Gaaaah! I need to run out to 7-11.

Hold me. I’m scared.

Clearly the left is not convinced by this showing about the real threat of Islamic terrorism towards our nation.

The Department of Homeland Security is banning all liquids aboard U.S. flights until further notice.

Holy shit, I’m three-fourths liquid! I guess they’re putting all of us with liquid in our ancestry on the no-fly lists now.

Clearly the left is not convinced by this showing about the real threat of Islamic terrorism towards our nation.

The fact is, that would be “the left” as represented by a few anonymous commentators on a blog. Clearly.

Clearly the left is not standing in terror, shaking their knees and pissing themselves like the right is…

And this news should be a reminder to the leftist fringe* that voted for Ned Lamont that terrorism in a real threat, and Joe Lieberman will support the War on Terror while Ned Lamont wants to cut and run from the war on terror.

*- The fact is that 52% of democrats, in an election with 40% turnout, in a state with 37% democrats, voted for Lamont. That’s less than 8% of people in a very liberal state. It’s a fringe of society.

Hey dickfor – that has nothing to do with this post.

Get a clue.

Clearly the left is not convinced by this showing about the real threat of Islamic terrorism towards our nation.

We’re convinced that police work is more effective than full military mobilization. As today’s news demonstrates.

You guys have to stop leaving the billygoats around, Gavin..

I’m pretty sure that we’ll find out that a form of the terrorist surveillence program was responsible for these arrests.

Hey dickfor – that has nothing to do with this post.

What’s a dickfor?

We’re fighting Iraqis over there so we don’t have enough FBI agents to find lost Egyptian teenagers over here.

Clearly the left is not standing in terror, shaking their knees and pissing themselves like the right is…

No liquids allowed on flights, bub.

And who wants to see Gary run those numbers for president “I have a mandate?” P.S. they were arrested in England, an area surprisingly uncovered by our Constitution.

I wouldn’t be stunned if those Egyptians were involved in a terrorist plot too

Yep. The Brits got these clowns after a nice little investigation. The U.S. is still playing “Where’s Osama?” five years and untold billions later. So much for the vaunted American productivity.

Not to mention that the Brits got them BEFORE they struck.

What’s a dickfor?

To pee with!

MCH, the Brits arrested those terrorists in their own nation. Osama is not in America. Brits arresting terrorists is not the same as America arresting Osama. America arresting Osama is a bigger deal.

Perhaps I have to explain it for dear, thick Gary: NOBODY minds terrorist surveillance in this country, including of citizens AS LONG AS IT ADHERES TO THE CONSTITUTION. Widespread warrantless wire-tapping with next to no oversight is another matter entirely. Why do all the “government can’t to anything right, drown it in a bathtub” conservatives suddenly think the feds are trust-worthy with powers I wouldn’t even give my mother? Must be magic.

“Yep. The Brits got these clowns after a nice little investigation. The U.S. is still playing “Where’s Osama?â€? five years and untold billions later. So much for the vaunted American productivity.”

Sir, you ignore the fact that while the Brits have rested on their law-enforcement laurels, we Americans have been at the forefront of being greeted as liberators, protecting the flag from stinking hippies, and preventing homos from ruining our marriages.

You can’t arrest a guy if he’s dead.
Plus the Brits are doing something. Our government is too, but it’s more of ‘who can we piss off today’ than ‘why can’t we catch anybody and stop terrorism?’.

Uh oh, Gary is on the fritz.

Yep, these guys clearly represented an existential threat to america and our freedoms. Our very way of life was threatened. Maybe, if we’re really good and finish our dinners, they will go ahead and repeal the first AND the fourth amendments right away! Then we’ll be even SAFER from these scary brown islamomuslifacsistsuperdupermenofevil. Because, obviously, America in it’s current state is powerless agains twenty or so disenfranchised british kids. Man, that was a close one! Thanks Mr. Blair…

mikey

Brits arresting terrorists is not the same as America arresting Osama. America arresting Osama is a bigger deal.

Well what’s harder – finding a guy whose face is recognized by every last person on Earth (and you can get $30 billion for pointing him out) or figuring out generic terrorists 1-15 from a pool of thousands of English Muslims?.

Clearly, the only logical response to this plot would be for Great Britain to invade some smaller country, perhaps chosen at random.

Alternatively, they could all go slam their dicks in a door, which gives much the same effect in the end.

Not in the same, mind you. That would be homogay.

Thanks Mr. Blair…

Who, taking a page from the Dubya playbook, is on vacation at the moment with no immediate plans to, y’know, go back to work or anything.

Damn, f’ed up the tag.

Closing the damn tags…. there.

MCH, the Brits arrested those terrorists in their own nation. Osama is not in America. Brits arresting terrorists is not the same as America arresting Osama. America arresting Osama is a bigger deal.

You know, I agree with this entirely. Bagging bin Dickwad would be a big huge deal. So why did we disband the unit that was looking?

Dammit! My bad . . .

America arresting Osama is a bigger deal.

And Gary Coleman nailing Lindsay Lohan would be a big deal, too. Let’s see if they happen first.

OT but useful:

I’ve found that to close f’ed up comments tags, you have to OPEN the tag you’re trying to close, THEN close it. Like this (mentally replace the braces with the HTML brackets).

Italics still open? Type {i} {/i}

This should work for bold, etc. as well. Replace the “i” in the above example with the appropriate thang.

