Mark Steyn: Mumbai could happen just about anywhere

Orange County Register ^ | November 28, 2008 | Mark Steyn

[NCjim]

When terrorists attack, media analysts go into Sherlock Holmes mode, metaphorically prowling the crime scene for footprints, as if the way to solve the mystery is to add up all the clues. The Mumbai gunmen seized British and American tourists. Therefore, it must be an attack on Westerners!

Not so, said Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria. If they'd wanted to do that, they'd have hit the Hilton or the Marriott or some other target-rich chain hotel. The Taj and the Oberoi are both Indian-owned, and popular watering holes with wealthy Indians.

OK, how about this group that's claimed responsibility for the attack? The Deccan Mujahideen. As a thousand TV anchors asked Wednesday night, "What do we know about them?"

Er, well, nothing. Because they didn't exist until they issued the press release. "Deccan" is the name of the vast plateau that covers most of the triangular peninsula that forms the lower half of the Indian subcontinent. It comes from the Prakrit word "dakkhin," which means "south." Which means nothing at all. "Deccan Mujahedeen" is like calling yourself the "Continental Shelf Liberation Front."

[BIGLOOK]

The FBI has come a long way in CT since 9-11. I hope they can spot these types of groups before they can pull one of these major ops.

I hope so too. Then there's this.

[moreofthesame]

“including BBC *and* the Mumbai IBN channel - is cooking up angles to blame America”

America is not completely without guilt. Its the result of years of American support and aid to Pakistan. America has practically subsidized terrorism Pakistani terrorism on India. Even now we are seeing American media calling the incidents as being carried out by “indigenous groups”..... inspite of statements made and evidences held by India. There are satellite phone, digital map, gps date that showed they came from Karachi harbour. A captured terrorist confessed he was trained in Pak. There are phone calls made by the terrorists to Pakistan and Jalalabad,Afghanistan before the attack. IP addresses of emails made by the so called “Deccan Mujahideen” have been traced to outside of India. And according to the police none of the terrorist are locals (possibly two of them are British).

I am expecting the US government to rush in to save Pakistan yet again. US does share a large part of the blame.

[brushcop]

RE: Mark Steyn audio links.

Thank you very much, I guess it’s one of those things you just have to keep monitoring and catch him when he’s Hugh’s guest. Thanks again!

[BIGLOOK]

Interesting.....and frightening article ping.

[angkor]

>>>>>>I am expecting the US government to rush in to save Pakistan yet again. US does share a large part of the blame. <<<<<<

I agree with you 110 percent that the attack emerged from Pakistan.

Personally I've thought since 9/11 and even before that Pakistan is the nexus of global terrorism.

It's a rogue state, a nuclear proliferator, a narcoeconomy, and it harbors terrorists.... formally, informally, domestic and foreign.

[whd23]

Steyn Online

[Paine in the Neck]

Several times at airports I've seen "random searches" of typical Americans while Arab-looking students went unchecked

I'm old enough to remember when getting on an airplane involved nothing more than buying a ticket and walking on. It infuriates me to be subjected to the mindless kabuki of security these days, especially when I'm supervised in the removal of my shoes by a TSA agent in a Burka.

[FightThePower!]

I’ve become tired of caring what terrorists do. At this point I think what any good right wing person needs to do it to try to keep out of harm’s way and have the fire power to protect our own families. We have a government that isn’t going to do a damn thing about terrorism. And they will tend to hit Democratic strong holds anyway.

[econjack]

Exactly. Plus, the whole TSA thing is a farce. Do they really think a terrorist would go through security with anything incriminating on them? No. What they would do is wait in the employee parking lot, bonk someone on the head, take his ID badge, which can be used to “stripe” their way into the airport at a gate. Most employee gates at US airports are unmanned. Once they are through that gate, they have complete access to the tarmac. They could then pass out weapons or whatever to the food caters, mechanics, or whomever, to cache their weapons. All TSA has done is make it less fun to fly, at a cost of billions to American tax payers.

[fabian]

we had better be a more armed citizenry...don’t care what the illegal law says. The constitution says we have the right to bear arms, period. Those people were all sitting ducks. Arm yourselves! Now! We are at war!

[EDINVA]

Steyn can clarify even the most complex and evil situations in the world. In my next life I want to come back with his writing talent.

