Reality lessons for LWPCAS

[zoofer]

Tom JoScelyn
The first thing Americans should keep in mind is that this thwarted plot bears all the hallmarks of al Qaeda. It has been widely recognized that this plot is eerily similar to the Operation Bojinka plot of 1994 — which was designed to simultaneously blow up a dozen planes over the Pacific simultaneously.

While Bojinka was foiled before it ever got off the ground, al Qaeda has clearly never given up on the idea. The September 11 plot had its roots in Bojinka, as does this most recent plot. Al Qaeda and the various entities that support it are clearly determined to see their plans through to the end — even more than a decade later. This says a lot about their determination.

The second thing Americans should keep in mind is that this plot most likely involved the same Pakistani terror network tied to al Qaeda that had a hand in the July 7, 2005, London bombings. The British investigation into 7/7 determined that those terrorists traveled to Pakistan, where they most likely met with al Qaeda operatives and received some training.

Similarly, early reports indicate that the terrorists detained in this plot were mostly, if not all, of Pakistani descent. The New York Times has also reported that at least some of the would-be terrorists traveled to Pakistan, where — just as in the case of the 7/7 bombings - they “may have met with at least one person suspected of having links to Al Qaeda.”

Why should Americans keep this mind? Because even though there are reports that the Pakistanis helped break up this attack, it is clear that there is still an active network exporting terrorism from its soil. In the future we may not be so lucky as to stop an attack connected to the terrorists operating from Pakistan. What is Pakistan going to do to shut down this network? And what are the U.S. and the U.K. going to do to get Pakistan to shut down this network?

It is clear that there has been much progress in Pakistan’s willingness to help fight the war on terror. But, there is still room for improvement. Our enemies are determined. And we must be more determined to hunt them down and stop them — wherever they may operate from. We can’t count on breaking up plots so close to their execution every time.

— Thomas Joscelyn is a terrorism researcher who blogs at thomasjoscelyn.blogspot.com.

 

[zoofer]

Heather Mac Donald
President Bush says that the foiled British terror plot is a “stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists.” If so, this is a heck of a way to run a war. Air travel ground to a crawl on Thursday as every passenger was required to dump anything remotely liquid in his carry-on luggage. Security lines at Newark stretched the length of six football fields; other airports were only minimally more efficient.

The chaos reflected the assumption that every passenger boarding a plane in the U.S. posed an equal risk of blowing it up. Perhaps yesterday’s security procedures merely represent a temporary spasm of overkill. More likely, however, they will be codified into a new set of rules against carry-on liquids, requiring TSA agents to dig deeply into every piece of hand luggage, and costing billions of dollars in lost economic activity as travelers spend ever more time at airport check-points.

If President Bush believes that we are at war with “Islamic fascists,” his security policies should stop treating every American like the enemy. The most cursory analysis of successful and intending “Islamic fascists” to date reveals an almost unbroken uniformity of characteristics: They are virtually all young Muslim men of Middle Eastern, south Asian, or north African extraction. The handful of outliers — such as the undoubtedly feckless bozos recently charged in Florida — are too insignificant to mention, much less build national policy around.

The United States is currently pouring treasure and diplomatic muscle into defending Israel as the sole democracy in the Middle East. American officials do not accuse it of human-rights violations for its unapologetic use of terror profiling. Perhaps American leaders believe that Israel is really at risk, and thus must take otherwise unacceptable security measures, whereas the United States can afford to only play at fighting Islamic terrorism. If so, the Bush administration should cut the war rhetoric and level with the American people that the threat level in the U.S. is simply not that great.

But if the White House continues using apocalyptic language about “Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom,” as Bush announced on Thursday, then it should act on that rhetoric and start directing our finite security resources at the people most likely to pose a threat.

— Heather Mac Donald is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal.

 

[zoofer]

Daniel Pipes
Several thoughts come to mind: (1) Yesterday’s thwarted terror plot, and the ensuing media frenzy, offered the perfect antidote to what I warned was a dangerous post 9/11 complacency, for it involved no deaths but vast attention. Also, it prompted President Bush to break new ground by referring to our “war with Islamic fascists.”