Clearly the left is not convinced by this showing about the real threat of Islamic terrorism towards our nation.

Woop! Woop! Misplaced modifier alert! Take the imbedded prepositional phrases out of your carry-on and proceed to the realitycheckpoint.

Ah, thanks MCH. Clearly, I have much to learn.

“Well what’s harder – finding a guy whose face is recognized by every last person on Earth (and you can get $30 billion for pointing him out) or figuring out generic terrorists 1-15 from a pool of thousands of English Muslims?.”

Thousands? I think you mean millions. And besides, the police have not yet said that those arrested actually are Muslims. For a plot of this scale and apparent sophistication, it’s very likely to be Al Qaeda sponsored, but not necessarily.

Glad to see someone over in Britain reads their daily breifings…

Thank God we invaded Iraq, because otherwise plots such as this one would never have been detected.

I dunno about the necessity of al Q sponsorship. Hell, any doof can cook up a batch of low velocity explosives (It’s just an oxidizer and a fuel, say Potassium Perchlorate and Aluminum Powder – thats a salute – I’ve been making them for years) and get together with some friends to commit an atrocity (columbine, for example). Really, the only funding they’d need would be the plane tix, and if you were commited to dying in the op, why not use a credit card? Home grown Madrassa – based terror cells really need very little support…

mikey

I love how questions about when our fighting men & women might come back from Iraq is twisted into being against fighting terrorism. Gary is an idiot troll as evidenced by the thought this goverment will find Osama, friend of the Saudi royals with whom Bush held hands.

My lunch hour is almost over so I better run out to get me some Code Red & Cheetos! It’ll have to be diet though as I’m trying to lose some weight…

And besides, the police have not yet said that those arrested actually are Muslims.

True. They’ve said that they’re British citizens, and that some “may be of Pakistani descent” (CNN). Also from CNN:

Airline terror plot is “stark reminder” U.S. is at “war with Islamic fascists,” President Bush says,

adding, “now don’t you all feel weak and traitorous for voting against my friend Joe?”

Travis,

Regarding that first video…I thought that the Man can’t bust our music?!?

hey y’all – do you think that if we ignore him and pretend he isn’t here, gary will shut the fuck up and go away?

Hey, it’s pretty fascinating to watch Gary evolve. He used to just drop little turds on the comments and move on to some other lefty blog. But now, he’s starting to feel welcome here, kind of at home, y’know? So he’s actually beginning to engage with individual peeps here. Ok, not with anything approaching logic, but still, it’s fun to watch. I think he’s lonely and I don’t mind if he finds some comfort among his gay commie terrorist appeasing pals over here at Sadly, No!

mikey

*- The fact is that 52% of democrats, in an election with 40% turnout, in a state with 37% democrats, voted for Lamont. That’s less than 8% of people in a very liberal state. It’s a fringe of society.

Yeah, and when you read that 67% of Americans disapprove of Bush, well, that’s based on a sample of about 1000 people, so there are only 670 people in America who don’t like him! That’s out of, like, a kajillion!

hey y’all – do you think that if we ignore him and pretend he isn’t here, gary will shut the fuck up and go away?

No, Gary is much too convinced that by trolling Sadly, No he is personally guaranteeing America’s victory in the Global War on Terror.

fabbo said,
August 10, 2006 at 18:44

Clearly, the only logical response to this plot would be for Great Britain to invade some smaller country, perhaps chosen at random.

**********************

Belgium is the clear choice.

Now, if you will excuse me, I’m trying to coax a Republican friend
out from under his desk. (I think it’s the terrorism alert that’s got
his [brown] shirt in a twist, but it might be the Gary Coleman on
Lindsay Lohan action that’s really messing with his head. I know
I’ll never be the same after visualizing that.)

Of course, all the terrorists are Pakis. You know, our allies in the war on terror.

Gary,

If you’re not under your bed you should be in Iraq.

Obviously, the invasion of Iraq has done its job in isolating the terrorists and preventing them from attacking in the Home countries…. oh wait.

And yes, I think if we ignored Gary he would go away. But it would be less fun, and he might leave his Mom’s basement and get into trouble.

Basically, we fight him here, so we won’t have to fight him outside.

Gary will stick to being under his bed hiding from the bad leftists.

BTW, notice how the PATRIOT Act did nothing to help any investigation, seeing as the Shrubbery still has their heads up their asses and the UK did the real work.

Damn lazy conservatives. It’s like they’re telling terraists to bring it on.

Of course, all the terrorists are Pakis. You know, our allies in the war on terror.

Just like the 9/11 hijackers mostly came from our Bestest Arab Buds 4-Evr, Saudi Arabia.

Pakis? PAKIS???!!!

No no no. You fucked up big time, guys. Dammitall they were supposed to be Iranians and Hezbollah so we could get that really big war rolling in time for the elections.

Sheesh. They don’t make agent provocateurs the way they used to.

I had no idea who The Briefs were. God I love Wikipedia!

What’s the putative purpose of terror alerts?
I mean, I see a statement of purpose right there in “terror alert,” but why should anyone, in this case, not directly affected by the possibility of being blown up in a plane crossing the Atlantic bother to be “alert?”

