Wow, this is the best little journalistic piece on important political and cultural developments in the U.S. I've found for weaks, at least!
<<On entering into August many places in the USA are caught in a big heat with "Anti-terrorism" warning to see a sudden warm-up. On Aug.1, Ridge, US Secretary of Homeland Security suddenly announced that it was likely for financial institutions in New York, Washington and some other places to be attacked by "Al-Qaeda" and so the threat warning was raised to orange. In an instant, New York and Washington were thrown into a panic as though faced with an attack by a strong enemy.
Aug.5, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested two heads of a mosque in Albany, New York State, asserting that they were suspected to be in connection with the "Al-Qaeda" and planned to buy for terrorists shoulder-carried guided missiles. That would be used to attack the Pakistani diplomats to New York because Pakistan had assisted the US attacks at terrorist activities.
Aug. 6, the US eastern and western shores, even including the two Canadian provinces launched a simulated 5-day anti-terrorist manoeuvre with over 4000 people to take part in and it was under the command of the US North America Commanding Headquarters and North America Air-Force Defence Headquarters. The manoeuvre was set off with the explosion of a "dirt bomb" at a port of Los Angeles while the California in the west and Virginia in the east had in succession suffered from simulated terrorist attacks. The imagined targets include cruise vessel, bridge, shopping mall and elementary school, causing a casualty of 1000 people and some 10,000 people wounded.
Some analysts hold that the sudden alarm sounded by the US authority was meant for creating a tension and the main reason for it was because the fame of Kerry was raised at the National Party Conference of the Democratic Party. Bush was not willing to surrender lagging behind hence he put forth the "brilliant idea". In the eyes of Bush's group for election campaign the support rate in the public poll will be sure to get higher once Bush holds high the banner of "safety & security". For "most of the Americans believe that on the question ¡®for safety and security' Bush and his Republican Party is more steadfast and reliable" than Kerry and his Democratic Party. However, the recent public poll held by the AP made Bush and his camp feel disheartened. Among those accepted the interview, Kerry got 48 percent support while Bush only got 45 percent. Moreover, on the question of state security, the support for Kerry witnessed a higher rise of 8 percent as compared to the previous one for these people thought that Kerry could do better on the affairs for the state security....
Bush Administration using too frequent the "intelligence" may cause the "warning weary", said an ex-anti-terrorist official of the State Department, "This is the fifth time that we've heard such a warning". "But nothing has happened so far. I'm afraid that people will get tired of it."
Moreover, Kerry and Bill Clinton poured oil over the fire. For days on end, Kerry has been playing with the "safety card" too. He sang in chorus with the ex-president Bill Clinton, slashing heavily that Bush failed to do well on protecting the security of the state. He said Bush was too dull and slow to react on the anti-terrorist activities. Citing what is said in the movie "Fahrenheit 9/11", Bush was reading to the pupils of a Florida elementary school after the happening of the terrorist event. And when he received the report he stood dumbfounded for some seven minutes in the classroom before his leaving. Kerry said he would have taken a prompt action if he were the president. He also criticized that Bush was likewise too slow on the intelligence reform. And the other is that Bush failed to lay his anti-terrorist emphasis on catching Bin Laden and setting attacks on the "Al-Qaeda" but on attacking Iraq instead. Clinton chimed in by saying that with regard to the threat for the US, Saddam Hussein could only be put in the fifth place. And the third is that the two of them unanimously lashed out that the invasion of Iraq has not only damaged the US anti-terrorist war but also roused up more terrorists, thus putting the US in a more unsecured position.
Surely, Bush is not reconciled to it and he's still defending himself. However, it seems not easy to win in the play.>>
Read the rest at
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200408/11/eng20040811_152546.html
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