…According to AP (via FOXNews). Preliminary reports say the threat, which involves 19 briefcase bombs and information about which comes from Iraq insurgents, is specific enough to lend it a degree of credibility sufficient to demand a law enforcement reaction.
Meanwhile, Michelle has a great roundup of the latest on the Oklahoma bench bombing.
****
update: NYC Mayor Bloomberg, during his press conference, notes that some press outlets had the story two days ago and were asked to hold it, which they did.
****
update 2: Jill at Feministe writes: “[..] thanks, Georgie, for ‘fighting terrorism.’ The war in Iraq has clearly improved things for all of us. I would invite him to accompany me on the very crowded subway to and from school tomorrow. Because the world is a safer place thanks to this war, right?”
To which Allah replies, “Fucking Bush. Always making terrorists act all terroristy ‘n shit.”
Oh god this is the end. If New Yorkers get hit again, it will be WWIII! We’re all going to DIE!
Jeff
Now we react to info that comes from detainees half a world away? I seriously doubt that credible info can come from a captured drugged up and crazed Jihadi in Iraq. Unless a detailed strike with days and sites was collaborated. But then again I could be underestimating the sophistication of this terror network. Let’s all hope i am right…….
I guess so, Todd. Better safe than sorry, I guess.
Specific. Time. Place. Method. WOW!
i think if I was in NY I would lay off the subways for a while. Walk. Ride a bike.
I was in London at the end of March. I’ve been to some of those stations that got it. Some are 3 & 4 stories underground. Bitch being, it’s the only way to get around, except for walking.
Wonder if the announcement is being used as a “light” to see where the cockroaches scatter?
Todd,
Todd,
Todd?
Toothless Todd
have another glass of chard.
Amazing!
Since 9/11 we’ve had
hundredszero major terrorists attacks, but Jill and her friends, just at the scent of a rumor, blame Bush.It’s almost like they’re hoping for an attack. Nah…
TW: Girls – ‘nuff said.
Especially ‘cause Jill knows that there was absolutely no terrorism before the Iraq war …
Wait, there was terrorism before Iraq?
Hey, lighten up, kids. Haven’t you heard? Thanks to the Senate, U.S. troops can no longer torture people who fly airplanes into office towers.
PARTY AT ANDREW SULLIVAN’S HOUSE!
You’re right, people should walk and ride their bikes, if they can. Trouble is, (1) riding a bike in Manhattan is pretty scary because drivers are crazy, and (2) a lot of people—particularly those in the outer boroughs—don’t have the option to do either of those things to get into Manhattan for work. I live on the upper east side and go to school downtown; it’s pretty difficult to walk that far and get to my 9am class on time. This isn’t meant as a criticism—just pointing out that New York is a big place.
Re: Jeff’s post:
And in my defense, I wasn’t saying in the post that this is all Bush’s fault. Terrorism is a huge problem that needs to be dealt with; I’ve never advocated the “let’s just ignore them and they’ll go away” route. It existed long before Bush, and at the rate things are going, it will exist long after he leaves office. I was just pointing out that attacking Iraq wasn’t the way to go if the actual goal is stopping international terrorism. It has mobilized terrorist groups, bred anti-U.S. sentiment, put U.S. citizens in danger here and abroad, and as far as I can tell, hasn’t had much of a positive effect as far as ending terrorism goes.
Look, I walked out of class today and got calls from my dad, my boyfriend and my room mate all warning me against taking the subway because I might get blown up. Believe me, I have no sympathy for terrorism. So I’m happy to argue the merits or non-merits of the Iraq war here or elsewhere, but I’d just like to preempt any accusations of me being a terrorist-loving America-hater.
Actually, the world is ‘safer’ since Bush’s war. Kos et al had some database which claimed some hella-big spike in Terrorism since Bush took office.
Once you looked at the data source and factored out ‘terrorist attacks’ which resulted in zero fatalities and zero injuries along with no damage to buildings (yet, it was considered a ‘terrorist’ attack) then, then the number went down significantly under Bush everywhere but in two regions, Middle East and, I think, SouthEast Asia.
Also the data did not include domestic terror, for example, people killed by Hussein in Iraq didn’t count in the terror statistics.