I lived in NYC on and after 9/11 and it the fucking never ending vague terror alerts made just going on with life into this grinding, futile exercise in anxiety management. I quickly realized that the alerts are pure PR, but even so, given that issuing them was like shooting off a gun in a room full of people with PTSD, I had a hard time believing that anyone could be that callously cynical.

Ginger Yellow,

Sorry, millions. About them being Muslims, I was just speaking theoretically to Gary Trollpert

“I mean, I see a statement of purpose right there in “terror alert,â€? but why should anyone, in this case, not directly affected by the possibility of being blown up in a plane crossing the Atlantic bother to be “alert?â€?”

What precisely are they supposed to be alert about, anyway? People carrying liquids?

Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got another photoshopping controversy getting ready to explode.

The thing about this attempt from the terrorists’ point of view, is that it’s a win-win for them.

If the plot gets carried out, then they kill several hundred people, maybe a thousand, and scare the shit out of everybody. If they get caught (which they did, thank goodness!) then they still scare the hell out of a bunch of people and cause, idunno, millions of $ in economic disruption.

For the price of a few plane tickets, how much money did they cost the airlines and airport security forces, plus money cost by disrupted business due to packages and documents not getting out on time on cancelled flights, businesspeople stuck in airports, hotels with guests not showing up? The economic ripples from FOILING an attack are pretty significant.

It’s only unethical and wrong when the “MSM” or the LIberals do it, Seltz.

Does that GOP site smack anyone else as a notch below middle-school level politics and sociality?

Gary is a troll, but I dunno. Without him and his like around, the comments would be so boring. Like pizza without the grilled chicken.

The Homeland Security Advisory System is a means of instructing various government agencies on what precautions and polices to take. This gets blasted out breathlessly in the media as if we the public have some action to take. Fear mongering is not just for Republicans y’know.

Except of course satirical ‘blogs. Code Red means irony is dead; cut that shit out. anybody that can single handedly elect a fringe left liberal over the CT Dems first choice Lieberman is wielding a weapon deadlier than explosive hair gel. You’re more dangerous than Osama. Plus we know where you are most of the time.

One thing’s for sure. The Terrorists were waiting for Ned Lamont to beat Lieberman. That was the “Go” signal. I mean, one thing happened after the other, and that means that the first caused the second, right?

This just in from RedState:

The planned airline bombings by the terrorists should show the American people one thing, if only one things — the Democrats’ ideas on national security are bad for the safety of this country. Cut and run will not work because the terrorists do not follow the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, and Ned Lamont. Peace at any price is too great a price.

Um, “the terrorists do not follow the leadership of” democrats? But they do follow the leadership of republicans? OK. Got it.

Wow, Smiling Mortitician,

That quote from RedState really illustrates that the human mind is associative by nature and logic is a skill that must be learned and practiced.

Wait, what? Hebblle,,, frumkin? British terrorists getting caught is proof that Democratic policies won’t work?
That’s.. that’s… wow.
Ignoring the whole, screamingly-obvious, “This is happening under YOUR watch, assfuck!” thing, that’s like, like, I dunno what. I can’t even draw a paralelle to that.
Something along the lines of AMD’s loss of best CPU technology being proof that McDonalds needs to bring back the McNugget McFlurries.
McWishingReallyHardThatThingsWillWorkLikeWeWantThemToo.

[…] UPDATE Sadly, No! has put us at Code Red. […]

“Clearly the left is not convinced by this showing about the real threat of Islamic terrorism towards our nation.”

goddam, learn to differentiate.

There are (by some estimates) a billion members of the Islamic faith.

They’ve caught a dozen or so guys in this case who are homicidal maniacs and who just happen to have been born and raised in a mostly Islamic nation/culture.

So the other 999, 999, 988 Muslims are ALSO guilty?

Learn to use your own fucking brain once in a while instead of simply absorbing stuff from the air like a house fern..

Cause, after a while, it just stops being funny.

Hey, it’s pretty fascinating to watch Gary evolve.
 
So, Mikey- you’re just sittin here smilin’, watchin’ Gary grow?

Um, I have a question. How do you get from “invading and occupying countries and killing their citizens, destabilizing their economies and destroying their infrastructure is counterproductive, unnecessary and evil” to “peace at any price”? I mean, it’s not just me, that’s insane, right? ‘Cause I don’t know anybody who won’t support truly fighting anybody who means us harm, and I damn sure don’t know any liberals who WANT to live in a Taliban Society. So how come they can keep saying this shit and it keeps being repeated?

On the same point, I’d like to thank Rush Limbaugh and all his buddies for turning the word “Liberal” into an insult while continuing to describe the most radical, extreme ideology as “Conservative”. If Hillary is “Tax and Spend”, isn’t that at least a LITTLE better than “Don’t tax and Spend More”?

mikey

Christ, they don’t even try to be subtle any more. Associated Press story quote from bush:

“This country is safer than it was prior to 9-11,” Bush said from the tarmac at Austin Straubel International Airport. “We’ve taken a lot of measures to protect the American people. But obviously we still aren’t completely safe. … It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America.”

