We issue 200,000 student visas a year. One of the hijackers had an F-1 student visa. The majority had tourist, business, or visit visas.
So if you are looking to protect the country, a more logical thing to do is ban (1) male (2) Saudi Arabians (3) between the ages of 21 and 43 (4) religious (5) possibly training in flight school.
IX.XI attacker profiles
And, yet, an irrational “strategy” as such would foment more terrorism:
It is necessary to note that relative deprivation
creating exclusion is a comprehensive phenomenon. It
is not merely a socio-economic driver. In fact, relative
deprivation in terms of political space and human
dignity is often even more significant than socioeconomic
factors. The Palestinians in Israel-occupied
territories, whose mobility is curtailed by the Israeli
defence forces, feel deprived of dignity. The Tamils in
Sri Lanka, who have to give up their linguistic advantage
and political balance of power because of constitutional
changes, feel deprived. The Acholis were socioeconomically
deprived for years but it wasn’t until the
Musevini government began to target them specifically
that they took up arms. The Moros of the Philippines
who see migrants from other parts of the country
dominating their economy feel relatively deprived not
just in an economic sense but also in a political and
cultural context. The Iraqis who see their country
overtaken by an external force feel relatively deprived
irrespective of the economic condition of any
particular citizen.
According to a report by the strategic foresight group.
Another reason why “terrorism” is a poor qualifier. We define terrorism to suit our “needs”.
It is possible for any ideology, delivered by
determined and able leaders, anywhere in the world, to
transform those feeling excluded from their society
into terrorists or extremists. In public discourse,
however, there is an unfortunate effort made to
emphasize certain forms of terrorism. As the global
power structure is dominated by the West, attacks on
Western interests are defined as terrorism. The attacks
that do not target the United States and its allies are
defined as acts of ethnic conflict, freedom struggle, or
mere violence
Terrorism is vague and ill-defined. A “terrorist nation” is too, by consequence.
Western discourse on terrorism, with a focus on
Islamist extremism, is therefore neither entirely about
terrorism nor about Islamist extremism. It is not
entirely about terrorism because it does not include
terrorism practised by several national, sub-national
groups, labeling some of them as liberation
movements. It is not entirely about terrorism because
it hardly considers rural-based revolutionary
organisations, responsible for killing thousands of
people in Asia and Latin America. It is not entirely
about Islamist extremism because it blames the groups
in the Middle East that have no ambition to alter the
international order, while giving inadequate attention
to the specific organisations that want to establish a
Caliphate by violent means and that are positioning
themselves to succeed Al Qaeda in the International
Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders. In
ignoring the threats of terrorism around the world
from nationalist, sub-nationalist and revolutionary
groups that commit violent acts and ignoring the threats
posed by Central and South Asian Islamist
organisations to the global security, Western discourse
is selectively focussed on the Middle East. It is more
about the strategic interests of the West in a particular
region than the threats to humanity emanating from
the ideologies of mass destruction.
The media manipulates the focus and definition of terrorism by framing.
The mutually obsessive discourse in Western and
Islamic societies is manipulated by the media, either
by design or otherwise. If North Korea tests a nuclear
weapon the news disappears from the front page of
most newspapers within a couple of days. If Iraq or
Iran is suspected to have even the most elementary
capacity to develop such a weapon, this is major
news for months after months. If Lord’s Resistance
Army forces children to kill their siblings in thousands,
it is a human interest story that appears only
occasionally in the inside pages. If Iran’s President
threatens Israel, it is major news and the subject of
endless op-ed analysis.
In short, terrorism exists on exclusion. Especially unfair exclusion and perceived loss of dignity.
What do you suppose a disproportionate and ignorant measure like banning students from “terrorist nations” accomplishes?
It gets ignorant people to feel good about their safety. It excludes more people who are already living under conditions that fuel terrorism, and it completely misses the point.