But, hey, so long as Jill has a safe subway ride. While I hope she remains vigilante to her surroundings, I’d be disappointed if she did any profiling on the subway. And if one guy, vaguely Middle Eastern looking,unshaven young male wearing a puffy coat and carrying a backpack came onto the subway, she’d just stay the course, and consider that the grandmother with the bag from Macy’s could JUST AS EASILY be packing explosives as the Middle Eastern guy.
turing word
/cue spooky music
DEATH
eeep
Interestingly, I have a brown-skinned friend coming into town tomorrow, who I’ll be meeting after class and riding the subway with up to my apartment. He’ll be carring some luggage with him. I’m sure the ride will be uneventful.
You’re right Jill. Becasue all us Whitey’s are a bunch of xenophobic racists. NASCAR! Whoo! Eager to harass the brown skinned man. Right.
Allah is my hero! Well, the Allah who comments on Jeff’s blog is.
Brown-skinned?
Tanned?
Or is that the liberal code word for “not northern European”?
Yes Jill, we all know how brown those A-rabs are! Hey, are those I-talians even white?
How cute, you have a “brown-skinned” friend. Have no fear my noble savage, Jill and her cosmopolitan (sm)army will protect you!
Aw, guys, hey, give the lady some respect, now. Her politics may be airheaded at best, but the comment she made was in bounds with regards to:
Whether or not it (Jill’s comment.) was particularly INSIGHTFUL is another matter entirely. To me, it sounds the same as…
“Hey, someone burned down the house of a prominent black community figure (And not a race hustler bastard, mind you, but a positive voice.) and left a giant flaming cross in his front lawn. I think we better keep an eye out for any young skinhead white guys.”
“My friend is white, I’m sure he won’t do anything.”
I think that I should have used a colon (have no fear noble savage: …) just as Jill did for her last post.
“I was just pointing out that attacking Iraq wasn’t the way to go if the actual goal is stopping international terrorism.”
If attacking Iraq were the only component of the global War on Terror, I would agree that it’s insufficient to stop international terrorism. If that’s all that Bush has done, then yes, you’d be right.
But consider two points. As an ancillary benefit to toppling a state sponsor of terrorism, thus restricting funding, training and safehouses, we capture insurgents who sometimes have access to important information, such as where the next strike might be. The fact that we have been tipped off as to a threat, while it might scare you, also gives law enforcement a chance to prepare and (hopefully) prevent.
The second is that, in addition to invading countries to steal their oil (or build oil pipelines, whatever), the Bush Administration has also passed the Patriot Act, whereby law enforcement can collect information to surveil and (hopefully) prevent an attack. The Administration initiated a much-mocked threat level system, whereby citizens and law enforcement can be on the look-out for suspicious activity and (hopefully) prevent an attack.
“It has mobilized terrorist groups, bred anti-U.S. sentiment, put U.S. citizens in danger here and abroad, and as far as I can tell, hasn’t had much of a positive effect as far as ending terrorism goes.”
If your standard is the end of all terrorism, well I suppose I have to concede that hasn’t happened. Is that really your standard, and if so, which human being do you think could achieve it?
No, terrorism still exists. But your reference to anti-U.S. sentiment is undermined by the poll (last month? two months ago? I forget) showing rapidly dwindling support among Arabs and Muslims for Osama bin Laden and suicide bombing. That’s a step in the right direction. Lybia has abandoned WMD programs and is taking steps to normalize international relations. That’s a step in the right direction. Iraqis are no longer being slaughtered by Saddam. Step in the right direction. Afghans, including women, can and do vote. Step in the right direction. Lebanon had a stunningly peaceful revolution to expel Syria, a state sponsor of terrorism. Step in the right direction. Saudi Arabia (!) let women vote in municipal elections. A very small step, to be sure, but in the right direction. Kuwait, UAE and Egypt have made noises about liberalizing women’s suffrage. Right direction. Iranian students are (still) clamoring for democracy, with eyes to the purple-stained fingers to their west. Right direction.
And you don’t think there has been any positive effect, that you can tell? Good grief, I’d hate to see your reaction if things were actually going poorly.
I’m sure Jill is quite, quite serious about investigating, examining, discussing, addressing and then really solving this problem of terrorism, whatever it is, in a non-zero-sum way where all parties win.
She doesn’t provide any metrics for success (or failure) which does tend to make it easy to criticize the efforts of those politicians she doesn’t favor. I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb to assume that she didn’t vote for Bush. Without any measureable items of success, Bush’s so-called failure is simply predetermined by his political popularity. It’s thus obvious to Jill that Bush is failing.
