Thursday, May 20, 2010
New Yorkers are bomb-conscious
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
On Thursday, May 13, around 10PM watchful New Yorkers noted two gasoline tanks on the back seat of a 1991 Oldsmobile Ciera parked by the Con Ed building on Irving Place near 14th Street . Bomb technicians broke the windows of the car to check for incendiaries while the police traced the owner who was at the British rock band Buzzcocks performance in the Fillmore East at Irving Plaza concert hall. The band stopped the concert to call for the owner of the car, who turned out to be a professional gardener from the suburbs. I can feel for the guy, having traveled with my lawn mover gas tank, in my ancient Ciera, two cars ago (today I put my red gas tank in the trunk). This was the fifth reported suspicious object, since the May1 failed bombing near Times Square.
On the good news side, this story confirms that New Yorkers take bomb threats seriously. A neighbor reports that she called 911 when she saw a large closed black suitcase standing on its end, on corner 17th Street and Irving Place on a Saturday morning, on her way to the Farmers’ Market, seemingly ignored by the passersby. She did not wait for the police, but on her way back the trunk was gone. With no word in the press, this was presumably not a serious incident, but we all must be aware of the threats.
The fact that tee-shirt sellers around town volunteer as the NYPD’s eyes and ears speaks well for the unofficial reporting system that we all participate in, and the quick action, identifying Faisal Shahzad, presumably helped by his one-time cell phone in buying the car, his forgetfulness in leading his house keys behind in the car, and the recordkeeping of the fireworks’ sellers in Pennsylvania, acts that led to his arrest in 52 hours. But we were also lucky and should not count on the next terrorist doing legitimate purchases and goofing up the explosion and leaving evidence at the site.
That raises a few questions, starting with the thought that suicide bombers can be expected to sabotage their own attacks. First there was Richard Reid in 2001, trying to set his shoelaces on fire in full view of the airplane passengers, meekly permitting to be subdued by volunteers and crew; next, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, held by passengers on the Detroit-bound plane on December 24, as his bombing attempt was discovered. This was a bad bungle by security, ignoring Umar‘s father’s warning to the authorities. Shahzad also submitted meekly, expressing surprise at the late arrest. All three of these bombers caught in action spoke freely of their intent, raising the question as to whether their bungles were intended as warnings, avoiding the public outcry and world-wide uproar that any major terror acts against the innocents would create. Is Al Quaeda trying to become a public protector, what with Obama bin Laden speaking out against global warming perpetrated by the capitalist West?
More importantly, the West has lost a lot of the Muslim world’s sympathy, gained after 9/11, as a result of civilian casualties incurred in Afghanistan, in pursuit of terrorists deliberately hiding among the populace. It really started in Iraq, with our 2004 invasion, which the Bush administration justified as purportedly neutralizing Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. The world did accept our earlier action in Afghanistan right after 9/11/2001, in pursuit of Al Quaeda terrorists and their protectors, the Taliban; in fact, Iran pledged $500 million, in restructuring Afghan life, in the interests of bettering their Shia Persian country’s relationship with its Sunni neighbors. But the Bushites spurned the peace offer, almost immediately declaring Iran a member of the Axis of Evil, with Iraq and North Korea.
Subsequently, President Barack Obama, being a good American, pursued the terrorists further, including targeted bombings among Taliban supporters hiding in Pakistan. The collateral casualties are costing us supporters, and generating Jihadist enemies, some even here in the US. As to where the Muslims in US have stood, the religious Muslim structure has condemned terrorists and suicide bombers in principle, as contrary to the basic teachings of the Prophet. Yet, the feelings among some of the young American-born Pakistanis and Arabs have been influenced by world events, and family interaction with their relatives abroad cannot be denied. Consequently, the wars have given strength to the teachings of some US-born radicals, such as Anwal al-Awlaki now hiding in Yemen, preaching vengeance. He succeeded with Umar, Faisal and particularly with the mass killer at Fort hood, psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan.
All this is no news to President Barack Obama, whose actions against terrorists may be military successes, but whose peace restoration efforts suffer, as a consequence. Concurrently pushing for peace with sheiks and radical leaders while spot-bombing their troops worked in World War II, which was warred between governments, but here we are in a different environment. Our military leaders, while brilliant academicians and peace theorists who understand the three cups of tea approach, will have to change their tack. One direction must be to have the participants realize the inexorable deadliness of our weapons. This is no Rudyard Kipling or former USSR war, we are technologically unstoppable, and even Pushtuns must recognize our ability to identify and pinpoint our targets. The need of coming to peace before our air power inexorably destroys them one by one, must be sold to them and their families, with Chinese, Indian, Saudi and Arab League and particularly Pakistani cooperation... Obama needs this, but so do they, and so does the world.
Corrections: buiti is “good” in Garifuna, and samba is “lion” in Swahili. Thank you!
