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The Next Attack on the US
Intellectual Conservative ^ | May 28, 2004 | Alan Caruba

Posted on 05/28/2004 9:03:44 PM PDT by FairOpinion

It is likely that an attack would be intended to kill thousands, though an attack remains conjecture at this point, based on intelligence gathered by our agencies and other nations.

Headlines tell us of government predictions that al Qaeda may intend to mount an attack on the US this summer. Soldiers in Iraq recently found an explosive in Iraq filled with Sarin, a deadly chemical capable of killing many people. The widely expressed doubt that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction should end.

In a recent Washington Times column by John McCaslin, he cited a poll by the National Association of Chiefs of Police, “Because of the ‘current political polarization’ in America today, the United States will suffer another ‘large scale’ terrorist attack within the next year."

McCaslin reported the poll revealed, “that 95 percent of the nation's police commanders and security directors expect a ‘catastrophic’ terrorist incident within the continental United States. "If Americans believe we're not being targeted for terror in the near future, they are fooling themselves," says NACP Vice President Jim Kouri, who predicts the killers, among other dastardly missions, will be attempting to influence this November's presidential election. It worked for them in Spain.”

It is the opinion of many counter-terrorism experts that al Qaeda will attack America again and many believe it will come before the elections in November. Their thinking is that the success it had in Spain can be repeated here and their aim is to elect Senator John F. Kerry. The objective will be to demoralize the resolve of Americans to support the occupation of Iraq until it can establish a democratic form of government.

It is likely that an attack would be intended to kill thousands, though an attack remains conjecture at this point, based on intelligence gathered by our agencies and other nations.

Here are some targets al Qaeda might have in mind.

If Al Qaeda wants to kill a lot of people to ratchet up our level of terror, New York remains a prime target and there are recent reports of empty suitcases showing up in its subways and other locations as a possible test run on the delivery of a WMD.

What other city would be a likely target? One answer is Los Angeles and, in particular, Hollywood. Radical Muslims regard the films and television shows coming out of Hollywood as a direct attack on their sense of moral superiority. A dirty bomb or bioterror in Los Angeles would have the desired effect. Remember, too, that a terrorist was caught in the run-up to Y2K when he crossed the border from Canada with a car full of explosives. His target, we were told, was the LA Airport.

Recently, Jordanians thwarted a plot to attack the US embassy and other targets there with poison gas. The estimated casualties are estimated to have been as many as 20,000. A similar target in the US would reap a similar result. Again, the belief that Iraq did not have WMDs should be put to rest. The belief that it was not cooperating with al Qaeda should have been dispelled by now. Supporters of the deposed Saddam Hussein are continuing their insurgency against our troops and would surely want to strike at the American homeland.

If I were Osama bin Laden, a trained engineer, what might be another likely target in America? One answer is oil refineries. There hasn’t been a new refinery built in the US since the 1970s and the ones we have are strained to capacity. When even one is closed down for routine maintenance, the price of gas spikes. Imagine if two, maybe three, were destroyed? The highways would empty out, followed by the office buildings and just about every other enterprise that depends on workers who drive to work. That includes schools, hospitals; just about everything, everywhere. America would have to declare martial law.

Another likely target would be the disruption of the aging electrical grid that distributes this vital source of energy around the nation. Remember when the grid failed a year or so ago? It shut down the entire East Coast from Ohio to New York. Destroy key components of the grid and people will be cooking dinner over an open fire in the backyard.

The plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on 9-11 had a destination about which we can only speculate. But let’s say it was the Capitol Building and a direct hit could take out a major number of Senators and Representatives? Our Constitution does not make provision for the killing of enough members of Congress to render it unable to function. Congress, however, is debating legislation that would allow for emergency elections in the event that should occur.

While America remains a target, so are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, England and just about every other nation around the world. We are dealing with people willing to kill anybody for their crazed notion of protecting a failed way of life, a belief that Islam must dominate the world and be practiced in a fashion Osama bin Laden dictates.

It should never be forgotten that bin Laden has already issued a fatwa, an Islamic edict, calling for the deaths of all Americans.

As our level of anxiety rises, al Qaeda has already achieved one of its objectives. The question, if an attack occurs, is whether Americans will deepen their resolve to destroy its enemies or seek to withdraw from the fight?

Alan Caruba is the author of Warning Signs, published by Merril Press. His weekly commentaries are posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: caruba; islam; jihadinamerica; summerattack
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To: Travis McGee
All they need are drivers and matches.

You're not giving MN any credit in this department (FAR more fires are started by lightning than by human -intentional or unintentional- 'action').

BTW, current national fire status:
National Fire News - Wildland Fire Update

Initial attack activity was light nationally with 129 new fires reported.

Two new large fires were reported in the Southern Area. Two large fires were contained, one each in the Southern and Southwest Areas.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.


81 posted on 05/28/2004 11:47:06 PM PDT by _Jim ( <--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: Southack

I hope so. But too little too late?


82 posted on 05/28/2004 11:49:00 PM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: Josef Stalin
East Germany did a pretty good job, and that was to keep people in who were far more desperate to cross the border than our sarape toting parasite friendsClaymores, auto firing zones, Predators with hellfire missiles, all will send a loud and clear message, try and sneak you your way here and chances are the only free health care you will get is a pine box. If they eliminate welfare here, the lazy trash will be forced to work at the car washes and strawberry fields, ergo they will do the work "Americans don't want to". Then we can round up all the illegals and deport them to Tierra del Fuego. The bill that was voted down to deport illegals getting free health care shows what really is going on here. A perfectly logical bill, patch em up and deport em, makes perfect sense, but our "representatives" voted it down big time.