January 1st, 2008
Posted by
eaglescout |
World, Ron Paul, Psychology, Intellectual Dishonesty, Analysis, 2008 Election, Terrorism, Al-Qaeda, Strategy, Truth |
2 comments
As a follow up on military service people being “heroes” and all…
These are some reasons to join the military:
for honor
for country
for money
free tuition
travel abroad
“blow shit up”
because you hate brown people
because you hate Muslims
because you think you are going to do something good for our country
because you are politically illiterate
because you want to kill people
for the adventure (good one)
for the hookers near military bases, esp. coastal cities
because you are not disciplined enough to do things on your own and you want somebody else to tell you what to do
because you can’t get a job in the real world
because your buddies “did it”
because you parents did it
because your brothers did it
because it was expected of you
“Taking a stand against terrorism” Yeah right…
for the experience (this is a good one)
to learn new things (good one too)
to protect your country (another good one, if you are not starting wars with random countries and your commander in chief is not an idiot)
for potential prestige (not bad)
work experience (decent, too)
to say you did it
so you won’t be called a chicken-hawk
because it makes you look brave
because people will blindly see you as a hero, even if you don’t deserve the title
because you want to know what a bullet feels like
because you want to play with guns or tanks
because it’s easier to follow orders than to think for yourself
health care benefits
dental benefits
military discounts
free flights between bases
pay back your expensive college loans
get to tell people what to do (at some point)
advanced and technical training (nice choice)
because you think God wants you to (lol)
pension
get to yell at foreign strangers
you enjoy pain
you enjoy inflicting pain
because your recruiter lied to you (ouch)
to get citizenship
to be freed (if you were previously a slave)
to get away from your parents
you lost a bet
to meet exotic women abroad
you don’t care for your right leg (you are hoping you’ll be shot and compensated for it)
you think you owe tribute to fallen soldiers
to take revenge
because you want to kill japs
because you want to kill towelheads
because you want to kill Nazis
to find Osama Bin Laden and kick his ass (probably the greatest reason of all)
to kill real terrorists (not Iraqi civilians)
to kill Iraqi civilians
because you think you can force people to be free, even when their idea of freedom is radically different from yours.
to destroy Al Qaeda (another great reason)
for a good career (maybe)
to take out Saddam Hussein (no longer applicable)
to prepare for a career with the CIA
no more job hunting or resumes
pride
false pride
because you liked the boy scouts or girl scouts
you enjoy fighting
you enjoy martial arts
your parents or the politician near you won’t let you carry guns
you want to learn new languages
you are preparing to work for blackwater
to protect Israel (even though they don’t need or deserve our protection anymore than their neighbors)
because you think it’s your duty (…why?)
you are preparing for a criminal career
because you adore Hitler
because you want to be a skilled, high-profile terrorist
because you think you won’t be in the front lines
because you were drafted
because you were shafted
because your parents made you
because your family is way poor
because you got your high school sweetheart pregnant (need money)
because your girlfriend/boyfriend thinks men/women in uniforms are hot
because you think men/women in uniforms are hot
because you are gay (in the homosexual sense)
to freak your parents out
because your parents asked you not to
because you hate yourself
for the adrenaline rush
you like to go camping/hiking/hunting
to put your parents through hell
because you are not worried about brain damage
because you think you are invincible / indestructible
because you are not worried about amputation / blindness (extremities are redundant anyway)
because you look forward to begging for money on the streets as a war veteran
because you were told you would never see combat
because “more people get killed in NY than in Iraq” every day
because you can “choose any job you want” (hahahaha)
because you are not worried about blatant discrimination
because you detest freedom (your own)
because you didn’t realize there are many other ways to get all of the above
to take part in history (not too bad)
to become an officer (power)
to learn 100 ways to kill someone
to learn to defend yourself
to learn to defend yourself if you ever lead a revolution
because you thought you could quit anytime
because you thought it would be easy
because you want to learn to use nuclear weapons
to fly a jet
to learn to command a helicopter
because it might be funner than Halo
because you want to join a special operations team (even though you probably won’t make it due to competition)
to learn to be a sniper (could be neat)
because you enjoy war movies
because you are not smart enough to do something else
because you’ve always wondered what food in the military tastes like
to march around in funny suits
to join a band and wear funny suits
to clean toilets with only toothbrushes and spit
because it’s cool to get promoted
to challenge yourself (another good one)
to get strong
to get lean
to get in shape
to be prepared in the event of a terrorist attack
because you were abused as a child and want revenge (the training)
to get a free nosejob
free liposuction
free breast enlargement
breast augmentation
facelift
cosmetic surgery (courtesy of Donald Rumsfeld)
your girlfriend/boyfriend wants you to get plastic surgery
because you think you are patriotic
because you don’t realize that the military is making things worse for the United States and the world.
because you think you’ll be defending your country
EDIT: because you worship Bush (one of the worst reasons, probably)
EDIT 2: No, because you worship Giuliani, lol
P.S. Joining the military doesn’t make you a hero; all it takes is a signature.
EDIT 3: I’m not insulting the troops. If you don’t understand satire, don’t bother posting a comment.
Myth Number 1:
“My friends and sons and daughters are dying for your satire and your freedoms.”
No. They are probably in Iraq fighting people who have nothing to do with 9/11.
Myth Number 2:
“By making personal attacks on the author of this article and telling the author how he/she couldn’t write this if it wasn’t for the soldiers he/she is criticizing, I’ll show him/her.”
