Keep your pistol handy.

[AZRedhawk44]

The new nooz about Al-Qaeda and other Islamo-terrorist threats:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/8058063/Al-Qaeda-magazine-published-tips-on-how-to-kill-Americans.html

A couple choice and brief tidbits:

The magazine's content reveals the group's evolving strategy of rejecting easier-to-stop spectacular attacks in favour of one-man operations, using everyday objects.

Bombs are not everyday objects.  Trucks.  Guns.  Knives.  Cheap mall-knife-shop swords.  Power tools.  Those are everyday objects.

The edition also includes "The Ultimate Mowing Machine," which describes how to use a pickup truck "as a mowing machine, not to mow grass, but mow down the enemies of Allah." It says "to achieve maximum carnage, you need to pick up as much speed as you can while still retaining good control . . . to strike as many people as possible in your first run."

Carry a pistol.  Know how to use it.

And drive a BIGGER truck.

[French G.]

      I think the better advice is stay out of crowds of people. We took a family weekend recently and I was driving down the road in the car on our way when I realized that I was going to a really big theme park on Sep 11.  Real smart. I know their security is stellar, I carry every time I am there. I saw a lot of islamic adherents walking around the park with their wimmin in the proper dress. Awfully bold considering the day. I guess that's what makes us better than the other side that they can do that, I just know the other side would give no quarter of the kind. Given the larger than normal number of islamic attired people than I expect to see in Hampton Roads it would not surprise me in the least to know it was a coordinated effort to show up in hopes of being profiled or hassled so they could get on the nooz. I think a little profiling could be handy in such cases.

[AJ Dual]

Well, we've been wondering for AGES here and on other boards why they haven't realized a bunch of smaller "one man-one gun" attacks were logistically easier, and command almost as much attention as 9/11 did.

I guess they have their own institutional inertia to deal with as well.

[Tallpine]

Well, we've been wondering for AGES here and on other boards why they haven't realized a bunch of smaller "one man-one gun" attacks were logistically easier, and command almost as much attention as 9/11 did.

I guess they have their own institutional inertia to deal with as well.

Fort Hood 

[lee n. field]

Well, we've been wondering for AGES here and on other boards why they haven't realized a bunch of smaller "one man-one gun" attacks were logistically easier, and command almost as much attention as 9/11 did.

Tried and failed?  Or succeeded, and the nooz downplayed the connections?

I think the better advice is stay out of crowds of people.

Always.  I don't have any taste for the things most crowds are about, anyway.

Keep your pistol handy.

Of course.

[Jamisjockey]

I finally got a good holster for the 1911 and have been carrying her everywhere....

[gunsmith]

Well, we've been wondering for AGES here and on other boards why they haven't realized a bunch of smaller "one man-one gun" attacks were logistically easier, and command almost as much attention as 9/11 did.

I guess they have their own institutional inertia to deal with as well.

I've been worried about a Mumbai type attack as well

[AJ Dual]

Well, I've also done some thought experiment on this, and looked at it from the viewpoint of your average M.E. Islamist/AlQuida recruit.

Imagine you hate China, for all sorts of reasons. And you've joined up with an organization that wants to put some serious hurt on them, and you're willing to die in the process.

So how "easy" is it for you, an American to emigrate to China, get a job, get imbedded in their society, and then after a time, either through the black market, or your own network procure weapons and explosives, go shoot up a school or whatever over there.

Seems kind of crazy and daunting, no?

Now granted American society is much more open and people of all nationalities can "blend" in much better than any non-Chinese could in China. However, THEY don't know this in their gut. Coming to America is just as daunting a challenge as it would be for any of us picked at random to go to China.

Now, instead, imagine there's Chinese troops just over the border in Canada, and you live in Minnesota, and all you need to do is drive over the border with some guns to try and kill a few of them...

That's why despite all our provocation, there's been so much activity over in Iraq and Afghanistan, but so little here, despite how "easy" it seems.

It takes time to build a network of disgruntled Americans who are otherwise as comfortable as we are moving about in our society before they strike. 

[Perd Hapley]

Well, we've been wondering for AGES here and on other boards why they haven't realized a bunch of smaller "one man-one gun" attacks were logistically easier, and command almost as much attention as 9/11 did.

Individually, each operation is logistically easier. But as we have seen, it would take a great many successful attacks at the same time to get much attention, nationally. After all, how many of the following events have been mostly forgotten?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltway_sniper_attacks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Los_Angeles_Airport_shooting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Reza_Taheri-azar_SUV_attack

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omeed_Aziz_Popal_SUV_rampage (on my thirtieth birthday)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najibullah_Zazi#The_Plan.E2.80.94NYC_subway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Times_Square_car_bombing_attempt

[AJ Dual]

I think the actual shootings and the "jihad drivers" running people down are well remembered. The foiled plots fading into the background, that's normal.

[Perd Hapley]

I think the actual shootings and the "jihad drivers" running people down are well remembered. The foiled plots fading into the background, that's normal.

I guess it depends on what circle you run in, but I'm betting that your neighbors and coworkers would be surprised to hear about the LAX shooting, or either of the SUV attacks. The beltway snipers are about the only entry on that list that most Americans would remember, and we even had someone on this forum a year or two ago, that seemed unaware of them. I've heard about a million people credit Bush with a total absence of terrorism on U.S. soil since 9-11, and I can't recall anyone bringing up those small but successful attacks in rebuttal. They just didn't stick in our collective memory bank.* 

In any case, we don't remember those dates, so they aren't even close to 9/11 in terms of impact on our national culture. Now if there were enough attacks, close together, they'd hit the psychological big time. But again, the more attacks, the more closely coordinated, the more sophistication is required.

