Fascism Comes to United States as GOP National Security (8/20/06)
by Dean T. Hartwell
Since the alleged plot by terrorists in the United Kingdom to blow up planes with liquid explosives, I have taken a plane trip. The Transportation Security Administration greeted everyone and told us the new rules - no liquids, no gel, no aerosols, etc.
The new approach, on first look, makes sense. Terrorists could use a similar approach here in the United States. But on closer examination, it is our government that we ought to be concerned about.
The idea that the terrorists are apparently sticking to striking airplanes, which typically hold up to 300 passengers, underestimates their range of vision. Even had this attempt succeeded on all ten planes supposedly targeted, the result would have been 3,000 casualties at the most. If one believes the official theory about 9/11, terrorists on that day killed around 3,000 people. Why would they settle for the same amount this time?
Indeed, they have much bigger targets. Targeting a single cruise ship could take as many as 3,000 lives. An airport has even more people than that. And, if they really wanted to think big, they would level a large sports complex. With a game in progress, up to 100,000 lives could be lost.
Terrorists aim to strike fear and hopelessness into civilians. Does it make sense for Al-Qaeda or another group to hit us five years ago and then come up with a softer punch now?
I find it hard to believe that no one in the Bush Administration knew about the possible use of liquid and gel in terrorist attacks five years ago when it first set forth restrictions on commercial flights. Why do they wait until someone actually uses these types of weapons before banning them?
It may have to do with politics. The timing was quite convenient: news of the attempted bombing came out the day after Democrats in Connecticut chose Ned Lamont over Joe Lieberman in their Senate primary. This shocking anti-war revolt was going to carry the news for awhile unless another big news item intervened.
And how about those polls? The ones that show that Democrats are ahead on every issue except national security. Raising the terror level and changing airplane carry-on requirements excites the voters into focusing on security.
The Republicans used fear and national security effectively in the 2002 and 2004 elections. They lied to us about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destructions in '02 and spun a video message allegedly from Osama bin Laden right before the '04 election, saying we need security. Here we go again.
The late Jim Garrison once said, "If fascism ever came to the United States, it would be called national security." The Republicans have caught on to this game. It is time the voters caught on, too.