC was hot and he kind of turned her on when she imagined lying on her back and looking up at him.

To her, that's a comprehensive survey of all religions, and a thorough vetting of the intellectual pros and cons of converting to any religion.

She's not alone in her way of thinking. I think most commenters here feel things first and then think about them later. That's how most humans are.

But it's not how we have to be.

You want to try a different way, think about converting to just looking at the world without crutches, without middlemen to interpret your experiences for you, without "spiritual guidance." No one needs any of that crap. Be brave enough to stand on your own two feet; the splendor of the world will open up before you.

"In the Islamic the Mullahs don't need to crusade against teenage sex, because in their society if a teenage girl decides to have before marriage, they just have a little honor killing and be done with the matter."

Now who's stereotyping? Gee, I had no idea that my fiancee's family would do such a thing. I mean, she's Muslim.

What evil sick people those Muslims are!

"To have a handful of people as suspects and "throw the book at them" as Garrison says, doesn't do any good."

Why doesn't it?

I think this is where quite a few people would disagree with you. It seems as though there's a contingent of people who'd just rather not make a scene than actually hold the people who committed atrocities responsible for their actions.

It's particularly important to hold that "handful" of people accountable if they're the people in charge, by the way. This isn't some sort of numbers game, this is about upholding the law and the Constitution of the United States.

Does that even mean anything anymore?

Mr. Traister, and practically all the commenters so far:

Thank you. I am recently engaged, and sometimes (when you find yourself arguing over whether the fan should be on all night, and if so, whether or not it should be oscillating) you do wonder if maybe this person you just got engaged to is really right for you.

Especially when you see and hear so much about how shitty marriage is, and how stupid people are, and how many people cheat, and what makes this person do that neurotic thing or the other.

But deep down, I know she is the right one for me.

It feels good to hear people talk about how much they like being married, even if that's all they say, and it's not much more complicated than that. It gives some of us hope.

So ignore the cynics, folks. And kudos to Mr. Traister for saying what I suspected all along: a sense of humor about everything, especially sex, is maybe the most important thing.

And goddamn it, the fan should oscillate. Otherwise it's blowing air on my face all night long, and that's not right.

Denial, delusion, and a disconnect with reality.