I like your analysis about it being easier for them to attack our troops in the sandbox than the civilians here. Makes sense.

Also, as I've said in other threads, it's in the best interests of the alphabet agencies and the president to play these things down. They don't want us to think they've failed to protect us. Somehow, a lot of people have been convinced that a militant Muslim acting alone is not a real terrorist. The line we see in the press is always something like, "FBI sources have not called the incident an act of terrorism, as Johnny Jihadi has no apparent ties to Islamist organizations." To me, free-lance terrorists are a lot more, uh, terrifying than those waiting on orders and logistics from a guy in a cave.

[Hawkmoon]

Imagine you hate China, for all sorts of reasons. And you've joined up with an organization that wants to put some serious hurt on them, and you're willing to die in the process.

So how "easy" is it for you, an American to emigrate to China, get a job, get imbedded in their society, and then after a time, either through the black market, or your own network procure weapons and explosives, go shoot up a school or whatever over there.

Seems kind of crazy and daunting, no?

No. Not at all.

Been to a gas station or low-range motel (Motel-6, Econo-Lodge, Comfort Inn, or any of the brands in that umbrella corporation) recently? They are ALL operated by Pakistanis, and their names are ALL "Shah." They're here on green cards, which means it is LEGAL for them to buy firearms and get carry permits (where required).

How many Americans own hotels or gas stations in China and can legally buy handguns and rifles there?

[RevDisk]

I guess it depends on what circle you run in, but I'm betting that your neighbors and coworkers would be surprised to hear about the LAX shooting, or either of the SUV attacks. The beltway snipers are about the only entry on that list that most Americans would remember, and we even had someone on this forum a year or two ago, that seemed unaware of them. I've heard about a million people credit Bush with a total absence of terrorism on U.S. soil since 9-11, and I can't recall anyone bringing up those small but successful attacks in rebuttal. They just didn't stick in our collective memory bank.* 

Hell, I constantly chuckle that people forgot about the anthrax attack.  Even in these types of threads.

Course, the religious affiliation of the sole person to mount a somewhat successful bioweapon against the US government may have been a contributing factor in it being buried.   

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

or mcveighs catholic background

[De Selby]

I spend my days worrying about threats that are realistic, like a car accident, or getting sick.

Terrorism is great for big government because people love to fantasise about it, ala the whipped up criminal "combat scenarios" that used to pop up in the strategies sections on TFL and THR. 

In terms of dangers to the country, poor driving training is killing more people than terrorism ever will.

[Perd Hapley]

or mcveighs catholic background

Having a Catholic upbringing doesn't make him a Catholic terrorist.

[SADShooter]

This scenario is more analogous, I think, to the D.C. sniper case. Imagine the panic 4-5 2 man teams operating simultaneously in different metro areas could create with a handful of used cars and pawn shop rifles.

[De Selby]

I honestly think they're mocking us - seriously, pressure cooker bomb?  They're making fun of how ridiculous our level of fear is on this.

[Jamisjockey]

I honestly think they're mocking us - seriously, pressure cooker bomb?  They're making fun of how ridiculous our level of fear is on this.

Part of the strategy, IMO.  Throw every kooky idea at us to tie up our resources and make us weary of terrorist threats.  About the time we're stupidly complacent again...okay, well, that time is already here....whack!

They will continue to attempt to strike out at us, but the goal of the 9/11 attacks was achieved: OBL stated prior to 9/11 that the only way he thought he could defeat us was to drag us into an unending war in the middle east. 

[De Selby]

Part of the strategy, IMO.  Throw every kooky idea at us to tie up our resources and make us weary of terrorist threats.  About the time we're stupidly complacent again...okay, well, that time is already here....whack!

They will continue to attempt to strike out at us, but the goal of the 9/11 attacks was achieved: OBL stated prior to 9/11 that the only way he thought he could defeat us was to drag us into an unending war in the middle east. 

Yep, that's what OBL wanted, that's what he got.  I read somewhere that G HW Bush (who happens to be the only policy-maker president since Nixon, imo) developed a rule on this: no war should ever exceed 100 days, or support would plummet and vested interests would become impossible to manage.

[Tallpine]

it's in the best interests of the alphabet agencies and the president to play these things down. They don't want us to think they've failed to protect us. Somehow, a lot of people have been convinced that a militant Muslim acting alone is not a real terrorist. The line we see in the press is always something like, "FBI sources have not called the incident an act of terrorism, as Johnny Jihadi has no apparent ties to Islamist organizations."

We will not have a "terrorist incident" until it is politically expedient to have one. 

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

I honestly think they're mocking us - seriously, pressure cooker bomb? 

Pressure cooker bombs are very popular in the area around India/Nepal.
http://www.asisonline.org/newsroom/crisisResponse/pressureCooker.xml

[Waitone]

Simultaneous Breslan style attacks, some in media heavy markets and a few in flyover America, would sent the public into a conniption fit. 

[MechAg94]

They need to attack mainstream news locations.  That would get them a lot of press. 

[AJ Dual]

Pressure cooker bombs are very popular in the area around India/Nepal.
http://www.asisonline.org/newsroom/crisisResponse/pressureCooker.xml

Oh well THAT.

Put 40 Kg of RDX (Active ingredient in C4) in.. well much of anything, it will work pretty well.