Al Qu-what?
Nov 05, 2001
i just got back from picking julie up at the airport. the
curbside waiting area that usually has stopped cars pulled up
alongside of it, instead, was barricaded off with big cement
highway barriers. a military person with an M-16 rifle slung
over his shoulder paced back and forth protecting them.
an aircraft tow truck was parked next to a sign that read,
"unattended vehicles will be towed". it was an _aircraft_
tow truck. it had _one_ wheel sling thing on the back of it (for an airplane)
instead of two (for an automobile). i think it was just there for show.
i think _all_ of this may be for show. if this current state of
national paranoia (aka security) were permanent, they would have stuck
a real tow truck there.it seems really unlikely to me that an airport checkin/pickup would be a target of a terrorist attack. and i doubt that an armed force of terrorists would attempt to attack an airport coming through the front doors. the dropoff/pickup area _is_ the most visible part of the airport. everybody going in or out has to pass through it. i think it's more of a gesture. "look, we're doing _something_"
the wtc and the pentagon were direct strikes against economic and military infrastructure. the anthrax shit seems to be more of a pervasive/disruptive strategy. and look who is targeted: big media. not joe blow your average shmoe. from all of these strategies, those big suspension bridges in san francisco would make great targets. hundreds of people would die on the bridges when they blew and lots of people wouldn't be able to get to work. plus, the third requirement: it's _very_ visible. i'm glad that i'm not living in san francisco right now. by the way, before you send me hate mail, i think it would be a horrible thing to happen and i hope that it doesn't.
hey, why are we bombing afghanistan again? all the suspected terrorists were saudi nationals.
here is a really good article (with not enough verifiable sources) that should get you thinking. when this all happened i reminded my loyal readers to "watch the oil". this article seems to agree.