So Are You Scared Or What?
Last week, the State Department's collective heads caught on fire, claiming Al Qaeda was going to blow up our embassies and maybe even things here in the U.S. These are interesting developments, as we were told just a year ago by a campaigning President Obama that "Al Qaeda was on the run." Turns out he was partially right. They are purportedly running towards us.
Back when I started blogging in (I think) 2002, I devoted a lot of time to the various terror threat advisories and reported chatter by Al Qaeda. Yet as time moved on, it became clear that the probability of being killed in the United States by a terrorist is at 20,000,000 to one. Compare that to other random things that kill us, and you'll soon ask yourself why you're being groped by TSA when you fly.
Why my cynicism? Aside from the statistical odds that say I'm more likely to die from bee stings than Al Qaeda, I think the New York Times tells the story best: many of the "foiled" terrorist plots in the U.S. since 9/11 were created not by Al Qaeda or the Taliban but by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. You read that correctly. In fact, one federal judge quoted in the article said of one FBI operation: “Only the government could have made a ‘terrorist’ out of [suspected terrorist] Mr. Cromitie, whose buffoonery is positively Shakespearean in its scope."
Friends, there's a lot of money to be made in the fear of terrorism. Just look at the size of the military industrial complex, the amount of money spent on it, and the number of people it employs.
Fear terrorism? Not me, at least no more than I fear getting mugged at a convenience store late at night. Besides, if you're prepared for a wide spectrum of threats, you will likely have terrorism covered.
Is E-10 The Devil?
Big John thinks so. If you're using gasoline with ethanol in the gas fueled power tools you plan to use for emergencies, you might want to read what he had to say about his recent experience with his chain saws.
Rumors From The Storeable Food Industry
This story about FEMA making inquiries of emergency food suppliers is making the rounds in the prepper community. I've read many bloggers have dismissed this as being a hoax. I don't have an opinion either way, but I share it with you for your information.
And More (Not So) Good News About The Jobs Market
Veronique de Rugy, who is on my personal list of the Five Most Interesting People In The World, penned this piece for the National Review with a stunning graphic about the jobs the economy has created in 2013. Let's just say the new job workers have a lot of free time on their hands these days.
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