August 2, 2004, Welcome to my nightmare (Part quatre)
Monday morning has come, and buildings specifically identified as "terrorist threat targets" (including one... not far... from... me) opened for business.
The New York Stock Exchange has been hard to get to for some time-- large parts of Wall Street have been converted to pedestrian malls, and there are concrete barriers and police gauntlets to run in other directions. Citigroup Center (two blocks from where I used to live) is a nice touch, though. That will definitely cause traffic problems; plus its a major subway interchange. I assume the IMF and World Bank always expect trouble. But nice to see a "secondary" city like Newark, N.J. getting in on the action. Newark is much maligned, usually. Nice to see it reach the major league status in something besides its airport.
I guess the appropriate response is to make clear to A.Q. that we are vigilant and will make it awfully hard for them to do serious damage here. It would be nice to know we were also intent on doing serious damage to it (here and everywhere else)-- on all fronts, and that we had the backing of the whole world to do it (as we once did). It would also be nice to know that our precautionary measures are actually about real security, and not about causing inconvenience to soften people up for actual repressive measures.
Its only human nature to elevate perceived threats to one's self, and overlook horrors elsewhere, such as Islamist (believed to be Iranian backed) bombings of Christian churches in Iraq, for which Zarqawi blamed by Iraqi officials (as you will recall, the killing or capture of Zarqawi was the subject of three separate proposals rejected by President Bush II, on the theory that taking out actual terrorists would reduce the ability to fear-monger about fantasy terrorists during the run-up to the Iraq war, among other reasons).
Well, I expected this town to be a less pleasant place as August (with the God damned GOP convention scheduled to commence on the 30th) arrived here. Alasi, I was right. And the oppressive weather is quite the least of it.
Comments
"Cheney, Er Bush, Denies Entry to Those Refusing to Submit to Loyalty Oath"
In order to make it clear that their Administration incorporates all that was good about the Middle Ages, Cheney, Er Bush, denied access yesterday to a speech to those who would not give a loyalty oath to the Republican Party, that is, Cheney.
What's next, tests for determining witches?
Posted by Fatt Nudge at August 2, 2004 12:23 PM
Mr. Crabcake, are you my daddy?
Posted by Crab Bites at August 2, 2004 02:59 PM
Jihadists are so serious about an attack, they have already wrote a song for this summer. Here's how it goes:
I came upon a child of Allah
He was strapping on some C-4
and I asked him tell me where are you going
this he told me
I'm going to the Great Satan
think I'll join me a terror cell
I'll camp out on the land
and kill some infidels
We are martyrs
we are fodder
and we've got to get ourselves
seventy-two virgins
Well maybe its the time of year
or maybe its the time of imam
and I don't know how many to kill
but life's for burning
By the time I got to Satan City
there were half a million dead
In Islam there was a song
and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bomber jets
riding shotgun in the sky
too late to do anything
above the ruins
Posted by Be afraid Satan at August 2, 2004 05:59 PM
Crab Bites,
Could be. I trolled around. They don't call me a Case of the Crabs for nothing. And you know what they say about big claws.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at August 2, 2004 08:38 PM
C.B. and Mr. C.-- I guess this is what they call "shallows humor"? Or do you guys figure that you can just crawl back into the water during an attack if you have to?
Be afraid Satan--
I' was afraid before your rant; now I'm VERY afraid.
Its hard to know how to deal with the Islamist maniacs. Unfortunately, the President's cozy relationship with the Saudi royals took away the option of pressuring the Sauds to dismantle their radical madrassah and mosque system, and having its clerics come out and openly condemn the attacks, and other moves that could have helped things. Many, many things short of invading-- military force is actually the answer to far fewer problems than one would suppose. Something lost on the dunderheads in power, who seem to forget how desperately they worked to avoid military service even as they over-burden those in service now.
Oh well. As always, they won't suffer for their mistakes, and there are no consequences for their screw ups. Hell, JEB'll be running in '08 on their ticket, win or lose (some might disagree with me on that...)
Posted by the talking dog at August 2, 2004 11:09 PM
Jesse Jackson was right back in 2000 when he said "America! Stay out of the Bushes!"
Posted by Linkmeister at August 3, 2004 02:58 AM
Who knew Beelzebub was a CSNY fan?
I always saw him as more of a Joan Baez fan.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at August 3, 2004 03:13 PM
Thank you for developing this very good site !
Posted by time stories at August 7, 2004 09:08 AM
3968 check out the hot blackjack at http://www.blackjack-p.com here you can play blackjack online all you want! So everyone ~SMURKLE~
Posted by play blackjack at August 23, 2004 05:23 AM
Posted by viagra at Monday 23 August 2004 17:20:32 for http://www.viaga-viagra.greatnow.com
powered by car hire at http://www.car-hire.greatnow.com
and diecast model cars from http://www.diecast.greatnow.com
and Bulk Email from http://www.bulk-email.greatnow.com
and Bonds from http://www.bonds.greatnow.com
and Dating from http://www.1-dating.greatnow.com
and Credit Card from http://www.credit-card.greatnow.com
and Car Insurance from http://www.car-insurance.greatnow.com
and Card Games from http://www.card-games.greatnow.com
Monday 23 August 2004 17:20:32
Posted by viagra at August 23, 2004 11:20 AM
6533 Herie http://blaja.web-cialis.com is online for all your black jack needs. We also have your blackjack needs met as well ;-)
Posted by blackjack at August 25, 2004 08:03 AM
3531 check out http://texhold.levitra-i.com for texas hold em online action boodrow
Posted by texas hold em at August 26, 2004 05:17 PM
3112 Look at http://oncas.tramadol-web.com/
its the hizzy for online casino action any where!
Posted by casino online at August 27, 2004 06:18 PM