Now, ask yourself why a sitting president would make a point to say that there is a threat to us all? I mean, presidents in the past have attempted to calm the citizenry, not make them more frightened. Nope. Exploiting 9/11 and Mongering Fear is all these ass clowns know how to do. They can’t govern. They can’t lead. They don’t give a damn about making the lives of everyday Americans better. They use every opportunity to say to the American people “They’re going to kill you and we’re the only thing that can protect you. Your very survival depends on our staying in power and you letting us do whatever we want.” It is obscene, and obvious. We need to stand up and tell them to shove it, WE ARE NOT AFRAID.

mikey

This is a test for all of you sentient beings out there. The recent attack that was foiled in Britain was accomplished by:

A. Invading and occupying Iraq
B. Diligent investigative work by British intelligence
C. A secret, warantless wiretapping program

The answer is…. “B.” WHICH IS WHAT ALL OF US CRAZY LEFT-WINGERS HAVE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG. You don’t stop terrorism with tanks, planes and “Shock and Awe.” A rational, sober, diligent approach with a heavy emphasis on detective work is how you keep terrorism to a minimum. That’s how Ramzi Yousef was stopped, it was how the Millenium attacks were stopped, and it’s how this attack was stopped.

FDR: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

W: “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

SM, is this the first direct quote of G-Dubs using the term “islamic fascists”? I really never thought it would spin out of the blogosphere into real life. Gawd help us.

Its a fetish thing for you isn’t it Gary.

*- The fact is that 52% of democrats, in an election with 40% turnout, in a state with 37% democrats, voted for Lamont. That’s less than 8% of people in a very liberal state. It’s a fringe of society.

Can’t be quibbling about figures when 60 million votes sets the course for 300 million people, eh wot?

“August 10, 2006
US Muslims Terrorist-Apologist Group CAIR Bristles At “Islamic Fascist” Descriptor
– Ace{ofSpadesHQ]

There is nothing more injurious than a perpetual, and entirely unwarranted, belief that one is a “victim.” You’re not victims. WE are all the victims.”

*******************************************************************
One might consider the punctuation (if only for fun and the instructional value)
but I think this is more notable for its clear expression of the Fascist Third’s
point of view.

The post concludes with this message to CAIR:

“Here is my considered, deliberate, and thoughtful respnse to that:
Fuck you, Terrorist Sympathizer. Fuck off, and die alone. “

SM, is this the first direct quote of G-Dubs using the term “islamic fascists�?

Sadly, no. He’s been peppering his speeches with a slurred “Islamofascists” for a while now.

In the Global War on Similar Outlooks That Just Happen to Be Based on a Different Old Book, aka the Clash of Uncivilization or Christofascist v. Islamofascist, I fully side with the NONfascists.

All fascists hate freedom. Some make it even more obvious than Bush does, though.

And WHY do those Cheetos look like this? (Which is this.)

Just so everyone knows, the conservatives sat on this information for a few days before finding the right time to issue an alert.

Wonder why.

Fuck, my girlfriend is supposed to come visit me next week, and she only gets off work two hours before her flight. She can probably get to the airport an hour and a half ahead of time, but that may not be enough, considering she’ll be flying out of Denver International Clusterfuck Airport. Goddamnit. Hopefully by next Friday this madness will have passed, but I doubt it. Common sense at airports had already been dying a slow death, and this is probably the coup de grace. Please tell me three and four hour security lines are not going to be the norm from now on.

There is nothing more injurious than a perpetual, and entirely unwarranted, belief that one is a “victim.� You’re not victims. WE are all the victims.

I think that just gave me whiplash.

Let me get this straight.

Terrorism is up all over the world, relations with the Arab world are at an all-time low, bin Laden has not been caught, we have to stand in four-hour airport security lines and the Fear-O-Meter is at Code Red, but we’re supposed to trust Republicans on national security? I’m so sick of this shit.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. We used to actually believe that in this fucking country.

The problem with 4 hour security lines, from a safety point of view, is that you can just go and set off bombs in the lines of people waiting to get on planes.

The first rule of Flight Club is nobody talks about liquids – shoot, that doesn’t even make sense. Forget it.

Sorry to engage in obnoxious meta-discussion, but there’s a problem with arguing with people who are fundamentally dishonest: they assert some bullshit (RED ALERT, piss your pants everyone!) and then, while you’re pointing out that they’re full of shit, they just move on to asserting some other bullshit. Pragmatically, treating these statements as worthy of notice and response (even satire) grants the fundamental premise that what these people are open to persuasion – which they obviously aren’t. The choices are either to send these people to the kids table – which is pretty hard since the media won’t ignore them – or just to smear them ‘til they lack credibility.
The nice thing is you don’t even have to lie – in order to produce an adequate smear, you can just describe these people accurately. I mean, Goldstein actually is a mommy-humping latent homosexual who’s just in the game for the BDSM gear; Patterico has identity issues so deeply seated as to render him mentally incompetent (and he should probably lose his job); Peretz is a red-baiting, racist old fuck; Coulter and Malkin are batshit crazy fascists; Bush is a drooling idiot fundamentalist with an infant’s grasp of policy, etc. etc. etc.
There are problems, of course, with this. First, it just inevitably devolves into a rhetorical slap-fight. Second, since they aren’t really “credible� (in any nomal sense of that word) to anyone except their sycophantic pisspants lackeys anyhow, the endpoint seems pretty unachievable. So, I dunno – am I missing something obvious here?

dAVE, If you’ve ever been to Buffalo International Airport, a decently loaded backpack with some C-4 could shut down the entire thing and probably kill a few dozen peeps. Seriously. The line snakes and clumps to one tiny point.
I figured about three different ways to bring down an airliner while STANDING IN LINE.
More reasons why I don’t fly. (number one is maintance performed by the lowest bidder, and who whole Corporate America mentality about maintance to begin with.)

