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Thursday, May 6, 2010

"Denial Over the Bomb Plot"

Ms Joan Vennochi has an excellent OpEd in today's Boston Globe.  It is about how the People understand the bombing attempts as a plot, but how the Government, and the two political parties, don't yet get it.

The "link" is here.

Here are the last four paragraphs
Some of that political denial comes from troubling fact: Every terrorist plot launched by Muslim extremists cannot be foiled before it threatens human life. A combination of luck and vigilance has stopped a string of attempts, from Richard Reid’s attempted shoe-bombing in December 2001 to an attempted bombing of the New York subway system, from the bomb carried in the underwear of a passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight last December to the Times Square incident .

Denial also springs from the blood sport that is American politics. The fight against terrorism no longer unites the country. It divides it along partisan lines. It’s all about blame, not shared accountability.

Today, it’s a sign of political weakness to acknowledge an attempt by a Muslim extremist to attack in the United States.

Americans know the truth. It’s time for politicians — Republican and Democratic — to trust them to with the realities of the problem. It’s also time for politicians to stop using the reality as a reason to attack each other.
Regards  —  Cliff

12 comments:

ncrossland said...

Excellent point made. Sadly, given today's media and political climate, the title of your previous post will predominate and prevail "Blame the Republicans."

Another compelling suggestion was made the other day by someone....so "NO"....I have no link or source. The essence of the suggestion was that the Times Square event was simply a test event. Had it been successful, so much the better, but its true purpose was to test and document our response patterns and capability. And while many will decry that suggestion as wildly paranoid, history would suggest that many successes are born from "Unrealistic" extremes of action. "That is just ludicrous. Nobody in their right mind would try THAT!!!" (I imagine that was more or less the text of the discussion regarding the possibility and probability of a band of fanatics taking over the cockpits of 4 American airliners in a carefully coordinated manner to achieve destruction of 4 carefully designated targets.)

Jack Mitchell said...

Not nutty at all.

Recon by fire is a legit tactic. Every event successful/failed should be analyzed by an after action review. Our opponents are not fools.

It is clear, OBL played Bush for the sucka that he was. Have we not been drained of blood and treasure?

ncrossland said...

No....but Yobumba is working on it.

Jack Mitchell said...

Brilliant! Blame the guy with the tow truck, not the chump that drove into the tree.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_05/023691.php

But I digress...

The squabble that concerns me is over prosecution and punishment. GOPers want to treat terrorists like animals. Dems want to apply the golden rule. In accordance to our Constitution.

I don't blame Bush/Cheney for terrorist attacks. I'm not a Truther. They did an OK job protecting us. I'd give them a C+.

ncrossland said...

The Constitution applies to US Citizens and in the case of the most recent idiot, he gets that protection....and we'll give him a fair trial in a US Federal Court....and then hang his sorry butt.

Oh....and the Golden Rule is not part of the Constitution.....no matter how badly Liberalland wants it to be.

W/r your concern, I suppose that you judge that since he really didn't KILL anyone, he should get a light sentence.....so he can study up on it and get the job done right next time?? That is precisely what has happened in a number of instances where we released some of those poor beleagured and INNOCENT folks held at Gitmo. Do unto others hasn't yet been demonstrated by the Taliban and AQ...they seem to do unto us in a much different way. Maybe we're not being nice enough??

In a full monty attempt by the DoD and NATO, we are doing our best now to show our tender, sensitive side. We are now awarding our soldiers, airmen, and sailors "Courageous Restraint" medals.....given when there isn't evidence enough that the folks who are shooting at you are really bad guys shooting at you...and may just be innocent civilians shooting at you.....or providing a temporary bed and breakfast for the bad guys shooting at you. I'm sure that this initiative is somehow inspired or connected to the Nobel Peace Prize.

Hey....speaking of that....I got one the other day in my box of Cracker Jacks (no pun intended Jack). I had no idea that they'd upgraded their prizes so greatly.

Jack Mitchell said...

"Democrats are always suspect on national security, and anything that makes them look weak on national security creates an opportunity for Republicans," said Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster.
-----------------------------

Ya know, Neal. I played along with your suggestion that this last attempt was just a practice run. Being diligent, I accepted the premise.

