Al Qaeda, FBI, and Michael Collins

Comment on 2 postings as if you were talking in my voice. 100 words and 3 sources each:
Joseph 
Discussion 8
1. Yes, it seems that prior to 9/11, terror attacks did not spark such response as 9/11 did. I think because of the massive loss of life, primarily Americans, but as mentioned numerous other foreign nationals, this was complete justification for coalition forces to enter Afghanistan to route out bin Laden. I think Muslim countries, especially had a say in the matter. From the reading, many were horrified and even showed contempt for bin Laden following one attack with such a massive loss of life, especially against civilians and Muslims. However, off the top of my head, I don't believe there was ever any large contingency of direct military support for the invasion of Afghanistan other than use of airspace and airbases. The majority of the coalition was American, Canadian, British and German with mostly European nations involved.
2. I would say so yes, that and to prevent fear of flying, a sizeable economic chunk for the US as well as abroad. I think officials did not believe it was possible, speculation leads me to believe, the training required to fly a plane and how would one actually hijack it. However, as history has shown, both are doable. Whereas on the economic side, it would potentially have been a disaster if people stopped flying. It would wreak havoc on the travel industry as well as the business and hospitality industries among others. I don't think we realize how interconnected the world is.
3. I think calling Collins O'Neil's hero is both intellectually dishonest and ethically inconsistent. I think a man like O'Niell could say he admired Collins, but not be considered a hero. Collins essentially goes against almost everything O'Neill is fighting against, maybe save being a nationalist or arguably a martyr, or even being betrayed by his own. The latter are realy the only way I can see O'Neill to have reconciled his role as FBI and still hold Collins in high regard. The IRA had committed numerous atrocities in the name of independence, however we can argue the American Revolutionaries did as well, so its a bit of a paradox. I
Katherine 
Week 8 Discussion
1. Yes, I do think that the wide range of victims gave countries justification to fight. Many countries at that time had not been impacted by radical Islamic terrorism and while they may have acknowledged al Qaeda as a threat, they may not have been able to legitimize contributing resources to stopping them. Once such a drastic attack was perpetrated against the United States, allies, especially NATO allies, as 9/11 could be seen as an act of war, felt compelled to help us fight. This could also have been the tipping point for Muslim countries, since verse 5:32 in the Koran states how the killing of even one innocent person kills all mankind. All of the innocent lives lost on 9/11 may have given the Muslim countries the justification that al Qaeda does not believe in the Koran in the same way they do, regarding protecting life.
2. My research paper actually talks about this topic pretty extensively. Prior to 9/11, it was assumed that a hijacker would make demands to authorities over the cockpit radio and land the plane. Hijackers typically held some hostages until their demands were met, but most are released unharmed. The last time an airplane itself had been used as a missile was during World War 2 with the kamikaze pilots. The same page (The Looming Tower, page 396) states that the idea already in the subconscious of members of the FBI. I think some people were concerned with avoiding a panic at the bureau and didn't want to acknowledge that the concerns about terrorist hijacking passenger airlines may be warranted.
3. As far as O'Neill's high regard for Michael Collins, I think we need to see the difference between the IRA when Collins formed it and the IRA that most of us think of. Collins' IRA was formed from men who refused to enlist in the British Army during WWI, then became the Irish army during the Irish war for independence. the guerrilla warfare performed by the IRA was done during wartime against and enemy they were at war with. I think the fact that O'Neill participated in operations against the IRA while he was an FBI agent shows that he didn't have a high regard for the current IRA. Considering Collins supported the treaty with Britain, i'm sure O'Neill believed that the IRA he was working against was not the one that Collins formed.