Snake Oil and Terrorism

by shamatha

Posted to Poetry and Politics on 2004-03-22 06:58:00

Parent message is 623895
You know, I was just thinking this morning, “Why am I not afraid to ride the bus or the train?” Why does it never occur to me that it could blow up and maybe I should be a little bit nervous? How come I apparently don’t buy into the culture of fear that Bush is trying to create around the threat of terrorism?

I mean, what exactly is stopping terrrorists from strapping themselves with dynamite and blowing themselves up on a NYC subway?

What exactly is stopping a terrorist cell from buying up a bunch of used automatic weapons from a defunct militia in Montana(who have seen their day in the sun as the most dangerous threat to the American way of life pass them by) and staging an bloody attack in Washington DC?

Teenagers can make pipe bombs; you’re telling me a terrorist couldn’t?

I certainly respect the ability of America’s law enforcers, but if al Queda were as widespread as some would like us to believe, nobody could stop them from wreaking havoc.

So why don’t they?

Why is America not Israel?

Could it be because they, um, aren’t really that widespread? That while there may be some of hatred for America in the Arab world, that it only rises to the level of murderous rage in a few wackos?

Could it be that the ‘terrorist threat’ while real, has been, like the death of Mark Twain, greatly exagerrated, for the benefit of oil wars and the defense industry?

Is it possible that in the days after September 11, a lightbulb went on in Karl Rove’s head and he thought to himself “Hallelujah! I think we’ve found ourselves the new communism. Thank god the days of peace and prosperity are behind us and endless war and giant defense contracts are in the days ahead.”

Or maybe this is all just crazy hippie talk.