They're At It Again
Anybody miss me? I've been on vacation. We were having a great time in Florida until we heard about the heightened security status affeting the aviation sector on the day before we had to fly back.
Do you believe there was really a plot to explode airliners over the Atlantic? First, it sounds a lot like a "plot" that was discovered a few years back to explode airliners over the Pacific. I can't recall any trials in that case; probably the people who were supposed to plotting are incommunicado in Guantanamo. Or maybe there was no plot at all. That's the nice thing about being the President who cried "Wolf": You can bust some Arabic looking people, park them in Guantanamo, and never have the truth come out at a trial.
But these threats work well for the President who cried "Wolf." Most people are willing to say, as a shuttle driver said to me yesterday, "It's better to be safe than sorry." The alleged existence of the plot makes a threat seem real, whether it is or not. And that can make security an issue in elections, especially for soccer mommies. Doing something about the alleged threat makes the person doing it--or directing it--seem strong and manly, and that gets soccer mommies to vote. In fact, the very pandemonium at airports actually contributes to the success of the President who cried "Wolf." It's clear that he is taking immedate, strong action. And when people are having to discard bottled water, perfume, and Blistex, that just shows how serious the government is about keeping people safe. And people conclude that they are, in fact, safer because of the President who cried "Wolf."
First of all, there's no reason in the world to believe anything that George W. Bush says. About a third of the time, it seems unlikely that he even knows what he's saying. And he has a history of lying to the American people. Over 2500 Americans have died as a direct result of his lies. To argue that he will lie about one thing but not another is a bit of a stretch, and the fact that he hasn't admitted to lying doesn't mean that he hasn't done it. The facts prove that he is either a liar or a gullible fool, and trusting either is not a good idea.
Second, this safety is a sham. The fact that these plots are uncovered doesn't mean that all plots are uncovered, and we may, in fact, be lulled into a false sinse of security. Consider this: You once scored with an attack using commercial aviation, and security has been tightened on that sector. How likely are you to try anything remotely similar? Aren't there numerous other acts that you can imagine that would be equally effective and much more likely to escape detection? And if you really had a plot going, wouldn't you have an alternative--some contingency plan to make a similar splash if the primary plan was uncovered?
So I'm not convinced that there really was a plot at all. If calculations by Karl Rove, the Minion in Chief, and the President who Cried "Wolf" are incorrect and there's no political bounce, they'll just blame the Brits and go on asking Americans to vote for Republicans who have really done nothing to enhance national security.
Do you believe there was really a plot to explode airliners over the Atlantic? First, it sounds a lot like a "plot" that was discovered a few years back to explode airliners over the Pacific. I can't recall any trials in that case; probably the people who were supposed to plotting are incommunicado in Guantanamo. Or maybe there was no plot at all. That's the nice thing about being the President who cried "Wolf": You can bust some Arabic looking people, park them in Guantanamo, and never have the truth come out at a trial.
But these threats work well for the President who cried "Wolf." Most people are willing to say, as a shuttle driver said to me yesterday, "It's better to be safe than sorry." The alleged existence of the plot makes a threat seem real, whether it is or not. And that can make security an issue in elections, especially for soccer mommies. Doing something about the alleged threat makes the person doing it--or directing it--seem strong and manly, and that gets soccer mommies to vote. In fact, the very pandemonium at airports actually contributes to the success of the President who cried "Wolf." It's clear that he is taking immedate, strong action. And when people are having to discard bottled water, perfume, and Blistex, that just shows how serious the government is about keeping people safe. And people conclude that they are, in fact, safer because of the President who cried "Wolf."
First of all, there's no reason in the world to believe anything that George W. Bush says. About a third of the time, it seems unlikely that he even knows what he's saying. And he has a history of lying to the American people. Over 2500 Americans have died as a direct result of his lies. To argue that he will lie about one thing but not another is a bit of a stretch, and the fact that he hasn't admitted to lying doesn't mean that he hasn't done it. The facts prove that he is either a liar or a gullible fool, and trusting either is not a good idea.
Second, this safety is a sham. The fact that these plots are uncovered doesn't mean that all plots are uncovered, and we may, in fact, be lulled into a false sinse of security. Consider this: You once scored with an attack using commercial aviation, and security has been tightened on that sector. How likely are you to try anything remotely similar? Aren't there numerous other acts that you can imagine that would be equally effective and much more likely to escape detection? And if you really had a plot going, wouldn't you have an alternative--some contingency plan to make a similar splash if the primary plan was uncovered?
So I'm not convinced that there really was a plot at all. If calculations by Karl Rove, the Minion in Chief, and the President who Cried "Wolf" are incorrect and there's no political bounce, they'll just blame the Brits and go on asking Americans to vote for Republicans who have really done nothing to enhance national security.
posted by amsterdr at 10:08 AM
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