The Daily Threat

by Jeff Elkins
[email protected]
http://www.elkins.org

Special to TLE

So now we have to be on the lookout for skin-diving Arabs, traveling on Amtrak trains or Trailways buses, wearing plastique wet suits no doubt; perhaps even with suitcase nukes in tow.

"Recent information has determined that various terrorist elements have sought to develop an offensive scuba diver capability, While there is no evidence of operational planning to utilize scuba divers to carry out attacks within the United States, there is a body of information showing the desire to obtain such capability," the FBI said in an information bulletin issued by its National Infrastructure Protection Center.

An FBI spokesman said the scuba diver alert was based on "uncorroborated information ... We are sharing this information out of an abundance of caution. It is nothing to get panicked about."

The scuba diver warning came a day after Norman Mineta's U.S. Transportation Department warned of possible attacks on rail and transit systems across the country, again based on unconfirmed information. Prior to that, the FBI warned of possible strikes against landmarks in New York, including the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge.

On Meet the Press and Fox News, Vice President Dick Cheney warned that extremists could launch fresh attacks. "It's not a matter of if but when," he said. "We don't know if it's going to be tomorrow or next week or next year, partly because we're having some success in disrupting the organization and making it more difficult for them to carry out their operations."

FBI Director Robert Mueller also says another attack is inevitable, probably from Palestinian-style suicide bombers. "I think we will see that in the future, I think it's inevitable. I wish I could be more optimistic," he said.

Cheney agrees. He sees "a real possibility" that suicide bombers may attack the United States. "Terrorism is an evil, pernicious thing, and it is one of the biggest challenges we've ever faced as a nation," says Cheney.

Plastique vests, suitcase nukes and skin-diving enemy agents. al-Qaida is sounding more and more like SPECTRE every day. Any time now, I expect to read a report that Ernst Blofeld is the real mastermind behind bin Laden. Where's James Bond when you need him?

Of course, this flood of unsubstantiated executive branch fear- mongering is occurring after Bush was excoriated for having advance knowledge of terrorist plots and not being sufficiently forthcoming with public warnings. Heaven forbid, these latest warnings couldn't be political in nature could they?

Of course they are.

A state of continual low-level panic is just what the bureaucrats of DC want to achieve. It's the perfect partner to war fever, keeping things stirred up on the home front so they can pass new laws further shredding our liberty. In addition to politically covering their collective (and collectivist) rear ends when the next preordained event does occur, the continual low-level panic they are attempting to induce provides the perfect environment for further centralization of power into their grubby, blood-stained hands.

If they did want to prevent terrorism, the simple step of allowing pilots to pack heat would alleviate most hijacking fears. God forbid that an airline pilot have a pistol. Shooting down an airliner with a heat-seeking missile launched from an F16 is much more logical. Besides, according to Tom Ridge, if you let pilots carry a gun, why next, the bus drivers will want one. Horrors!

Besides, if we armed our pilots we wouldn't need 30,000 new federal employees dedicated to strip-searching grandmothers, copping feels from teenage girls and taking nude photos of everyone else.

If the government did want to prevent terrorism, they would repeal the unconstitutional laws infringing on the 2nd Amendment. Not just for pilots, but for everyone.

If the government did want to prevent terrorism, they wouldn't allow any and all entry through our borders, even armed Mexican military units, reportedly escorting drug shipments.

If the government did want to prevent terrorism, they wouldn't continue to implement a foreign policy that guarantees that millions world-wide look on America, not as a beacon of freedom, but as an oppressive superpower, ready to bomb and starve innocents at any time.

Preventing terrorism is the last thing they want, because it's actually a useful tool for consolidating state power.

That's why we're hearing the daily threat from DC.

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