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We may have been lucky, but we're not safer.

Reader comment on item: Stupid Terrorists

Submitted by Pat (United States), Oct 4, 2005 at 16:09

I'm glad you see the silver lining, but I can't take my eyes off the cloud.

Mahmoud Maawad was not brought down by observant citizens or good counterterrorist operations. It appears that what prompted the call to the FBI was that he had ordered merchandise using a bad credit card. He had been arrested previously, but no one discovered he was here illegally. He worked off the books and no one noticed. It took a company with financial interests to bring him to the attention of federal authorities.

Michael Wagner was stopped for a traffic violation, but how was he able, in a post 9/11 world, to accumulate flight training manuals, a simulator and lots of other items not found in the average home with no one noticing? We got lucky, but his arrest doesn't make me feel safer. It only illustrates the danger we face.

A man who had been ordered deported to Brazil in December, 2001 and was listed in the FBI database was able to obtain an identity card permitting him to paint GWB. That this happened post 9/11 and in the New York area is worrisome. It further illustrates the shortcomings in our security environment.

Timothy McVeigh and Mohammed Salameh were caught after the fact, not before. They and their co-conspirators kept out of trouble and out of the sight of law enforcement until after their truck bombs went off. Carelessness may have led to their arrests, but it didn't stop them from carrying out their plans.

Maybe these terrorists were dumb (or careless), but we shouldn't take comfort from that and we shouldn't expect more of the same in the future. It will be our undoing.
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Reader comments (51) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
This is exactly the information I need to. Thanks for writing this write-up. [12 words]CaryFeb 22, 2012 04:30193555
3not all muslims are terrorists [77 words]jasmineNov 26, 2008 09:23143859
1You LOVE your religion! [71 words]kafurJun 10, 2011 06:09143859
Nohwhere in the koran does it say you can kill [214 words]kafurJun 11, 2011 10:22143859
2Reader comment on article: Stupid Terrorists [95 words]ManiAug 24, 2007 04:25106878
1there are so many terrorists and yet some people don't get it [98 words]Phil GreendJun 7, 2007 12:0796477
1stupidity of terrorists [71 words]donvanNov 21, 2005 13:5328651
2We are the stupid ones [146 words]John GiannascaOct 20, 2005 00:5627137
Terrorists, idealists, and cronies [160 words]Willie SmartJul 4, 2007 21:2227137
Misapprehension here [97 words]Will JurgensJun 9, 2011 20:3627137
Are They Stupid [110 words]WalterOct 19, 2005 00:4827083
war is good [145 words]mateoAug 17, 2006 20:5927083
most terrorists are far from stupid [135 words]JeffOct 14, 2005 17:4626954
Another One [142 words]JackOct 11, 2005 08:4226779
Reply to Jack [7 words]MaryOct 12, 2005 10:2626779
Earthquake in South Asia, the Hand of God? [808 words]Swahili DinazOct 8, 2005 13:0026716
Helping the Terrorists [156 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
J. de COct 8, 2005 05:3126708
Off topic [198 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
A. FestineOct 7, 2005 08:4326659
No worries. [59 words]RenchOct 7, 2005 08:3526658
It will not help enemy [126 words]Amitabh tripathiOct 7, 2005 04:4226656
They are all stupid [109 words]JGOct 7, 2005 03:0626655
What's happening [183 words]BenOct 7, 2005 00:1426651
Does Pointing Out Stupid Errors Help Terrorists? [178 words]Merry WhitneyOct 6, 2005 16:0226645
Helping the Enemy? [541 words]Swahili DinazOct 6, 2005 13:0426640
Good job, dr Pipes! [55 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Pavel ZOct 6, 2005 12:5526639
Not Something To Rejoice Over [266 words]Alan M. KaplanOct 6, 2005 11:5826637
Stupid Pathological Evil [154 words]Swahili DinazOct 6, 2005 01:3726629
2War is necessary sometimes [113 words]EBOct 5, 2005 22:2326625
Why help terrorists avoid pitfalls? [27 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Michael SandfortOct 5, 2005 19:3826624
Second verse, same as the first [68 words]David W. LincolnOct 5, 2005 18:5026623
I should not feel so cocky [253 words]yuval brandstetterOct 5, 2005 16:2826622
Are we really lucky? [276 words]Larry PiersonOct 5, 2005 13:2726618
I must admit that these stories are funny [129 words]MaggieOct 5, 2005 06:0726609
No Downside [75 words]Darwin BarrettOct 4, 2005 20:2226599
Meanwhile - 4 years after the 9/11 wake up call [96 words]sullyOct 4, 2005 19:3726596
Stupidity equals Racism? [47 words]Yehoshua ZellerOct 4, 2005 18:4126594
We may have been lucky, but we're not safer. [276 words]PatOct 4, 2005 16:0926590
Who is more stupid [97 words]Leo TokmanOct 4, 2005 13:2326586
One from the Darwin Awards [177 words]ElliotOct 4, 2005 12:0726583
premature car bombs [14 words]kafurJun 11, 2011 10:2626583
This is the first time I agree with you.100% [386 words]SULTANOct 4, 2005 10:1826582
Reply to Sultan [660 words]MaggieOct 5, 2005 06:3426582
To add to Maggie's statement and a reply to Sultan [215 words]AllonehhobOct 5, 2005 15:3126582
To Allonehhob and Maggie [566 words]Swahili DinazOct 6, 2005 03:0026582
Response to Maggie [361 words]SULTANOct 8, 2005 14:0026582
Message to SULTAN [148 words]John GiannascaOct 10, 2005 20:3326582
Response to Sultan [100 words]Robert K.Oct 13, 2005 14:1426582
Response to the 'response to Sultan'(robert K) '-we are all people of our own faith, up to a point' [294 words]preachers sonMar 4, 2008 04:3126582
You crazy [83 words]abcNov 14, 2012 15:1226582
Subject of article is unique [210 words]Amitabh tripathiOct 4, 2005 08:1426581
Stupid terrorists of a certain faith [110 words]Lionel BaptistaOct 4, 2005 08:1226580

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