FDR: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.�

W: “Be afraid. Be very afraid.�

you always make me laugh, JK.

I figured about three different ways to bring down an airliner while STANDING IN LINE.

This is SO true. Those of you that have been out here on the lefty coast, if you’ve ever driven across the Golden Gate Bridge, you’ve realized that two junior high school students with a chemistry set and a learners permit could drop that thing into the water and GET AWAY. Which tells me that it really doesn’t have that much to do with Counter – Terrorism ops anyway. We’re kidding ourselves if we think anything we’re actually doing is preventing attacks…

mikey

I for one welcome our new airline passenger travel restrictions. Pretty fucking soon you’ll have to travel naked, except for one TSA-issued copy of Reader’s Digest that you’re free to use to cover one aspect of your physiology. Being a boob man myself, I gotta say: cha-CHING!

Some Guy makes a very salient point. What’s to stop suicide bombers from waltzing into the mammoth security lines at LAX, LaGuardia, JFK, Dulles, etc. and simultaneously blowing up backpacks full of C4? In many airports there are more people standing in the security line than could ever fit on a plane. You want to shut down the American aviation industry? Done deal. It’d be extremely easy and inexpensive.

Because I’m flying tomorrow, out of the Denver International Clusterfuck Airport (to NEW ORLEANS attending a conference held at the Convention Center, fer cryin’ out loud) I just checked the TSA website and found we are officially at Orange. Gosh, I feel better already.

Of course, that still doesn’t mean I can bring my toothpaste on board.

Shit, just a couple of M-80s simultaneously would cause enough of a stampede to shut everything down. You wouldn’t even need C-4.

This is an utterly silly discussion. Bombs at congested secuirty lines in airports? Search people on the way in. Bombs at those inevitably congested lines? Search people on the road approaching the airport. Car bombs in those lines? Blah Blah Blah, etc., etc., et fucking cetera. Lines in airports do serve to deter only the very, very unserious would-be terrorist. Mostly they are there to make people feel better – they’re being “protected.” If this is news, you’re not cynical enough.

We should just admit that terrorism happens and that it will happen here again, and deal with it in rational ways. (Alternately, we go the pisspants batshit insane route and bomb people halfway around the world to relieve our own fear.) In any case, idle speculation about terrorism is mostly a self-reenforcing symptom of fear, and is not any serious means of dealing with that fear.

“…Because I’m flying tomorrow, out of the Denver International Clusterfuck Airport (to NEW ORLEANS attending a conference held at the Convention Center…”

that is truly some slate-ful of shit, friend.

did you do something particularly evil in a previous life?

You’re absolutely right, cs. I think we’re all saying the same thing– all the enhanced “security” at airports hasn’t stopped jack fucking shit. Of course it’s all an illusion. This attack was foiled by investigative police work, which is really the only way to fight terrorism. Taking contact lens solution and hair gel away from little Susie, ratcheting up the Fear-O-Meter to red and forcing all of us to stand in four-hour security lines is the typical overreaction that we’ve all become so used to.

This particular group of terrorists doesn’t seem to have been too creative. This is exactly the same plot Yousef planned in the mid-90’s. But back then, we had sane people running the country, so we didn’t all crap our collective pants.

Let us now pause to remember the temporarily (maybe) defunct airport duty-free industry.

[pause]

I’ll never again have the opportunity to spend £45 on a bottle of 15-year-old Dalwhinnie that you can get at any liquor store in the U.S. for like $50.

Damn you, Muslims! Damn you to hell!

WOW.

“The TSA has announced new security rules:
Passengers are not allowed to have gels or liquids of any kind at screening points or in the cabin of any airplane.
They said this includes beverages, food, suntan lotion, creams toothpaste, hair gel, or similar items. Those items must be packed into checked luggage. Beverages bought on the secure side of the checkpoint must be disposed of before boarding the plane.
There are several exceptions to the new rule. Baby formula, breast milk, or juice for small children, prescription medications where the name matched the name of a ticked passenger, as well as insulin and other essential health items may be brought onboard the plane.”

At least we’re now safe from the exploding homemade ham and cheese. Though we still seem to be at risk from breast milk explosives.

prescription medications where the name matched the name of a ticked passenger, as well as insulin and other essential health items may be brought onboard the plane

Because everyone knows packaging can’t be faked.

So when do we ban Mentos?

Just last week, I flew from Phoenix to Los Angeles. I was traveling in a group, so we all had the dreaded SSSS code on our tickets. We all had to stand in the little machine that poofs air out at you, then the dude at the bag checkpoint proceeded to empty all the voluminous contents of our bags, swabbing everything for explosives.

Now, I get it. Even though we are four pasty white guys, and are very obviously musicians in a rock band and not Islamic terrorists, I guess you gotta check everybody. But here’s the kicker– nobody checked my ID. I could have been Joe bin Laden for all they knew. No matter how much machinery you have, you are still relying on disinterested personnel doing a half-assed job. It’s all a fucking show.

In any case, idle speculation about terrorism is mostly a self-reenforcing symptom of fear, and is not any serious means of dealing with that fear.

