Wow, that didn't take long at all. Scant days after the American war machine took the cloaking device off its direct military involvement in Yemen, we have an alleged attempted terrorist attack by an alleged attempted terrorist who, just scant hours after his capture, has allegedly confessed to getting his alleged attempted terrorist material from ... wait for it ... Yemen!

Yemen-trained terrorists on the loose in American airplanes! At Christmas! Great googily moogily! It's a good thing our boys are on the case over there right now, pounding the holy hell outta some of them Al Qaeder ragheads! And to think, a few pipsqueaky fifth columnists had been starting to wonder why we were killing dozens of innocent civilians on behalf of an authoritarian regime embroiled in a three-way civil war on the other side of the world.

Well, now they have their answer, by God! Alleged attempted terrorists allegedly trained in Yemen! What else do you need -- a freaking warrant or something? We would obviously be justified in nuking that desert hell-hole and everybody in it! Just think of it -- some guy with some kind of something on an airplane, right there in the Heartland! You gonna stand for that? Exterminate the brutes!

And yet, because we are good, because we are godly, because our heart is always in the right place, even when -- as President Obama himself admitted in his noble Nobel Speech -- we sometimes make mistakes, we have not brought down the full force of the iron rod that God himself has placed into our hands for the chastisement and right order of the world. No, there will be no nukes falling on the children of Yemen tonight. But boy howdy, they'd better get ready for some sure-enough heavy ordnance -- fired from distant ships, from far-flung bases and from computer consoles in leafy Stateside suburbs, where you can bravely kill some alleged attempted somebody-or-other (and everyone in their immediate vicinity), and still make it home in time to to eat supper with the kids.

So here we are. Just one day after the alleged attempted terrorist incident in Detroit, we already have headlines blaring in the New York Times, the "paper of record," tying the alleged attempt to Yemen. How quick and convenient is that? Already the echo chamber is roaring with the all-justifying cacophony: "Terror, Yemen, al Qaeda, Homeland, Bomb, Terror, Yemen, Yemen, al Qaeda."

And it must be true, right? I mean, just look at how well-sourced the NYT story is. "A law enforcement official" -- Police captain? State trooper? G-Man? Traffic cop? -- said that the alleged attempted terrorist said he'd got his "explosive chemicals" from Yemen. (Elsewhere in the paper, other unnamed officials told NYT reporters that the alleged material strapped to the alleged attempted terrorist was "incendiary," not explosive. But who cares? "Bomb, Terror, Yemen!")

Of course, the NYT noted that "authorities have not independently corroborated the Yemen connection claimed by the suspect" (nor, they could have added, have they independently corroborated that the claim was actually made), but still, the completely anonymous "law enforcement official" said that the suspect's claim "was plausible," and even added: "I see no reason to discount it."

Well, it doesn't get more solid than that, does it? They nailed that story down so tight you couldn't pry it open with God's own crowbar. An anonymous source confirmed the plausibility of his own claim. Man, that's ironclad. It's certainly good enough to light up the media firmament with headlines linking "terror in the Heartland" with the empire's newest killing field in a volatile foreign land.

And it turns out that the suspected attempted terrorist, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was already on the radar of our all-encompassing security services -- just like the last Muslim terrorist in the heartland, Major Nidal Hasan. (And, for that matter, just like  many of those accused of carrying out the 9/11 attack.) As in almost all of these cases, the question arises: Who is running whom? (For more, see "Darkness Renewed: Terror as a Tool of Empire.")

But this query is precisely the kind of pantywaist handwringing that rightly goes down in the flood of the he-man Homeland Security strutting that always follows these incidents. As we noted here the other day, there's no time for depth, context, history -- or even facts -- when the "frame" is screaming "Terror!"

In any case, whatever facts about the case -- or rather, shards and splinters of filtered information -- that are allowed to emerge from the depths of the security apparat, you can be absolutely sure that, as always, the "facts will be fixed around the policy."

And what is that policy? Why, endless war, of course! The American war machine (which now dominates most of "civilian" society as well) is like a shark: it must keep moving, and feeding, or die. "Terror, Bomb, Yemen!"

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Rob Waller said:

Here we go again... Great article and sarcasm Chris. I walked the streets of Aden, Yemen as an eight year old back in '65. Unless the situation has drastically changed, bombing the place would only make improvements. Such crushing poverty, people living in shantys made of refrigerator boxes taped together and such. But yeah, when Grandma Jefferson and I read the news article we were floored. We discussed the same points along the same lines as your article. How convenient that this happened when it did, a Nigerian banker's son boards a plane in Amsterdam, en route for Detroit with stuff taped to his legs that somehow was missed by all the security personnel everywhere and it leads straight back to where? Amsterdam?, Nigeria? London? Hell no, Yemen! This PROVES that Al Quaida is EVERYWHERE! This is the crappiest script I've ever read, it makes Ed Wood movies look good, INCLUDING "Plan 9 From Outer Space"!

