What if Al-Quaeda pulled out all the stops?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-09-22 12:38pm

This "kidnapping + beheading" tactic of theirs is extremely disturbing, but let's face it: apart from sentiments of disgust and anger, most people won't change a damned thing to prevent it.

What if Al-Quaeda went balls-out? Don't tell me Homeland Security would stop it; one lousy guy with a rifle could easily go to a parking lot in SmallTown USA, carjack somebody when he's leaving the mall, hold him ransom, and saw off his head on the Internet. New York City may be far away from SmallTown USA, and Iraq even farther, but what kind of terror effect would it have to start doing this sort of thing right there in SmallTown?

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2004-09-22 12:48pm

The effect of that sort of terror would lead to private gun ownership in America sky-rocketing. American muslims as well as all American civilians would see their civil rights (such as they exist post-patriot act) stripped away, such as mass arrests and imprisonment. A police state would probably emerge. Immigration from Arabic and Islamic countries would probably cease by an overwhelmingly approved bill in Congress and perhaps even forced deportations of anyone suspected of having ties to terrorists. Vigilantiism would increase as well, where Mosques and Muslims would find themselves targets of hate crimes seen as retributive measure by perpetrators. American foreign policy would become a lot of hostile and aggressive, with a major shift in the strategy in fighting terror.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-09-22 01:08pm

Bertie has a point. Gun sales were through the roof after sept. 11th. Can you imagine the reaction if there were actually an unknown number of armed terrorists roaming the streets looking for people to kill?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-09-22 01:20pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:Bertie has a point. Gun sales were through the roof after sept. 11th. Can you imagine the reaction if there were actually an unknown number of armed terrorists roaming the streets looking for people to kill?

The whole country would still be living in fear, and the tactical advantage is with the surprise attacker.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-09-22 01:22pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Col. Crackpot wrote:Bertie has a point. Gun sales were through the roof after sept. 11th. Can you imagine the reaction if there were actually an unknown number of armed terrorists roaming the streets looking for people to kill?
The whole country would still be living in fear, and the tactical advantage is with the surprise attacker.

i didn't say it would be effective.

theski · Post by **theski** » 2004-09-22 01:36pm

Racial profiling.... would be inacted... across the board for both travel and local police departments.

Second. Mosques would be Audio and Video taped.. If needed SHut down.

IMHO

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2004-09-22 02:12pm

It would get ugly fast. You can feel free to name whatever ugly you care to--lynch mobs, massive increase in police powers, mosque burnings, the lot of it--it'll happen.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-09-22 02:29pm

This country is certainly not above racial discrimination in a crisis; our internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII proved that.

If AQ really went all out and started a gurrilla campaign against US civilians, I can see several possible measures being taken. First off, all Visas to Middle Eastern nations will be immediately withdrawn and all the Middle Eastern students currently in the country will find themselves on the next plane flight home. Racial profiling will begin in earnest, heavy pressure will be put on the Islamic community to give up these terrorists and the I would also expect mass searches for all muslims living in the US (whether they are citizens or not) including their home and person on a regular basis.

Law enforcement would probably use this opportunity to confiscate any sort of weapons from Muslims in the US via home searches (a massive undertaking, but not an impossible one). Law enforcement officials would also look the other way as Middle Easterners are routinely pumped for information violently.

In short, every civil right you can think of that the Arab community currently enjoys would be pretty much up in smoke. The severity of these measures depends a lot on just how much pressure AQ can put on the US, but I wouldn't hold my breath over a gentle solution.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-09-22 02:31pm

People would be both frightened to death of going anywhere alone or outside, and the Muslim population of America would be under complete watch from the FBI(meetings, both private and public).

Oh, and if they found Saudi ties to the terrorism occurring in Amerika, the oil fields would be seized.

Post by **Coyote** » 2004-09-22 02:38pm

I bet you'd see attacks on mosques across the country, and a McCarthy-style ferreting out of Arabs, Muslims, and their sympathisers. This would, of course, lead to a radicalization of Muslim youth in the US, thus "proving" to the vigiliantes that they were right all along.

Gun ownership would skyrocket, indeed, and militias would flourish. It would exacerbate the split between pro-security types and pro-civil-rights types.

Actually, I think that al-Qaeda "pulling out all the stops" would be a suicide bombing at a mall in some bucalic little hometown type city, or a WMD attack. Big, messy, and lots of blood-- most of all, something that could not be denied. Enough beheadings have been faked on the Internet recently that there would be a doubt that it ever really happened as people put their heads in the sand in a desperate attempt to reassure themselves...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-09-22 02:40pm

Coyote wrote:Actually, I think that al-Qaeda "pulling out all the stops" would be a suicide bombing at a mall in some bucalic little hometown type city, or a WMD attack. Big, messy, and lots of blood-- most of all, something that could not be denied. Enough beheadings have been faked on the Internet recently that there would be a doubt that it ever really happened as people put their heads in the sand in a desperate attempt to reassure themselves...

