No Oracle Necessary

First, they warned us that AT&T Park in San Francisco might face flooding. Now, they're banging the ol' drum of fear and saying America's historical landmarks may be at risk. Jamestown, parts of Cape Kennedy, even ***gasp*** Silicon Valley! (The Chronicle's regurgitation of this story featured a photo of Oracle Corporation's headquarters.)

Let's get it straight, people. If the ice caps melt and the seas rise to inundate the country, we're not going to be worrying overmuch about whether or not fucking Larry Ellison has to fucking wear fucking waders to fucking go to work. We won't really care if AT&T Park turns into AT&T Lake.

We should be worrying about people. You know, families, neighborhoods were people actually live - not the headquarters of Oracle's grand poobah.

The Washington Post has a closer look at the 'accidental' shipment of live nuclear warheads from Minott AFB to Barksdale AFB back in August.

Apart from astounding insights from government types that 'something went seriously wrong,' there's one small detail of extreme importance.

And that's the line, "Three weeks after the incident was leaked to the public ..."

Leaked.

The government did not inform the populace at all.

Sure, we can plug in the usual 'didn't want to cause unnecessary alarm' line ... but when we have a government that routinely puffs up not-quite-ready-for-primetime 'plots' by 'terrorists,' it's very clear that fear is good when it serves the government's purposes.

Which brings me to something I've said before, but which I was reminded of with the story of the MIT student (see yesterday's post) who was stopped in an airport concourse at gunpoint, because she had some bits and pieces of wire stuck to her hoodie.

The police affirmed that everything is different in the post-9/11 world. Gotta take it more seriously, and all that.

What we need to do is get over it. There is no such thing as a post-9/11 mindset. Really. We're not a post-7/4 mindset, a post-12/7 mindset, a post-11/23 mindset, or a post-7/20 mindset.

The folks who continue to hammer 9/11 as the reason for everything from warrantless wiretaps, an unchecked executive, and the war in Iraq are simply admitting that 9/11 was the day America learned to be afraid.

And we're still wallowing in fear, folks. It's not healthy, it's not productive, and it sure as hell ain't gonna solve anything long-term.

Think about it. We're six years down the road from 9/11, and we're still freaking out over boxes with blinking lights and chalk lines in parking lots. Oh, and that bottle of water might be a liquid explosive! Wait, Osama bin Laden has a new tape out!

By contrast, when we were attacked by Japan in 1941, despite placing numerous Japanese-Americans in detention camps, despite going to war in defense of our country, we kicked ass on two fronts and were done with major combat operations inside of four years.

But now, we're heading towards a full decade of stupefying, gibbering fear, as if we opened the fridge and found a human head in it, so we won't ever go to the fridge again.

For what? Nineteen Saudi hijackers? Give me a fucking break.

Now, some scorn for the other side.

Namely, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who wanted permission to visit Ground Zero and lay a wreath there.

Awwwwww, how sweet.

Are you out of your fucking mind?!?!?!?!!!

The answer is no. (Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin didn't help by suggesting her listeners form a lynch mob 'welcoming party' to meet Mr. Ahmadinejad. You do realize that assaulting and possibly killing a foreign head of state would qualify as an act of war, right, Michelle? Does the name 'Archduke Ferdinand' ring any bells?)

The State Department had an opportunity to apply a lever. "President Ahmadinejad's gesture would be more welcome if it were accompanied by substantive discussions about Iran's nuclear program, over which the United States remains gravely concerned."

Hello? Condi? Anyone?

Oh, wait. Senators Lieberman and Kyl have given our answer � we do want to go to war with Iran.

Never mind.

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