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December 27, 2009
Votes: +15

Debbie(aussie) said:

	... Wonderful snark, Chris. I burst out laughing when I heard the reports reagrding this, just over an hour ago.(been at family gatherings for the last two days). It isn 't really funny of course, but as the saying goes, if you didn't laugh, you'd cry. What a credulous bunch we are.
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December 27, 2009
Votes: +8

john kelley said:

	... I mean, you might as well get your poop from some cab driver in Sana'a, no?
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December 27, 2009
Votes: +2

Art James, bebop-o, GoodCelery! said:

Yessum (banter rail) Yemens and women parade the rednecks streets. 'Um Yemans are unruly and uninvited to poops. Women with Yessum goose lame commander- in-chief Obama's antics sham performers a puff joints a opium den den of enmity a pit of iniquity some say murder bombs boom child family of innocents mouth froth politico jaw flap death lingo thug snapping bleep some say it's carnage I'm popping off. sad. 'Um eat geese poop. 'Um say kill babies. baby jesu in cradle. 'Um kook oligarchs. 'Um head of bullock. baby lambs bah bah. Wall Street Slaughter. Stock Market Butcher. Drones. Napalm. BBQ. Baal's War Merchants.

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December 27, 2009
Votes: +3

Bill Jones said:

As with all government programs This one has deteriorated quickly over time. When the "terrorists R Them" brand was first launched in a major way on 9/11,(after a few test market tries), they at least did a superficially plausible job of producing a credible threat. Each new product roll-out has been increasingly laughable and this latest one proves that the CIA/FBI really need new material. The traditional approach to a problem like this would be to keep a low profile for a while- maybe a year or so, and the re-launch the brand with a spectacular new offering. It will of course be tempting to do this before the election, for maximum impact it should of course be afterwards.

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December 27, 2009
Votes: +5

Bill Jones said:

And by the way Chris This is one more example of piss poor timing. They should have launched this effort prior to launching the drone. This way around, a few people are starting to raise the "why do the Yemeni's hate us?" question, and thus the hitherto successfully suppressed news of the drone slaughter gets a little bit of notice. The traditional way would have been to have the "Terrorist" first and then reluctantly have to bomb the fuck out of some-one to stop it happening again.

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December 27, 2009
Votes: +5

NomNomNom said:

... Someone suspicious might consider the possibility that Al Awlaki is CIA. He has a habit of saying what we need when we need it. Now he has been blown up, but maybe not really. Surprise! Doubtless he will reappear in Somalia with Al Shabab at the appropriate moment. 1. http://www.longwarjournal.org/...ula_al.php A report in The Long War Journal noted that Ayman Zawahiri promised Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh more fighters for the northern Sa'ada War and wanted more prison releases for his operatives. Saleh uses jihadis to train the tribal paramilitaries deployed against Shiite rebels and often the civilian population. Human Rights Watch documented the government's indiscriminate bombing of residential areas in Sa'ada, the blockade on food and medicine to civilians, arbitrary arrests, and the denial of humanitarian access as contrary to international law. 2. http://www.longwarjournal.org/...rdinat.php The Yemeni government has battled the Shia Houthi in the Sana'a region since 2003, and has integrated hundreds of al Qaeda fighters into a militia that operates in the north. In December 2008, Hamza Ali Saleh al Dhayani, a senior al Qaeda leader in Yemen, admitted in an interview that the Yemeni government is cynical when dealing with al Qaeda. "I am ready to prove the reality that some attacks were planned in co-ordination and agreement of the [Yemeni] Political Security [Organization] and its agents to gain foreign support and to confirm to America that they (the Yemeni state) launch war against terrorism," Dhayani said in an interview with the Mareb Press. Tensions between the Saleh government and al Qaeda increased after an al Qaeda assault team conducted a coordinated attack on the US embassy in Sana'a. "Saleh feared his government would be the next target, but Zawahiri wanted al Qaeda prisoners released from Yemeni jails and committed al Qaeda foot soldiers to fight the Houthi rebels. Zawahiri does not want to sour relations" between al Qaeda and Iran, "so he took great care by reaching out to the Iranians."

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December 27, 2009
Votes: +2

Harpfool said:

"It's just the way it is" Bill Jones: "Each new product roll-out has been increasingly laughable and this latest one proves that the CIA/FBI really need new material." Hi Bill, while I see your point, I fear the reality is that they know they no longer need to make any effort to make these "terror" incidents plausible. They've got the herd on the run. Up here in Toronto, fer God's sake, we've got radio announcers telling us that, as a result of this "terror incident" we should be prepared for long delays at the local airport, and reminding us that "the delays are for our own protection" so be nice to Mr and Ms Security as they put us through the process. Oh, and "Don't bother to bring any liquids with you when going through Security - they'll just dump them out." Let's face it, why should they waste time trying to make it look plausible when the majority of the population is always ready to swallow the tall tale as given.

