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Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks?

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 07:28:25 AM EST
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Corrente Wire excerpts a terrific article in Foreign Affairs that poses the rarely asked question:

If it is so easy to pull off an attack, and the terrorists are so demonically competent, why have they not done it?

Is the war on terror a scam?

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    • Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? | 10 comments (10 topical)
    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#1)
    by Repack Rider on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 07:56:14 AM EST
    Uh, anthrax anyone?

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#2)
    by Sailor on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 07:57:57 AM EST
    The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, a watchdog group that often concentrates on the Justice Department, examined the records of 6,472 terrorism-connected federal cases started since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Some 64 percent of the 4,910 "disposed of" were not prosecuted; another 9 percent were acquitted or saw charges dropped. (These cases do not include prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.) Still, 1,329 convictions is a fairly large number. Of these, though, half received sentences of 28 days or less. Only 5 percent received sentences of five years or more. [...] But look at the cases classified as related to international terrorism, 1,391 of them: Of the 1,027 completed cases, 67 percent were not prosecuted, not much different from the larger group. And of the 213 convictions, the median sentence again was 28 days.
    According to the definitions of terrorism:
    1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes. 2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization. 3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.
    More terrorism is being practiced by bushco than all the other groups put together.

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Bob on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 11:13:40 AM EST
    Why have there been no more terror attacks? How about the simplest, most obvious answer: 9/11 succeeded.

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 04:30:30 PM EST
    Uh, maybe we're doing a real good job keeping them off balance?

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#5)
    by Repack Rider on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 05:53:33 PM EST
    maybe we're doing a real good job keeping them off balance?
    I think that it's because George W. Bush is doing such a good job of accomplishing AQ's goals that they don't need to do anything except get out the folding chairs. Funny how Bush would be nobody without Osama. George owes OBL a huge debt of gratitude, and in return, OBL thanks Allah five times a day for an opponent as stupid as Bush.

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#6)
    by Richard Aubrey on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 07:34:37 PM EST
    The two premises starting with "if", the terrs are smart and it's easy to do this stuff are both false. It isn't easy. Look at all the work it took to put 9-11 together. And there was a plan for a followup on the west coast that was scrubbed because it looked to be too difficult to coordinate. Bojinka was complicated, as well. And these guys, at least getting toward the sharp end, aren't all that bright. Still, Richard Reid came close. The easy ones are what Mueller of the FBI called "lone wolf", after what the neo-nazis call the phenomena. An individual, made nuts by his imam, and connected to nobody else, does his own thing. He shoots up a Jewish community center, runs over people on a college campus, shoots up an El Al desk, tries to blow up a suicide vest at a college football game and fails. Even those aren't easy. It's one thing to say, yeah, the explosive recipe is available on the web. Another to get the stuff and try to mix it and try it to see if you got it right, and sweat bullets trying to rig the detonator--the tough part. W and the FBI don't want admit we've had terrorist attacks since 9-11. The lefties don't, either, for a different reason. So neither acknowledges the lone wolf attacks we've already had.

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 10:48:13 PM EST
    You mean, why were there so FEW terror attacks BEFORE 9-11 AND why have there been virtually ZERO terror attacks SINCE 9-11??? Because the terrorists got lucky and, to succeed, all they had to do was get lucky one time. Why was there so little preparation BEFORE 9-11 re terror attacks AND why has there been virtually CONSTANT fear-mongering SINCE 9-11??? Because the war criminals got lucky and, to proceed with their fascist agenda, all they had to do was get lucky one time. 9-11 has now become the rationalization for ALL things with an imperialistic bent. Why in the hell would anyone want the war criminals to gain even more ammunition from yet another "9-11"?

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#10)
    by Sailor on Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 07:03:26 AM EST
    W and the FBI don't want admit we've had terrorist attacks since 9-11.
    provide links ... and then look at: 6,472 terror related cases resulted in 213 convictions, the median sentence again was 28 days. bush is the terrorist, he's keeping America afraid for political reasons, the very definition of terror.

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 06:54:49 PM EST
    Cause Bush has dared do another.

    Re: Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? (none / 0) (#8)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 06:54:49 PM EST
    There was only one Reichstag Fire.

    Why Have There Been No More Terror Attacks? | 10 comments (10 topical)