Comments on: Can I be the only one who’s noticed? https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:15:13 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32308 ER Mon, 23 Feb 2015 02:02:12 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32308 If these guys were planning anything, I doubt they would take the trouble to warn us. If they're up to something, it probably has nothing to do with a mall. Most of the losses due to terrorism are due to our own security measures, political, economic and so on. This kind of threat is designed to scare us, and get us to spend a fortune on security, to get us to violate our own constitutional principles, or maybe to provoke some amateur Jihadist out there into trying something. "Its the shot you don't hear that kills you." If these guys were planning anything, I doubt they would take the trouble to warn us. If they’re up to something, it probably has nothing to do with a mall. Most of the losses due to terrorism are due to our own security measures, political, economic and so on.

This kind of threat is designed to scare us, and get us to spend a fortune on security, to get us to violate our own constitutional principles, or maybe to provoke some amateur Jihadist out there into trying something.

“Its the shot you don’t hear that kills you.”

]]> By: RobVG https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32307 RobVG Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:09:10 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32307 <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/21/us/al-shabaab-calls-for-mall-attacks/" rel="nofollow">Here</a> Here

]]> By: RobVG https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32306 RobVG Sat, 21 Feb 2015 01:43:04 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32306 ... …

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32290 bowser Thu, 19 Feb 2015 01:25:10 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32290 9-11 was horrific and amazingly effective. However, it in no way compares with having Muslim militants based in our cities, kicking down the doors of American citizens at night, driving tanks over our roads and blowing up our cities. We don't have Muslim aircraft bombing and strafing, Muslim drones blowing up schools and hospitals, Muslim armies occupying camps and forts across out land. Somehow we forget that. And we've forgotten that Bush and Cheney promised we'd kick down the door of Iraq and "freedom" would sprout across the Middle East. We've got nothing going on over here compared to what we've done. 9-11 was a provoked response, by the way, and not a spontaneous act of hatred. 9-11 was horrific and amazingly effective. However, it in no way compares with having Muslim militants based in our cities, kicking down the doors of American citizens at night, driving tanks over our roads and blowing up our cities.

We don’t have Muslim aircraft bombing and strafing, Muslim drones blowing up schools and hospitals, Muslim armies occupying camps and forts across out land.

Somehow we forget that.

And we’ve forgotten that Bush and Cheney promised we’d kick down the door of Iraq and “freedom” would sprout across the Middle East.

We’ve got nothing going on over here compared to what we’ve done.

9-11 was a provoked response, by the way, and not a spontaneous act of hatred.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32285 ER Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:32:20 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32285 But I don't think we will suffer as much from home-grown "lone-wolf" Islamic terrorists as Europe has. Our Muslim populations are integrated into the society, you can't even tell who they are unless they wear traditional garb, and the vast majority do not. Their kids speak unaccented English and are hip to pop culture. American Muslims tend to be middle class, professional types, or at least feel they have a chance to go that way (like the trio that were murdered in NC), they were that way before they immigrated, and they are not recruitable into terrorism by religious fanaticism through their poverty and second-class citizenship. In Europe, they were poor Arabs and Turks, brought in as cheap labor to do low-level jobs that Europeans felt were beneath them. This created a segregated, impoverished underclass which the Imams and Jihadists were able to exploit. We have segregated and impoverished underclasses in this country, too, prone to violence and crime, but they don't have the religious component that can be manipulated by demagogues. But the same thing could happen if the society turned against Muslims, condemned or persecuted them for being Muslims, not for being terrorists. George W Bush understood this, to his credit, right after 9/11, when he warned us against blaming the attacks against Muslims in general. But I don’t think we will suffer as much from home-grown “lone-wolf” Islamic terrorists as Europe has. Our Muslim populations are integrated into the society, you can’t even tell who they are unless they wear traditional garb, and the vast majority do not. Their kids speak unaccented English and are hip to pop culture. American Muslims tend to be middle class, professional types, or at least feel they have a chance to go that way (like the trio that were murdered in NC), they were that way before they immigrated, and they are not recruitable into terrorism by religious fanaticism through their poverty and second-class citizenship.

In Europe, they were poor Arabs and Turks, brought in as cheap labor to do low-level jobs that Europeans felt were beneath them. This created a segregated, impoverished underclass which the Imams and Jihadists were able to exploit. We have segregated and impoverished underclasses in this country, too, prone to violence and crime, but they don’t have the religious component that can be manipulated by demagogues.

But the same thing could happen if the society turned against Muslims, condemned or persecuted them for being Muslims, not for being terrorists. George W Bush understood this, to his credit, right after 9/11, when he warned us against blaming the attacks against Muslims in general.

]]> By: RobVG https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32283 RobVG Tue, 17 Feb 2015 03:20:31 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32283 I'm extremely surprised that organized Jihadists haven't made their way into this country. All it would take is a mass shooting or a handful of suicide bombers. Remember the havoc that John Lee Malvo and john Allen Muhammad wreaked on the D.C. area? And that was just a couple of guys with a single Bushmaster. (yeah I know,that name sounds familiar) The whole area was paralyzed. I’m extremely surprised that organized Jihadists haven’t made their way into this country. All it would take is a mass shooting or a handful of suicide bombers.

Remember the havoc that John Lee Malvo and john Allen Muhammad wreaked on the D.C. area? And that was just a couple of guys with a single Bushmaster. (yeah I know,that name sounds familiar) The whole area was paralyzed.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32282 ER Tue, 17 Feb 2015 02:20:34 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32282 War isn't good for business like it used to be (unless you're in the war business itself, which is a relatively smaller portion of the economy these days than it used to be). No, I believe Conservatives just like to accuse Liberals of cowardice. Its an effective way of insulting and discrediting your opponents in most cultures, although it should be obvious to even the most modest intellect that courage, or cowardice, have absolutely nothing to do with one's political convictions. War isn’t good for business like it used to be (unless you’re in the war business itself, which is a relatively smaller portion of the economy these days than it used to be).

No, I believe Conservatives just like to accuse Liberals of cowardice. Its an effective way of insulting and discrediting your opponents in most cultures, although it should be obvious to even the most modest intellect that courage, or cowardice, have absolutely nothing to do with one’s political convictions.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/02/16/48844/#comment-32279 bowser Tue, 17 Feb 2015 01:24:44 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=48844#comment-32279 Yes they are beating the drums. Instead of Iraq, or Iran, or North Korea they have found ISIS. And they will fight that war using weapons which nave no chance of "winning", and simply spawn more and more virulent enemies. We are fools - caught in the Conservatives dream, eternal war, non =ending war which simply serves to make the wealthy wealthier. The adolescent in us says "kill 'em", teach 'em, bigawd. I feel that way too. And I realize only a fool fights a fight he cannot win when he could fight the same fight and win. Barnum was right. Yes they are beating the drums. Instead of Iraq, or Iran, or North Korea they have found ISIS. And they will fight that war using weapons which nave no chance of “winning”, and simply spawn more and more virulent enemies.

We are fools – caught in the Conservatives dream, eternal war, non =ending war which simply serves to make the wealthy wealthier. The adolescent in us says “kill ‘em”, teach ‘em, bigawd. I feel that way too.

And I realize only a fool fights a fight he cannot win when he could fight the same fight and win.

Barnum was right.

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