Convince me there won't be a Christmas Day LIHOP or MIHOP

[Newsjock]

OK, so I'm a professional journalist, and I normally take all these terror alerts and generalized panics mostly in stride. But tonight, on a Christmas Eve when I'm working as usual, I'm almost at my tipping point.

Chimpy and his minions have succeeding in terrifying me. But it's probably not for the reasons they'd like. What knocked me off the deep end? An Associated Press report that circulated late this afternoon with the headline "U.S. braces for terrorism attack."

Why on earth would anyone be "bracing" for an attack -- in much the same way that one "braces" for a hurricane -- unless there were some type of knowledge that such an attack was indeed imminent?

I'm now extremely worried that our PNAC cabal is going to either allow or cause an attack on Christmas Day. It's affecting how I work tonight, and I don't like that one bit at all.

So, fellow DUers, I turn to you. Despite all the panic (duct tape mania all over again) and all the hype, I ask you for arguments, evidence, or just plain reassurance. Tell me that there won't be a LIHOP or MIHOP in the United States tomorrow.

(Of course, if you're instead thinking like I am right now, feel free to chime in as well.)

My poor stomach, blood pressurem, and nerves are off the scale right now. And I've got a paper to get out.

[Orangepeel]

1. It would make more sense strategically for them to PREVENT an attack

It would make more sense strategically for them to PREVENT an attack.

If they let one happen, then they would have let one happen. It would be hard to blame on the supposed inaction of the previous administration this time.

On the other hand, if there are "credible" warnings and they stop a few planes from Paris or some such, then they stopped it. Woo-hoo. They are heroes.

No, if an attack happens, it will be a real attack that they tried to stop and couldn't. There would be no percentage in LIHOP or MIHOP this time.

[maggrwaggr]

6. agreed. and that's exactly what they're doing now.

they can come out with the most outrageous story they can make up now. And who's to tell them that they're lying? We don't know.

They can claim to have stopped the most heinous attack of all time. The press will buy it, and we'll be spoon fed the story.

That's probably what this is all about.

[Newsjock]

9. That's a good point

... and a possible sign of hope.

We can let them brag about how evil Air France was stopped today -- and hope that, within a couple of weeks, the real story will emerge, whatever it is.

Of course, the Washington Post will dutifully publish a Dana Milbank expose that will document the administration's lies, it will be buried on Page A29, and it will be forgotten by the next day.

Just like how the last orange alert was apparently started by non-credible "intelligence," as ABC uncovered. We don't hear much about that anymore, either.

On edit: I note that Josh Marshall is already reporting this:
Meanwhile the DC correspondent of a major French media outlet tells me that French authorities looked at the list of names provided by the Americans and eventually concluded on their own that the people in question had no ties to terrorism.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. Besides, they're keeping you at work and ten bucks says the camera

crews are there to film it so they can use it as campaign adds.

The film will star Arnold and Bush since we know they are targetting California (go figure, film...California...bad actor for bad governor *gosh I've heard this before*) Arnold will get caught in a jam as the TERMINATOR, Chimp will show up in a flight suit to save him with his stuffed sausage, the Democratic mayor of the city of LA will look like a doofus while Chief Bratton carries him away from the threat, Arnold attempts to terminate a terrorist, accidentally kills a tourist at the airport...Bush is there to save him and......can you see it now?

The Terminator and the Chimp.... starring in TOTAL REGURGE!

[Scimmio]

25. Arnold knows how to share a marquee

Giuliani didn't take too well to any of that co-billing, screen-sharing business. Arnold has experience sharing the credit a little and having a co-star in the limelight with him. Here I was worrying about us folk out on the East Coast and wondering why France would fly over just to attack the West Coast. An Arnold/George feature presentation would make for some fine news clips. Heck, FOX could ride it 24-7 with only occasional breaks to update football scores. I'll let myself feel safe now, here in the DC area.

[blackcat77]

21. I agree completely

And they managed to finger the Usual Suspect as well. "Darned French -- we're always having to clean up their messes!" This whole thing is very, very convenient -- it looks very dramatic with cancelled flights and all and so if nothing happens, that translates to a big win for them. Also notice the complaining about the "making public of the cancelled flights." As if they could keep stuff like that secret! That gave them the excuse for not actually catching any bad guys.

It's just too perfect.

[adadem]

28. And what holiday

memories to we "keep in mind"? I remember Christmas memories. This way no one will forget next election.

[Scimmio]

11. will PREVENT but be unable to specify...

for security reasons of course.
now, I kind of figure the more dangerous time would be next October/Halloween...a major attack/accident around then could make the suspension of elections seem like a safety measure...would be hard to vote if we actually went to Code RED levels and curfews/travel restrictions were put into place...

[Sibanetta]

13. Huh?

What are LIHOPS & MIHOPS?


Sibanetta

[Orangepeel]

17. The theory...

that certain people in the administration either let or made the 9/11 attacks happen for political gain (Let It Happen On Purpose and Made It Happen On Purpose).

Personally, I don't subscribe to either of these views. I believe they just TAOTS (took advantage of the situation).

[Newsjock]

18. LIHOP, MIHOP

Let It, or Make It, Happen on Purpose

Used to describe how some people view the White House role in the Sept. 11 attacks.

[radwriter0555]

33. I'll bet a thousand bucks there will be no terrorist attacks today or

within the next 10 years, launched against the USA.

[number6]

2. News Years ... MIHOP...

:nuke: nothing tomorrow

[Cleita]

12. I agree that it will happen on the New Year if it does.

I have no inside information, just an informed gut feeling. Christmas would be a bad holiday to LIHOP or MIHOP, what with all those right wing Christians supporting BFEE, but New Years is a holy day only to Catholics and a few other orthodox Christian churches and not a big one.

[MattNC]

3. i'm nervous too

but i still dont expect an attack on the homeland - abroad is a different story. i think you may just be reading too much into that one headline though.

[maggrwaggr]

4. relax

Even if something happens, the odds of you or someone you love being affected by it are very very slight.

That's the bottom line.

Terrorism is now just one more way to buy the farm.

You're probably more likely to get hit by lightning or bitten by a poisonous spider than you are to die from a terrorist attack.

I live in LA, by the way (Santa Monica). I'm not worried because, well, I figure it's so completely out of my control that, well, what the heck am I supposed to do? I'm more scared of a drunk driver on the PCH than I am of a terrorist blowing me up.

[Newsjock]

7. Buying the farm

Oh, I don't realistically expect to perish in a blaze of al-Qaidaness.

Rather, since I'm in "the biz," each one of these attacks, panics, or scares makes my work all the more difficult. Top editors go into their own panic (they're worked up over mad cow right now just as much as they did over anthrax, and it's impossible to talk rationally with them), and of course there's the added space to fill without the added people.

More importantly, however, I deeply worry that any attack anywhere in the U.S. will essentially, as Tommy Franks warned, gut what's left of our Constitution. And that's the vision of a United States that scares the living crap out of me.

Sigh.

[RBHam]

10. LMAO - "and it's impossible to talk rationally with them"

just the off and way you put it..oh my...ha ha ha...tears running down my face...

tell me, do any of these news-bots ever stop and consider the bigger picture, the course of history, the fullness of time?

how do you put up with it?

[Newsjock]

14. The newsbots

tell me, do any of these news-bots ever stop and consider the bigger picture, the course of history, the fullness of time?

Of course they don't. They're in their own state of perpetual fear, scared out of their gourd that the corporate bigwigs will demote their butts down to the paper in Lower Dungville.

And with our circulation plummeting the way it is, it's a miracle that such a thing hasn't already happened.

I'd say more, but I don't want to give any hints as to the actual newspaper company for which I work. That would be a very bad thing indeed.

[RBHam]

22. indeed

I still pine for the old days, before cnn was subverted by the cia, before the reign of terror that black and murdoch went on with heavy financial backing from unclear sources, and now the carlyle group is to move in and save hollinger while acquiring other weak strays...

my local paper was devastated by hollinger...

'tis but a shell of its former glory...

[JailForBush]

5. I think it's quite likely that the Republicans will stage (another?)

terrorist attack sometime between now and next November. However, it doesn't really frighten me directly, because I'm protected by the law of averages; they probably won't attack every city in the U.S.