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December 27, 2009
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john kelley said:

	... "...I fear the reality is that they know they no longer need to make any effort to make these "terror" incidents plausible. They've got the herd on the run." Some sharks, sometimes, can breathe by remaining stationary in a strong current.
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December 27, 2009
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Grandma Jefferson said:

Meanwhile, and Of Course...9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 TerrorTerrorTerror... Richard Clarke, aka Col. Jack D Ripper, commenting on the "terrorist attack" made by a Nigerian Dr Strangelove terrorist-mastermind boarding a plane in Amsterdam, with the alleged intention of blowing up the plane in mid-air, explained that: "Full body scans were needed" at our airports, "but they're expensive and they're intrusive. They invade people's privacy." "Al Qaeda, said Clarke, is aware of this vulnerability in the U.S. airport security system. "They know that this is a weakness and an Achilles' heel in our airport security system and this is the second time they've tried it."---in eight years, if you count the phony shoe bomber bullshit, which I don't, and don't count this farce as "Al Qaeda" either. After I stopped laughing at the idea of anybody in government affecting concern over people's privacy on any level, I simply wondered which of our oligarchs runs the company that makes these scanners, and if Clarke happens to be a stockholder. And obviously, we're just going to have to strong-arm all International Airports of every nation into purchasing & installing these items, just to meet our "stringent" security requirements, as we force the tax-payers to cough up for the mass emplacement here. I have a better, cheaper idea: ban all flights to the precious Homeland from anywhere else on the planet, and ban all flights leaving the country for anywhere. Just lock the entire fucking surrealistic nightmare country DOWN, forever. The rest of the globe would probably be grateful. Then we can all feel safe from those evil islamofascist/commie/fanatic terrorists. I feel safer just thinking it.

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December 27, 2009
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Rob Waller said:

	And in a followup Having "tummy troubles" is now a terrorist threat. "DETROIT - The same Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight that was attacked on Christmas Day saw another security scare Sunday after a confrontation with a sick passenger, officials said." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34602186/ns/us_news-security/ "Home of the brave" indeed... More like "Home of the craven"
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December 27, 2009
Votes: +6

Harpfool said:

... "I have a better, cheaper idea: ban all flights to the precious Homeland from anywhere else on the planet, and ban all flights leaving the country for anywhere. Just lock the entire fucking surrealistic nightmare country DOWN, forever." Grandma Jefferson: What you suggest is too sensible, like the idea of bringing all troops back to North American soil to defend North American borders and skies from whatever threats might really exist. But of course then there'd be no pretext for taking over (terrorizing) the world.

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December 28, 2009
Votes: +6

Grandma Jefferson said:

Let the Contracts Roll... Hey Harpfool, many thanks for the kind words. Yes, we must have perpetual war, and keep that river of our gold, such as is left, flowing into the pockets of the profiteers, while we loot the victims. In tomorrow's news, we'll no doubt be told about the future Yemen "surge" now in the planning, to augment the pre-emptive war against Yemen, even though we haven't ramped that up yet. This will be followed by an annoucement of the capture of yet another Yemeni-hired, Al Quaeda Nigerian terrorist mastermind from the same flight, found stowed away in the cargo hold of the plane while attempting to ignite his PETN soaked underwear. Frankly, I'm worried about our lack of interest in capturing those known terrorists and enemies of the human race, Lex Luthor, the Penguin, the Joker, the Riddler, and of course, mr. mxyzptlk. Hillary???

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December 28, 2009
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scott douglas said:

	... Wow. Kurt Haskell knows what really went down... What? Who?! You Subversives! Stop quoting Jefferson! Oh: You Radicals! Oh!
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December 28, 2009
Votes: +0

Chris Sinnard said:

