The U.S and the wrold

**Don Corleone** · 09-01-2005, 20:05

Well, call me a paranoid, crackpot psycho, but we haven't exactly guarded our borders very tightly for the past 4 years. I'm not claiming I have any proof or that my mind is made up or anything. I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a terrorist cell headed down to the Big Easy once a confirmed hit by Katrina was known.

**_Martyr_** · 09-01-2005, 20:11

I dont know? It seems a little tinfoil-hattish to start pointing at terrorists... no? I would say more sick weirdos a la the Washington Snipers or something like that.

And what do you mean you havent been guarding your boarders well?? You obviously havent tried getting through US immigration recently... even on an Irish passport. Pretty extreme.

**Don Corleone** · 09-01-2005, 20:17

Originally Posted by _Martyr_

I dont know? It seems a little tinfoil-hattish to start pointing at terrorists... no? I would say more sick weirdos a la the Washington Snipers or something like that.

And what do you mean you havent been guarding your boarders well?? You obviously havent tried getting through US immigration recently... even on an Irish passport. Pretty extreme.

I know it sounds tin-foil hattish. I just cannot come up with a good reason for large numbers of snipers. Two or three, sure, but from the sounds of it, they're popping up all over the city, and are pretty well coordinated. I just don't know what to think, and honestly, an Al Queda cell is less scary then believing large numbers of Americans could be so cruel and stupid.

And I said we weren't doing a good job of it, not that we weren't doing it at all. The appearance of doing something is much, much more important than doing what needs to be done, when it comes to this issue. The problem you're facing is that you're actually following our laws. The same laws that tell the TSA they have to search an elderly woman in a wheelchair at the exact same rate as a man flying in from Syria with no permanent address given upon arrival. If you want to get into the USA without any difficulty, simply fly to Mexico or Canada first, then hike/drive/boat on in.

**Ronin** · 09-01-2005, 20:41

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

I know it sounds tin-foil hattish. I just cannot come up with a good reason for large numbers of snipers. Two or three, sure, but from the sounds of it, they're popping up all over the city, and are pretty well coordinated. I just don't know what to think, and honestly, an Al Queda cell is less scary then believing large numbers of Americans could be so cruel and stupid.

there are stupid and cruel people in every society....if you put them in the right situation...pretty extreme conditions from the flooding, a certain sense of lawnlessness because of the evacuation of the town, and add to that large amounts of guns in the hands of the general population and the crackpots are gonna act up unfortunatelly.

**Red Harvest** · 09-01-2005, 20:25

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

Well, call me a paranoid, crackpot psycho, but we haven't exactly guarded our borders very tightly for the past 4 years. I'm not claiming I have any proof or that my mind is made up or anything. I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a terrorist cell headed down to the Big Easy once a confirmed hit by Katrina was known.

If so, they have a rapid response efficiency that far outstrips our own nation's. Just getting to the levies during/after the storm would have been nearly impossible.Why send in terrorists to do what the storm would do for them? Doesn't make sense.

Those levies shouldn't have held. Katrina's drift to the East saved them, and that was in the last few hours when travel was not possible. I was SHOCKED (and relieved) to hear that they had not failed during the initial surge. I honestly believed New Orleans was going to completely flood during the storm, with about 100,000+ casualties, instead they were on the weak side of the storm.

We got lucky, the hit should have been much worse. You are being fooled by the focus on New Orleans. That is just part of the picture. Whole communities all around no longer exist. While many of the people survived there are no homes. Some of these were communities of 20,000+.

**Don Corleone** · 09-01-2005, 20:43

You're misunderstanding my point Red. I know things are as bad, if not worse East of New Orleans. Hell, I think they announced "Biloxi is no more". There's a lot of damage & casualties we haven't even begun to hear of yet. In this thread, I was speaking specificially about the snipers blocking the relief efforts. Who would do such a thing? Sadly and quite frighteningly, it seems that they're growing in number. As I said, maybe Al Queda is a boogeyman I'm using that's a lot less scary than the truth.

**yesdachi** · 09-01-2005, 20:49

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

but we haven't exactly guarded our borders very tightly for the past 4 years.

Our borders have never been guarded tightly. If anything they have been guarded tighter over that past 4 years than ever before.

**Don Corleone** · 09-01-2005, 20:52

Correct Yesdachi (cool name btw, took me a while to get it). We are doing better then we were before. But we are still a LONG, LONG way from good. They estimate that 35,000 illegal immigrants enter the country every month. Are you willing to bet your health & livelihood on the belief that America's enemies haven't figured this out yet?

**yesdachi** · 09-01-2005, 21:47

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

Correct Yesdachi (cool name btw, took me a while to get it). We are doing better then we were before. But we are still a LONG, LONG way from good. They estimate that 35,000 illegal immigrants enter the country every month. Are you willing to bet your health & livelihood on the belief that America's enemies haven't figured this out yet?

I agree. We are nowhere near as secure as we sometimes think we are. I think that the Coast Guard is doing great things and on official byways (roads and airports) we are doing well also but there are soooo many other ways to get things or people into the country it really is scary. I wouldn’t be opposed if our war on terror included some of our military playing a larger role protecting our boarders. At least until a better system can be put in place.

Thanks about the name

**Papewaio** · 09-02-2005, 00:22

One: Most of the worlds governments have responded quicker then the USAs own congress.

Two: In a desparate situation people do desparate things. The snipers are in all likely hood local nutters not some sort of Al Qaeda cell. What next AQ under the beds?... making burqas out of bedsheets would be the logic behind that I suppose... so blue bedsheets you are a Taliban supporter?

Three: Get small boats in there and start shipping people out. If the UK can do that in WWII when Germany took over France, I'm sure the US can do it without the threat of enemy aircraft bearing down.

Four: No border patrol that I know of can stop hurricanes.

Five: Out of those 35,000 illegal immigrants a month a whole lot more are going to be rebuilding the city and its levies then taking pot shots at the locals.

**ichi** · 09-02-2005, 00:32

Bush's idealogy is more important to him than any concern over people. He might act if it looks like his poll numbers are dropping. He'll need a lot of spinsters to blame this on Clinton.

ichi

**PanzerJaeger** · 09-02-2005, 02:16

Bush's idealogy is more important to him than any concern over people. He might act if it looks like his poll numbers are dropping. He'll need a lot of spinsters to blame this on Clinton.

I tried out a lot of responses and the only one that works is: