Insult to Injury?

In one of those rather bizarre news stories, it turns out that the underwear bomber who attempted to destroy an airplane in Detroit at Christmas in 2009 chose our fair city because it was a cheap destination. Really.

It is a tale which kind of adds insult to injury, in light of the city's recent Census borne woes. We weren't even a target for any of the reasons which one might expect of terrorists: a dense population, perhaps to harm manufacturing, maybe even bring the war on terror to a center of Arab Americans for whatever insane purpose. But no, Detroit was chosen because it offered a better price.

Not that that makes the incident any less heinous, of course, nor any less a threat. Indeed, the approach has been interpreted by some analysts as a reason that the Yemen based branch of Al-Qaida has become more of a threat to the US in general than the presumed big boys in Afghanistan. It makes the entire war seem more random, more directly aimed at the American people than towards mere symbols of Americana.

Still, because there were cheap flights here? It would be downright comical if it wasn't so dangerous. And that's the salient factor which must be kept in mind. They want to bring the war right into the heart of our nation. By any means necessary.

That is why this war will be so difficult to fight. Al-Qaida and the like rely on the unknown and unexpected. They take advantage of it. We ignore that fact to our peril. They will try to come right down to into our own backyard. Wherever that backyard may be.