Terror's A-bustin' Out All Over

The world was shocked when two bombs exploded at the finish line of this year's Boston Marathon. Then we were awed by the immediate and massive 'response' to the terror that saw two individuals identified as suspects - their images plastered across international media - and a brigade or two of Boston Police, National Guard, Federal Marshals, FBI, Transit Cops, University Police and a number of other urban 'warfighters' gun down one 'perp' and drag another, critically wounded, from somebody's fishing boat.  The wounded perp. now in hospital, was revived yesterday long enough to be read his rights and charged, and apparently long enough to pen a message to the friendly guards that his big brother made him do it.

The saga continues to-day with on-going proof that the right guys got 'got'. The Russians identified one of them as a potential threat two years ago, but the human rights artists in the democratic west could find no fault in him, at the time - although they did investigate. I'm wondering why the Russians let him stay in Ingushetia for 6 months, transiting Demedovo airport in Moscow both times. Maybe the spelling mistake on the passenger manifest 'bollicks-ed' their watchfulness too. Although I'm pretty sure they did a passport check and that should have flagged him as an expat Chechen.

After the tragedy, however, we should all heave a collective sigh of relief that the trillions spent on stopping such stuff, while it may have only partly parried the intended blows - worked to serve as an example to any future perps that they might run but they cannot hide - and even running is unhealthy.  To-day, security is looking at the dead perp's wife - maybe she noticed the disappearance of the family pressure cookers (3 were reportedly used) or a surfeit of discarded packaging and parts.

emptied fireworks taken from the suspect's dorm room

Already, however, the 'conspiracy nuts' are pointing out anomalies in the 'docudrama'.

 A simultaneously, although less-noted threat was the mailing of a number of letters to high government officials, including the President. Said mail was reputedly laced with ricin, a deadly poison extracted from the castor bean. There was another immediate security 'eclat' when a Texan  Elvis-impersonator was named as the culprit and taken into the appropriate terror-fighting custody. He was released to-day after it turned out he was framed by a 'rival'. A bodybuilder charged with possessing a noxious substance for nefarious purpose was also later released when a third suspect was named to police. The jury's been reconvened to figure out who really dunnit. That later turned out to be the second guy's wife. Go figger.

                                                                                  "Elvis"

                                                            The second guy's Wife - Jezebel


Not to be outdone Canada's defenders of freedom announced they'd caught and arrested two 'sleeper agents' who were plotting to derail the Montreal to NYC Amtrak train. Immediately it was declared that the two men - Canadian citizens, from Tunisia and Palestine, were affiliated with Al Qaeda Iran and attending to the master plan of the mad mullahs to bring down the little bro' of the Great Satan. The perps have pled not guilty. But under the terms of the revised anti-terrorism legislation, expected to pass in the Canadian legislature by the end of the week, their convictions - rather confessions - are virtually assured.

What gets me, aside from the massive public expenditure to ward-off those who would blow us to bits while window-shopping, or taking the kids out to a public event, is the on-going notion that killing civvies in an explosion is going to make the 'terror' look more heroic and actually hurt the enemy. That just isn't the case. The result is, generally, a shrine of remembrance somewhere, a large dose of world sympathy and increased expenditure for protection and payback. If 'terrorist' were bent on destroying anything, it's themselves. And that what scares us so much.

A real terrorist wouldn't be laying bombs in places populated by thousands and surveilled by watchers 24/7. They be hitting the enemy in the 'soft' spots. Yes, it would upset the 'sheeple', but you can't mourn an extinguished electrical grid, or a tainted water supply, like you can the dismemberment of an 8 year-old kid. The former two might actually 'hurt' a lot more than the latter. And would cost infinitely more to 'secure'. Hitting infrastructure or essential resources in remote places is not only safer, it's far more effective. But terrorists won't do that, because it isn't terrible enough?

Our Security forces would have us think all terrorists are stupid.

I think the ones working for the security forces, the only ones they have, aren't stupid either. They know a good thing when the cops come looking for one. Giving one to them and getting a  reward for being a 'good citizen' is a game that's as old as the hills. Somebody, to-day, has a new gas station to run, a government pension and a new personality in a witness protection program.

The Security forces have another feather in their collective cap.

And were just as 'safe' as we were yesterday.

Right!