planes, trains, and automobiles

Something sounds verrrry fishy about this entire airplanes episode yesterday. While I have no doubt in my mind that there will be attempts to blow up planes, and while I have no doubt either that a plot – and many others – are being hatched around the globe, this particular one sounds extremely fishy. [Remember Abu Hamza al Masri had repeatedly announced that he wanted to blow up planes crossing the Atlantic and he was protected in Britain by 'freedom of speech'].

Here is what makes me feel uncomfortable about this particular incident:

1. The announcement in the media – US and UK media – made it seem like they caught the guys right there before they boarded. Everyone I talked to was telling me how this was a ‘close call’ as they caught them before they boarded. The truth is.. according to subsequent British announcements, that it was in the ‘final planning stages’ but not about to be executed. I told my friends to listen closely to the announcement. This is not a case where they caught the guys ready to board. My friends could not believe it! 
2. If they caught them while they were in the ‘final plotting stages’, why is it that they stopped all airplanes from travelling and made this huge disruption at Heathrow airport and at US airports? After all, they knew about it for some time now and had been following it closely. Why did they suddenly decide to disrupt the airports and stop traffic? What was the urgency? Why is the timing significant?
3. Bush immediately said this was a ‘reminder’ that ‘we’ are under threat from global terrorists. Ah-ha! There you go. Here is our answer.

Scare tactics again? Propaganda? You bet!

First of all, the ‘terror alert’ was elevated in the States. The Republicans and the Bush camp have been depserately trying to prove to the American people that the Democrats are ‘weak on security’ and that their measures are all justifiable. Yet Americans, while afraid, are becoming used to it by now… the ’scare tactics’ do not have the same impact they used to have because people have short memories. Especially that it was not something that affected people’s lives directly.

This one does.

People travelling to and from Britain, especially Americans, were totally inconvenienced and the incident impacted them directly. It brought the issue ‘home’ again to them, a close reminder of 9-11 lest they forget.

Second, this is the perfect diversion from Israel’s outrageous, sadistic and cruel attacks against the Lebanese. Not only does it serve as a diversion, but indeed it is more justification for Israel’s actions against ‘terrorists’. Who really knows the difference between Nasrallah and Bin Laden? Who really knows that those two are actually arch-enemies and that they fight for totally different causes? 

And much more… But for now… this is my take on this episode. Something stinks again.. quite badly.