Things that make you go, hmmm.

Less than 24 hours after it was announced London had won the bid for the 2012 Olympics, a series of bombs blasted across buses and subway tunnels, killing more than 30 people and injuring hundreds, maybe as many a thousand.

The attacks are said to have mirrored and surpass last year's Madrid bombings. The Islamic Comission of Spain wasted now time in condemning the attacks; just as Der Spiegel announced to have found online a letter posted by the "Secret Organization of Al-Quaida" claiming responsibility for the attack.

Needless to say, our little Homeland Scare bars got a bump to orange :

[via DHS | Department of Homeland Security | Press Conference by Secretary Michael Chertoff U.S. Department of Homeland Security]:

In light of today's attacks in London, the United States Government is raising the threat level from Code Yellow or "Elevated", to Code Orange or "High' targeted only to the mass transit portion of the transportation sector. This only includes regional and inter-city passenger rail, subways and metropolitan bus systems. We are also asking for increased vigilance in other transportation systems.

Currently, the United States has no specific, credible information suggesting an imminent attack in the United States. However, we know the tactics and methods of terrorists, as demonstrated by the horrific rail bombings in Madrid last year. The intent of al Qaeda and affiliated organizations to attack in Europe and the United States has been well documented and continues to be reflected in intelligence reporting.

We have already taken additional measures to secure transit systems since 9-11 and the railway bombing in Madrid. At the direction of the President, we are working with the Department of Transportation, our other federal partners, state and local officials and transportation authorities to take all necessary precautions and to increase the security of our transportation systems and the citizens who depend on them.

Well, isn't that nice. Extra measures are taken to be; but are they, young Padawan?

Ryan Lizza of New York Magazine wrote a fantastic expose of how the Repuglicans consistently pimped New York City after September 11, then bitch slapped her out of much money for reconstrution and security. And it was not just Washington Repuglicans, mind you. Our very own Repuglicans macdaddies of Albany have never been coy about finding ways to stick it to the enWHYcee.

Which is why it does not come as a surprise that something like the MTA's subway system would not be of any importance to the people over at Homeland. You'd think that after the Madrid attacks they'd spend a big chunck of their time dealing with the security issues in the subway system, water sources and every single pipeline that connects the largest city of the US with its mainland. But no : In a fucked-up case of federalism, it leaves it to the city and state to sort out it out in petty battle royales:

[via New York's Frighteningly Fragile Subway System]:

With money scarce, the MTA is forced to make strategic sacrifices, and the pattern is pretty obvious. Pataki screws the MTA for cash; then the MTA turns around and screws the subway --it gave the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, used by a relatively affluent population, nearly 100 percent of the money they needed in recent years while delivering 61 percent to the subways. Then the subway stiffs New York's poorest neighborhoods: Four of the five worst stations are in the Bronx.

There is a lot of money to be made and power to be gained in the politics of fear and terror. The tragedy in London is just smoke and mirrors. The "Secret Al-Quaida" group that attacked is not so secret. Especially because they are so few.

In a post dated July 3rd, Mark Perkel tells us of, ironically, a series of documentaries the BBC aired about the psychology of nightmares and their connections to terrorist attacks; especially those coming from Al-Qaida :

[via Marc Perkel Rantz: al-Qaeda is Fiction - The organization doesn't exist as a large terrorist organization]:

VOICE OVER:
Zawahiri and bin Laden began implementing this new strategy in August, 1998. Two huge suicide bombs were detonated outside American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing more than 200 people. The bombings had a dramatic effect on the West. For the first time, the name ''bin Laden'' entered the public consciousness as a terrorist mastermind.

[CUT TO AFGHANISTAN]

VOICE OVER:
The suicide bombers had been recruited by bin Laden from the Islamist training camps in Afghanistan. But his and Zawahiri's operation was very much on the fringes of the Islamist movement. The overwhelming majority of the fighters in these camps had nothing at all to do with bin Laden or international terrorism. They were training to fight r�gimes in their own countries, such as Uzbekistan, Kashmir, and Chechnia. Their aim was to establish Islamist societies in the Western world, and they had no interest in attacking America. Bin Laden helped fund some of the camps, and in return was allowed to look for volunteers for his operations. But a number of senior Islamists were against his new strategy, including members of Zawahiri's own group, Islamic Jihad.

[EXCERPT, CNN EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: BIN LADEN, SURROUNDED BY ARMED, MASKED SOLDIERS]

VOICE OVER:
Even bin Laden's displays of strength to the Western media were faked. The fighters in this video had been hired for the day and told to bring their own weapons. For beyond this small group, bin Laden had no formal organisation -- until the Americans invented one for him.

Go read the whole thing --he has transcripts for all and downloadable videos. Give Perkel a big thanks for passing along these BBC gems.

This London tragedy makes me irate and suspect at the same time. We have scandals like The Downing Street Memos, Valerie Plame - Judith Miller - Jeff Gannon - Karl Rove laberynth of lies, Bolton's nomination hearings, they all point to a systematic manipulation of facts to create the fiction necessary for war in Iraq but, even scarier, payback and revenge over those who chose not to follow with the power games of the Bush gang. With these scandals and these attacks, it's thugs vs. thugs.

Terrorist and warmongers need eacher other like gunpowder needs a match for it to be all it can be. Terrorist attacks are real but let's not get lost in the drama of the moment. These attacks are pointing to the smokes and mirrors the false prophets of Al-Qaida, "Bobblehead" Blair and "Mission Accomplished" Bush need to continue with their power mongering. And New York is an epicenter of this power grab.

Is there any more reason why New Yorkers should not enable the Republicans by electing Bloomberg, Pataki, Bruno or any other NY Repug? No, I didn't think I needed to elaborate any further.

Which is why it is still amazing that the Democrat's front-runner is still working at cleaning up his act.

This was cross-posted today at culturekitchen

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