How will the public act after the next attack?

[Undertoad]

I can't stop thinking about Uryoces' statement in the other thread that "...the 9/11 terrorist attacks were a fluke due to disintegrating relations between the FBI and the CIA". That may be - I dunno - but if the real reason for the attack is that law enforcement can't do what it needs to do in order to prevent one, then another attack is inevitable. If it CAN be done, it probably WILL be done.

Law enforcement's attitude will be a reflection of the public's desires, and if the public believes it is safe, enforcement will relax accordingly. It has to; if politics between government organizations is more important than protection, inevitably that condition will be allowed to occur.

The question then is what the public reaction will be to the second attack. Historically the reaction has been to fight back with enormous resolve, but I don't understand people, and don't know what they'll do. The resolve after 9/11 fell away pretty damn fast and now anti-terror is lower on the list of public priorities. How long will the resolve last next time? What will it demand?

[SteveDallas]

Originally posted by Undertoad
What will it demand?

It will demand the excision of all boobies and talk thereof from TV, radio, print media, and the Internet. This is a Christian nation, a nation of high moral character, and the American people are sick and tired. Sick of being forced to watch indecent and obscene programming that is forced down their throats by the perverted minions of the Blue State liberal media. Tired of being metaphorically strapped down and forced to listen to Bubba the Love Sponge, Howard Stern, and their ilk.

It will demand a return to good, honest, American values. Values of innocence and purity, values of reverence for God and for our country and its government. Americans--true Americans--will no longer tolerate the constant carping and criticism of this great nation by the nay-sayers and liberals who own the political discourse.

It will demand a return to the wholesome, tradtional, Christian values that made this country great, the values that, if we had not been forced to turn our backs on them by the Godless media, would have protected our nation and prevented such tragedies from occurring.

That's what it will demand.




Pay no attention to that Osama behind the curtain.

[SteveDallas]

I just got a great idea for the book club!

[lumberjim]

Originally posted by SteveDallas

It will demand the excision of all boobies and talk thereof from TV, radio, print media, and the Internet. This is a Christian nation, a nation of high moral character, and the American people are sick and tired. Sick of being forced to watch indecent and obscene programming that is forced down their throats by the perverted minions of the Blue State liberal media. Tired of being metaphorically strapped down and forced to listen to Bubba the Love Sponge, Howard Stern, and their ilk.

It will demand a return to good, honest, American values. Values of innocence and purity, values of reverence for God and for our country and its government. Americans--true Americans--will no longer tolerate the constant carping and criticism of this great nation by the nay-sayers and liberals who own the political discourse.

It will demand a return to the wholesome, tradtional, Christian values that made this country great, the values that, if we had not been forced to turn our backs on them by the Godless media, would have protected our nation and prevented such tragedies from occurring.

That's what it will demand.




Pay no attention to that Osama behind the curtain.

you're kidding, i hope.


don;t confuse the total bullshit that you see on tv news with what america actually wants. If america DIDN'T want programs like Howard Stern and all of these reality shows, they would't get the ratings that they get. What the hell is so wholesome about "christian values"? please tell me you were being sarcastic, steve.

[SteveDallas]

Originally posted by lumberjim
please tell me you were being sarcastic, steve.

Only my hairdresser knows, whale;boy!

[blue]

Sadly we'll freak out even more, bitch about whatever current administration didn't do to stop it pre-emptively (sp?), the economy will tank again. And there will be another attack. In my opinion many, many people forgot all about 9/11 and what we face way fast.

[Kitsune]

The question then is what the public reaction will be to the second attack.

I was planning on selling all of my stock in a total panic, cancelling my travel plans, and buying lots more little plastic American flags to stick in my lawn and fly from my car. And then, when things were seemingly at their lowest point, I'd start getting angry and begin complaining that we need to heavily review everyone in the US that might have a Middle Eastern or Indian background which would be quickly followed up by my outrage at the system and people who have rights that might allow them to plan or carry out terrorist activities. I'd agree with talk radio hosts and demand mandatory deportation of suspicious individuals who are not citizens, a full border lockdown, and I'd even advocate a huge listing of really opressive laws because someone said supporting them was the patriotic thing to do.

In celebration of the accomplishments of my country for providing the illusion of security, I'd take the date of the attacks and make that number so well known that it could never possibly evade anyone's memory. I'd make a fortune selling stickers with that number on it, followed by the text "never forget" set on a background of a big American flag and an eagle crying.

[lumberjim]

Originally posted by Kitsune
The question then is what the public reaction will be to the second attack.

I was planning on selling all of my stock in a total panic, cancelling my travel plans, and buying lots more little plastic American flags to stick in my lawn and fly from my car. And then, when things were seemingly at their lowest point, I'd start getting angry and begin complaining that we need to heavily review everyone in the US that might have a Middle Eastern or Indian background which would be quickly followed up by my outrage at the system and people who have rights that might allow them to plan or carry out terrorist activities. I'd agree with talk radio hosts and demand mandatory deportation of suspicious individuals who are not citizens, a full border lockdown, and I'd even advocate a huge listing of really opressive laws because someone said supporting them was the patriotic thing to do.

In celebration of the accomplishments of my country for providing the illusion of security, I'd take the date of the attacks and make that number so well known that it could never possibly evade anyone's memory. I'd make a fortune selling stickers with that number on it, followed by the text "never forget" set on a background of a big American flag and an eagle crying.

sorry, that's already taken. you'll have to think of something else.

[wolf]

I'll have a bag packed in the event that I get called to the scene of whatever disaster to provide CISM services.

I'll have a different bag packed in the event that I have to fend off raging mobs here at home.

