KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,993|7105|949

An interesting read by a former CIA suit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co … 02710.html

A compelling insight:
We do not face a global jihadist "movement" but a series of disparate ethnic and religious conflicts involving Muslim populations, each of which remains fundamentally regional in nature and almost all of which long predate the existence of al-Qaeda.
Why are these views so starkly at odds with what the Bush administration has said since the beginning of the "Global War on Terror"? This administration has heard what it has wished to hear, pressured the intelligence community to verify preconceptions, undermined or sidetracked opposing voices, and both instituted and been victim of procedures that guaranteed that the slightest terrorist threat reporting would receive disproportionate weight -- thereby comforting the administration's preconceptions and policy inclinations.

We must not delude ourselves about the nature of the terrorist threat to our country. We must not take fright at the specter our leaders have exaggerated. In fact, we must see jihadists for the small, lethal, disjointed and miserable opponents that they are.
Do you agree with his assessment?  Is he missing something?  Is the American public as sheepish as he seems to think they are?

Sorry for the lack of more commentary by me, I'm in the middle of work and I can't really delve to deep into the article.
DesertFox-
The very model of a modern major general
+796|7158|United States of America
I wiill agree with that. I've not witnessed any people be affected in their day-to-day life by the threat of terrorism. Supposedly, our threat level is elevated or whatever it is at now, but people still act like Semptember 10, 2001. The only ones I have seen who act like the sky is falling are those people who report the news.

Remember SARS, what happened to that, anyway?

Last edited by DesertFox- (2008-07-14 13:23:18)

Pug
UR father's brother's nephew's former roommate
+652|7015|Texas - Bigger than France
Everything we do is an overreaction.

Terrorists will never try to hijack or bomb a plane again, the security levels is an effective deterrent.  Some guy tries to smuggle a bomb in his shoe...we take our shoes off now.  Some guy tries to bring explosive liquids aboard...now we can't bring shampoo on board.  Everything is reactive.

But there will be another attack some time...prolly nationwide at several locations at once.  Baseball games, amusement parks, shopping malls...all at once.  How exactly can we defend against that?   Who knows when it'll happen, but the spectre is already impacting our lives because of the overreactions by our leaders.  Can't blame them for trying though.
topal63
. . .
+533|7192
9-11, didn't change anything. The world was a dangerous place before and after 9-11. National security has always been an issue - we are an Empire. And right now - the terrorists seem to fit the necessary evil enemy profile. Put more simply - the American public is a butt-kazoo, plug-in and play.

So yeah I'd agree with assessment, more or less.

Last edited by topal63 (2008-07-14 14:48:35)

SealXo
Member
+309|7009
the media downplays terrorism

everytime there is a bomb threat such as JFK the media goes, oh wah wah they could have never pulled it off. But in reality one of the three guys worked in cargo.........

also, obama wants to fuck the wiretappng in the patriot act, which has never been abused and has stopped a few incidents in its early stages. but once again, never mentioned and downplayed as it could have never become reality

Last edited by SealXo (2008-07-14 15:00:21)

God Save the Queen
Banned
+628|6817|tropical regions of london
American intelligence gathering and analysis is good.

What the administration does with it is bad.
topal63
. . .
+533|7192

God Save the Queen wrote:

American intelligence gathering and analysis is good.

What the administration does with it is bad.
Word.
God Save the Queen
Banned
+628|6817|tropical regions of london

SealXo wrote:

also, obama wants to fuck the wiretappng in the patriot act, which has never been abused and has stopped a few incidents in its early stages. but once again, never mentioned and downplayed as it could have never become reality
not the media ive been exposed to.
SealXo
Member
+309|7009

topal63 wrote:

God Save the Queen wrote:

American intelligence gathering and analysis is good.

What the administration does with it is bad.
Word.
Evidence of abuse?
God Save the Queen
Banned
+628|6817|tropical regions of london
do you know what we're talking about?

Last edited by God Save the Queen (2008-07-14 15:18:07)

m3thod
All kiiiiiiiiinds of gainz
+2,197|7145|UK

SealXo wrote:

topal63 wrote:

God Save the Queen wrote:

American intelligence gathering and analysis is good.

What the administration does with it is bad.
Word.
Evidence of abuse?
https://cagle.msnbc.com/working/070320/davies.gif
Blackbelts are just whitebelts who have never quit.
Spearhead
Gulf coast redneck hippy
+731|7163|Tampa Bay Florida

SealXo wrote:

the media downplays terrorism

everytime there is a bomb threat such as JFK the media goes, oh wah wah they could have never pulled it off. But in reality one of the three guys worked in cargo.........

also, obama wants to fuck the wiretappng in the patriot act, which has never been abused and has stopped a few incidents in its early stages. but once again, never mentioned and downplayed as it could have never become reality
Why warrantless wiretapping though?

Why not just get a fucking warrant?  The way we're supposed to....
God Save the Queen
Banned
+628|6817|tropical regions of london
this is not what the OP is about.  whenever we mention anything about the CIA, we are not talking about anything domestic.
topal63
. . .
+533|7192

SealXo wrote:

the media downplays terrorism

everytime there is a bomb threat such as JFK the media goes, oh wah wah they could have never pulled it off. But in reality one of the three guys worked in cargo.........

also, obama wants to fuck the wiretappng in the patriot act, which has never been abused and has stopped a few incidents in its early stages. but once again, never mentioned and downplayed as it could have never become reality
You're loopy.

The intelligence community does not need the media to do its work. Honestly WTF are you trying to say? That if the media hyped up that past JFK situation and scared people more then the FBI, CIA, whoever - would do a better job? Or if the media didn't cover the event at all - then the FBI would have had their hands tied and something would have happened? If so, you're plain nutso.

