Those “incompetent” terrorists
The Times Square bomb was a dud as terrorist bombs go. But police say it might have had a significant death toll if it had not been spotted so early and rendered harmless.
So there’s no reason to be lulled into a false sense of security by the incompetence of the bomber[s] involved (see this for an earlier discussion of general terrorist ineptitude). Terrorists can learn from their mistakes, as they did from the failure of the first WTC bombing in 1993, which killed six people but was meant to bring down the building—and probably would have had it been placed just a bit differently. And note that this recent incident indicates some learning from earlier bombings, because apparently the serial number of the vehicle was removed.
Steve Coll at the New Yorker is of the opinion that such terrorist acts will remain minor and are merely attempts to frighten. I hope so, but I happen to think not. Coll also appeals to President Obama to talk tougher to terrorists in response to this bombing attempt. But I believe that Coll is showing how little he understands Obama’s nature and agenda; our president is only interested in talking tough to Israel, Tea Partiers, Honduran constitutionalists, and Republicans.
And yet Hollywood remains silent as the bombs are set in the heart of America’s theater district.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/05/the_silence_of_hollywood_in_th.html
“Steve Coll at the New Yorker is of the opinion that such terrorist acts will remain minor and are merely attempts to frighten.”
David Wyman of Assistant Village Idiot is of the opinion that such terrorist acts will remain primarily attempts to merely frighten but could nonetheless kill thousands of people.
Coll also appeals to President Obama to talk tougher to terrorists in response to this bombing attempt.
Talk, from someone who once referred to something as “just words”, is nothing more than noise.
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Attempts to frighten? They don’t have to put the whole population into panic mode. They can just chip away at our national resolve, one cartoon at a time, and each time they do this some wannabe tough guy joins the cause.
Probably, their best bomb experts are now too busy somewhere at North Caucasia. Let us hope that Putin’s death squads eliminate them faster than new recruits to Jihad can be properly trained.
So…uh…just out of curiosity, where was Bill Ayers?
An outcome to be fervently desired.
I’ve often wondered if it would have been effective in Iraq occasionally to generate a whacking great signal of white noise (e.g., from an electric arc) to let any radio- or cell-phone controlled bomb pluck out the Fourier components it likes, and thereby give the terrorists a little surprise. Anyone know if this would work?
Sure, it wouldn’t do any favors to legitimate cell and radio users, but it might be worth it.
Actually, FSB uses cellphone frequency supressing devices in bomb-diffusing missions, to prevent terrorists from detonate them remotedly.
I think the Iraq (and WOT) drew in a good chunk of high/mid-level terrorists (flypaper theory) over the past couple years and it will take them some time to regain that knowledge/experience. Remember the best defense is a good offense. Bush stuck to his guns in face of all the criticism and I think we benefited greatly from it. However, he couldn’t successfully get that message across in the media and got crucified for it even though he was doing the right thing.
I can’t imagine the amount of terrs who went there to defeat the great Satan (US) only be welcomed with a Hellfire lunch. I think that’s why you’re seeing these incompetents now (undie-bomber, times square, etc…).
Can’t imagine that will last forever though since Obama is drawing all our defenses down again ala Clinton and his police action. Personally I think he’s doing it on purpose so we do get smacked. Remember Rahm said there’s nothing like a good panic or some sh*t like that. That’s because is sows fear amongst the public and he’s banking on it to cause us to rally around him. Hell based on the way he hates America he probably thinks we deserve it.
# Sergey Says:
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Probably, their best bomb experts are now too busy somewhere at North Caucasia. Let us hope that Putin’s death squads eliminate them faster than new recruits to Jihad can be properly trained.
“Coll also appeals to President Obama to talk tougher to terrorists …”
If he stays in New Yé¸rk long enough Coll will learn that tough talk doesn’t work. It may take a
“a bit of
the old sixth
avenue
el; in the top of his head : to tell
him”
but he’ll get it in the end.
Incompetent, eh? The old adage still holds true: Terrorists have to get lucky only once; we have to be lucky all the time.
