The most frightening thing about the would be terrorist attack?

[cornermouse]

The number of posters right here at DU who appear to be more than willing to believe it. That's what is really frightening about all of this.

[pooja]

1. yes, you are right. If I was a terrorists... I'd smuggle my ass thru

Mexico, attack a water source, bomb a port... airlines are old news.

[fuzzypolitics]

2. No, you're wrong

If you attack a water source, it limits the damage to that area. If you target airplanes in general, you cause untold billions to be spent at hundreds of airports -- because no one knows which airport will be attacked...

The biggest bang for the buck is still airplanes.

See more at: http://fuzzy.blog-city.com

[rzemanfl]

4. In middle age I got a Master's Degree in History. Researching

my thesis, which focused on the period 1947-1953, I read a lot of Department of Defense musings on the country's vulnerablity to what was then called "sabotage." Nearly everything that is being bandied about today was talked about right after WWII. All the terrorists need to do is get themselves to a University library.

[EFerrari]

3. For me, it is that the first thing this government does is think

how can we leverage it? -- instead of thinking, how do we keep people safe? Any government would do that but not to this degree.

That's why we all have this big gut reaction and are disbelieving. Because their manipulation is palpable. So, it makes us throw out the danger with the manipulation where we might do better to a little threat assessment with a pillar of "I know where you live" salt.

[cornermouse]

6. Its not that I doubt the fact that they would attack

any chance they get, its just that this attack does not get them what they want the most. If they can wait years to plan an attack, doesn't it make sense that they're planning it for maximum damage and effect? One or more airplanes out over the ocean doesn't meet their criteria. They probably could have launched an attack like this one or two years ago.

[EFerrari]

8. Sure. There is a lot of patience out there.

My point is that I worry most that we don't have a government that is actually trying to meet that challenge but just to further their political and economic interests.

Their bunker isn't in danger. We are.

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. Actually, the most frightening thing about this...

in my opinion, anyway...is that so many people are so blinded by hatred and mistrust of Bush and all his works (which is certainly understandable) that they refuse to believe that there may, in fact, be fundamentalist Muslim radicals who hate the US and Britain and wish us ill (which is not only NOT understandable, but amazingly divorced from reality). Our military adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq have not made us many friends in that part of the world; the only ones we have we bought. Actions have consequences, and terrorism is, strange as it may seem, a perfectly natural and indeed expected consequence of our actions in the so-called 'war on terror' (which is really like trying to kill the Hydra by cutting off its head; it never ends, and creates two new enemies for every one killed).

[Blackthorn]

7. Bush has never told the truth, Blair is in his pocket.

Give me ONE reason why we should believe them?

At any rate, being afraid of it is the worst possible reaction.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Give me one reason to doubt...

that there are, in fact, extremists radicalised by the 'war on terror' who wish America and the UK ill, and who might in fact engage in such a plot as that alleged to have been uncovered by British intelligence?

If there are, in fact, such extremists, who have arrived at their extremism partly in reaction to US/UK (and Australian, too...can't forget what happened in Bali) foreign policy, it's irrational to assume that every alleged terror plot is a manufactured Orwellian contrivance.

[Blackthorn]

10. I don't doubt there are.

I just don't think this particular incident, 9/11 or 7/7 were carried out by what you would call legitimate "terrorists".