Sears Tower

[Belson17]

Since Bush has taken all these hits on Iraq (and rightly so), I think he deserves credit for nipping the Sears Tower plan in the bud. It's not fair only to blame him for the things that go wrong and not give him credit for the good stuff. Am I wrong?

[vicki2]

No, you're not wrong, and there are probably cases we never hear about due to security reasoning too.

[Belson17]

That's one thing you can say about Bush: Since 9/11, there hasn't been one attack on US soil.

[vicki2]

I think they've done a pretty fair job despite all the criticism and despite the media divulging stuff when they shouldn't. I'm talking about this latest ado and I think Bush was right to give them some stick about it.

[Belson17]

Now much of the media is dismissing this whole Sears Tower Case as nothing big because this group wasn't close to operational yet. Isn't that the idea? To nip this stuff in the bud BEFORE it becomes operational?

[Security]

I think one of the problems is being able to make a clear distinction between disguntled talk and organised action - we just had a case in the UK where police raided a house and shot one of the occupants, after a tip off that they were planning an attack - I believe against Heathrow airport.

Now the situation is that there wasn't any real evidence, and the shot guy is now in a position to claim compensation.

Also, I personally would exercise caution over media reports - until a court of law says they were planning to hit the Sears center, then it's just speculation.

Sort of like just after the London tube bombings last year - the day after the police shot dead someone who - according to reports given to the media at the time - was a suspected Arab suicide bomber, jumping over turnstyles dressed in a long thick overcoat, who was grabbled running by police and shot.

The truth of the matter turned out to be some Brazilian guy in a denim jacket already seated on the tube train, suddenly grabbed without warning by police and shot repeatedly in the face.

Media reports only what media is given, and it's long been abused for political purposes.

2 cynical cents.

[vicki2]

But where I would disagree is that I find often the media likes to embellish what they are given too. I think there's room for criticism on both sides really.

[brian]

Agreed - that's one of the problems - governments like to show they're doing something, and the media wants to report the most sensational stories. Somewhere in there, the truth of the matter can be much more banal.

I guess I should say that I believe there are certainly real attempts being defeated - but a big problem (at least here in the UK) is there seems to be so much secrecy over terror trials. Someone local was arrested - and chaged - over terror offences here in Central Scotland. We've heard nothing since.

[Word2Action]

Originally Posted by Belson17

That's one thing you can say about Bush: Since 9/11, there hasn't been one attack on US soil.

Yes this is true but because of his blatant disregard for our own laws in the US and his lack of responsiveness for the Katrina fiasco, I can pretty much never give him credit. And lets not forget that 9/11 was preventable.

[ss1129]

My thing is...Im a Marine and even if I wasnt I would still be a good person. I dont care if the govt taps my phone, because Im not doing illegal things on it. I dont care about cameras in public, because I dont break the law. People need to get over this stuff.