Hey, the terrorists were British. In using the 1+1= War theory, it makes perfect sense. We must take Britain out of the picture.

Personally, I think we can get Israel to handle this for us.

http://www.williamkwolfrum.com/?p=45

--WKW

to turn around the anti-Republican poll numbers. This is just like the constant terror alerts leading up to the 2004 election. Expect more of this as November gets closer. They probably wanted to wait longer for this, but felt like they had to act now. ("They" being Rove, the RNC, the White House)

This is all so very unsurprising.

I'm very thankful the plot was discovered and prevented before anyone was killed. Good on British Intelligence, and thank goodness Bush can't legitimately take credit for their work. And I think Smileyy nailed it. It's time to dispel the notion that George Bush is "tough on terror" when his lack of action in August 2001 and almost all his actions since then have placed Americans in greater danger of terrorist attacks, not less.

It's not news that there are Islamic terrorists who want to kill Americans. That has been evident for decades. And there are probably many more of them than there were in September, 2001. Abu Graib and the whole aggressive war of choice in Iraq and that country's descent into bloody chaos have been very successful recruiting tools for Al Qaida. And if George W. Bush "doesn't spend much time thinking about Osama bin Laden" I'd like to know why the hell not. Now would be a good time to START thinking about him again, Mr. President. You're a sorry excuse for a world leader, but for the moment, you're the only president we have. Start behaving like one.

The fact that the Brits, who oppose Gunatanamo and torture and eroding civil rights, stopped this plot in its tracks only goes to show that those programs are not necessary.

The US caught nobody. Had this event happened it would've happened just as on 9/11, with our military unaware and unresponsive until it was too late or completely over.

Of course, the political machine is always ready. Protecting the American people from the truth like our lives depended on it.

Just a couple observations:

1. I don't think we should feel too good once it becomes apparent, as it has, that our leaders need our enemies as much as our enemies need us to justify their policies and positions. Would that our leaders had found a wise way to sternly and ruthlessly deal with those aligned against us without giving them too much credit. Now, everytime a politician passes the word "terrorist" I cringe at what he or she is really saying: that our existence is defined by our opposition to them. I wish instead that we were defined by some sort of demonstrable moral superiority and not some tacit understanding of an agreed-upon historical greatness;

2. It is very difficult to claim any kind of moral high ground when newspapers in our country (ok, so it was the NY Post, but still) refer to Osama bin Laden as Satan. Again, isn't this giving a mere homocidal zealot more credit than he should be due? Regardless of how baseless his actions are, of how evil he appears to us, should we really be stooping to the level of those who refer to America as the Great Satan and burn our flag?

Has anyone noticed that all the "real" arrests in the "war on terror" (ie not the farcical dirty bomber, or the Miami losers), have been made by either the British government or the Canadian government ? No violations of freedom. No ignoring the constitution. Just good old fashioned police work and thoroughness by these two foreign governments. Kind of puts a slap in the face to our governments protest it the needs the illegal wiretapping and Patriot Act to function, doesn't it ?.

I really don't think most people pay attention to the whittling away of our constitutional rights. They seem so abstract... unless something is happening to you. People do pay attention, though, to being inconvenienced themselves while traveling, and when hearing other travelers' tales of woe. Perhaps those inconveniences (are meant to) have the effect of making the public say, "Okay, go ahead, and do whatever you have to do to catch these guys?"

For the forseeable future, a lot of anxious people will be traveling without the few comforts that were still left to us, e.g., a carry-on bag with a change of clothes & immediate necessities, including whatever solutions are needed for contact lenses, for example, and maybe the books and knitting that many find relaxing (we don't really know yet). Barefeet on dirty concrete airport floors. Groping body searches. (Maybe women should just consider traveling braless?) Bags that now MUST be checked, AND left unlocked, and that may or may not arrive when we do, given the massive delays. Who knows if the contents will be intact? The reasons why I usually travel carry-on.

What will we still be allowed? Our travel papers (must have that photo ID!) and any medications. Oh, and breast milk or formula for babies (which must be tasted during security check!). No water, or any other liquids.

Sounds like a possible silent public health crisis in the making to me. A lot of possibly dehydrated people, exhausted from standing in security lines for hours, on perhaps more medications than they were already taking, just so they don't have a meltdown.

Ironically, travel used to be one of the privileges of the haves, and the burden of the have-nots who were seeking a future, before it became something the rest of us did, too. Now, travel is just one more area in which the Bush Administration has led the way in further widening the gap between us and them-- by wiping out the middle ground. At least as far as our experience of travelling goes...

I can't help but notice that if/when plots/terrorists are discovered, it happens either before they are even in the airport (from intelligence), or after they have boarded and are ready to take action (oops! too late). Are there ever any terrorists who are actually discovered during the Security Check? Just wondering...

(I'm getting ready to take a work-related trip overseas in less than two weeks... can you tell how much I'm looking forward to it? No lenses, only one prescription, but definite dietary intolerances, for which I've always carried my own food.)