Bomb Plot: We were right, they were wrong (but they'll lie anyway)

[JHB]

As more details about the foiled airline bombing plot, here's a few points to keep at hand while the Bushco spin machine tries to claim credit for it (and smear Dems in general and liberals in particular).

The first and most prominent point: in direct contradiction to the Republican's sneering stance in past elections, this plot was uncovered by intelligence gathering and police work, not by military action. Apparently Scotland Yard was surveiling some of the suspects for a year or so (and not at random, either), until evidence of the current plot demanded intervention.

That leads to the second point: The the plot was NOT discovered by random electronic surveillance. It appears that in the final phase of the operation the US did help gather "electronic intelligence" on the suspects (i.e., their phone calls and financial transactions) -- and no doubt Bush apologists will wave that point around in further bids to eliminate constitutional oversight -- but did so as part of an ongoing investigation against specific suspects, not by wide-net trolling for keywords or "suspicious phrases" or whatnot. This is the sort of collection our courts allow, so there's no "need" to circumvent them.

This collection and use of surveillance here was precisely the sort that Bush opponents have been advocating, and they worked.

[wicket]

1. Well said!!!

K& R

:kick:

[Olney Blue]

2. They say the GOP is the only party that can protect us.

Are we safe yet?

[ClintonTyree]

3. The White House and their puppy-dog press.........

have never let facts get in the way of their tales of terra' before. And most of our population, too lazy or complacent to ferret out the truth, will eat it up with a spoon and be VERY afraid. Of course, Republicans are the only ones that can keep them "safe", :eyes: so they'll abandon any thoughts of overthrowing the current Bush lackeys in Congress.

The mighty wurlitzer keeps grinding out the same tune and our zombified population keeps dancing to it. :banghead:

[trotsky]

4. K&R

Exactly.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

5. Is it real or is it Downing Street Memo II? And why would we

believe one word from "leaders" of either the US or UK?

It would be a good twist to add this aspect to it (discovered by Scotland Yard ie police vs blanket surveillance), to make it more believable.

Or maybe it is true, but highly coincidental.

Or maybe it was true, but came out a while back and is NOW being played up as we approach the fall election.

Along with the lovely movie World Trade Center.

Coming up on the anniversary of Katrina. Can't wait to see how they commemorate their own incompetence and the resulting devastation from that one.

:sarcasm:

[DeepModem Mom]

6. K&R

[Qutzupalotl]

7. Randi's right. Terrorism should be a law-enforcement issue,

not a military one.

Think about it. Our soldiers wear uniforms; their soldiers look exactly like civilians. That places us at a disadvantage even before the first shot is fired.

Law enforcement teams can surveil, shadow, infiltrate and dismantle far more precisely than bunker-busters can. And any bomb going off in a city is going to shatter families, whose survivors are going to join the terrorists--whereas they wouldn't have before. That's why we have more terrorists now than when we started the "war on terror."

[bvar22]

8. According to Randi today....

ALL surveillance and intelligence gathering was performed with the proper court approved warrants.