As I prepared to enter my blog posts for this evening, I heard the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed in a US operation in Pakistan.
I suppose his death was inevitable, sooner or later. I can’t regard it with any great enthusiasm. It won’t bring back any of those he sent to meet their Maker before their time. At best, it may bring closure to those for whom September 11th, 2001 is still a gaping wound in their psyches.
Bin Laden will now become a martyr in the eyes of surviving Al Qaeda loyalists and fundamentalist Muslim fanatics. I daresay we’ll see ‘revenge’ terrorist attacks around the globe in coming weeks and months. I wouldn’t be surprised if right now, some terrorist cell is plotting to bring down the Freedom Tower as quickly as possible after its completion, to ‘honor’ Bin Laden’s memory.
Beslan– or Mumbai-style terror attacks are very likely indeed to come to our shores. German police have just arrested a group of terrorists planning what appears to be a similar attack in that country. I’m sure there are multiple groups planning the same sort of thing in other countries in Europe and North America. Our schools are frighteningly vulnerable to a Beslan-style attack, and while many of our major cities have improved their security policies and procedures to make a Mumbai-type attack more difficult, others are still hidebound by political correctness and refuse to make meaningful preparations. (Boston is an excellent example, where the Mayor’s purblind political correctness appears to be a major liability when it comes to equipping his police force to deal with such a situation.)
My advice to readers? Increase your own security preparedness and situational awareness. The short-term risk of a major terrorist attack in the USA and/or Europe just went up several notches. If you live in Boston, or another city similarly afflicted with idiots in charge . . . consider moving. Now.
Peter
I figured he'd died of natural causes ages ago, but here we are in interesting times, again.
Jim
I've become weary of "my" government announcing another victory against terrorism in germany.
All the islamist "terrorists cells" that our police uncovered transpired to be led by undercover BKA or BND agents who incited the "terrorists" to their preparations and even supplied them with plans and material….
http://www.hintergrund.de/201104141497/globales/terrorismus/geheimdienste-und-terroristen-v-mann-war-chef-der-globalen-islamischen-medienfront-gimf.html
http://www.wdr.de/themen/kurzmeldungen/2010/01/20/sauerland-prozess_bald_vor_abschluss__.jhtml
Jim, I think a bullet to the head naturally kills you so it's safe to say "natural causes" with him. 🙂
Yeah, I wonder if this means the sleepers in the US are going to "wake up." I have visions of something nasty at a graduation or Memorial Day event.
LittleRed1
One question:
Does this mean that they loved us BEFORE we killed Osama?
Fact is, we're dealing with folks who already wanted us all dead. If they had the ability to be doing something on Friday, they'd have been on it. At most I could see them trying to do a rush job to make a statement, but haste will likely blow their cover.
Sure, be vigilant, but I have a hard time believing we're in any more danger today than we were in last week.
Keep your car full, have those extra groceries in the pantry. Just like hurricane season near the coast. Keep your eyes open, your powder dry and your exits clear. Be prepared.
My son is a combat medic in Afghanistan, he said the moral change was palpable. He said they know it'll get worse before it gets better over there as a result. But the troops are happy.