Is Terror Still a Threat?
I was listening to the Howard Stern show, and he and the crew were going over Michael Moore’s appearance on the Bill Maher show this weekend. Maher says he is going to play the “devil’s advocate” as he goes on a low-level rant (including stats) how terrorism isn’t a threat in the United States. His point was that the different alert levels and everything else are unnecessary.
Michael Moore obviously loves this and he pipes in about how the various terror alerts are to help drum up support for the right wing agenda. There is no terror threat. Maher comes in with the stats. Don’t quote me on this, but it was something to the effect of, more Americans died from shoveling snow last year than from terrorism. More Americans died from bee stings than from terrorism.
I understand the argument. I understand the conspiracy theory. I might even be able to buy that it could be true that the right side is using the terror alerts to drum up support for the president. But, what does Michael Moore mean when he says the right wing agenda. I thought that was one of the biggest complaints about our president thus far is that we aren’t sure what the agenda is. I know that has been one of my biggest worries.
Also, do you really think terror isn’t a threat in this country anymore? Because nothing has happened really since the anthrax after 9/11 does that mean terror isn’t a threat? I don’t buy it. There were people with enough intelligence, know-how, and planning in this country who were able to kill 3000 people in a single day. Is it so long ago that you forget that? How is it that after an incident like that, we can feel safe a mere two years later? Shouldn’t we be overly cautious and wary for at least a decade before we declare there is no threat?
Finally, this “no terror” thinking runs contrary to what we are doing in the rest of the world, and the things that Maher and Moore have been most critical of. The one thing that I think most people can agree on, whether you think we should have gone to war or not, whether you are a democrat, republican or some minority party, is that what we are doing isn’t popular in the rest of the world. We know this for a fact. Wouldn’t this be justification enough to assume there is still a threat of terror in this country?
If you constantly argue that the war is unpopular worldwide from one side of your mouth, and then through the other side say that the right side is making up the terror threat for their own agenda, isn’t that a direct contradiction of yourself logically?
I know Michael Moore doesn’t represent “Democrats,” but I think he is just as big an idiot as Rush Limbaugh.
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“Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Benjamin Franklin
Although I fully agree with this idea, I feel obligated to question what constitutes an ‘essential liberty.’ Is privacy an essential liberty? Can we truly be free if we know all our phone conversations, letters, and emails may be monitored by the prying eyes of some government agency? Will the invasive nature of laws that come about in the future prove to fuel a cold war era witch hunt, or for that matter will they even be beneficial in locating would be terrorists? These are arguable points, but what is not arguable is the fact that I have to be alive to enjoy my freedom.
Is there a terrorist threat to the people of the United States? Looking at the events and very public threats following September 11th, I imagine an individual would have to be blind or extremely foolish to think no threat exists. The violence and extreme hatred towards Americans grows on a daily basis and will never cease, no matter what changes we make in our foreign policy. Our intelligence community is by no means perfect, and it has become clear that a lack of efficient communication between agencies has devastating consequences. However, the fact that we can’t currently see all of the internal and external threats to this country does not mean they do not exist. How many thwarted terrorist activities has the American public never even known about? If you believe the answer is zero, I envy your optimism, but question your ability to understand just how much hatred exists on our behalf. No amount of spilled American blood will quench the thirst of those who hate us until every last one of us is dead. These people would crush your children’s heads and kill every person you love without a second thought. If you are willing to tell me that is not a threat, God help you when it’s your turn.
The number of misinformed, reactionary and contradictory statements in your post are beyond counting. I suggest starting with Ben Franklin’s statement, and stopping there. To suggest that there is extreme hatred of Americans AND that it would not change if we changed our foreign policy is to deny cause and effect. To suggest that there are terrorist threats that have been thwarted and we have NOT been told about them by the endlessly self-aggrandizing Bush administration is just silly.