Alternatively, not having any metrics for success also allows Jill to applaud the efforts of those politicians she favors. So say, Hillary! wins in 2008 and then continues the battle against fascist Islam. Now that significance of a lack of metrics is flipped. No terror incidents in NYC is a success, threats, like the present, are just part of the “suffering” we must bear in the war (of course, they could just be remnants of Bush’s failed policies
.
does anyone remember that old commercial where “jimmy” and his grand-dad are fishing and jimmy refers to someone as his Jewish friend? old grand-dad says, “Jimmy you ARE prejudice, because you refer to X as your Jewish friend, not just your friend”.
oh hi Jill, how are you?
See, to me, that sort of response (the one I wrote) is a bit more in line with the sort of jabs that are acceptable at this juncture. Jabbing at the comment rather than Jill’s predispositions because the comment wasn’t entirely out of line.
The comments after mine (Since I didn’t see ANY of them between posts) get my seal of in bounds or obviously joking enough to pass.
Ok Jill how PC of you……
As in “some of my best friends are brown skinned”
Hmmmm.
“Or is that the liberal code word for “not northern Europeanâ€Â?”
Oi! I’m “not northern European” and I’m not “brown skinned”.
Well more like a butter beige. Or perhaps a mocha latte. Man you white people have it easy. You’re white. When people ask you what color you are. You just reply “white”.
Me. I gotta be creatively descriptive. Hehe.
Come to think of it, she was the first to use the phrase “Brown-skinned.” I may have to come off my high horse and stop grand-standing here… But it is so much FUN to feel morally superior. Dangit. Whining self-importance of my last 3 or so posts should be considered retracted.
Todd…?
Funny, I read Jill’s post and thought it cleverly self-deprecating and a tad whimsical given the [font size=”HUGE”]CONTEXT[/font] of the statement.
Then again, I’m not very Progressive.
tw: program
As in, get with the $%@$%#$%&^…
Oh, damn, our policy in Iraq has “bred anti-U.S. sentiment.” I forgot that we ran our foreign policy on the basis of popularity contests. Well, in that case…
So long, Israel. It’s been nice knowing you. Good luck.
Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, might we have a word with you in our office?
Hmmmm.
You know. Maybe I’m just a suspicious bastard but isn’t the timing of this unconfirmed terror threat pretty damn useful? Instead of the talking heads discussing the intra-GOP meltdown, they’re spending their time talking about a possible terror attack that doesn’t have anything to back it up.
I hate to get lumped with the KosKids conspiracy theory nonsense but this is bit strange. Multiple stories, different sources and conflicting accounts along with the most specific operational information out there.
Bush could use the time off to get things in order. Bloomberg could use the breathing space and the opportunity to look mayoral.
Sigh. Vodka + blogging = paranoia.
Night all.
So what’s the deal with Allah? He’s upset with Miers, with spending, with cronies, with Barney …
What’s it take to make this guy happy? When I look back on these years, it’ll be “ABM and Kyoto, man. If it weren’t for Bush, we’d be wide open to NoKo attacks and driving Priuses to the bomb shelters.”
What can I say, Karl? I’M OUTRAGED.
The poll to which Sobek refers is the decidedly non-VRWC Pew Center poll, showing that since the US toppled Saddam, support for jihad and suicide bombings against Americans in Iraq has gone down while support for democracy has gone up in the Middle East.
Not that such matters to the surreality-based community.
TODD!? SPEAK TO ME!
Karl, thanks for doing the research I’m faaaaar too lazy and apathetic to do myself.
Big A, maintain your outrage…I’m tired.
I really hate terrorism. Terrorism sucks.
I feel sorry for Jill’s brown-skinned friend. What with all the white people that are probably going to try to shoot him on the subway, and the pressure he must feel to join the jihad against Bush- that’s gotta be tough.
I have a big problem with terrorists, believe you me. I liked ‘em more, though, in the old days before Iraq when they attacked us but it wasn’t because of the anti-American sentiments. You know?
Todd, of course if we didn’t react to detainees half the world away and something did happen, you’d be screaming…”WHY” I want an investigation now! CSPAN will play it live, yours truly would be grilling Intell…Ted the swimmer Kennedy, Leaky Leahy, Puffy Diddy Pelosi, and Chuck dumpster diver Schumer.
Mayor Bloomberg would be crying on T.V. demanding the President end his war on Iraq and get the feds there now!
Oprah of course would have to show up and put her two cents worth in.
Tag your it…I quit
Half a world away is just around the corner these days.
Well, I’m halfway around the world, so we can actually test this.
