I just want to report that, so far, at least from my house, the dire predictions by Adam Gadahn of an imminent Al Qaeda attack on Los Angeles have not occurred. Of course, I can’t speak for Melbourne – the other huge population center under the wagging finger of the supposedly peace-loving religious psychopath from (orginally) Orange County CA. I wonder if he’s an Angels fan.
BTW, here’s an interesting quote from Gadahn:
“We love peace, but when the enemy violates that peace or prevents us from achieving it, then we love nothing better than the heat of battle, the echo of explosion, and the slitting of the throats of the infidels,” the tape says.
Well, everybody has his pleasures. Back in his teenage SoCal years, ABC informs us Adam was an environmentalist into Heavy Metal.
Well, my local Franklin Mayfair was packed, and people seemed to be stocking up on water. It creeped me out, and I’m not an alarmist.
Of course they want “peace.”
The world will be at peace when the world is under Islam.
Has a single threatend AQ attack ever come to pass? The best way to know that they’re not ready for an operation is when they start announcing how much blood they’re going to spill.
ìWell, everybody has his pleasures. Back in his teenage SoCal years, ABC informs us Adam was an environmentalist into Heavy Metal.î
Some people will be perplexed by Adam Gadahnís conversion to nihilistic Islamism. They shouldnít be. Eric Hoffer published his seminal classic The True Believer in 1951. He profoundly observed that it is fairly normal for extremists of one stripe to switch allegiance to their apparent opposites. The Nazis were well aware of this phenomenon and eagerly sought to convert Communists to their cause—and were often quite successful. Hoffer describes the Gadahns of the world as ìa guilt-ridden hitchhiker who thumbs a ride on every cause from Christianity to Communism. Heís a fanatic, needing a Stalin (or a Christ) to worship and die for.î It is the radical fervor that entices Gadahn. The specific doctrines are of secondary importance.
David’s post puts me in mind of a fellow Tony Horowitz describes in his book Confederates in the Attic: a former SDS-er who, 30 years on, was doing the white supremacist thing in the heart of Dixie. The interesting about this person, as Horowitz describes him, is that he seemed to retain the speech patterns, mannerisms and habits of dress that you would expect from a hippie. He, too, would seem to be an example of what Hoffer describes.
I’ve long thought that al Qaeda simply isn’t very smart. The desire to go back to sleep in this country is enormous. We really, really, really don’t want to believe there’s a big bad wolf out there. It’s all Bush’s fault. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Understandable, controllable, fixable.
But, regular as clockwork, al Qaeda comes along with another attack in London, another bomb in Iraq, another threat in LA, nothing that hurts too much, just enough to remind people once again of the existence of the beast. Not smart.
Mom and Dad must be so proud. A politically active son tuned into By Any Means Necessary pragmatism.
ìMom and Dad must be so proud.î
You might be speaking in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The irony is that Adam Gadahnís parents may very well be proud of him! Some New Age adults place a high value on the intensity of the belief over its substance. They are upset only when their children firmly assent to the values of Western Civilization. Gadahn was brought up in a far left-wing family. Iím sure that my theory is right on target. Read the following:
ìAdam Gadahn was born Adam Pearlman in Orange County. His father, acclaimed í60s underground psychedelic musician Phil Pearlman, was the one who chose the name Gadahn. Phil Pearlman founded the West Coast group Beat of the Earth, a band often compared by critics to their East Coast counterpart, the Velvet Underground.î
http://lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=1212&IssueNum=66
Somehow, I have hard time feeling terrified by a hardened, trained terrorist ó with a perfect manicure… terrorist boot camp must have lightened up to attract recruits. Sort of a Private al-Benjamini deal…
Forgive my bravado, but all talk, no action. I think they may be becoming wise to the fact that, at least for the next three years, there will be retribution for their actions. God(?) save us if a Dem gets in office in 08. Yes, I am worrying ahead of time.
Moonbat theory:
It’s a Rove apostate trying to distract from the Katrina Catastrophy brought to you by Bush Co.
You know Bush has the worst man made attack and the worst natural disaster-both of which are his fault of course.
