Terrorists Hoping U.S. Lashes Out Blindly: "In nearly all cases, religious terrorists believe that humanity is already gripped by an epic moral struggle, one with deep historical roots. Terrorist attacks are designed to bring the battle down to earth, experts said.

"The loss of innocent life is 'meant to shock us into accepting the reality the terrorists feel... They know a war's going on already,' said Juergensmeyer, a sociologist and director of international studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. 'We don't, and that's what drives them nuts.'"

Well, that, and our Homer Simpson-like habit of renaming people named Grimes, Grimey.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
file=/chronicle/archive/2001/09/20/MN191788.DTL

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001