Michael -

Good post!

I can't help but think of Hercules and his battle with the Hydra - chop off one head and two grow to take its place.

The more you do it the stronger the enemy becomes - wipe out one cell and two grow to take its place. Two more-mean than the one you got rid of.

Go for the heart?

The body cannot be penetrated. And besides, it means ignoring those nasty heads (cells).

The only way is to kill the whole.

Depending on which version of the myth you read, Herc chopped off a head and had an assistant burn the stump - or - he got down on his knees, picked the Hydra up and held it aloft in the light of wisdom until it eventually stopped fighting and died, at which point its immortal head appeared, was cut off and its power then available to be used by Herc.

Both versions of the Myth have Herc win. One is a bloody battle that needed outside help. The other was far less bloody but required a prolonged effort (holding aloft until dead).

Of course, another way to kill the whole of something is via "starvation".

I'm sure our leaders are going over all possible avenues with this. The last thing they would want, in my opinion, is to create a martyr.

Yes it's hard to fight someone on the grounds of belief. Even harder when you throw in the element of fighting for their home land.

Overall, it's quite a problem. But at least knowing what the problem is gives you something to work with.

Michael Ross.