The turd world will increase its inflow here until, we like Rome will exist no more. Throw in a bunch of walk on in terrorist cells and the red diaper doper baby support groups and the whole scenario happens much quicker.


I am about the furthest thing from a liberal that you could find. I am not from DU.

Your "logic" is to kill everyone. Your words above confirm my opinion that you are racist and mean.

Looks like the words of a hateful racist to me.

The first words out of the mouths of people like you tend to label someone who disagrees with you "liberal" or a DU plant.

Sorry I'm not either one.
83 posted on 05/28/2004 11:49:10 PM PDT by texasflower (in the event of the rapture.......the Bush White House will be unmanned)
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To: FairOpinion
The FBI is warning that terrorists might try to poison food or water supplies,

This is getting - SO OLD.

Don't you guys ever freshen up your 'act'?

84 posted on 05/28/2004 11:49:19 PM PDT by _Jim ( <--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: FairOpinion
It is the opinion of many counter-terrorism experts that al Qaeda will attack America again and many believe it will come before the elections in November. Their thinking is that the success it had in Spain can be repeated here and their aim is to elect Senator John F. Kerry.

If al Qaeda hits us here on our own soil (again), it will mean a lenadslide for George W. Bush. This isn't Spain. And the Islamo-fascists will discover that if they hit us again.

85 posted on 05/28/2004 11:49:22 PM PDT by Euro-American Scum (A poverty-stricken middle class must be a disarmed middle class)
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To: Josef Stalin

The illegal issue has been building and growing worse for many years, including during 8 years of Clinton, yet you are making it sound, as if the borders had been sealed tight, until Bush got elected and he had fired all border agents and opened the borders.

You sound no different than all the liberals with their constang "everything is Bush's fault. I know, and don't bother me with the facts."


86 posted on 05/28/2004 11:49:23 PM PDT by FairOpinion (If you are not voting for Bush, you are voting for the terrorists.)
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To: Eastbound
Maybe the gummint is leaving the borders open to leave the swinging doors intact, allowing the 'terrorists' an exit once we begin the full-court press. If so, maybe they'll leave sooner rather than later.

Well there's a happy thought. (just kidding..) More likely they will change names one last time and try to pass themselves off as being somehow from South America and speak really bad spanish. And stay right here.

87 posted on 05/28/2004 11:49:47 PM PDT by TLI (...........ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA..........)
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To: FairOpinion

No problem. The border freak tag team is getting on my last nerve!


88 posted on 05/28/2004 11:50:30 PM PDT by texasflower (in the event of the rapture.......the Bush White House will be unmanned)
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To: Travis McGee
     and hte [sic] entire Western electrical grid.

Overblown ...

89 posted on 05/28/2004 11:51:18 PM PDT by _Jim ( <--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: devolve; Travis McGee; MeekOneGOP; Happy2BMe; ntnychik; Smartass; potlatch; onyx; Grampa Dave; ...
Full moon May 2000 they did Bandelier, ostensibly a controlled burn by Park Service of 300 acres with a crew of six.

High wind, low humidity: 50,000 acres.

Plus evacuation of Los Alamos National Laboratories after which two hard drives with nuke information missing, then found in area previously searched.

Fire is bad, but not the worst thing.


90 posted on 05/28/2004 11:51:19 PM PDT by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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To: _Jim

Sure and everybody knows that terrorists couldn't possibly hijack four planes at once and fly them into buildings, killing thousands of people, right?


91 posted on 05/28/2004 11:51:43 PM PDT by FairOpinion (If you are not voting for Bush, you are voting for the terrorists.)
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To: brigette

Good link at 80. Add the "black winds of death" warning to Zarchawi's specific mention of forest fire arson attacks, adn the picture becomes more obvious.


92 posted on 05/28/2004 11:51:54 PM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: Travis McGee

The borders do need work, Travis. I don't deny that.

I am just so tired of having every thread and every topic hijacked into a border issue.


93 posted on 05/28/2004 11:53:01 PM PDT by texasflower (in the event of the rapture.......the Bush White House will be unmanned)
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To: FairOpinion
Sure and everybody knows that terrorists couldn't possibly hijack four ...

FOR the LAST three years EVERY twitch, gas station fire, 'routine' refinery explosion or Twinkie Truck heist - YOU people have screamed 'TERRORIST ATTACK'.

It's getting old ...

94 posted on 05/28/2004 11:54:20 PM PDT by _Jim ( <--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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Comment #95 Removed by Moderator

To: _Jim
Far more fires are NORMALLY started by MN: perhaps.

But not more than ten jihadists in ten cars, throwing out road flares all day long.

Or a couple of jihadists in Cessnas, dropping road flares across our forests. These fires would merge into broad super fires hundreds of miles long much faster than we could respond to them in the normal way. Containment would not be possible.

96 posted on 05/28/2004 11:55:05 PM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: PhilDragoo
LMAO....Yep....Hotter than a snakes ass in a wagon rut here......gonna be quite a show.

Stay safe !

97 posted on 05/28/2004 11:55:33 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
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To: texasflower

It's a big damn issue, where I live, 20 miles from the border. Sort of like an elephant in the living room. Hard to ignore.


98 posted on 05/28/2004 11:56:41 PM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: TLI

Heh! We ought to have a sting operation. Have a Welcome Wagon at the border handing out free prayer rugs.


99 posted on 05/28/2004 11:56:54 PM PDT by Eastbound ("Ne'er a scrooge or a patsy be.")
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To: _Jim

We'll see, won't we?


100 posted on 05/28/2004 11:58:01 PM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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