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| Britain |
| The making of the terror myth |
| 2004-10-15 |
| This is very p[owerful. Do not read unless your tin foil hat is properly secured. EFL Since September 11 Britain has been warned of the 'inevitability' of catastrophic terrorist attack. But has the danger been exaggerated? A major new TV documentary claims that the perceived threat is a politically driven fantasy - and al-Qaida a dark illusion. Andy Beckett reports (for the Guardian) Since the attacks on the United States in September 2001, there have been more than a thousand references in British national newspapers, working out at almost one every single day, to the phrase "dirty bomb". There have been articles about how such a device can use ordinary explosives to spread lethal radiation; about how London would be evacuated in the event of such a detonation; about the Home Secretary David Blunkett's statement on terrorism in November 2002 that specifically raised the possibility of a dirty bomb being planted in Britain; and about the arrests of several groups of people, the latest only last month, for allegedly plotting exactly that. Starting next Wednesday, BBC2 is to broadcast a three-part documentary series that will add further to what could be called the dirty bomb genre. But, as its title suggests, The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear takes a different view of the weapon's potential. "I don't think it would kill anybody," says Dr Theodore Rockwell, an authority on radiation, in an interview for the series. "You'll have trouble finding a serious report that would claim otherwise." The American department of energy, Rockwell continues, has simulated a dirty bomb explosion, "and they calculated that the most exposed individual would get a fairly high dose [of radiation], not life-threatening." And even this minor threat is open to question. The test assumed that no one fled the explosion for one year. |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #10 I find no small irony in the people (collectively) who got us into this situation (argument why high oil prices fund terror here) in the first place by their irrational and hysterical arguments stopping nuclear power. Are now pointing out the arguments (about the dangers of radiation from terrorists exploding a dirty bomb) are irrational and hysterical. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-10-16 12:15:47 AM |
| #9 Al Guardian is definitely promoting their shop-worn LLL agenda with this piece. SPo'D - focus on their editors / owners -- that's who maintains the agenda and has last word on what gets printed. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-15 11:56:08 PM |
| #8 I have to say it again I am all for beating the holy crap out of a few reporters so they wake up and "get it." God knows enough of them deserve it for their treasons against the people they are supposed to inform. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-15 11:50:48 PM |
| #7 Spot-on, AP. I wonder how long the bubble of good luck will last. Not counting the Dhimmidick antics we're likely to see, just the real jihadi shit, I expect soon after the election. I believe the bubble's life has been artificially extended becuase they're waiting to see who wins. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-15 11:50:21 PM |
| #6 I know EXACTLY how you feel, .com. I have though the same dark thoughts. If this country elects some traitor like Kerry and gets its guard down, collectively we will get what we deserve, but individually nobody deserves to get destroyed like 3000 people did on 9-11. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-15 11:44:52 PM |
| #5 I've reached the point where I figure they will get what they "deserve" - and the old saw applies: the cops and intel have to get everything right every time to stop acts of terror, the bad guys only once. I can only hope that when it happens, it impacts these experts to a far greater degree than the poor avg Brits who don't know what to believe or who to listen to. Life can, indeed, be a bitch. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-15 11:37:10 PM |
| #4 The WoT in this country and the UK is like facilities maintenance. People working their asses off behind the scenes to prevent a disaster. When a bunch of brainless whiners say, "What is the big deal, nothing happened!" they do not realize how many disasters were prevented. Then if something happens, they grandstand and blame everyone. Someone needs to shove a truth suppository up their ass. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-15 11:29:46 PM |
| #3 I don't have a tinfoil hat. What purpose does it serve? The Gaza reporter of the BBC World Service radio seems to be moving away from the term 'militants' to describe terrorists. Now the Hamas members launching Kassam rockets at Israeli towns are called 'fighters'. I'm beginning to really hate the BBC. |
| Posted by: Bryan 2004-10-15 9:52:58 PM |
| #2 That's just great. I suppose next they'll tell us the ongoing war agains Oceania is a hoax. War is Peace! Ignorance is Strength! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2004-10-15 8:46:42 PM |
| #1 This is true for the same reasons a 'major incident' at a nuclear power station would be unlikely to kill anyone. The danger of exposure to radioactive material is vastly overstated. Nonetheless both would cause a major panic reaction by thousands/millions. And hence achieve its result - instill fear in people. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-10-15 8:05:53 PM |