How long would it take somebody (say terrorists) halfway around the world to get their message…the other halfway around the world?
I’m going to hit enter, and you all can time how long it takes for my information to get to you. If it is more than say, a week…then we’ll know the info from Iraq can NOT be timely.
OK ready?….I’m hitting enter….NOW
My comment was in response to another comment that was being snarky about racial profiling. Read the whole thread, it makes sense in context.
It’s not un-PC to recognize that people in certain racial groups get targeted by law enforcement. That was the point of my comment.
Yes, exactly—which is why racial profiling isn’t the most efficient system. Not all Muslims are Arabs, not all Arabs are brown, not all terrorists are Arabs or Muslim. It’s you guys who favor profiling, remember?
There is a difference between profiling and racial profiling. Mainly being that profiling is an effective law enforcemant method, and racial profiling is an effective propoganda tool used to ignite old animosities and emotions.
tw: there, I said it.
The spelling in the above post is indicative of the difference between one cup of coffee and two in the morning.
Jill,
We all applaud your sensitivity,but if it’s between “having my feelings hurt” and getting my ass blown up, which do you think I will choose? We already know your choice.
BTW, it is good of you to let us know that you noticed your friend’s skin color. It’s funny, but I only notice stuff like that AFTER someone has proved to be a jerk.
Have fun with this last statement. I wrote it this way on purpose so you can pretend that you don’t know exactly what I mean, and then proceed to pound my insensitivity. I know Charlie Rangel would love me…
No, I would agree that it is completely PC to recognize such a thing.
But let’s play the profiling game!!
1) You are alone in an alley at night and you hear someone walking behind you. When you turn around to see who it is, you would rather have it be:
a) an elderly arab woman
b) a young black man carrying a baby
c) a guy wearing a hoodie halfway over his face
2) You are in an elevator in a building late at night. Who would you rather have get on the elevator with you?
a) an elderly hispanic woman
b) a fat black guy wearing a business suit and carrying Popular mechanics
c) a skinny, sniffling white dude with tattoos and wearing a wifebeater
3) You are on an airplane. A quiet threesome comes on board, wearing bulky clothes and looking nervous. You would be most uncomfortable if this threesome
a)were three elderly women with bad wigs
b) were three young black males with UT hats
c) were three Arab men with hijabs.
Honestly.
Brown-skined Friend – isn’t that a Van Morrison song?
b
b
b
(what do I win?)
Why would anybody be afraid of cross-dressing Arab males?
Gotta agree with you, Jill. 100 percent!!!!!
Mobilized terrorist groups: Good point. Osama issued his anti-western fatwa in 1996; the Taliban started terrorists camps around the same time. Not to mention the Palestinian movements.
Bred anti-U.S. sentiment: Yeah, I can remember anti-American activities when I was stationed in Germany in 1982. And later, Libya sure stirred the pot. Iran didn’t help any, nor did Syria. And Hamas, hoo doggie!!! And let’s not forget France.
Put U.S. citizens in danger here and abroad: Remember the Lockerbie bombing? I do; bummer. I recall a Palestinian terrorist group shooting in an Italian airport that killed US citizens. And all those aircraft and ship hijackings! Not to mention attacks on US Embassies, and military installations and ships (e.g., Khobar Towers and the USS Cole).
As far as I can tell, hasn’t had much of a positive effect as far as ending terrorism goes. : Hey, Jill, you go! Ab-SO-lutely correct!!!
Oh, wait a second, you’re talking about President Bush’s war on terror since 9/11, not the “law enforcement approach” favored before then. My bad.
So what was your point again?
Operations in Afghanistan and East Timor, however, the Jihadis were prefectly OK with.
Oh, sure. Like cross-dressers aren’t perfectly capable of terrorism? Now that is some nasty profiling.
Sorry. I messed up my head wear. But Carin already won, anyway.
Don’t you know that fighting terrorism isn’t about successes against terrorists. It’s about winning friends and recognition by your peers. In that way it’s just like nuclear non-proliferation. The IAEA has been so successful in stopping terror-supporting regimes from getting nukes, such as Iran…, wait, oh, ok, there’s North Kor…um, no, oh, yeah, Libya…wait, that wasn’t them, ummm, well it’s about keeping weapons out of the hands of traditional enemies who are continually on the brink of armed conflict, such as India & Pakista…oh, um, hmmm, let me think. That’s right! It’s about sticking it in Bush’s eye.
No wonder Feministe is stuck on stupid, she attends school in NYC. NYU perhaps? Maybe Barnard?
AH HA! I got it! A.Q. Khan. Huh? What’s that? DAMN! That wasn’t them, either.
By the way, what is this PSI thingy and how come it and this Bolton guy keep showing up all over?
Jill may have a brown-skinned friend, but do black people love her?
Do cross-dressing Saudi men wear pants?
Well, they could just arm people at random in the subway, then if anybody even looks at ‘em funny they can start blasting away…
Which would be pretty standard for NY, really.
SB: directly
“You know. Maybe I’m just a suspicious bastard but isn’t the timing of this unconfirmed terror threat pretty damn useful?”
Yes! Scare the crap out of New Yorkers so much that they’ll end up voting for Bush again! In the meantime, suggest to those pants-wetting Manhattanites that there may be an Iraq connection in this terrorist threat, implying that the war “over there” may have boiled over here. Brilliant strategy, and completely devoid of glaring logical holes; certainly worthy of that diabolical Joseph Rove! I mean, Karl Goebbels.
BUSHITLER!
It has mobilized terrorist groups, bred anti-U.S. sentiment, put U.S. citizens in danger here and abroad, and as far as I can tell, hasn’t had much of a positive effect as far as ending terrorism goes.
Well, shit, Jill. Did you just read that on the DNC talking points?
Statements like this slay me. Anyone with a barely cursory grasp of history knows that anti-US sentiment has been around for, oh, about 225 years.
I’ll give some credit to most of the rest of the comments, even though I don’t agree with you—at least you had something worthwile to say. But Susan, yeah, I do go to law school at NYU. How, exactly, does this make me stupid?
“worthwhile,” I mean.
Allah rules.
If only he had his own blog . . .
Turing: steps, as in I’m on step 10 of 12 recovering from my lack of Allahblogging.
Ok, I’m getting a little tired of this, but I’ll bite again.
I didn’t say that the war created anti-US sentiment. I am saying that it increased it, and it made many of our previous allies far less sympathetic to our cause.
I am sure that you are a nice girl, Jill and I am sure that you are very intelligent, but that does not mean that you are not wedded to a form of “wisdom” that frustrates me.
Too often, the mind-sappers in academia, the media, and politics provide people like you with things that seem clever, but are only fit to be on a bumper sticker. I had a falling out with a friend of mine who continued to spout off one-liners such as “its a religious war” or “its about the oil”. Had I been more patient (and sober), I would have said something such as “Yes, it’s about oil, religion, and power: it is Middle Eastern politics” and “it’s also about ideas, and if an original one has ever passed through your mind, you might recognize that.”
The point is that there would be merit in his slogans if they didn’t ring so empty. He is a caveman who knows that fire exists, but has only been able to burn himself with it. I know that it can burn, but I also know that if you step back a bit, you will feel the warmth and see the light and perhaps even fix yourself a hot meal.
Jill: As someone training to become a lawyer, one supposes you might be prepared to make an argument, rather than a series of assertions that presume certain underlying assumptions, while ignoring certain facts.
For example, you might incorporate the fact that Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda organization has, at least twice, declared war upon the US. And not only has al Qaeda declared war, it has committed acts of war, and did so before 9/11.
Secondly, for 12 years (1991-2003) the US was engaged in a continuous, low-intensity conflict with Iraq enforcing the terms of the 1991 cease fire agreement, and multiple UN resolutions enacted to elicit Iraq’s compliance therewith. Needless to say, Iraq regularly fired on US planes enforcing the cease fire terms. A party (Iraq) that fails to meet the terms of the cease fire agreement is subject to the peril of a resumption of the armed conflict.
In light of this, your comments appear as empty rhetoric–don’t know if that makes you stupid, but your assertions regarding Iraq and the GWOT entertain assumptions at odds with crucial facts.
Good luck with law school. Try taking a bus (on Lex or 5th), subways aren’t the only form of public transit in NYC.
Jill, your entire post (your first response to Jeff’s, I mean) was practically a checklist of DNC talking points, and completely unoriginal. It begged to be mocked, it was so insipid.
Speaking as one who has to regularly deal with lawyers, I truly hope that you improve your analytical and writing skills, because this country has more than enough mediocre lawyers who can say “No! No! No!” shrilly.
Jill, I find it quite adorable that you’ve convinced yourself of the validity of your simplistic arguments despite the fact that all the evidence is that you are clueless.
Just adorable.