On the other hand, I fear the following events - like martial law or increased assaults against our civil liberties - very much.

On a philosophical note, every day's another terrorist attack with Repubilcans and Vichy Democrats in charge. From outsourced jobs to mad cow disease, where does it end?

[RBHam]

8. It would ruin George's vacation...

January 11

I can't tell you I know for sure, I just keep hearing certain Psy Ops types referencing 1-11 alot. as in the time 1:11 or a date 1-11. 11-1? those three numbers, anyway.

just a nagging feeling at my back...

[truthseeker1]

16. A thwarted (orchestrated) attack....tip from Saddam

My theory is:
There will be a thwarted (orchestrated) attack and the resulting effect they are hoping for is that everyone will feel safer because Homeland Security was able to thwart the attack.

But here's the kicker: THEY WILL ANNOUNCE THEY GOT THE TIP FROM THEIR INTERROGATION OF SADDAM, finally "proving" the link of SH to the terrorists, and thus getting their justification for the invasion.

It will be a two-for-one. People will conclude that the invasion was justified and that Homeland Security has been doing a good job. Bush's numbers will go up.

Make that a three-fer - they will also "prove" Dean has been wrong about his assertion that SH's capture has not done anything to make us safer.

On edit: btw, what's a LIHOP and MIHOP? Obviously a terrorist attack, from the context, but what do those acronyms stand for? Please excuse my ignorance!

[gristy]

20. LIHOP=Let It Happen On Purpose

MIHOP=Made It Happen On Purpose

[gristy]

19. Guessing (correctly) when the next terror event is to take place

is about as easy (and makes as much sense) as timing the market. You can't do it. So have fun tomorrow. Fugettaboutit.

[RBHam]

23. Profits Of Death...

one could monitor any extraordinary movements in the stock market as regarding "put" options...

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/12_06_01_death_profits_pt1.html

[Q]

24. FEAR of an attack is just as effective as an attack itself...

...if the end goal is to keep Americans afraid of their shadow.

[Cleita]

27. This is what they are doing and playing on it.

The fact is, how close is an attack to the majority of Americans? It's not very close. I have to admit that when our earthquake struck on Monday, I had some real fear that the nearby nuke plant had been hit. Being incommunicado for hours after didn't help. However, it was a common variety rather big earthquake, compliments of mother nature. I hope most Americans realize that a terrorist attack will hit a spectacular target that is meant to scare the shit out of everyone, not anything that will change our way of life. What is changing our way of life are the jerks that are supposed to be governing us.

[Terwilliger]

31. fear is the goal

and it's not coming from Osama

[RBHam]

26. Not now, but soon

And where?



http://rbham.com/articles/031206%20-%20a%20winter%20of%20discontent.htm

[Festivito]

29. Not now, perhaps on 4/11.

911 was meant as an emergency call against American hegemony, which failed since Bush used it to increase world hegemony. They also don't want to fight Christmas the same as Christians don't want to fight Jewish holidays. Why would Christians fight Passover, then celebrate Christ celebrating, er, um, Passover. The anger over world trading hegemony caused a hit on the "World Trade Center," our military, and possibly our military ruler/CEO Bush. The next hit, information only 411, or the new 711 for non-emergency calls would be aimed at something miltary, e.g. the Pentagon again, and secondarily political, e.g. federal buildings, probably the capital dome.

So, it failed, it's the wrong time, and the wrong place.

The only worry I see are small renegade zealots who have little backing and would try things like shoe bombs. The kind of things it takes a lot of investigators to uncover.

Thank goodness the FBI no longer spends our money investigating Clinton for partisan purposes.

[Terwilliger]

30. 1:30...nothing yet

er...well, as far as I know

[RBHam]

32. relax

the palestinians and israelis are filling the death quota today...

IDF clamps full closure on territories after suicide attack
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/376094.html

5 Palestinians killed in Gaza strike
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/375991.html

[Skittles]

34. I definitely feel a "setup" in the air

they are going overboard trying to terrify us and I shudder to wonder what it is. What's gonna happen, and when, I have no freaking idea.