I’m gonna disagree. When you start really thinking about the utter simplicity and inexpensiveness of terrorist – style ops, and I do mean thinking about them from an operational standpoint, THATS when you truly realize our absolute vulnerability and you really understand that bush/cheney’s power grab called the Global War on Terrah is a complete scam. The fact that we haven’t been hit in five years has nothing, NOTHING to do with Afghanistan, Iraq, or DHS. Because you simply cannot prevent an attack. That’s why it’s called asymetric warfare, and why it’s effective.

So a whole lot of what’s protecting us is basic human sqeamishness (seriously, how many people have the basic makeup to kill a bunch of people and die in the process?), our geographic isolation (yes, those oceans still act as a barrier), and the basic border controls in place for a hundred years (passports and visas). Even so, it’s stunning that there haven’t been other attacks, there certainly will be (although the likelyhood is that they will not be as spectacularly successful as 9/11).

But again, I recomend a little wargaming in your head. Think about it a little when your at the mall, on vacation, in a big city. It’s a worthwhile educational exercise…

mikey

When you start really thinking about the utter simplicity and inexpensiveness of terrorist – style ops, and I do mean thinking about them from an operational standpoint, THATS when you truly realize our absolute vulnerability and you really understand that bush/cheney’s power grab called the Global War on Terrah is a complete scam.

Couldn’t agree more, mikey. But it’s worse than that because now we know (instead of just suspecting, in that wacky conspiracy-theorists’ way we have) that the GeeDub Club knew about this particular plot and these particular plotters for at least four days prior to going code red. If “we’re in danger,” why weren’t travellers warned days ago? Why didn’t the airport screeners start banning Preparation H and Neosporin days ago? Could be that the need for an October surprise came a little early this year, what with those terminally low presidential approval ratings and the disappointing result in Connecticut . . .

So when do we ban Mentos?

Actually, Mentos and Diet Coke do react rather impressively.

Just Google Mentos Diet Coke Video, and all kinds of footage comes up.

Seriously, though. I wonder how many people are gonna decide the hassle just isn’t worth it to fly a few hundred miles, and decide either to drive, or take the bus.

I mean, to fly from SFO to LAX takes less than an hour, but if you have to wait in line for 4 hours, you might as well drive.

Can I just say, thanks for the Briefs? I’m gathering up some of their songs right now.

Just the thing for a summer drive…. or a crappy work day when G-Dub is in the Stizzy.

Yeah, but at $80.00 for a tank of gas, it’s just as expensive. I’ve always prefered driving to Ellay, but even with the crazed security lines, I’d be tempted to fly. But on second thought, then you’d have to rent a car (California is not a cab – friendly place), so screw it, I’ll still drive. Never mind…

mikey

I wonder how many people are gonna decide the hassle just isn’t worth it to fly a few hundred miles, and decide either to drive, or take the bus.

. . . or the train . . . Oh. Wait. We’re talking about America, aren’t we? Damn.

Besement Jaxx? The Briefs? What, no Rush Distant Early Warning? [Bwaaa-haaa-haaaa!]

Mikey –

No dude, we agree. It’s just that I did that whole wargaming thing. I lived in NYC through 9/11 – did the living in fear of terrorism, speculating about threats blah blah blah. Hell, I even did the smelling dead people and burning buildings, and the living through economic crash while unemployed, the watching the whole wonderfully anarchic city turn into a virtual police state, and the retching my way though the necrophilic Republican playacting response. But frankly, I’m over it, and I’m a little impatient for everyone else to get over it too.

Here’s why:
“If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England,â€? Mr. Lieberman said at a campaign event at lunchtime in Waterbury, Conn. “It will strengthen them and they will strike again.â€? –NYT

This isn’t even coherent, is it? I don’t even know how to go about responding to something this inane. But it still works, because people are still willing to walk down the garden path of “what if the terrorists…” Can’t we just call this fearmongering bullshit and move on already?

Wow! In Code Red, all blog comments become italic! It’s like, really urgent in a tilting-toward-the-right kind of way!

Remember, before Bush was president, the worst terrorist attack on American soil was committed by a member of the Republican party.

“If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England,�

Jeezus. Is there some special school these people go to (on the short bus, no doubt) to learn non – sequiter illogical cognitive dissonance like this? Lemme see if I’ve got this straight:

a=b
b=c
Therefore, a=twohundredandeleven.

On the list of things we have done to piss off the populations of the middle east and persian gulf, many of whom happen to be muslims, the invasion and occupation of Iraq is near the top of the list. So this asshat is really willing to assert that ending the military occupation of Iraq will result in MORE attacks and continuing that occupation will result in FEWER attacks. Ow ow ow ow. My brain hurts. How is it possible that they can get away with up is down and black is white rhetoric like that?

mikey

You’re right, of course, cs. The statements coming from Bush, Cheney, Lieberman et al are utterly incoherent. As for your question about how to respond, I think we need to stop responding and start making our own prima facie arguments. Instead of defending against the inane, unsupportable claims of the right (for which we always get blamed for being elitist logic-mongers when we’re not blamed for being appeasers), we need to get out there and mount an offensive in the MSM, maybe by writing guest editorials for local newspapers, which then get picked up by the bigger boys . . . too simple? too optimistic?

I lived in NYC through 9/11 – did the living in fear of terrorism, speculating about threats blah blah blah.

