August 10, 2006 –– This morning, I read news reports of a “foiled terrorist plot” in London. My response: disbelief.

But this is not the disbelief that comes during the first moments of a bad situation, the “denial” phase of a process of adjustment. No, this is plain and simple disbelief. I believe that my American goverment, and the government of Great Britain, are deliberately lying and distorting the truth for political gain.

Unfortunately, there have been so many lies, distortions, exaggerations, and half-truths offered by the Bush administration in the past few years that anything they say on the topic of terrorism and war must be presumed to be false.

Of course, it is theoretically possible that there was a genuine terrorist plot by a group of Muslims in London, who planned to combine apparently innocuous fluids to create explosives, and to use handheld electronic devices to detonate them on airplanes.

But it just all seems too convenient for two governments that are struggling to maintain even meager support for their political agendas, in the face of overwhelming opposition by citizens of each nation and of the world. A congressional election is less than 3 months away, with many candidates (Republican and Democratic) seen as vulnerable because of their support for Bush’s wars of terror.

If your goal is to strike fear into the hearts and minds of the public, in order to make them believe there is a danger that our government is protecting us from, how can you hit them effectively? If your fear-indoctrinating tool is “airport security,” then it is crucial to impact every single traveler. Make every person remove their shoes during inspection. Choose items that every passenger is likely to carry — start with things like fingernail clippers, and then seek out opportunities to target absolutely everything the passenger carries.

Since airlines have eliminated nearly all amenities from flights, including food and beverage service, and since flight delays are commonplace, most passengers now bring food and beverages to sustain them. If you abruptly announce that no food or beverages will be permitted, then we can impact travelers through actual deprivation (hunger and thirst). For those passengers who don’t bring food or beverages, take away their toothpaste, mouthwash, and shampoo. Each “take-away” imposes not only inconvenience, but out-of-pocket cost as well. Of course, your goal is to persuade travelers that each degradation and deprivation is “necessary” to “protect” travelers, and to shift blame to terrorists and the evil people who object to our government’s terrorist actions.

I am more sensitive to this situation because on September 11, 2001, I was in Europe, and I spent an extra 7 days in London because of the airport shutdowns that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The very next day, George W. Bush began working to exploit the attacks to promote an oppressive political agenda. ( I wrote about this in October 2001.)

During the presidential election in 2004, fictitious “terrorist threats” were announced, and “threat levels” increased, in order to impose fear and uncertainty in the minds of voters. It worked: George W. Bush won re-election, despite the fact that a large minority of voters did not support his actual policies.

Now, as we enter another crucial election season, we see another stage-stealing effort by our government (and Britain’s), intended to make Americans feel more afraid.

Keep in mind: the terrorists want George W. Bush in power, and they want their own people (not just Iraqis, but all those who share their religious faith) to be harmed and oppressed by the American government. That was the stated goal of Osama bin Laden — to create enough suffering and anger that religious extremists could overthrow mid-east governments and gain power, with the goal of starting a “jihad” against Western influences.

Those terrorists’ tools are terror and fear.

Our own government’s tools are terror and fear.

We must stop this deception and distortion by our government. Our freedoms, and democracy itself, are in peril.

– Mark J. Welch

Last Updated on 08/06/2006

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