But I think the essential point that Moore was trying to make, is that there may not be a sufficiently real, organized terrorist threat to the U.S., that 9/11 took years of preparation that we DID NOT PAY ATTENTION TO, and therefore, simple awareness of the fact that we are not living on our own little island, removed from the rest of the world, better communication between intelligence agencies, and maybe considerably better behavior by us in our dealings with others, would do a whole lot more to reduce the small threat of terrorism than all the alerts, rantings, destruction of liberties, and terror mongering that is coming from the Bush White House.
There is no doubt in my mind that the White House is using and has used 9/11 to further a point of view that is restrictive to individual liberty and intended to consolidate power, among other things.
I think that if it proves anything it proves that Michael Moore and Bill Maher are both douchebags.
The terror alert really doesn’t serve any purpose for people like you and me. I don’t have a certain bio-hazard-resistant pair of slacks that I wear on days when the alert is orange or above. It’s helpful, likely, to police, border patrol, coast guard, etc. Announcing it on the news like it means something to John and Susie Citizen is a little foolish, but whatever. I’d rather have too much info than too little.
I suppose it could be seen as a way for Bush to manipulate things. If it’s suddenly alert level red on the day of the New Hampshire primary, I’ll be suspicious.
There are real threats, though. For Moore and Maher to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.
Maher was just humoring Moore. If anything, he thinks we aren’t doing enough of the right stuff to stop terrorism.
You are right, JB. Franklin’s quote stands on its own. Franklin and Jefferson were smart men. They could come up with wicked cool “sententiae” as we call them in Latin. I will be lucky if I am remembered for saying “Franklin and Jefferson were smart men.”
And as for changing the alert level to mauve… well, like most other things in politics, if it HAPPENS to be an added benefit to my administration or my agenda, well, isin’t that swell for me. I think that is a thin veil many people hide behind. Like Clinton trying to rocket Osama Bin Laden just as MonicaGate became a really hot topic. Sadly, and by design, the American people are usually too stupid to see through it. Hell, I went to public school. I was never taught to analyze and think critically about ANYTHING. But my “Daily Spartan News” was brought to me by Coke. Coke, it adds life!
I wouldn’t have any idea what Bill Maher’s beliefs are, because I can’t stand to listen to him talk.
Note to Bill Maher: letting four people argue about things and then very un-subtly slipping in a bad, obviously-scripted-days-in-advance joke is not insightful commentary. And, when it’s Bill Maher, it’s usually not funny, either.
Speaking of blowhard assholes: Rush Limbaugh, on ESPN’s NFL Countdown show on Sunday morning, expressed his opinion on something I can’t remember right now. What I do remember is reading everything Mr. Limbaugh said earlier in the week in some column on sportsillustrated.com. He plagiarized this entire point of view. Made me remember why I don’t take him seriously.
Oh, Mr. Rush said how he thought McNabb was the most overrated player in the game and how touting McNabb as a successful QB is the NFL’s claim to “social concern”. It was a stupid thing to say. True or no, and I personally don’t think it is, as McNabb is a pretty good QB, true or no, you don’t say that kind of thing. Let’s see… that was “big fat idiot” if I remember correctly.
But I guess that is why they got him, for ratings. Well, their ratings will be higher still next week.
It’s actually kind of fun to watch Rush make Steve Young and Michael Irvin squirm with his challenges on the pre-game show. Didn’t see him make those comments, but it sounds like a dumb attempt to be provocative. I don’t think it’s true either. Last time I checked Donovan had been to some probowls and taken the eagles to the NFC championship games the last two years? Whatever, he is off to a slow start this year. He has plenty of talent to spare.
Yeah, that wasn’t the opinion Rush lifted en masse from sportsillustrated, but it was a stupid thing to say, and it cost him his gig. Just goes to show that being a loudmouthed ass doesn’t pay.
Also, God bless Tom Jackson’s heart for not rushing over to where Limbaugh sat and ripping out his spleen.
Are you kidding Justin? I wish I could have seen Tom Jackson run over there and kick his ass.
Anyway, the other thing that I was thinking of today is that I remember the first week that Rush was on the NFL countdown show, he was critical of the nfl rule for minority coach hiring. He said that it caused teams to do “token” interviews with minority candidates when they had no intention of hiring them.