"Peshawar, Pakistan - The pakistani Taliban have taken dozens of hostages, including police officers, paramilitary fighters and even state bank officials, and threatened on Friday to begin killing them unless the government released four of their comrades captured last week."

Well, of COURSE this is what they're doing. After all, it worked for Hezbollah, right? And they didn't even offer live captives in return. Hezbollah has been partying for the last couple days because of their victory... and now the Taliban wants to do some partying as well. 

"So far, the government has held firm, sending hundreds of soldiers to the area, Hangu, in North-West Frontier Province, to engage in the first real fighting with the militants since the two sides agreed to a new series of peace deals this year."

I have a question. Why is anybody willing to sign "peace deals" with these types of people? They never keep their end of the bargain. Seems a pointless exercise to me. 

So I've decided that we need a new strategy for dealing with these people. They're basically like very very spoiled children with a violent streak. These tactics of theirs need to stop working. I cannot figure out what Israel was thinking, trading all those prisoners for two dead soldiers... and maybe they had their reasons that actually make sense. But it's kind of like letting your toddler scream in the store for candy and then buying it for him when the screaming goes on long enough... they just learn that the screaming worked and next time they'll scream longer and louder. Well, the terrorists learned a valuable lesson. Kidnapping and killing works. It appears to get them their way almost every time. 

Guess what? They're just going to kidnap larger numbers of people, killing and maiming -- and demanding. Because they're now more confident than ever that their demands will be met. 

Stop giving them what they want!!!

It seems to me that, in large part, the key to good parenting is making sure you're more stubborn than your kids are. You can't be a wuss who just gives in because they put the screws to you long enough (and they WILL put the screws to you - regularly!!). It stands to reason, then, that the key to good foreign policy (as relates to terrorism) is making sure we're more stubborn than they are. Not backing down and giving in to their tantrums. 

I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty tired of hearing about the latest thing the Muslim community is up in arms about. Rioting because some cartoonist dared to draw an unflattering picture of Mohammed... Killing a filmmaker who made films unflattering to Islam... kidnapping and killing people (be they soldier or civilian)... demanding foot-washing stations in public places... and on and on. 

ENOUGH!!

Why aren't other people irritated to death with this stuff?