Posted on 02/15/2009 5:51:30 AM PST by kellynla
We're bombarded with bad news -- the credit markets could freeze, millions more could lose their jobs, and today's recession could turn into a depression. But the danger we aren't hearing about could outweigh them all: the increased risk of a catastrophic terrorist attack.
A careful study of Osama bin Laden's videos, letters and Internet statements makes clear that Al Qaeda's goal is more than to terrorize Americans or to drive us out of the Middle East. Bin Laden believes that Al Qaeda can bring about the economic collapse of the United States -- and to achieve this goal, he has adopted a strategy of targeting America's financial centers and economic infrastructure.
Bin Laden cites the 9/11 attacks as proof that this strategy can succeed. In a November 2004 videotape broadcast on Al Jazeera, he boasted that Al Qaeda spent $500,000 on the event, while America lost, "according to the lowest estimate, $500 billion ... meaning that every dollar of Al Qaeda defeated a million dollars [of America] ... besides the loss of a huge number of jobs."
"America is a superpower, with enormous military strength and vast economic power," he concluded, "but all this is built on foundations of straw. So it is possible to target those foundations and focus on their weakest points, which, even if you strike only one-tenth of them, then the whole edifice will totter and sway."
The terrorists' ambitions are shaped by their experience fighting the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Snort. We’re our own worst enemy now. Who the heck needs al Qaeda? All the Islamists will need to do is sit back and watch while we implode. They won’t have to lift a finger. Best part for them is that we will have done it to ourselves.
They didn’t think AQ was such a threat a couple months ago. Wonder why?
Maybe someone’s hoping AQ will attack and then any bad economic news can them be blamed on AQ.
Ironic thing is when these bastards finally get their hands on a nuke it will most likely be the liberals in the northeast or on the west coast who they will use it on. I wonder how they will feel about the military cut backs then.
We’re bombarded with bad news and we love it here at the times.
by “they” I guess you are referring to the LAT, don't forget the LAT didn't write this...but somehow this did slip through the Leftist cracks of the editorial board. LOL
and poetic justice would be that they blow themselves to hell...we're not dealing with “Rhodes scholars” here. LOL
FWIW, I'm not in love, I'm PO'ED.
We just passed the Porkulus. I really don't think we wanna go there right now.
We just passed the Porkulus. I really don’t think we wanna go there right now.
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I’m with you, it ill behooves us to call others stupid, we have just elected an arch enemy of the country who is not constitutionally qualified as its commander in chief. On a scale of one to ten America looks like an eleven for pure idiocy right now. Someone please name the last thing this country did right. I think it may have been reelecting George W. Bush. Imagine a car headed straight for a cliff and a driver who is so stupid he pushes the accelerator to the floor and carefully avoids the brake pedal, all the while talking on his cell phone about how “COOL” he is. THAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF COLLECTIVE AMERICA!!! We are a disgrace to our heritage.
Actually, groups like CAIR and ISNA haqve been working very hard since 9-11 to “Islamicize” these United States, and, they have been quite successful.
Focus on “terror” while ignoring the Jihad.
“We just passed the Porkulus?”
“we” didn’t...THEY did and the “They” is who we need to start replacing 11/2010.
Why would al Qaeda spend the effort when the liberal fascists under Obama are already doing such a great job destroying the American economy?
And running a close second is the fact they've used our money to sit back and watch. Every time we buy a gallon of gas or purchase illegal drugs a portion of that purchase makes its way to the terrorist network. They are very much like the US Government in that they don't produce anything of value but live off the labor of others. For our government it taxes, for the terrorists it money from oil-rich nations and illegal drugs.
I would be quite surprised if they try any large scale attack on US soil anytime soon. As you say, why bother. We're doing just fine on our own. In fact, an attack anything like 9/11 would have exactly the opposite effect of what they want. Right now we are a divided nation. Attack us and that will be put aside. Well, for the time being anyway.
Remember, they don't want to take us over so they can enjoy the treasures of the greatest nation the world has ever know. They want to take us over so they can destroy all of that. And if they can destroy us without the fight, then all the better.
They would love to storm in here and behead millions of us infidels. But that's a secondary pleasure.
Thanks to ethanol competing for corn in cattle feed and for the high price of producing and transporting feed and fertilizer, the amount I spend to feed my cows has doubled. The price of oil is now below $40 per barrel. I have heard that the price of nitrogen fertilizer may drop in half. The local suppliers are holding off on their orders for the upcoming growing season until they see the price. Demand for fertilizer fell drastically last year. That caused the protein in hay and other forage to drop. When winter comes and cows are losing condition due to lack of protein in their diet of hay, my only choice is to buy more expensive feed containing higher levels of protein.
The cost of energy not only affected the meat producing industry, the effect probably can be demonstrated throughout our economy. So, if you are Al Qeada, whose income is probably largely based on the price of oil and you know high oil prices hurt America, what are you going to do? I think I know and therefore own oil stocks for a hedge. I think the current president is more interested in reading terrorists their constitutional rights than he is in stopping the coming attack. That will change the day after, when they hear the boom and pull their heads out of the sand. Protect the country? Who is Commander-in-Chief? Who shall we blame? Obvious. I miss President Bush.
“Yes, the 9/11 attacks did cost America billions of dollars — but our resilient free-market economy replaced every lost job within a few years. We would similarly recover from any other attack Al Qaeda might pull off.”
Eventually. But things are a lot different now
I fear it is too late. The only thing the LA Times can do for me is to release that tape they withheld of Obama attending a dinner with his terrorist friends.
One of jihad’s major objectives is to take Pakistan, a nuclear state.
IMO the West is already so softened up, the islamofascists are likely to succeed, and soon.
In post-capitalist America, "pull" is the new capital. That tape represents about $100 million dollars in political "pull". The paper does not even have to mention they have the tape. Obama knows they have the tape. Perhaps the paper will be given a little extra "stimulus" money; all on the hush hush, naturally. It makes for a very subtle form of blackmail.
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