Here's another thought:
Maybe the reason they're on the island (remember, Locke is always saying there's a "reason" they're there) is because that Desmond has touched all of their lives in some way. Maybe in the weeks to come we're going to see flashbacks similar to Jack's involving Desmond from everyone. Maybe Desmond wasn't supposed to mess with people's lives like that and has disrupted the natural order of things so "the others" needed to not only pull Desmond out of the loop (and basically put him in jail) but also take the people who he has unhinged from natural fate out of society.
I love this f'n show.
Maybe the reason they're on the island (remember, Locke is always saying there's a "reason" they're there) is because that Desmond has touched all of their lives in some way. Maybe in the weeks to come we're going to see flashbacks similar to Jack's involving Desmond from everyone. Maybe Desmond wasn't supposed to mess with people's lives like that and has disrupted the natural order of things so "the others" needed to not only pull Desmond out of the loop (and basically put him in jail) but also take the people who he has unhinged from natural fate out of society.
I love this f'n show.