You're all off base. The way to paralyze America is not through a major attack -- 9/11 only served to mobilize the country.

America would be most vulnerable if attacked in the way that Israel is -- through a series of small attacks at shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, buses, schools, etc.

Israel has held up against this for the simple reason that these attacks are not only as old as the country, but actually pre-date it. It is a way of life for Israelis and while we are saddened with each one we accept them as part of life.

Americans are not prepared for this. If they become afraid to go about their daily routines, the country will collapse.

I have plenty of ideas, but I don't feel comfortable discussing about it in a public forum. First of all big brother may be watching, but more importantly OBL and Co. (or maybe just some geek in school who had been bullied one too many times) may be watching too. Maybe it is just paranoia on my part, but what social good is there to be gained by discussing in a public forum about potential ways for the enemy to hurt us? If my house is not alarmed, and the backdoor has no lock, I sure as hell ain't going to talk about it in public.

Actually, quite a bit. If we think about the possibilities facing us we can prepare for them -- at least to some degree.

Moreover, we would have to be very naive to believe that OBL & Co have not already given consideration to any plan we could come up with.

Dov,

I couldn't agree with you more. I don't know if you read my post prior to yours, but I did describe the exact type of situation that Israel faces everyday. I agree that America, and most of the rest of the world needs to learn from the Israeli experience.

Large attacks create shock. Many smaller ones create fear.

OBL may have thought about it, but don't forget we have more than OBL to deal with. We have plenty of crazy lunatics in this country too (Remember Oklahoma and Waco?). As for preparing for them..... how do we prepare for them? We are not in the law enforcement agencies, nothing we said on this forum is going to affect the scheme of the government and help make the country a safer place.

Americans would get over it rather quickly. Just like Indians, Iraqis, Afghanis, Russians, Pakistanis, Brits, Palestinians, Israelis, Sudanese, Filipinos, etc.

In the past two decades or so India has been the most hit country by terrorist attacks by number of incidents where people were injured or killed. This remained true in 2004 too. (In 2005 Iraq seems to have surpassed it but that may be revised.) Still they've learned to get on with life and have some perspective that doesn't paralyze national life. I expect no less of Americans.

People need to make a living and acquire the necessities for survival and more. That gets people over the paralysis hump pretty quickly. Americans are no exception in that regard.

The smaller attacks will not do what OBL & Co. wants done. Fear of small attacks will not cause America to lose it's superpower status -- or willingness to project such power. Their goal is to cause imperial overstretch and foster an economic inability that cripples projection of US power in the world. Small attacks do nothing to that end ... especially not in a country of the size of the US. OBL's near-term fantasy is to see the US engage Iran in a reckless manner (like Iraq).

OBL & Co. hasn't thought of everything. He even thought the 9/11 attack idea was a nut's fantasy -- worth a pig's arse for dinner -- until his son said it could be done and done successfully. Then he made it his own.

We have no monopoly on ideas. We certainly have no monopoly on nuts and geniuses. Transparency brings to light actionable items. Obscurity = inaction.

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OBL doesn't really believe he can -- or even care about -- defeat of the US. He cares more about having us withdraw from the world and stop meddling in corners that he considers his and his ilk's lands. The way he said he could see this happening is if we stumble like a drunken giant and break our own bones through acts founded in imperial hubris. He is hoping we do like the Soviets and overstretch and waste economic resources. Attacks that give momentum to such missteps are his goal and his idea of a "better" confrontation with the US since a direct eye-to-eye fight cannot be won. To this end, he knows small attacks by themselves won't mobilize the US to act like a drunken giant and hurt itself sufficiently enough that it feels better off withdrawing from exerting global influence in lands afar. [It takes great shocks -- perhaps even the product from a rapid succession of smaller attacks -- to get giants to jump. He knows that.]

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"This story is a work of fiction. The persons and events used herin are a product of my imagination... But the final result, however true-to-life and technically accurate, is fantasy.

I hope it all remains a fantasy."
Dale Brown. Folson, CA
April 1994

I didn't realize he was welcoming us to stay in the Middle East as THE influence .... and all with open arms (no pun intended). I guess I learn a new thing everyday.

Well, if seeing the US retreat out of the Middle East is nothing more than his stated goal he sure is committed to getting us out of the areas he considers "his" part of the world.

And what is this "power and influence" of which you speak of him having to enjoy?

His oldest two sons knew well their father and both know that their father recognized that he had already become largely irrelevant except in a symbolic -- yet materially-meaningless -- sense. Sort of like what Che Guevara is today -- a materially-meaningless symbol when it comes to present day conflicts.

Contrary to public perception, and even as he is many other things, OBL is not an ego-maniacal power hungry absolutist -- at least not when it comes to dealing with the "like-minded". (Pseudo-humility or pseudo-modesty to try to impress his "followers"? Perhaps, at least probably from time to time.) Still, OBL does not act like a person who believes he can have any more significant power than that given to him by others -- especially by those with whom he has no direct dealing. And this is the case whether he is "relating" to his enemies or to his idea of a "Higher Father's" religious mission and the "Power" behind that.

I am sure you are a smart fellow. I doubt, even so, that you have thought up anything unique. The vulnerabilities are so many and so wide open if there were really people out there with the means, we would be under constant attack.

My point in post # 11, Dovster. I am sure that even people as unhardened as Americans would eventually toughen up and carry on. But there would be huge dislocations if many small or even several middle sized attacks of the kind I mention do occur.

The device by the Amtrak rail in the middle of the country taking out the Oakland - Chicago traing is impossible to prevent. Safe for the perpetrators, very low tech as well. A couple of these and chaos would prevail for some time.

Again, there is no indication that there are people with the will and the resources to do this.

GUWonder, would many attacks like these cause Ameica to turn inward, ? Quite possibly. This a chance at OBL taking the objective you attribute to him: get America out of the lands of Islam.