The Administration That Cries Wolf

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The Administration That Cries Wolf

by Randolph T Holhut | Jun 13 2007 - 1:26pm | permalink

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DUMMERSTON, Vt. - That didn't take long, did it?

 

It took barely a week before the supposed plot to blow up the fuel

tanks and pipelines at New York's John F. Kennedy International

Airport and incinerate the borough of Queens in the process was swept

away by Paris Hilton and the blather over the last episode of " The

Sopranos. "

 

While the press loves to hype a good terrorist plot, pop culture

apparently still trumps death and destruction. But in those rare

moments where there isn't a celebrity doing something dumb, you can

count on the press dutifully reporting upon the latest foiled attempt

at a second 9/11 being thwarted by our brave and valiant law

enforcement authorities.

 

Perhaps we're all better off when Paris Hilton's jailhouse toilet-

phobia is front page news. At least there's a little more truth in

that story compared to the JFK plot.

 

Americans have finally begun to figure out that the Bush

administration loves to cry wolf and pump up the most absurd and

improbable plots into the next 9/11. Before our press turned its eyes

to Paris Hilton, we learned that the JFK plot had little chance of

succeeding, that the so-called plotters had no explosives or financial

backing to carry out the attack and that the chief source of

intelligence for law enforcement agencies was a convicted drug dealer

who infiltrated the so-called terror cell in exchange for a lighter

sentence. None of the would-be attackers had ties to Iraq, Iran or any

other country in the Middle East. They had no ties to al-Qaida or any

other terrorist group.

 

Of course, none of this got the big screaming headlines that the

initial news of the arrests did. But it's been par for the course in

the alleged global war on terror that the Bush administration is

waging.

 

Certainly, every lead needs to be investigated and people who might be

plotting some sort of attack should be arrested. But not all threats

are created equal and too many of them have been blown out of

proportion.

 

Remember the guys who were going to use a blowtorch to take down the

Brooklyn Bridge? The " Lackawanna Six, " the Yemen-Americans allegedly

linked to al-Qaida? Jose Padilla and the " dirty bomb " that never was?

The " Seas of David " group in Miami that wanted to blow up the Sears

Tower in Chicago? All of these were hyped into major plots, and in

every case, there was far more talk than action.

 

Even the recent " plot " to attack Fort Dix in New Jersey, while

slightly more plausible, had a extremely low probability of success.

Unless the six guys are Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Bruce

Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, and Jean-Claude Van

Damme - in character, of course - they are not going to infiltrate an

Army base.

 

The irony of the terrorism hype is that it helps the terrorists. After

all, the whole point of terrorism is to terrorize. And if people are

running around afraid that swarthy Arabic men are going to blow them

to bits, well, the terrorists have won.

 

Last week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg offered the best advice

for Americans - " Get a life. "

 

" There are lots of threats to you in the world, " Bloomberg said.

" There's the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can't

sit there and worry about everything. You have much greater chance of

being hit by lightning than being struck by a terrorist. "

 

Instead of freaking out at every hint of a threat, Americans should

take a deep breath and recognize that there is nothing worry about -

except from politicians who want to manipulate our fears to carry out

their policies.

 

_______

 

 

 

About author Randolph T. Holhut has been a journalist in New England

for more than 25 years. He edited " The George Seldes

Reader " (Barricade Books). He can be reached at randyholhut.

 

 

When I see the price that you pay

I don't wanna grow up

I don't ever want to be that way

I don't wanna grow up

Seems that folks turn into things

that they never want