The Left is arrogance to infinity-they never want to admit that they don’t have the answer to something.
Shit can never happen-it always has to be someone’s fault. It helps them get over their feelings of helplessness while at the same time providing them with the sure knowledge that they are the end all and be all.
To admit that it was Mother Nature would come too uncormfortably close to perhaps admitting that there is a God or the possibility that Nature is bigger then them, and not everything is knowable.
Nature or Life will never be completely conquered.
That humans- might just be a small part of the equation-completely frightening to them.
That they don’t have all the answers-something they cannot allow themselves to begin to even think about.
Shit can never happen-it always has to be someone’s fault. It helps them get over their feelings of helplessness while at the same time providing them with the sure knowledge that they are the end all and be all.
What are you, some kinda atheist or something? Yeah, explain it all away as ignorant savages coming to grips with the mysterious forces of nature. See where it gets you. Your contempt for primitive beliefs exposes your ugly cultural intolerance.
Anyone have an opinion on the Flight #93 memorial?
Personally, abomination.
FYI -
see my post over at LGF:
Adam Gadahn who was raised on a goat farm in rural Riverside County is back in the news again. New AQ video surfaces with more threats. Gadahm believed to be the narrator.
Read More on video and Gadahn at Michelle Malkinnsite:
Adam Gadahn who was raised on a goat farm in rural Riverside County is back in the news again. New AQ video surfaces with more threats. Gadahm believed to be the narrator.
Read More on video and Gadahn at Michelle Malkin too:
RLS Link
Sandy P,
Oh, is that a wierd story or what? I can’t even begin to fathom what the group that put that together was thinking. All I can figure is some group of out-of-touch, effete art lovers figured they were making a profoundly “ironic” statement by trying to sneak a red crescent into the design.
At any rate, considering that and the IFC fiasco, it seems that the notion that monuments are for contemplation not education escapes present day monument committees. Where are we getting these idiots from? Is the power and poignancy of a granite slab in a peaceful Pennsylvania field that hard for them to understand?
Ambi,
Oh, is that a wierd story or what? I can’t even begin to fathom what the group that put that together was thinking. All I can figure is some group of out-of-touch, effete art lovers figured they were making a profoundly “ironic” statement by trying to sneak a red crescent into the design.
Much of the “artistic” world has long since become hopelessly self-referential. They create “art” for “artists” – stuff only they can “appreciate”. So the general public has lost interest in the stuff they create. The “artistic community”, over time, convinced themselves that the lack of interest displayed by the general public is a lack of understanding. Then they’ve slowly but surely convinced themselves that the lack of understanding is due to a lack of intellect, then a lack of intelligence. Their disdain for the general public knows no bounds.
Given what we are seeing in the general public debate over the past two weeks they may well have a valid point, but they’ve long since stopped paying attention to subtlety so they’re apt to push the envelope way too far.
Gadahn himself may seem unprepossessing, but we’ve got to remember not to underestimate Al Qaeda. At Victor Davis Hansen’s site, there’s a review of a book that might be interesting to all: The Forbidden History.
Speaking of Peace, Quickly go and check out this NY times (web version) cover story and picture before they move on to “more important” news and phots less disturbing to their sensitive readers:
http://tinyurl.com/76fgq
As my cousin Ed so poignantly phrased/asked before sending me to check it out myself:
“Imagine this: Jordan pulls out of some territory; Israel moves in and immediately destroys a mosque left behind. And the world (MSM) response would be?”
I also love [not] the second paragraph about how the floor was still covered in oil from the actions of resisting evacuated settlers. How terrible of Israel to leave it like that….I mean a Palestinian looter/desecrator might slip and hurt his honor-less poor self!! [cooking oil, the new WMD]
KateCoe,
Are you seeing the result of people worrying about a terrorist threat or the result of people watching the Katrina Koverage and deciding it might be time to lay in three to five days of basic supplies of water and such?
chuck
I do have it in for the Stonehenge building schmucks.
Ron Wright-
Goat farm!? That’s just perfect.
BW,
It wouldn’t even have to be Israel moving and destroying a mosque. Just imagine that, say, some area formerly home to some middle eastern Christians was the subject of a withdrawal and the Christians moved back in and destroyed a mosque. There’d be no end of screaming about.