[calex59]

“But we’re in danger of missing the forest for the trees. The forest is the ideology. It’s the ideology that determines whether you can find enough young hotshot guys in the neighborhood willing to strap on a suicide belt or (rather more promising as a long-term career) at least grab an AK-47 and shoot up a hotel lobby. Or, if active terrorists are a bit thin on the ground, whether you can count at least on some degree of broader support on the ground. You’re sitting in some distant foreign capital but you’re of a mind to pull off a Mumbai-style operation in, say, Amsterdam or Manchester or Toronto. Where would you start? Easy. You know the radical mosques, and the other ideological front organizations. You’ve already made landfall.”

Yes, Mr. Palladin, bingo indeed. However, I would add one thing to this extremely relevant and on the mark paragraph, and that is that if the ideology in question preaches to their people from birth and brain washes them with the concept of dying for their "ideology", and killing all non-believers, then the odds of finding those young hotshots are greatly enhanced.

This is why we must ban Islam in the US(I know fat chance of that), it is not a religion, it is a cult, and therefore falls outside of the protection of the 1st amendment. Ban the cult, deport people who already follow it, citizen or not,and we will go a long way towards reducing, if not outright eliminating, the chance of any more terror attacks by muslims on our soil.

[Doc Savage]

You must have missed it. Obama issued a statement saying that he is recommending a 2 Trillion dollar Mumbai bailout for Muslims. Nancy Pelosi has already sponsored a bill proclaiming Mumbai Muslim Independence Day to be celebrated on our 4th of July. Chris Dodd and Barney Frank are co-sponsoring legislation to provide all Muslim terrorists with 100% mortgages with no credit checks as a show of good faith to the Mumbai terrorists. Joe Biden was confused and couldn’t find India on a map.

[samtheman]

The media wants us to lick the boots of the muzzies and other multi-cultural heroes.

[moreofthesame]

Your assertion that this was simply another attack on India and not an attack on US is simply nonsense. There have been dozens of similar or worst attacks within the last few months around India. US never care, there wasn't even a passing mention of those attacks in US media. This time all the hullabaloo was because they were specifically looking for Americans and Jews. The targets were selected with that in mind. If they wanted to simply kill more Indians they could have just targeted the trains where you would have the maximum concentration of Indians. Instead they went to 5 star hotels and Jewish homes. Its only incidental that more Indians got caught in the cross fire.

Its very insulting for an Indian to even hear a word of sympathy from US government or media considering their double standard regarding terrorism. Its pathetic to say they least how they defend Pakistan and absolve them of any guilt. Honestly they shouldn't even talk. It just infuriates me they way America protects them and encourages them, that now Pakistan pulls this one off and so boldly and brazenly denies any involvement at all.
America should just shut up and could take solace in the fact that now some outsourcing jobs MAY return to US after all......

I am so damn angry that I should just stop before I get banned.

[Republic of Texas]

As an American I view India as a friend and ally. Of course not all our politicians agree. The problem with Pakistan is that we only have two options. Keep them close and on a very short leash. Or eliminate them from the face of the earth. Personally, option number one ain’t my favorite, but I’m not a “politician”.

[angkor]

>>>>It just infuriates me they way America protects them and encourages them, that now Pakistan pulls this one off and so boldly and brazenly denies any involvement at all.<<<<<

If that’s true then most Americans would agree with you and certainly I do share your anger at the lying BS Pakistanis.

“America” does not “protect” Pakistan, although our insane State Dept. and our Washington DC government weenies often say and do things that even we the people cannot understand or support.

Personally I think Pakistan is a nexus of Satanic Muslim evil on this planet. But that’s just my opinion.

[Rummyfan]

On Mark Steyn's web site

www.steynonline.com

the transcripts from his appearances on Hugh Hewitt's show are posted. If you follow the link there, I believe there is also an audio file.

[goldstategop]

Its the Islam, stupid. All the attacks that have occurred to date have taken place in countries with significant Muslim populations. They are the ones in which radicals have the support network to create maximum mayhem and chaos and to die for their cause. As Mark Steyn says, the Mumbai attack is more than about a CSI procedural. Its about values and our way of life. And its going to get worse before it gets better because the West, thanks to political correctness, has a soft underbelly.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[balls]

They don’t need to come by sea because they are already among us in very large numbers. They have colonized cities such as Dearborn, Michigan and Jersey City, New Jersey. (KSM and the terrorists who bombed the WTC in 1993 lived in Jersey City.)