We can, of course, continue to expect the Media and the hopelessly overmatched Janet Napolitano to minimize any and every terrorist incident to the point of even mentioning the term “terrorist” until the facts become so overwhelming it can’t be avoided, the better to deny that terrorism is an actual and continuing problem.
We have indeed been lucky this far. Pray that the terrorists don’t set their sights lower and rather than going for spectacular attacks, concentrate on more, smaller and softer targets such as schools, malls and theaters. Pray particularly because our current administration sees no difference between terrorist murderers and domestic criminals, and is determined to ignore every external threat in favor of destroying America domestically.
We truly are in trouble in more ways than we can imagine. After all, if our borders aren’t secure and if we aren’t truly doing everything possible to prevent such attacks, a collapsing economy will be among our lesser worries, and sooner rather than later.
they are incompetent
given the panoply of whats possible compared to what they do, they are incompetent, and given minimal information that does not include working principals.
During the explosion of the really powerful car bombs the car sort of vanishes, axle landing blocks away. But some of the most deadly recent car bombings have left perfectly recognizable intact automobiles behind. The “amateurish” bombs can certainly kill their share of innocent people. But the thought that perfectly ordinary people already established in America might hear the call to jihad, and go on line for instructions and try their amateur best to build bombs…. terrifying.
“Coll also appeals to President Obama to talk tougher to terrorists in response to this bombing attempt.”
George Bush tried that. We are way past the time for talk. Credible force is the only thing that will stop Iran and that, simply isn’t going to happen.
Appeasers appease, bullies threaten, neither forcefully confronts a committed opponent.
The vast majority of bombers are – by definition – incompetent. If they were competent they would understand cost/benefit analysis better and go other paths.
Sadly a highly deadly bomb doesn’t take competence or even a great deal of secrecy. While obviously not directly a bomb the 9/11 hijackers were almost comically incompetent, they were just marginally competent enough to get three of them to work. If on 9/10 you had told someone of what was to happen and how you would have been laughed at. Indeed, after we saw the reality of it there is going to be many decades before they can do something similar again.
As our honeypot (a place so attractive that criminals flock towards it ala Winnie the Pooh and his love of honey in a pot) winds down we find that they will move to other targets. In many ways Iraq no longer being a honeypot is good – that was after all our mission there – in others not so much. They will once again start looking at us domestically to shore up thier loss in that battleground.
I do not think Obama is going to handle it well. I think we will go from looking the other way to taking it personal and a lock down the likes of which a which a leftist fantasy about GWB (minus their righteous fight against it) would pale in comparison.
I can’t imagine the amount of terrs who went there to defeat the great Satan (US)
This slogan were cheered for 30 years to correct your thought this was not in Iraq its in Iran ruled by loving Mullah
“There will be more of this sort of low-level terrorism in the United States in the years ahead, not only from self-styled jihadis but possibly also from the extreme right.”
Coll’s final paragraph tips his hand. Is he hoping for an attack by the extreme right? I’m sure he’d deny it, but I detect an unstated wish in that sentence. Note that in the early AP stories about the surveillance video, a Caucasian male was mentioned. I bet they so wanted it to be a Tea party surrogate. Instead, it looks now that (again) a home grown jihadist did his best but failed.
They sure got it right again: Looks like a white man. Mr mayor Bloomberg speculates to Couric it was probably an objection to Obamacare or something similar.
Ahh sh*t ! It was a Paki.
Never mind; surely will be a Teabagger next time.
Steve Coll lives in the same delusional world as Mayor Bloomberg. I lived in NYC during 9/11 and for a few years afterward. Maybe Steve should look at some of the early videos taken at the scene. I don’t need any more evidence as to what they’ll do, I’ve seen enough. Every time one of these “isolated” incidents occur here, there needs to be a corresponding ball o’ fire at the source.
Tom
Qwerty effect makes them talk..
they know the first one in, even if false, is the dominant memory hard to flush
[to remove it you refresh it, so such things are hard to remove. almost impossible if trusted sources validate it by repeating it and not falling in line to one valid truth]
so any event that draws any attention and gets someone listening to them, allows them the qwerty effect. they are sociopaths, they orchestrate from above, even their movements and such. other people live in the moment, so they live the excuses, emotional arguments, and all that.