(urth) Predictions Re: The Politics Of Gene Wolfe

[Jeff Wilson]

On 8/2/2012 4:18 PM, David Stockhoff wrote:
>
> On 8/2/2012 5:11 PM, Jeff Wilson wrote:
>> On 8/2/2012 6:45 AM, David Stockhoff wrote:
>>>
>>> On 8/1/2012 11:44 PM, Jeff Wilson wrote:
>>>> Then whenever the terror org needs some publicity, they call in
>>>> another arson threat, and everyone running an unsanctioned weenie
>>>> roast gets to enjoy the half-assed security theatre "zero tolerance"
>>>> policies...
>>>
>>> All true, but there's a big difference between "terror" and "media
>>> hysterics." I just have to assume terrorists know the difference too.
>>
>> That difference is largely in the eye of the media consumers in
>> countries that rely on popular support of government.
>>
>>
> Perhaps. But even granting that terrorists are not all-knowing why don't
> they try things like this?
>
> My first answer, even before all the other stuff, is: because there are
> so few of them. (Real ones, I mean, not FBI extras.)

Yes, however, as the number of radicals hardcore enough to do some 
unthinkable thing starts off very small, as they do more of it it 
becomes thinkable to more, less hardcore people who see the actual 
results of the act as a way to further their agenda. At least, this 
happened with skyjacking.

Also, the recent anti-terror, anti-shooter measures have made bomb and 
shooter hoaxes more effective at causing disruption, and are just now 
starting to saturate to the point where some places' cops are declining 
to shut down public venues on single reports, IIRC.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at clueland.com
Computational Intelligence Laboratory - Texas A&M Texarkana
< http://www.tamut.edu/CIL >