Want Proof Osama Is Winning?
by pessimist
Not to make light of the very real threat of modern terrorism, but anyone can inadvertantly be a terrorist. All it takes is to be a bit careless with one's personal electronics, or to be callous with one's trash.
Someone heard a cell phone ringing in the back of a British airways plane, but no one admitted to having it. Thus, the plane returns to its debarkation point for 'safety reasons'.
Word to the wise: just like the soldier's adage about not hearing the bullet that gets you, you wouldn't hear the cell phone that detonates the bomb that gets you.
You aren't going to go 'BOOM' and fall down
even if it rings twice.
But such fears do serve a purpose - you aren't going to notice the terrorism practiced on you by your own countrymen.
Your police, those you pay to serve and protect you, are being trained to think of you as 'scurrying cockroaches' - and we all know how they get treated.
They get treated much worse than low -income Americans who are about to lose the funding for their Medicare coverage because George wants to impose 'freedumb and lie-berty' on Southwest Asia at the point of a terrorizing military weapon. Are those not in the Topper class going to have to go to jail and be terrorized with trial drugs just to get medical care?
But it doesn't have to be a guy with a gun and a badge who terrorizes you. It could just be a guy with a gun - a prospect much more likely with changes in the laws in various (Red) states and the NRA's campaign to eliminate the ATF through the use of Congressional fool tools.
Terrorism doesn't even have to involve firearms, just fire. I happen to live in an area where diesel emissions are causing cancer deaths (though not this particular one):
Two years ago, the California Air Resources Board analyzed diesel pollution from the Roseville Rail Yard, the largest service and maintenance rail yard in the West, through which more than 30,000 trains pass each year. The study found that the cancer risk level for as many as 26,000 nearby residents averaged between 100 and 500 in a million, meaning that the exposure nearly doubled the lifetime cancer risk for these residents.
Anyone who has seen a relative die of cancer - as I just have - knows the terror implicit in that arrogant disdain for profits over public health.
But - It's OK to terrorize the little people. Their purpose in life is to provide victims for small-minded bullies to exaggerate their personal power, prowess, and importance. But don't you dare attempt to terrorize big shot Republicans with the prospect of a Democratic takeover of the Congress leading to impeachment hearings!!!
Even Osama wouldn't stoop so low!
Copyrighted [©] source material contained in this article is presented under the provisions of Fair Use.
FAIR USE NOTICE
This article contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of democracy, economic, environmental, human rights, political, scientific, and social justice issues, among others. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this article is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes.