dagblog - Comments for "See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me, Feel Me."

I'm afraid I just find this

quinn esq — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:51:17 +0000

In reply to My bold

I'm afraid I just find this sort of stuff from Juan Cole to be embarrassing, ArtA.

1. The freight side of the equation has been wide open and INFINITELY easier to penetrate, for YEARS, than the passenger side. You telling me they're patting down my baggage now?

2. Similarly, the extraordinary openness of ground staff who have access to planes. I mean, kids crawl into the wheelwells of planes and come tumbling out mid-flight, right?

3. Then there's the whole non-airplane-based world of terror. i mean, has anyone ever looked at our electricity infrastructure? (Answer: Errrrm, yes. Apparently not Cole though.) Let's just say, 19 guys on the ground, with vehicles, canoes, bikes, etc., plus a wrench or a rifle (tool of choice) could keep the Eastern US in the dark, for WEEKS. A few years back they went to a massive hydro dam in Northern Quebec, and do you know what they found for defences? Nothing. NOT EVEN A SINGLE STAFFER. Same with our transmission lines. They are completely unprotected. In Northern Manitoba, it's a real problem when the locals get drunk and take their hunting rifles and take potshots at the transformer thingies. You wanna know one reason the utilities, massive and mean as they are, can't build new transmission lines? Because they know they can't DEFEND them against green groups who are opposed. Literally, one guy with proper (non-lethal) tools can set a dozen towers to topple when the wind comes up. And be gone by the time it happens. The utilities have been TOLD this, and therefore, they just won't fight certain fights. Opponents or terrorists or mental cases could take down lines for weeks, rotating and moving, and keep NYC or other regions in the dark.

Same with natural gas facilities.

Same with water supply.

North America has a massive extended WIDE OPEN UNPROTECTED infrastructure. The airplane thing is a farce, but it serves the interests of BOTH al Qaeda and the US Government. It keeps people scared, and raises the profile of each side.

Therefore, the bolded quote from Juan Cole strikes me as perhaps the most buffoonish thing I've ever heard him say. "It is part of my business in life to deliver the horrific news that the threat is real."

Self-importance, thy name is Juan.

My bold

artappraiser — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 07:07:16 +0000

In reply to See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me, Feel Me.

My bold highlighting:

[....]

The problem with PETN is that it cannot be detected by sniffing dogs or by ordinary scanners. But if you had a pouch of it on your person, the new scanners could see the pouch, and likewise a thorough pat-down would lead to its discovery.
The TSA guys are trying to look more systematically for PETN. That is why they have adopted these more intrusive methods....

But if al-Qaeda and its sympathizers could manage to blow up only a few airliners with PETN, they could have a significant negative effect on the economy and could very possibly drive some American airlines into bankruptcy. Al-Qaeda is about using small numbers of men and low-tech techniques to paralyze a whole civilization, which was the point of the September 11 attacks.

Since the Bush administration hyped the ‘war on terror’ trope half to death, many in the American public no longer want to hear about this danger. But it is part of my business in life to deliver the horrific news that the threat is real.

The question is really what level of risk Americans are willing to live with....

....With the US at risk of a double dip recession, this moment might appeal to al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda wannabes to strike. Al-Qaeda in Yemen is openly talking of a low-tech, high-explosive war against US economic interests, a war of a thousand cuts. Its planned method? PETN-based mail bombs.

I doubt it is possible to outlaw or control PETN. The only alternative to looking for it systematically on air passengers and in cargo would be to just take a chance that no al-Qaeda operatives will be able successfully to detonate a PETN based explosive on an airliner.

[....]

--Juan Cole, November 22, 2010

The day that we honestly have

DF — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:18:00 +0000

In reply to See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me, Feel Me.

The day that we honestly have to frisk grandmothers in order to maintain our "security" is the day that we've already lost far more than can ever be preserved by even the most sophisticated "security" measures.

Always pleasant experience at

Flavius — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:11:06 +0000

In reply to Is it quinn or acanuck who is

Always pleasant experience at the Canadian border. I cross for some variety in the cooking when skiing there

Wow! That is the sad, sad

CVille Dem — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:55:04 +0000

In reply to Meanwhile: Osama bin Laden is

Wow! That is the sad, sad truth! He probably has huge investments in this very technology, which allows him to continue with R&D for newer, nastier threats.