.
On Thursday, May 13, around 10PM watchful New Yorkers noted two gasoline tanks on the back seat of a 1991 Oldsmobile Ciera parked by the Con Ed building on Irving Place near 14th Street . Bomb technicians broke the windows of the car to check for incendiaries while the police traced the owner who was at the British rock band Buzzcocks performance in the Fillmore East at Irving Plaza concert hall. The band stopped the concert to call for the owner of the car, who turned out to be a professional gardener from the suburbs. I can feel for the guy, having traveled with my lawn mover gas tank, in my ancient Ciera, two cars ago (today I put my red gas tank in the trunk). This was the fifth reported suspicious object, since the May1 failed bombing near Times Square.
On the good news side, this story confirms that New Yorkers take bomb threats seriously. A neighbor reports that she called 911 when she saw a large closed black suitcase standing on its end, on corner 17th Street and Irving Place on a Saturday morning, on her way to the Farmers’ Market, seemingly ignored by the passersby. She did not wait for the police, but on her way back the trunk was gone. With no word in the press, this was presumably not a serious incident, but we all must be aware of the threats.
The fact that tee-shirt sellers around town volunteer as the NYPD’s eyes and ears speaks well for the unofficial reporting system that we all participate in, and the quick action, identifying Faisal Shahzad, presumably helped by his one-time cell phone in buying the car, his forgetfulness in leading his house keys behind in the car, and the recordkeeping of the fireworks’ sellers in Pennsylvania, acts that led to his arrest in 52 hours. But we were also lucky and should not count on the next terrorist doing legitimate purchases and goofing up the explosion and leaving evidence at the site.
That raises a few questions, starting with the thought that suicide bombers can be expected to sabotage their own attacks. First there was Richard Reid in 2001, trying to set his shoelaces on fire in full view of the airplane passengers, meekly permitting to be subdued by volunteers and crew; next, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, held by passengers on the Detroit-bound plane on December 24, as his bombing attempt was discovered. This was a bad bungle by security, ignoring Umar‘s father’s warning to the authorities. Shahzad also submitted meekly, expressing surprise at the late arrest. All three of these bombers caught in action spoke freely of their intent, raising the question as to whether their bungles were intended as warnings, avoiding the public outcry and world-wide uproar that any major terror acts against the innocents would create. Is Al Quaeda trying to become a public protector, what with Obama bin Laden speaking out against global warming perpetrated by the capitalist West?
More importantly, the West has lost a lot of the Muslim world’s sympathy, gained after 9/11, as a result of civilian casualties incurred in Afghanistan, in pursuit of terrorists deliberately hiding among the populace. It really started in Iraq, with our 2004 invasion, which the Bush administration justified as purportedly neutralizing Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. The world did accept our earlier action in Afghanistan right after 9/11/2001, in pursuit of Al Quaeda terrorists and their protectors, the Taliban; in fact, Iran pledged $500 million, in restructuring Afghan life, in the interests of bettering their Shia Persian country’s relationship with its Sunni neighbors. But the Bushites spurned the peace offer, almost immediately declaring Iran a member of the Axis of Evil, with Iraq and North Korea.
Subsequently, President Barack Obama, being a good American, pursued the terrorists further, including targeted bombings among Taliban supporters hiding in Pakistan. The collateral casualties are costing us supporters, and generating Jihadist enemies, some even here in the US. As to where the Muslims in US have stood, the religious Muslim structure has condemned terrorists and suicide bombers in principle, as contrary to the basic teachings of the Prophet. Yet, the feelings among some of the young American-born Pakistanis and Arabs have been influenced by world events, and family interaction with their relatives abroad cannot be denied. Consequently, the wars have given strength to the teachings of some US-born radicals, such as Anwal al-Awlaki now hiding in Yemen, preaching vengeance. He succeeded with Umar, Faisal and particularly with the mass killer at Fort hood, psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan.
All this is no news to President Barack Obama, whose actions against terrorists may be military successes, but whose peace restoration efforts suffer, as a consequence. Concurrently pushing for peace with sheiks and radical leaders while spot-bombing their troops worked in World War II, which was warred between governments, but here we are in a different environment. Our military leaders, while brilliant academicians and peace theorists who understand the three cups of tea approach, will have to change their tack. One direction must be to have the participants realize the inexorable deadliness of our weapons. This is no Rudyard Kipling or former USSR war, we are technologically unstoppable, and even Pushtuns must recognize our ability to identify and pinpoint our targets. The need of coming to peace before our air power inexorably destroys them one by one, must be sold to them and their families, with Chinese, Indian, Saudi and Arab League and particularly Pakistani cooperation... Obama needs this, but so do they, and so does the world.
Corrections: buiti is “good” in Garifuna, and samba is “lion” in Swahili. Thank you!
.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 11:32 AM 