(2) Airplanes represent an outdated target because passenger-screening techniques quickly adapt to threats. As soon as terrorists implement new techniques (box-cutters, shoe-bombs, liquid components), security promptly blocks them. (One cannot but wonder, however, why creatively, cops invariably lag behind criminals.) Conversely, trains, subways, and buses, as shown by attacks in Madrid, London, and Bombay, offer far richer opportunities for terrorists, for access to them can never be so strictly controlled as to aircraft.

(3) Massive terror plots of this sort (another example: the “Toronto 17“ arrested in June) are unwieldy and more easily uncovered than small-scale terror that involves only one or two persons. The Beltway Snipers, who in October 2002 terrorized the Washington, D.C., area, offer a prime counterexample.

(4) On a personal note, as a writer who clocks in his share of hours on planes, I worry that the temporary ban on electronic gear will become permanent, prompting me to rethink my entire travel schedule.

— Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and author of Miniatures.

 

[zoofer]

James S. Robbins
The key takeaways from the plot as I see it:

1. Al Qaeda has a limited imagination when it comes to attack plans. This operation was essentially the same as the Bojinka plan dreamed up by Ramzi Youssef back in 1995. 9/11 was an outgrowth of Bojinka, and here they return to the idea of simply blowing up aircraft. That demonstrates that we need to stay focused on protecting our air infrastructure. If you ever thought it would be easier to fly on a plane again, forget it.

2. The means of attack, combining two inert liquids to produce an explosive gel, shows that the bad guys are seeking to exploit every possible loophole in the security system. Mixing liquids to form explosives is not a new idea; it has been floated in terrorist documents. And Ramzi Youssef used a contact-lens-solution bottle to smuggle nitroglycerine for his test bombing of Philippine Air Flight 434 in 1994. So I would guess we won’t be allowed to take drinks on an aircraft ever again, too risky.

3. The terror plot was uncovered by a combined British/Pakistani/U.S. operation, which shows that productive collaboration is possible in the global war on terrorism. Also, according to a statement by a U.S. official (that the British probably wish was not made), the terror cell was penetrated by an agent and had been under observation since December. This demonstrates that the cells are not invulnerable to good intelligence work.

4. The war is very much ongoing, and groups of people are still out there formulating sophisticated ways to create mayhem. People has been relaxing a bit, taking things a little less seriously, even with attacks being carried out abroad (such as Mumbai, London, and Madrid). The 9/11 Commission said our biggest failure was one of imagination. As this attack plan shows, it is clearly not a failing of the terrorists.

— James S. Robbins is senior fellow in national-security affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council, a trustee for the Leaders for Liberty Foundation, and author of Last in Their Class: Custer, Picket and the Goats of West Point. Robbins is also an NRO contributor.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OWE3ZmVmMWJjMjY1MjhiZjE1YzExN2I1YmUzYzNlZWY&c=1

 

[zoofer]

You know, you can learn alot by rereading this stuff!

 

[Outta here]

Zoofer?!?!?!!!! 8O Wow, it's been awhile! Nice to see you.

 

[MikeyDB]

So what's the answer, open season on Moslems? Perhaps if we listen to George Bush..."We're gonna git him...We're gonna hunt him down...." (Osama)

We've been bombarded with propaganda for decades and what rationale is there to suggest that these documents and statements aren't exactly the same? If we're so knowledgeable when it comes to the dangers of Islamofascism...why is it that after the first attack on the WTC the second attack was so "successful"? If we understand the component makeup of how and why these folk seek to destroy "freedom" how is it that after the largest wealthiest military machine in the world has spent the future of millions of American children on its actions in Iraq that we're still encouraged to quake in fear at the prospects of more and greater death and destruction at the hands of the Islamofascists?

All talk and little balance.