BUT...

It is clear that this last event was testimony that things CAN go right. Everything came together and it looks as if there is no downside. Credit goes to all that helped prepare for this. For me that credit extends back to the last Admin.

Yet, here we find you, effectively fearmongering. You have suggested, in a slimey way, that the success is NOT in fact a success. That this car bomb was a practice run, intentionally set to be discovered, so that a later attack could occur. A better, more lethal attack?

What a shitty thing to do!

ncrossland said...

You must be a loyal Janet Napolitano fan. The system worked well. This is law enforcement at its best. Jack, it's too early to hit the sauce on Friday.

These are the FACTS.

The bomb fizzled.....law enforcement didn't even know about it until an alert street vendor noticed smoke billowing from the car. The system HASN'T worked to that point.

Looking for a white guy who changed shirts "furtively" in the "vicinity." Bloomberg says its probably a homegrown guy who wants to make a political statement or hates Obamacare. Napolitano isn't as specific, but isn't looking for a foreign terrorist....until later when the actual bomber is identified...then she announces that this is "probably" a foreign terrorist act. Boy Jack, nothing gets past her.

Then they descend on the guy's house...but so many newspeople are around that the guy has seen them, panicked, and headed for the airport.

The FBI is "tracking" him.....but on the way to the airport, loses him completely. They don't "find" him again until the guy is on an Emirates flight that is only moments from pushing back. The doors are in fact closed. Only then does a customs and immigration guy notice that his name is on a "watch list"....not EVEN on the Do Not Fly list...and they tell the LE folks on the ground to "don't let that plane depart."

Yeah Jack........the system worked.....about as well as it did under George when the towers went down....or the shoe bomber...or the underpants bomber.....or the who knows how many illegals are in this country folks.

But......we can tell you which stall a calf was born in...and what time...and where it is today.....just in case it has mad cow disease.

Maybe we need to put the USDA in charge of national security.

We weren't successful at all Jack. We were LUCKY.....and luck is based on probability.....and the probability given the current constants and variables is not going to hold much longer.

I wonder why El Al has never had an airborn incident? Oh..but wait....those Israelis are vindictive...or as you put it....shitty.

Its a real world Jack...and their are genuinely hateful people out there that really, really, really want to take as many Americans out as is humanly (not humanely) possible.......and if our efforts to resist them are not equal in intensity and dedication......they WILL succeed.

HAS NOTHING to do with fear mongering. One can try to be prepared...or be a victim.

Jack Mitchell said...

Its a real world Jack...and their are genuinely hateful people out there that really, really, really want to take as many Americans out as is humanly (not humanely) possible.......and if our efforts to resist them are not equal in intensity and dedication......they WILL succeed.

So? Whatever they do, we should do better?
...................

About your yarn. These are the thing that legends are made of.
Tales of Truthiness
An Epic Saga by Neal Crossland

By two and get a free Striker Streetsweeper for home security.

ncrossland said...

Oh no Jack.......I can't take credit for the....."yarn".......that would be a bit plageristic. That was written by the real people who lived it. Legendary??? Hey...could be.

Actually, the streetsweepers are a bit wimpy these days. There are much better choices on the market.

As I've said before Jack, I sleep very well at night without fear. The Second Amendment rights I enjoy ensure that you can enjoy your First Amendment rights. An unarmed citizenry are called "subjects."

But back on topic.......as I said in my first reponse....first paragraph, second sentence. "Blame the Republicans" and you have validated that posit.

Jack Mitchell said...

To be clear, in this thread, I have been generous to those that protect us.

Please note the words of Mr. Whit Ayres.

Also, I have done my part protecting those that sleep and speak, ect. in America.

Just because I have not inventoried my personal possession on the intertubes, one would be well served to creep to another window at night.

Last I knew, Infantryman was not confused with chickenhawk. Are you confused, Neal?

ncrossland said...

OK.....this is pointless. I have many more productive things to do with my life than play endless and valueless verbal games with you Jack.

Jack Mitchell said...

We call it b-l-o-g-g-i-n-g. Did you think this was The RAND Corp or something?

This particular blog is kinda like playing T-Ball.