Interesting to me that he flew out of Schiphol airport Schiphol airport was the first airport in the world that used body scanners, starting in 2007, according to Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1569798620070515 Amsterdam airport deploys body-scanning machines AMSTERDAM Tue May 15, 2007 12:08pm EDT AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Amsterdam's Schiphol airport began using new body-scanning machines at security checkpoints on Tuesday, the first major airport to use the technology to find metals and explosives hidden under clothing. The "security scan" system, which uses harmless radio waves to display head-to-toe images of people, is also being used by other airports on a trial basis, but Schiphol is the only one to deploy the technology for regular use at its checkpoints. ........................................................... Now "the experts" are saying body scanners could have foiled the plot. How convenient. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iRJvGtY62IkimJsOUurLvBOQ3GNw After foiled US plane attack, scanners revisited By Stephane Jourdain and Daphne Benoit (AFP) – 1 hour ago WASHINGTON — As US lawmakers demand to know how a would-be attacker smuggled explosives aboard a plane on Christmas Day, the use of body scanners at airport security points is likely to be revisited. The machines are considered effective and have been tested at numerous international airports, but they are also controversial because they scan beneath clothing to detect items that may be hidden from ordinary view. But security experts believe that the scanners could have detected the explosives that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was hiding as he boarded a Northwest Airlines plane in Amsterdam last week. ........................................................... http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/12/27/lawmakers-back-broader-use-of-full-body-scanning-equipment/ December 27, 2009, 3:20 PM ET Lawmakers Back Broader Use of Full-Body Scanning By Sudeep Reddy Several lawmakers on Sunday called for a broader deployment of full-body scanning equipment at airport security checkpoints, after a Nigerian national allegedly tried to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day. “I think we have to head in that direction,” New York Rep. Peter King, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “Yes, there is some brief violation of privacy with a full-body scan. But on the other hand, if we can save thousands of lives, to me, we have to make that decision and we have to come down on the side of saving thousands of lives.” The suspect, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, apparently set off a device strapped to his body as the plane was approaching the Detroit airport, according to passengers. The device appeared to have been designed to set off an explosive material, PETN, which the suspect had allegedly carried on board the plane, but it only caused a small fire that was quickly put out by passengers and crew.

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December 29, 2009
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Chris Sinnard said:

The company that makes the machines... Also uses them for Israeli checkpoints, the machine is the L3 ProVision MMW Portal, it goes for ~$250,000 per machine. A top 10 Contractor, according to the L3 Communications page on wikipedia, the company has two VPs, one of which is a retired 4 star air force general and the other is a 4 star army general. What a pleasant company... http://www.l-3com.com/news-events/pressrelease.aspx?releaseID=1061924&category=NA L-3 ProVision MMW portals are presently used for Israel's new advanced border crossing, at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Madrid Barajas International Airport, control checkpoints in Iraq's International Zone (Green Zone), facilities in Afghanistan as part of the NATO contingent, and a data center in Tokyo. This technology is also being evaluated at Mexico City International Airport, ferry landings in Singapore, railway and transit stations in London and New York, and at government and commercial buildings in The Netherlands - including the Rotterdam Courthouse. Additionally, the system is currently installed and under evaluation at the District of Colombia's Federal Courthouse, the El Paso County Terry R. Harris Judicial Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and other government facilities. .......................................................... There are probably many people that stand to benefit from this incident, this company appears to be one of them.

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December 29, 2009
Votes: +2

Chris Sinnard said:

Hey look, it's Israel... And it has a connection with a company that has everything to gain from this incident, whose products are the precise cure for "underwear bombs", that Joe Lieberman and friends are fear marketing on Fox News. They even spell it out on their website. What a coincidence! http://www.l-3com.com/news-events/pressrelease.aspx?releaseID=1061924&category=NA L-3 ProVision MMW portals are presently used for Israel's new advanced border crossing, at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, --------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/dion_nissenbaum/v-print/story/16243.html The scanner's manufacturer, L-3 Communications Inc., declined to discuss its work with Israel, though an official indicated that the company has fine-tuned the process so that, in theory, body images that Israeli security guards see wouldn't be sharp enough to offend modest Muslim culture. --------------------------------------------------------------------- So when Americans go through airport security in the future, we can get a tiny glimpse of what is like to be a Palestinian, using machines that were "fine-tuned" on them.

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December 29, 2009
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tawal said:

	... Um.... Looks like Amsterdam already has the L3 machine. Is this another wardrobe malfunction?
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December 29, 2009
Votes: +0

Chris Sinnard said:

Sorry a comment didn't post.... According to Reuters, in 2007 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was the first airport in the world to use the L3 Machines at its airport checkpoints... http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1569798620070515 Amsterdam airport deploys body-scanning machines AMSTERDAM Tue May 15, 2007 12:08pm EDT AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Amsterdam's Schiphol airport began using new body-scanning machines at security checkpoints on Tuesday, the first major airport to use the technology to find metals and explosives hidden under clothing. The "security scan" system, which uses harmless radio waves to display head-to-toe images of people, is also being used by other airports on a trial basis, but Schiphol is the only one to deploy the technology for regular use at its checkpoints. ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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December 29, 2009
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john mccarthy said:

	Where Are The Blasting Caps? All trained terrorists know that a blasting cap is required to detonate plastic explosives. This exercise accomplished a rise in the FEAR factor only.
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December 29, 2009 | url
Votes: +1