Geez, cs, you have my genuine condolences and respect. From all the way out here in California, just watching on TV, that was one of the worst days of my life. The pain, the tragedy, the confusion, the anger, the chaos, the utter helplessness I felt I can still feel today. I ended up a bit of a den mother that day, with a bunch of people in my house, just staring at CNN, almost in silence. No one knew what to say, we couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink (well, I managed), couldn’t form coherent sentences.

To see the city damaged and transformed like that, litterally in one gorgeous summer day, I can’t even imagine. And I’ve seen some shitty days in my life…

mikey

steve_e said,

August 10, 2006 at 18:36

Uh oh, Gary is on the fritz.
————————————–
We apologize and are working on a fix for the GaryBot(tm).

Yeah. I didn’t know anyone who died, but the whole scene was was pretty fucked up for a pretty long time. The main thing that I came away from the experience with was a real deep-seated intolerance for people being scared about this shit (It’s a choice: be a goddamn pussy forever or get the fuck on with life already?), and a rather intense hatred for the people scaring them for political fun and profit. I was there. It was horrible. But it wasn’t nearly as horrible as listening to people cynically shreik about it while stuffing their pockets with money for ALL THESE YEARS afterward.
They’re absolutely no better in my eyes than graverobbers and necrophiliacs – fucking the dead over and over and over. It’s absolutely inexcusable, should never have started, and it sure as hell should’ve been stopped a long time ago.

Right there wit’ ya, m’man. But here’s the thang. It worked for them. It was the flogging of 9/11 and fear mongering that made the difference in ’04. We’ve GOT to do a better job of taking away that toy this time…

mikey

Premise Numero Uno: If we change our way of life one iota in response to these threats, the terrorists win.

Premise Numero Two-o: “Our way of life” involves shitting our drawers every time a truck backfires.

Conclusion: The only way the terrorists can win is if we grow some fucking balls!

And of course there’s the slap in the face from DHS, with their re-allocating of anti-terror away from NYC and instead to rural farms in Iowa. Fucking bastards. Yet nobody seems to pay at the ballot box.

Looks like the toy may be breaking: TPM

OK. So the WaPo poll shows that 46% trust Dems on terror vs. 38% who trust Reps. I still say we grab this now and run with it. Enough of letting them paint us as standing in a corner wringing our hands and singing kumbayah. You’re right, mikey: it certainly was the flogging of 9/11 and the incessant fear mongering that made a difference in ’04 (well, that and Diebold). Now’s the time for us to get on message and stay on message: They’ve fucked up. They’re weak on terror. Track down the evidence (there’s plenty of it) and demonstrate clearly that we need not live in fear and we need not make the world more dangerous day by day. There’s another way.

Yeah, in terms of taking away the toy, (though none of this is shatteringly original) I think what needs to be done is this:

1. Ruthlessly attacking anyone who tries to exploit this shit any longer.
Just smear the motherfuckers into the ground – personally, if need be. E.g. Lieberman is aware that that language is completely unacceptable and he’s said so in the past, and if he wants to wallow in his own fear and slobber all over O’Reily’s cock, his ex-fellow Democrats should form a stompcircle in the media and turn his ass into a puddle of fucking mud.

2. And if Republicans want to play this Defeat-o-crats game, they should be made to PAY first – “So you’re still humping 9/11 for political gain, huh? Still pimping terror and raping the memory of dead people for political gain? Yeah, that makes sense considering you have nothing else to talk about except corruption, racism, fundamentalist Christian bullshit… OOOH, look at that, an anti-War Democrat unseats an incumbent in a Primary race and THE VERY NEXT DAY there’s a terror alert for a plot that’s already been foiled, isn’t that convenient?”
And people should use EXACTLY that tone – politeness is no longer a virtue with these assholes, and any anyone who has qualms about talking like that should just shut the fuck up.
A really good example of this (only applied to Lebanon) is here. You can certainly disagree with what he’s saying, but how he says it is brilliant:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mWeHmdWyPw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fredstateson%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F

3. Relentlessly change the subject. If Republicans want to talk about fighting terror, maybe they should be asked to explain FIRST why they haven’t done anything except cut taxes for the rich, assfuck the poor, and destroy an entire city, before being ALLOWED to talk about how they’ve wasted five years doing absolutely nothing about terrorism. These questions have to be aggressive, and they have to come before anything else in the debate.
It should go:
“But X is with the terrori-”
“Shut the fuck up. Why has poverty increased every single year of Republican rule? Why don’t you give a shit about the poor?”
“About the terroris-”
“Nice job on that Katrina recovery, too, asshat. Give away enough tax dollars to your friends?”
Etc.

Talking endlessly about being afraid is a boneheaded way to go about getting my ass some healthcare, for example, and it’s time to just forcefully take the debate.

“And people should use EXACTLY that tone – politeness is no longer a virtue with these assholes, and any anyone who has qualms about talking like that should just shut the fuck up.”

Yes, yes, a million times yes. They need a dose of their own medicine– hostile rhetoric, smears and the like. You defeat the bully by fighting back.

You defeat the bully by fighting back.

I am (reluctantly) ok with this. But there has to be a difference. In our case, we need to be careful to use real, documented facts in our argument. Then, if we need vituperative comentary, ok, but make them come to honesty first….

mikey

3. Relentlessly change the subject.

Yes, but to this I would add:

A. After quickly and forcefully shooting down whatever dishonest claim they’ve just made, and

B. With supported assertions rather than questions (i.e. instead of asking why poverty has increased every year under republican rule, you bury them with a few compelling facts about what exactly their policies have wrought and where exactly they’ve put the money)

These bastards love it when their opponents ask them questions or change the subject without addressing the opening salvo. They’re masters of claiming victory whenever their bullshit goes unchallenged as well as at evading answers to relevant questions.