Wrong. Since I never in this article insult the military, it goes to show just how retarded you are. You continue to validate the list by showing me that people are too stupid to understand politics and satire. When soldiers go to Iraq, they are in NO WAY defending my right to write any of this. Iraqis have NOT threatened my freedom, so there is no need to kill them.
August 10th, 2007
Posted by
VoiceOfReason |
Blowback, nine-eleven, Commentary, Military, Satire, Analysis, Iraq War, Al-Qaeda, No Spin At All, Freedom, Truth |
41 comments
The media tries to be objective, right?
You are in for a surprise you might just enjoy!
Watch the following (brief and interesting):
A Fox, a Wolf, and a lot of Bull.
A Fox, a Wolf, and a lot of Bull - Part 2.
For more neutral reporting watch The Daily Show tonight @ 11 and the Colbert Report next week (Wednesday, June 13th) Ron Paul will be a special guest, courtesy of Digg.com.
June 4th, 2007
Posted by
VoiceOfReason |
Strategy, 2008 Election, No Spin At All, Cute, Evil Elements, Iraq War, Terrorism, Al-Qaeda, Truth |
one comment
I get the feeling you readers out there don’t all like my ideology. Of course that is to be expected since I am a neoconservative, the true and only principle based ideology (not to be confused with neonazi.)
Anyway, to make the Spin Factor as Fair and Balanced as possible I offer the following: Don’t like my ideology? I’ll adopt yours! Are you an Al-Qaeda leader lacking good writing skills? I’ll help you out (but don’t tell Bush, I don’t want to be put on a no-fly list). Are you a liberal like Clinton in need for some love? I’ll write a personal ad for you and find you a cute intern.
Of course, you may not agree with me, but I certainly agree with you.
Ahmadinejad, I’ve almost finished your article on Why we need to adopt nuclear energy and stop worrying.
And Saddam, I almost finished writing Why I shouldn’t be hanged today - but I had some trouble with adjectival phrases that day, plus Bush needed a one-liner on what he would do that day (”I decided to go to sleep early and didn’t watch the execution”) and it was really hard to write. Then again, I’m still working on it. I know you are dead already, but maybe Bush will regret hanging you when he reads it: Here is an excerpt:
And that, fellow world citizens, is why my life should be spared. Nevertheless, I have some confessions to make in case I die:
To George Bush Senior: Love, I’m sorry I couldn’t quit you. I’m sorry you cheated on Barbara because of me. Maybe this hanging is what I deserve for letting you commit such a beautiful sin. The thing with Donald Rumsfeld was just a fling - I never loved him. I hope you can forgive me someday.
To George Bush Junior: I’m sorry you could never love me as a step-father. I tried. I really did. I never told you this, but when I was dating your father I always fantasized about you and I. And sometimes Bill O’Reilly, too. There’s just something manly and Irish about him.
To all Iraqi citizens: [This is where I left off… sorry Saddam].
As you can see, you need to submit your requests on time. I get calls from Castro everyday and he takes up a lot of my time. He is always babbling on about how his own doctors can’t keep him alive and how he wants me to take over Cuba in his place. But I declined. Here is my letter to Fidel:
It would have been a great honor to serve this nation again. But after thoughtful discussions with people both in and outside of this administration, I concluded that the current Havana decision-making process lacks a linkage to a broader view of the region and how the parts fit together strategically.
I know it sounds a lot like John H. Sheehan’s article, Why I declined to serve (but everyone needs a ghost writer, right?) John H. Sheehan is my ghost writer. He just doesn’t know it.
So if there’s an article you heroes want me to write, I want to write it. 5/4 dictators recommend my services (Bush is the fifth, but he declined to be included).
April 17th, 2007
Posted by
eaglescout |
Al-Qaeda, Journalism, Satire, Liberals, Neoconservatives, Terrorism, Democrats, Truth |
no comments
We must win the war on FIRE. Fire burned us when we cooked our first meal, when we spilled our first McDonald’s coffee on our lap, and innocent civilians are taken down by fire.
Fire doesn’t care if you are a good Christian, or whether your last Christmas tree was nicely decorated (it will burn your tree down without remorse). Fire will kill you even when it is “friendly” fire. We cannot allow fire to consume our country. Or our planet.
Fire is responsible for wiping out our wildlife and wild brush in California. It will take not only your job, but the company you work in. Fire is responsible for burning the Library of Alexandria in 50 B.C. (For context, imagine losing the entire internet today!) Fire destroyed Chicago in 1871 and was sponsored by a COW! Fire and this pyromaniac cow killed hundreds and destroyed about four square miles.
We must not give an inch of flammable material to those cows that would harbor fire and which hold no respect for life of us who want nothing but their freedom. Let this message be heard loud and clear: We will not tolerate sponsors of fire and those who would harbor fire.