Perhaps, but the method I describe would require basically zero planning, almost no resources, and no central co-ordination whatsoever.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-09-22 02:56pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Coyote wrote:Actually, I think that al-Qaeda "pulling out all the stops" would be a suicide bombing at a mall in some bucalic little hometown type city, or a WMD attack. Big, messy, and lots of blood-- most of all, something that could not be denied. Enough beheadings have been faked on the Internet recently that there would be a doubt that it ever really happened as people put their heads in the sand in a desperate attempt to reassure themselves...
Perhaps, but the method I describe would require basically zero planning, almost no resources, and no central co-ordination whatsoever.

which goes against Al-Quaeda's M O. They favor grand bombastic attacks on high profile targets to compensate for their small dicks or whatever.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-09-22 02:56pm

I didn't have enough time to finish my first post, so I'll just add a few things:

1. Closure of borders- you would probably see a lockdown on the Mexican-US border, extremely strict immigration or visitation restrictions and rules(it would probably be hard for ANYBODY to get a Visa), and massive pressure on the Canadian government to take on similar immigration restrictions because of the massive US-Canada border.

2. I actually don't think the US would become a police state because of this, now that I think about it- you'd see McCarthyism-like stuff, but not as bad as real McCarthyism, where you would suspect ANYONE of being a Commie.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-09-22 03:03pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:which goes against Al-Quaeda's M O. They favor grand bombastic attacks on high profile targets to compensate for their small dicks or whatever.

I know, hence the question "what if they pulled out all the stops" instead of sticking to this M.O.

GySgt. Hartman · Post by **GySgt. Hartman** » 2004-09-22 04:36pm

What if the AQ op doing this was a white US citizen? Would it change anything about the mindset that Arab <=> terrorist?

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2004-09-22 05:00pm

You can damn well bet that if al Qaeda started snatching people out of small towns at random, I'd apply for an FOID card the next day.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-09-22 05:04pm

I move to Canada because my fellow Americans and our government will very rapidly become a more direct and likely threat to my way of life and philosophy than any fundie imbecile from Saudi Arabia.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-09-22 05:10pm

GySgt. Hartman wrote:What if the AQ op doing this was a white US citizen? Would it change anything about the mindset that Arab <=> terrorist?

Probably not; it's just that then the U.S would definitely be heading in the "police state" direction.

I, too, would consider moving to Canada if this started happening. They'd probably get pressured into conforming with the new U.S. immigration policies that would develop in the case of something like this happening, or the US border would see patrolling unlike anything since Prohibition.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-09-22 05:43pm

AQ already won with the complete turnaround of the world stage post-9/11, to carry out such attacks in our own backyard would mean rampant paranoia and abuse of power on all levels. And even then, the attacks wouldn't be stopped short of controlling everything and everyone. It wouldn't be a nice life regardless of effective kill count.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2004-09-22 05:51pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:I move to Canada because my fellow Americans and our government will very rapidly become a more direct and likely threat to my way of life and philosophy than any fundie imbecile from Saudi Arabia.

Ayup, me 2. Then I stock up on food, water, AKs, and 7.62x39+5.45x39...

Nova Andromeda · Post by **Nova Andromeda** » 2004-09-22 05:57pm

--If you are an American and thinking about posting to this thread I'd suggest thinking very carefully about what you say lest you end up on the wrong list....

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2004-09-22 06:49pm

Nova Andromeda wrote:--If you are an American and thinking about posting to this thread I'd suggest thinking very carefully about what you say lest you end up on the wrong list....

I'd suggest thinking very carefully about what you just said, since it reads as a thinly veiled threat.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-09-22 06:53pm

Knock off the dramatic posturing, we're all so impressed.

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2004-09-22 06:54pm

Nova Andromeda wrote:--If you are an American and thinking about posting to this thread I'd suggest thinking very carefully about what you say lest you end up on the wrong list....

Are you alluding to the Patriot Act and an American poster looking like they don't support the war on terror if they say the wrong thing here

Predator · Post by **Predator** » 2004-09-22 07:06pm

I'm surprised Al Qaeda does not attack the Us more often, because the fact is, it would be so easy with just a few men, to cause havoc across America. Remember the snipers? There is no reason that model would not continue to work. How about in a dozen cities across America? What about bombing infrastructure - simple home made bombs placed at power exchanges and other easy, usually unguarded targets. How about shooting rampages in busy city streets and malls? Every now and then you get the odd nutter taking his gun to work and shooting a bunch of people - why not Al Qaeda?

Al Qaeda are either incredibly stupid and unimaginative, or they believe they've set the bar high with 9/11 and dont want to involve themselves in anything lesser. Which is foolish - they could utterly terrorize the entire US population so easily.

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What if Al-Quaeda pulled out all the stops?

What if Al-Quaeda pulled out all the stops?

There's a wealth of targets and methods...