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21 Dec 2010 21:44

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Politics: Dear Internet: We need a Salad Bar Security Administration, stat

  • So, CBS is reporting that a recent terror threat involved the poisoning of food. Here’s how it would’ve worked. First, the terror suspects would go to salad bars or buffets out in the open at hotels and restaurants and put poison (ricin and cyanide) in the food. Then, a bunch of people would get sick. Then they’d die. Next thing you know? Full-body scanners every time you go to Golden Corral, meaning that every time you just have to grab another rib from that delicious buffet of theirs, all the while avoiding the trailer trash you’re slumming with, you’ll have to put your fork and knife in little baggies. And then your plate will have to be sanitized with a crazy machine. The federal government will need to hire millions of people to ensure our ranch dressing is safe. And the unemployment rate will drop. And we’ll all be safe. Until that is, the terrorists start fucking with our air. Then, friends, we’re all dead. (Photo by jacobms, complete with bacon cameo.) source

12 Dec 2010 10:34

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World: Sweden calls deadly Stockholm blasts “terror crimes”

So, not long before this blast (and another one) took place, a Swedish newspaper got a threatening letter about those Prophet Mohammed caricatures. Great. source

08 Dec 2010 21:27

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U.S.: The FBI lets another guy ruin his life by making up terror threat

So, this place almost got blowed up because the FBI decided to make some idiot think he was blowing up a bomb. This wasn’t a thwarted terror threat; this was theater. source

27 Nov 2010 11:19

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U.S.: Portland tree-lighting bomb suspect had been plotting for months

  • You know there’s going to be a lot of children there? You know there are gonna be a lot of children there?
  • An FBI operative working undercover • Talking to Portland, Oregon tree-lighting bombing suspect Mohamed Osman Mohamud back in August, months before the incident took place. Portland police stopped Mohamud a mere 18 minutes before the ceremony began, which is kind of amazing. They say, though, that the the device wasn’t in any shape to actually explode (because the FBI supplied it to him, even though he tried to detonate it) and that the public was never in any danger. Whew. source

26 Nov 2010 15:55

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World: Saudi Arabia arrests dozens of suspected terrorists in raid

  • 149 number of people the Saudis arrested on terrorism charges
  • 124 number of Saudi nationals among the 149 people arrested
  • 19 number of al-Qaeda terror cells who had members arrested
  • $600k amount of money Saudi police found among the terror cells source

21 Nov 2010 21:57

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U.S.: Thanks Candy Crowley: The no-waver TSA begins to waver

  • Ah boy … Here comes the backtrack. Just hours after their leader, John Pistole, embarrassed himself on CNN’s “State of the Union” by suggesting that feeling people up was OK (thanks to some very tough questioning by host Candy Crowley), the TSA released a statement suggesting that they may in fact bend their policies. “This has always been viewed as an evolving program that will be adapted as conditions warrant,” the statement said, “and we greatly appreciate the cooperation and understanding of the American people.” How far will they bend? How much will they adapt? We’ll find out in the next episode of “TSA Chief Goes on Television and Comes off Looking Like a Jackass.” source

18 Nov 2010 10:27

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World: Suspicious device found on flight headed to Germany

  • OK, who tried to bring the bomb on the flight from Nambia to Munich? Germany, already on high alert after warnings of a potential terror attack, had good reason to worry: A suitcase with a fuse, clock and wires was found with the cargo on a plane headed from Windhoek, Nambia to one of Germany’s largest cities. Eventually, the 296 inconvenienced passengers were allowed to take their flight – but without their luggage in the cargo bin. Hope they brought most of their stuff on carry-on. source
 

18 Nov 2010 10:07

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U.S.: Civilian terrorism trials not looking like such a hot idea anymore

  • bad A civilian court trial against embassy bomber Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani only managed to convict the Guantanamo suspect on one charge – out of 285.
  • worse Obama’s failure to secure a conviction in civilian court means other civilian terror trials – including one for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – are off the table. source

17 Nov 2010 20:42

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U.S.: Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani finds civilian court nicer than military court

  • 224 number of people killed in the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania
  • 285 number of charges Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani faced in front of a civilian court recently
  • one number of charges he was actually convicted of; he’ll go to jail for at least 20 years source
  • » Why this trial is a big deal: Ghailani was the first suspect who served time in Guantanamo to face trial in a civilian, rather than a military, court. The suspect once faced much harsher charges that could’ve led to the death penalty, but instead will receive a much lighter sentence. For its part, the Justice Department is OK with that: “We respect the jury’s verdict and are pleased that Ahmed Ghailani now faces a minimum of 20 years in prison and a potential life sentence for his role in the embassy bombings,” they wrote.

17 Nov 2010 10:55

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World: Germany braces for potential terrorist attack later this month

Germany is on its P’s and Q’s after reports of Islamic militant groups plotting to attack the country. This guy’s helping out now that he knows how to use his walkie. source