“We’re in a new world. We’re in a world in which the possibility of fire, married up with technology, could make us very, very sorry that we didn’t act.
-Condoleeza Rice
“In a world of inhumanity, war and fire, American citizenship is a very precious possession.”
Phyllis Schlafly
“This was not an act of arson, but it was an act of war.”
George W. Bush
“The war we are fighting today against fire is a multifaceted fight. We have to use every tool in our toolkit to wage this war - water, water hydrants, long water hoses, special foam, water-boarding, and of course, water - and we are developing new tools as we go along.”
Richard Armitage
“Fire can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but it cannot touch the foundation of America.
Fire melts steel, but it cannot melt the steel of American resolve.”
–George W. Bush Address to the US after fire burned the US World Trade Centers and Pentagon, September 11, 2001
“There is no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such fire. Just a choice: put it out or be burned by it. And put it out we must.”
Tony Blair
“Fire made me cruel.”
Emily Brontë
“Did you know Hell is filled with FIRE?”
Më
Those who worship fire will stop at nothing to destroy us.
Did you know hell is filled with FIRE and brimstone? 5 out of 4 reverends recommend avoiding Hell.
We must fight the war on fire to make the world safer. Did you know Hindus harbor cows? And whosoever harbors cows is our enemy. Cows started the 1871 fire.
Cows also spread propaganda like wildfire. Did you ever hear the phrase “Eat Mor Chikin®” Those are the words of cows. Cows that will stop at nothing to see our atmosphere burn up. Do not be fooled by their propaganda.
And let me say this: If you are not willing to fight the war on fire, you do not deserve to NOT be enveloped in flames.
We must slaughter every cow and make no excuses when we eat it raw (remember, there is a war on fire), in front of Hindus. We must not appease to the cows and the Hindus that harbor them.
If you are not against friendly fire, you are with enemy fire. That makes you a traitor. Why don’t you fight with the Hindus?
You know what else about fire? It’s so easy a caveman can do it. Do you want cavemen teaching your children to start fires in your home? I didn’t think so. And gecko poo isn’t clean either.
Once Iran has fire, it will be an irreversible change that will mark a defining moment in the history of the United States and of Western civilization, which will forever alter life at the mercy of hate-filled suicidal fanatics and sadists.
We must therefore taunt Iran in the WATER.
(Yay, Blair!)
And when the war on fire has been won. And when all fire has been extinguished, no one will complain of global warming, for the new trend will be global cooling.
We will then need to turn on our ELECTRIC stoves on all the way to save the planet.
We must burn ALL books on fire, so that fire can never be created again. It will be a big fire. But nobody said the war on fire would be short or easy. We sometimes must make sacrifices. If that means starting a fire to put it out, well, we must fight fire with fire. (No, that doesn’t make us arsonists because two wrong fires, make a right.)
Now, some people don’t think fire is a threat. Well, those are the people we must BURN, on a STAKE! Holding their feet to the fire WILL show them just how dangerous fire is. And that’s how we’ll win them over.
We must distribute flammable ads (soaked in oil) with pictures of people burning and flammable U.S. flags. If people are not afraid of fire, how can we possibly win the war on fire?
We must remind the people that fire is a threat by burning a house down every now and then. We must have a fire alert flash on every major news network to warn us of the local humidity and chance of fire.
We must outlaw all spicy food. Any Mexican who eats spicy food is also the enemy. We must burn all Mexican restaurants in the United States and close the borders to prevent the spread of hot food. We must send refrigerators abroad to spread frigidism and wetness.
People in third world countries didn’t ask for our help, but frigidism and wetness is what’s good for them. (They are so stupid!) Only by establishing frigidism and wetness in the Middle East can we protect the American people of fire.
If you do not oppose fire you are the enemy and we will set you on fire.
April 4th, 2007
Posted by
eaglescout |
Fire, environment, Cows, Evil Elements, War on Fire, Al-Qaeda, Liberals, Iraq War, Terrorism, Democrats, Neoconservatives, Truth |
one comment
TheHill.com - Emanuel tells freshmen to avoid Stephen Colbert.
Democrats dropped the 2008 Nevada debate with FOX News because it’s too “right wing”; Now they won’t even go on Colbert Report, the moderate-Republican comedy show on Comedy Central.
Stephen Colbert studied journalism under Bill O’Reilly and mastered his interviewing techniques. Democrats are afraid to divulge their hidden connections with Al-Qaeda lobbyists. But trust me, that wouldn’t get past Colbert on a bad day.
March 25th, 2007
Posted by
eaglescout |
Journalism, Al-Qaeda, Liberals, Democrats |
one comment