02/15/2003 Entry: "Not Losing Sleep Over This, But..."

I'm far from the first to think it, but it's still suspicious timing to be told not to wander out in big groups the week before a series of national anti-war rallies. I think at least the West coast (who are not as freaked out as the other coast, somehwat understandably) skeptical. We're more concerned with missles from North Korea than unelaborated reports of "chatter."

Not to be too Wag-The-Dog about this all, but what if, say, the Powers That Control The Government wanted to set an example? The other night before bed (what better time?) I started to play out a little scene in my head:

Increased Alert is called (To Pomegranite or Cranberry or whatever the next highest color is in the Pottery Barn™-Sponsored Terror Alert.) Press conferences to calm the public do the exact opposite. Cynics grouse, refuse to call off anti-war protests. Covert government operatives—paid terrorists, if you will—release a small, easily controlled nerve gas attack in a liberal city in a Democratic-leaning state, say, at a protest rally, where there will be plenty of media attention. For the sake of argument, let's call this fantasy place San Francisca. This would:

  1. "Prove" that a serious terrorist threat on American soil really existed, despite previous fabricated evidence;
  2. "Prove" that Homeland Security is effective, both at seeing the threat ahead of time and quickly addressing it;
  3. Snubs the liberals and the pacifists in that pinko-fag city of questionable, declining economic support anyway.

Since today's rallies occured without unusual violence, this must just be my dark fantasy. Right? Right. Despite this line of thinking and the forecasted rain, we'll be out at our local anti-war rally tomorrow to suggest that duct tape may save us yet from toxic gas leaks and terrorists. (30k JPEG popup)

Replies: One Comment

4. Cow any further impulses toward protest into fearful submission.

Didn't happen, thankfully, and neither did the rain.

Posted by Huntington @ 02/16/2003 07:57 PM PST