Okay, I am coming late to the party as I work at a non-internet-friendly employer, but my thoughts are:

1) well, good ole law enforcement techniques worked again, thank you very much.

2) the fact that most of the guys were “homegrown” makes the whole “fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here” kind of…well..irrelevant, doesn’t it.

3) the fact that the plotters’ ancestry was that of one of our staunchest “allies” in the “War on Terra” makes the whole “turn their homeland into a glass-paved parking lot” somewhat problematic, doesn’t it?

and, finally —

4) What’s up with Bush using the “Islamic fascist” phrase? What the fuck does he mean by that? Fascism is a political philosophy/ideology, kinda like Socialism, Communism, Anarchism, Populism, etc., and I am hard put to recall any iteration of the terrorists’ embrace of this, or any reasoned analysis of their fitting the definition of Fascists — at least in a responsible way. The current vernacular use of the word “Fascist” seems to be synonymous now with “Bad Guys” or “Scary Monsters” or “Poopyheads.” Which is fine if you’re speaking vernacular, or if you’re ranting in a bar, or if you’re Michelle Malkin. But if you’re the leader of a nation, isn’t the use of the word “Fascists” a little imprecise, a little inflammatory, and a little….well….inappropriate?

So why doesn’t someone call him on it? I mean, he says we’re fighting a war against Islamic Fascism. (I guess he was getting tired of saying “Terra”). If he doesn’t mean *real* Fascism, what the fuck does he mean?

And why use Islam as an adjective linked to Fascism, i.e., Evil-poopyheadedness? Doesn’t he wonder how that might impact our Muslim allies?

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey, we all know that facts are liberal, so what’s up with that reality based thinking in your post of 3:36? 🙂

I voted for him, but I’ve never been madder at a politician than I was at Kerry when he did NOTHING to respond to the Swift Boat ads. I sat there reading the paper and blogs for days waiting for a counterattack and waiting and waiting and…… What asshat in his campaign (Kerry himself? I don’t know) thought that was a good strategy? They’ve so internalized the Rethugs smear that they’re shrill that they froze. He should have had an ad out the next day linking the Swift Boaters to the Bush Junta –it was easy to do– and then spent the next week hammering it home.

Fuckers. And the Angels got hosed tonight by the shitty Indians. What a fucking world we live in.

g –

it’s not supposed to make sense. you’re not supposed to be thinking.

(that sounds glib, but i’m serious. And yeah, if you know anything about either Islam or Fascism, the combination is both nonsensical and insulting. But this is agit-prop for xenophobes looking for the moral clarity of WWII. It presents a right-wing reactionary wet-dream: we’re killing brown people but we can feel good about it ’cause they’re actually Nazis. And, no, I can’t believe the president of the United States talks like that in public either.)

Dammit. If just for a minute I could play in a punk band called Agitprop for Xenophobes I’d die happy..

mikey

No liquids. But snakes are still OK, right?

Mikey-

you and me. You lay down some rhythm tracks and I’ll throw some inept guitar on top of it.

Can you sing?

I can play the tambourine.

Mikey-

Can you sing?

It’s a punk band. Singing ability is optional.

it’s a punk band. Music is optional.

JK47 –
Denver International Clusterfuck Airport.
Thanks for the LOL. I sure needed it!

It’s all a fucking show.
Damn straight. Sometimes I get so indignant and pissed off in the security lines knowing that it’s all bullshit “illusion of securtiy” crap, I’m afraid they’re going to pull me out of the damn line for being “suspiciously agitated”.

You mean it’s possible to catch terrorists with inconvertible evidence of their plans? Instead of carting them off to shitty prison cells without charge, just in case?

That’s a new one on me.

The fact that we haven’t been hit in five years has nothing, NOTHING to do with Afghanistan, Iraq, or DHS. Because you simply cannot prevent an attack. That’s why it’s called asymetric warfare, and why it’s effective.

This reminds me of something I vaguely remember from a movie I saw on TV many years ago. It may have been made for TV, and it was about terrorists (German, I believe; definitely European) operating in the U.S. I don’t remember much about it, but one scene I do remember is two of the terrorists walking down a street in some city on a pleasant summery day, casually tossing hand grenades into open stores and restaurants. They would toss one in and keep walking and a few second later, a gout of smoke, flame and shattered glass would erupt out of the building behind them.

Does anyone else remember this movie? In any event, it perfectly (though fictionally) illustrates the point that if a terrorist is here and active, there is a good chance he will do some damage, and all the PATRIOT Acts in the world are not going to prevent it.

Mikey-

Can you sing?

Can I sing? Sheesh, bay bee, think of a combination of Meatloaf and Lars Fredrickson. But without the talent. That’d be me.

Can I sing… pffft…

mikey

“…But there has to be a difference. In our case, we need to be careful to use real, documented facts in our argument…”

Oh, fuck facts. they just get in the way and slow us down from our rightful ascension to absolute power, to be corrupted absolutely.

everybody in the room okay with that?

Buon luogo piacevole senza qualsiasi cosa dispari, ben progettata!