Most likely I'll just go to work like nothing happened and watch news reports on TV all night, just like 9-11.

[vsp]

Originally posted by lumberjim
don't confuse the total bullshit that you see on tv news with what america actually wants. If america DIDN'T want programs like Howard Stern and all of these reality shows, they would't get the ratings that they get. What the hell is so wholesome about "christian values"? please tell me you were being sarcastic, steve.

Don't confuse "what America really wants" with what a dedicated, organized, frightening minority wants America to be like, which is "Leave It To Beaver" with more crosses and Bibles.

A moral crusade may not be a particularly rational response to terrorism, but the civil unrest caused by terrorism provides opportunistic crusaders with plenty of opportunities to get their "None of this would have happened if our COUNTRY wasn't so CORRUPT and IMMORAL and if BILL CLINTON hadn't SCHTUPPED AN INTERN" message across, and sometimes sneak things through Congress while everyone else is worried about more important things.

Remember, we have people in this country who _seriously believe_ that the reason that 9/11 happened is because America became so immoral that God removed His "protective seal" from around His Nation. And people like that vote.

Also, don't imagine that it takes anywhere near a majority of Americans to remove "offensive" programming from the airwaves. A handful of dedicated prudes or an angry religious group acting in concert is all it takes to get the FCC's attention.

[russotto]

After the next attack, the general public will see the light and realize that you just can't beat the terrorists. So the US will give in to it. The Constitution will be amended to make Islam the official state religion, and the bin Laden dynasty (descended from Osama, not those ungrateful brothers of his) will rule as monarchs.

[Elspode]

Originally posted by wolf
I'll have a bag packed in the event that I get called to the scene of whatever disaster to provide CISM services.

I'll have a different bag packed in the event that I have to fend off raging mobs here at home.

Most likely I'll just go to work like nothing happened and watch news reports on TV all night, just like 9-11.

Wolf, you're awesome. You are the only person I know who can both suppress a riot, and then counsel the people you had to shoot in order to suppress it!

[godwulf]

undertoad:

...if the real reason for the attack is that law enforcement can't do what it needs to do in order to prevent one, then another attack is inevitable

Bank robberies, kidnappings, murders, etc., of a non-terrorist nature occur a hundred times a day in this country - and how many more would happen if the perpetrators didn't care whether or not they got caught? The police, not to mention intelligence services can only do so much - they're not psychic. I have to sincerely hope that I'm wrong, but I would not be surprised to hear that there was a suicide bombing in this country before the election.

Law enforcement's attitude will be a reflection of the public's desires...

Unfortunately, even if it doesn't make any sense, or is designed only to quell the public's collective paranoia without actually doing anything tangible. Are they still making pilots (you know, the guys who are actually going to be at the controls of the planes in a couple of hours) take off their shoes at Security?

blue58:

In my opinion many, many people forgot all about 9/11 and what we face way fast.

I think there's a difference between 'remembering' something, and letting it affect your decision making in an irrational way; Afghanistan was attacked because they wouldn't give up the leaders of the group who planned 9/11, and the core of the organization was killed, dispersed or imprisoned - fine, that makes some kind of sense. That was the public, sexy, give-em-Hell reaction, which was also probably the right and only thing to do.

What logically follows, though, has not been public or 'sexy' - the ferreting out of Al Quaida cells throughout the World by intelligence services and the police. A large segment of the American public, I believe, won't believe that our government is really 'protecting us' unless they see bombs falling on the six o'clock news and armed soldiers at the airports.

Whether it's a War of Opportunity in Iraq or some security guy confiscating your water bottle before you go into the ballpark, 99.9% of what the authorities have done, are doing, or will do in the future, has absolutely nothing to do with terrorism or public safety.

vsp:

Remember, we have people in this country who _seriously believe_ that the reason that 9/11 happened is because America became so immoral that God removed His "protective seal" from around His Nation. And people like that vote.

Scarier than that - they breed.

I don't know which is more frightening: the people who attribute our vulnerability to attack by foreign terrorists to America's "immorality", or those who buy the "they just hate us because we're free" line. God forbid we should actually have to think about and address their real concerns and grievances.

[wolf]

Originally posted by Elspode


Wolf, you're awesome. You are the only person I know who can both suppress a riot, and then counsel the people you had to shoot in order to suppress it!

I value versatility.

[tw]

Originally posted by godwulf
I don't know which is more frightening: the people who attribute our vulnerability to attack by foreign terrorists to America's "immorality", or those who buy the "they just hate us because we're free" line. God forbid we should actually have to think about and address their real concerns and grievances.

Those same people never learned that Muslim Brotherhood has existed since the 1600s. Brotherhood attacks those who interfere - classic of domestic violence. Today's spin doctors would rather have us *forget* that Al Qaeda is nothing more than the Muslim Brotherhood who attack anything deemed a threat to Islamic fundamentals. Al Qaeda is not a recent creation of Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda is simply another branch of Muslim Brotherhood.

Muslim Brotherhood hate secularism which is why, for example, the Muslim Brotherhood was able murder Sadat. Muslim Brotherhood was able to subvert some of the world's best security to murder Sadat - because it (now too often confused with Al Qaeda) is that deeply embedded throughout the Muslim world.

How to avoid terrorism - Muslim Brotherhood style? Stay out of these domestic conflicts. Unfortunately America did not do that. American military did not leave. America lied which is enough to justify Muslim Brotherhood attacks.

When did the world change? Not on 11 September. The world changed on 1 Aug 1990. That begins a story that marks end of the Cold War and that eventually made America target of Islamic terrorists.