They, the FBI, CIA, etc, are quite capable of doing their persistent and necessary job - without any media hype/help.

Last edited by topal63 (2008-07-14 15:32:18)

Braddock
Agitator
+916|6764|Éire

SealXo wrote:

the media downplays terrorism

everytime there is a bomb threat such as JFK the media goes, oh wah wah they could have never pulled it off. But in reality one of the three guys worked in cargo.........

also, obama wants to fuck the wiretappng in the patriot act, which has never been abused and has stopped a few incidents in its early stages. but once again, never mentioned and downplayed as it could have never become reality
I completely disagree, the reality is the media loves terrorism as the public gobble it up and they run with any story that has a sniff of terrorism, whether it's two cock knockers talking about a Shariah revolution in Scotland or Barrack Obama bumping fists with his missus.
Braddock
Agitator
+916|6764|Éire

Spearhead wrote:

SealXo wrote:

the media downplays terrorism

everytime there is a bomb threat such as JFK the media goes, oh wah wah they could have never pulled it off. But in reality one of the three guys worked in cargo.........

also, obama wants to fuck the wiretappng in the patriot act, which has never been abused and has stopped a few incidents in its early stages. but once again, never mentioned and downplayed as it could have never become reality
Why warrantless wiretapping though?

Why not just get a fucking warrant?  The way we're supposed to....
You're being anti-American ... BURN HIM!
God Save the Queen
Banned
+628|6817|tropical regions of london
https://www.lurkertech.com/threat-chart/threatchart.png
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6884|'Murka

Can't really argue with the guy's logic. The GWOT is fairly incoherent...by trying to focus on every terrorist organization with remote ties to AQ, it ends up focusing very little where it needs to: on AQ directly.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Braddock
Agitator
+916|6764|Éire

FEOS wrote:

Can't really argue with the guy's logic. The GWOT is fairly incoherent...by trying to focus on every terrorist organization with remote ties to AQ, it ends up focusing very little where it needs to: on AQ directly.
The whole climate of fear regarding Islamic extremism has blurred the boundaries of who exactly AQ are these days. You have so many disparate groups using the AQ badge as a brand name because it strikes fear into people that it makes it hard to pin down the true heart of the organisation ... though I guess the way AQ is structured allows for it to be an entity of many branches and no essential core group.
ATG
Banned
+5,233|7002|Global Command

FEOS wrote:

Can't really argue with the guy's logic. The GWOT is fairly incoherent...by trying to focus on every terrorist organization with remote ties to AQ, it ends up focusing very little where it needs to: on AQ directly.
AQ is a brand name.

Obama has " moved to the right " on issues such as Israel and Iraq because, and as I've stated from day one of this war long before this forum and before the aevent of run on sentence wall of text dst posts thePresident doesn't really make war policy.

He may be presented a slew of options by military commanders but they may only point to one end; conflict.

George Bush didn't go into Iraq to settle a debt or score with or about his daddy, an assertion btw that has discredited many otherwise valid arguments about the war. He went there because the real powers that be dictated that that was to be the policy of the united States.

Why would Bill Clinton authorize war acts against Saddam; engage in exactly the same rhetoric and behavior when he was president, and then talk shit about it afterward?

It's because he was handed a piece of paper. A prepared statement. Just like Bush 2 when he told Saddam and his sons to gtfo of Iraq or die.



Anymore, presidents seems to exist to be a focus of rage and hatred. A puppet and shield to the real masters.

The question we should be asking is who are these people and how do we literally destroy them before it is too late?
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|7074|132 and Bush

Exploit is the word. I believe both sides do it. Hamas TV has used a bunny to tell kids about the Jewish eating children. I'd laugh if it wasn't so disturbing. Fear is a very powerful force.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,993|7105|949

Kmarion wrote:

Fear is a very powerful force.
An interesting and true statement.  Reminds me of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes - a classic conversation into the interdependancy of power and fear.  However, his idea was that fear would balance the want for power, whereas now it seems fear is a key componant, perhaps even essential to the consolidation and continual lust for power.
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6884|'Murka

ATG wrote:

FEOS wrote:

Can't really argue with the guy's logic. The GWOT is fairly incoherent...by trying to focus on every terrorist organization with remote ties to AQ, it ends up focusing very little where it needs to: on AQ directly.
AQ is a brand name.

Obama has " moved to the right " on issues such as Israel and Iraq because, and as I've stated from day one of this war long before this forum and before the aevent of run on sentence wall of text dst posts thePresident doesn't really make war policy.

He may be presented a slew of options by military commanders but they may only point to one end; conflict.
Who are you saying makes war policy? Are you implying that the military controls the president or something?

Last edited by FEOS (2008-07-15 01:46:23)

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,827|6579|eXtreme to the maX
Do you agree with his assessment?  Is he missing something?  Is the American public as sheepish as he seems to think they are?
Yes
No - except US actions have gone a long way towards radicalising the muslim world.
Yes

Its much easier to hoodwink the population with 'All muslims are out to kill us and take away our apple pies'
than 'Out of many millions of moslems there are about 1000 jihadists trying to attack us directly, all we need to do is up border policing a smidgen and we'll be fine'
Also there is minimal profit for Halliburton in option 2.
Fuck Israel
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6884|'Murka

FFS Dilbert, no one--NO ONE--is saying "all muslims are out to kill us and take away our apple pies"...or anything of the sort.

There has been a clear distinction drawn between radical muslim extremism and mainstream islam...you just choose to ignore it for the sake of wit (and I use that term very loosely).

The "sheepism" the author is implying is in regard to the perceived threat from terrorists, not Muslims.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular

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