9/11: ten years
Ten years ago today. That’s a long time. So long ago that there are now teenagers who were so young back then that they don’t remember it. To them, 9/11 is just a piece of history, not part of their … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Terrorism and terrorists
The 9/11 memorial opens
Well, the 9/11 Memorial was a long time coming, but it will be opening tomorrow on the 10th anniversary of that fateful day. Take a look, and perhaps you’ll agree with me that it’s a fitting tribute, classic and moving … Continue reading →
An astronaut’s view of 9/11
…[O]n the morning of Sept. 11, Culbertson, who had been in space for 30 days, had called down to mission control for a routine medical check-in. “I asked the doctor how things were going. He responded: ‘We’re not having a … Continue reading →
Al Megrahi update
Since I’ve followed this story for quite a while now, I thought I’d let you know it’s reported that convicted-but-released Lockerbie bomber al Megrahi is in a coma and near death. Truth? Who knows? One thing we can safely say … Continue reading →
The Atlantic revives the “terrorists are idiots” meme
Daniel Byman and Christine Fair bring back a pre-9/11 theme, slightly revised for a post-9/11 world: terrorists are stupid and for the most part ineffective. The spend a lot of time mocking the Taliban’s suicide bombers for sometimes blowing themselves … Continue reading →
The raid that got Osama
It’s the sort of article the New Yorker often does well—a detailed description of something. In this case, the “something” is the planning and execution of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. There are few surprises there, but one … Continue reading →
Christian terrorism?
The logic of those who claim that Breivik was the Christian equivalent of a Muslim terrorist leaves a lot to be desired. Are there Christian clerics clamoring for the murder of Young Socialists in Europe, in order to preserve the … Continue reading →
Breivik, writers, and the responsibility for violence
So, was J.D. Salinger to blame for the murder of John Lennon? It’s an absurd question, on the face of it: of course he wasn’t. But as Mark David Chapman, Lennon’s killer, stood waiting to fire the fatal bullets, he … Continue reading →
Islamicist terrorism in Oslo?
Maybe. Sure looks like it: A bomb killed seven people in Norway’s capital Oslo on Friday…Shortly afterwards, a gunman opened fire at the island of Utoeya north-west of Oslo, where Stoltenberg’s Labour party youth section’s annual gathering was taking place. … Continue reading →
TSA security: searching grandma’s diaper
There must be a better way to protect us than this: Jean Weber of Destin filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security after her 95-year-old mother was detained and extensively searched last Saturday while trying to board a … Continue reading →
Here’s Osama…
…up close and personal, watching himself on TV:
Continue reading →Getting Osama: how much do we need to know?
The killing of Osama may have been almost perfectly executed, but the aftermath has certainly been a mess. One of the many puzzling aspects of the whole thing has been the multiple sources of highly conflicting information. Was Osama defending … Continue reading →