Nobody cares about displaced Jews or Christians in the middle east.
Knuck
“Much of the “artistic” world has long since become hopelessly self-referential”
It’s not the artists. It’s the elites who pick their favorites.
The art world is huge. It’s probably larger than anyone imagines.
Many of them may be left of center politically (or socially), if they think in terms of politics at all. Most don’t. I know a lot of moonbat artists. But they certainly don’t account for all of them, and, more importantly, you can’t tell they are moonbats from their art.
Syl,
I stand properly chastised. I will point out, however, that for the general public it is those who “pick” that perform the role of gatekeepers.
The musical directors of orchestras select which “new” composers will, for example, be featured. Far too often the typical audience will flee for the sake of their ears while only musicians remain.
The general public doesn’t search far and wide for “art”. They look for it, when they do, in the places they would expect to find it – art museums and such.
And when they see a crucifix in a glass of urine or a red crescent “memorial” they tend to wonder why some people see insulting them as “art”.
BTW, and Way Off Topic… I realize the American Red Cross is part of the larger International Red Cross and relief supplies are relief supplies, but has anyone else noticed, as I have, that every box of relief supplies one sees during Katrina coverage has a crescent on it. I haven’t seen a cross yet. I personally don’t care about crosses on boxes of relief supplies, I just find it interesting…
“And when they see a crucifix in a glass of urine or a red crescent “memorial” they tend to wonder why some people see insulting them as “art”.”
True.
But.
Unless things have changed dramatically in the last two decades, that type of ‘art’ doesn’t dominate. It’s observed, gets press, gets attention.
There’s always another museum down the street, or wait a week or two and the exhibit will change.
Gawd-wasn’t it ABC’s Nightline that interviewed the mastermind, mass-murderer of the children in Beslan, Russia?
Wow- they are working on keeping a stellar reputation with protecting their sources with terrorists.
Keep it up and the might outpace Al-Jazeera as the terrorist’s #1 go to guys with the video tape.
I can see the ad they might run now-
ABC-your source of straight from the horse’s mouth terrorist’s threats and the first choice of the terrorist stars.
Ridiculous. If Al-Q was capable at this time of mounting a major attack on US soil, it would have done so during Katrina Week. I swear, Orange County is fast becoming another San Fernando Valley–fer sure.
Say, does anyone else think that if something happens to LA, the “should we rebuild” debate will be one worth having? (kidding, just kidding–sorta)
From Bruce’s link:
Well, you enjoy it, Muhammad, while it lasts.
For the record, I vote “no” on the Pennsylvania crescent.
Roger:
What do radical Islam and far left politics share? A paranoid hate for America and traditional democracy.I do not find it suprising at all that a child reared in a leftist home would attach themselves to a seemingly opposite worldview. They grow up learning that America is evil and watch their parents enjoying the fruits of this evil while condeming it at the same time. The jihaddists promise them that they will take action to destroy this evil, not just whine about it while building up their wine cellar and holding discussion groups that do nothing.
Do not forget how easily many on the left embraced the need for the actions of Stalin to bring about the demise of the capitlism cancer. They ignored the repressive actions of Stalin because the utopia that was to come was worth the evil actions that were needed to achieve the nobel goal. All this boy did was find a more pro-active group. Just as many leftists’s admired the active measures that Stalin took to achieve “revolution” this deluded boy saw a group that was acting, not talking.
[I]“Somehow, I have hard time feeling terrified by a hardened, trained terrorist ó with a perfect manicure… terrorist boot camp must have lightened up to attract recruits. Sort of a Private al-Benjamini deal…”[I/]
I dunno, richard. Carlos the Jackal came from a well-off family. IIRC, the Baader-Meinhoff thugs were no worse-off than middle class. Sometimes, it’s the clueless, arrogant children of privelege that you have to fear the most….
Doug S. ó That little doughboy is the next Carlos like I’m the next Chesty Puller…
OT, but damn richard, and couldn’t we use a Puller or a Patton or a Sherman. They would get a handle on these well manicured boys right quickly.