Sound awfully like..."BE AFRAID BE VERY AFRAID...." and yet Americans didn't lose their homes to Osama or some other raghead, they lost their homes to greedy American banks and mortgage companies.

How effective can any "war on terrorism" actually be when the political system of the Democrats is exposed as incompetent to the point of disenfranchising voters in Michigan and Florida...I.E. America can't even demonstrate that it knows how to run a primary election..?

How successful are we likely to be when the wealthy are handed millions upon millions by our governments and the system of economics still manages to find the edge of self-destruction?

How many Americans are incarcerated and how much does this incarceration cost American taxpayers?

Are American industries importing poison goods from Saudi Arabia or Palestine? Is China the great friend of America and so our focus should be on supporting that economy and that ideology while ignoring Islam?

Balance all this out for me would you?

 

[zoofer]

So many questions Solomon couldn't answer adequately, how will my 2 functioning brain cells cope?
But I will comment on them

So what's the answer, open season on Moslems?

Nope. But awareness that radical Muslims seek our destruction or dhimmitude is a good start.

If we're so knowledgeable when it comes to the dangers of Islamofascism...why is it that after the first attack on the WTC the second attack was so "successful"? If we understand the component makeup of how and why these folk seek to destroy "freedom" how is it that after the largest wealthiest military machine in the world has spent the future of millions of American children on its actions in Iraq that we're still encouraged to quake in fear at the prospects of more and greater death and destruction at the hands of the Islamofascists?

The 2nd attack was successful because America is an open society. The 1st attack was treated as a police matter, not an act of war as it should have been.

Sound awfully like..."BE AFRAID BE VERY AFRAID...." and yet Americans didn't lose their homes to Osama or some other raghead, they lost their homes to greedy American banks and mortgage companies.

Most people who lost their homes really couldn't afford them in the first place. Low interest rates and easy credit encouraged them to buy. Thats how capitalism works. Stock markets go up and down.
Losing one's home and losing one's life are two different things. The banks did not maim and kill innocent citizens at random.

How effective can any "war on terrorism" actually be when the political system of the Democrats is exposed as incompetent to the point of disenfranchising voters in Michigan and Florida...I.E. America can't even demonstrate that it knows how to run a primary election..?

The Dems are not America. They want the war on terrorism to be lost in order to discredit Bush, so great is their hatred of the Prez. I believe the two primaries are to be revisited.

How successful are we likely to be when the wealthy are handed millions upon millions by our governments and the system of economics still manages to find the edge of self-destruction?

You got me there.
But the edge is better than full destruction which is the farleft communist way.

How many Americans are incarcerated and how much does this incarceration cost American taxpayers?

3 million I think. Must cost billions. Thats why I am favor of cheaper more hurtful punishments. The lash! A few swats across the buttocks will be more practical and productive than a year in the slammer.

Are American industries importing poison goods from Saudi Arabia or Palestine? Is China the great friend of America and so our focus should be on supporting that economy and that ideology while ignoring Islam?

The conventional thinking is that to commercially engage these countries we can influence them. Maybe after 500 years.
I doubt Palestine exports anything other than anti Semitism and homemade rockets.
Saudi has the oil and gets a pass as we need it. Saudi is where Wahhabism spawned radical Islamofascism and exported it worldwide.
China holds vast amounts of American bonds and exports cheap goods to Americans but hardly can be called a friendly ally.

Balance all this out for me would you?


A paste is called for wot?

 

[darkbeaver]

The Taliban ate my puppy.

 

[zoofer]

The good news.... and the bad.
Hope and Change Amid Despair

By Victor Davis Hanson
Thursday, March 20, 2008
“I think the magic is over.” That's what French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner recently said about the United States' global reputation.
It's never been a great idea to rely on the assessments of French politicians, but the daily news coming out of the U.S. -- in terms of our image overseas and beyond -- does indeed seem bleak.
Oil has climbed over $100 a barrel. Gas is nearing $4 a gallon. Gold is at $1,000 an ounce -- a telltale sign the public is losing trust in paper money, stocks and bonds.
Housing prices still slump. Foreclosures are on the rise. The huge Wall Street firm Bear Stearns nearly collapsed before being bought out for a fraction of its former worth.
Seven years ago, the Euro was worth about 90 cents. Now it's soared past $1.50. Staples like wheat and corn cost more than at anytime in our history. Foreign creditors hold $12 trillion in U.S. government securities, the result of decades of staggering trade deficits.
We are still fighting to secure constitutional governments in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran, contrary to headlines drawn from the recent National Intelligence Estimate, is likely still betting the U.S. can't prevent it from getting the bomb.
No one knows how many illegal aliens are in the United States --11, 15, 18 million? -- only that we can neither go on with open borders nor apparently close them.
Only a third of the public approves of the Bush administration. The ratings of Congress are even lower.
Our self-proclaimed reformers turn out to have feet of clay. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer made a career of taking on Wall Street greed -- in between spending laundered money on high-priced call girls.
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., promised a new politics of racial healing and political honesty. Yet despite eloquent speeches, he still cannot adequately explain why for 20 years he attended and subsidized a church whose fiery preacher spewed the worst sort of racial hatred and divisiveness.
So, is the “magic over"?
Not quite yet. The remedies for our current maladies require a moderate curbing of our extravagant lifestyle and voracious consumption. Given the vast size of the U.S. economy, we could easily restrain spending and begin paying off our debts at a rapid clip. Inflation and unemployment are still relatively low.
Over ninety-four percent of Americans with home mortgages meet their monthly obligations. More Americans own homes than ever before. More immigrants seek out America than any other nation.
We have not been hit by terrorists in over six years. And, slowly, both Afghanistan and Iraq are showing political progress and declining violence, despite recent suicide bombings.
In a relative sense, our problems pale in comparison to our past world wars and depressions, or those of our current competitors.
Unlike the United States, which is funding democratic change in Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia and China offer only brutal solutions to quench Islamic separatists in Chechnya and Xinjiang province. Neither country can square economic progress with human rights. Both have polluted their natural environment in ways inconceivable here.
Meanwhile, a shrinking Europe is disarmed in a dangerous world and can't assimilate its growing minorities.
We are still the world's third-largest petroleum producer with vast amounts of untouched oil. We have the world's largest coal reserves. Americans could use coal and nuclear power to generate most of our electrical needs and to charge hybrid electric cars.
Our universities remain the world's best, and we lead the world in cutting-edge technological innovation.
American elections are more wide open than ever before. Our next president will either be the first septuagenarian (when taking office), woman or African-American in the job.
America remains a meritocracy where no one is above the law. Unlike so many other places, success is predicated more on ability than race, class, tribe, religion or gender.
So while we exhibit outward symptoms of sickness, our inner constitution -- the real barometer of the health of a civilization -- is sound.
More importantly, there is a growing sense that Americans want to sacrifice to ensure our pre-eminence. Many conservatives are accepting that they can't just cut taxes without spending limits. And many liberals are seeing that more federal programs mean more dependency and debt for our children.
Divisive race and gender identity politics are becoming tired. A multiracial America in a strife-filled world works. So why copy the tribal separatism and divisions of the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda or most of the Middle East?
Because the United States is so huge, free, wealthy and dynamic, we can cause enormous problems overnight. But by the same token, we can curb these excesses quickly. The solution to so many of the hopeless headlines is entirely in our hands.

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and author, most recently, of "A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War."
link

 

[zoofer]

Too bad Sarah is married.
We could make music together.

 

[darkbeaver]

It would be a funeral tune. Oh well as long as you went with a smile.:smile:

 

[zoofer]

Mine eyes have seen the glory..... yodelled Sarah.

 

[zoofer]

Fact: 79,000,000 people are engaged in intercourse right now.
Fact: 58,000,000 are kissing.
Fact: 37,000,000 are getting/giving oral sex.
Fact: 1 lonely jerk is reading this post...You hang in there sunshine! Your day will come!
;-)