Can a US member tell me...

[Integritas0]

People get bored with things even vaguely political, but... I am screaming to ask Americans something!

In the last year, approx. there have been maybe six "car bombs" or similar devices found where I live, in the Republic of Ireland. All diffused etc., thankfully. The public are told very little in the way of intelligence, but it is presumed to be drugs/gang related, or materials in transit to Northern Ireland (region occupied by UK). Now to put things in perspective, the international media make much of the Northern Ireland ongoing conflict... but very little happens in the Republic. Our crime rates are very low, and other than the obligatory UN activities, we are politically neutral. Rather a boring little country, actually...

So I switch on the news today and there is all this hype about the failed "car bomb" in NYC. The NY governor has called it an "act of terror"... then Obama comes out with a special statement. The SWAT teams and other such guys are swarming all over it... but I cannot understand this. Why all the hype? The US is a HUGE country, there are undoubtedly gangs, psycho guys, and all the rest of it... just like in any country. Undoubtedly car bombs and worse are being found every day. Undoubtedly people are assassinated every other day. Now everything cannot be hyped and reported... but this one car bomb and they act as if it is potentially the end of the world... a threat to the world!

So can an American citizen please speak to this. Do you guys actually buy into the exaggeration, or the political opportunism? Or is one car bomb really such a big deal over there?

 

[BugsyB]

yes, yes yes and yes hahahaha

 

[BugsyB]

ok sorry babe...i was just playing, but to your questions...it is a big deal here, we don't get car bombs at all here...so its both a strange occurrence and an opportunity for the government to look good in the media...flex there muscles so to speak its funny, i didn't even know anything happened till someone in Europe told me...lol

i dont watch news on weekends lol

 

[hammervice]

really only thing that i fear is that my house gets robed when im gone, more so now with more people out of work.

i do hate how every act now is a act of terror.

i watch the news all the time im not smart so i like to know whats going on and u have understand if the news ant try to scary us its trying to sell us some thing.

im so happy for the internet so we can talk and read about the real news.

 

[brmstn69]

Car bombing, or any sort of bombings are very rare in the U.S. and when a bombing occurs it is a HUGE deal to us.

Lets face it, we have guns, so when we have issues that make us resort to violence, we shoot the mother-fuckers. Using a bomb is just too inconceivable and horrific to most Americans...

 

[slimjim]

Sadly to those of us in many European countries it has not been an uncommon occurence over the last 15 - 20 years... and these days when one goes off in either Gaza, Israel, Baghdad or Kabul it is relegated to the 4th or 5th item on the news broadcasts.

 

[ggold]

I am amazed that it has taken this long here. Especially with the fervor being whipped up on the radical right.

 

[ggold]

You need to be better informed.

 

[ggold]

No, just the entire balance.

 

[garth33]

People get bored with things even vaguely political, but... I am screaming to ask Americans something!

In the last year, approx. there have been maybe six "car bombs" or similar devices found where I live, in the Republic of Ireland. All diffused etc., thankfully. The public are told very little in the way of intelligence, but it is presumed to be drugs/gang related, or materials in transit to Northern Ireland (region occupied by UK). Now to put things in perspective, the international media make much of the Northern Ireland ongoing conflict... but very little happens in the Republic. Our crime rates are very low, and other than the obligatory UN activities, we are politically neutral. Rather a boring little country, actually...

So I switch on the news today and there is all this hype about the failed "car bomb" in NYC. The NY governor has called it an "act of terror"... then Obama comes out with a special statement. The SWAT teams and other such guys are swarming all over it... but I cannot understand this. Why all the hype? The US is a HUGE country, there are undoubtedly gangs, psycho guys, and all the rest of it... just like in any country. Undoubtedly car bombs and worse are being found every day. Undoubtedly people are assassinated every other day. Now everything cannot be hyped and reported... but this one car bomb and they act as if it is potentially the end of the world... a threat to the world!

So can an American citizen please speak to this. Do you guys actually buy into the exaggeration, or the political opportunism? Or is one car bomb really such a big deal over there?

Yeah - a car bomb can be bad....

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/04/16/article-1170455-0000F13400000258-966_468x491.jpg

we've also had some other things....

 

[Tjerk12]

When I was young (the sixties), the slogan of my generation was "make love, not war". The establishment looked upon us as a bunch of idiots. Most of my generation changed and behaved as the establishment they fought in those days (Bill Gates was a "hippie"). We seem not to learn from history. Violence leads to violence, trust to understanding. The European Union brought people together an made them understand each other. In The Netherlands we invite nowadays on "Liberation Day", 5 mei, the day that Germany surrendered, German people to share our ceremonies. I think that our slogan make love, not war, wasn't bad at all. Since 30 years I don't lock the front door of my house. Also my car is always unlocked. When the weather is hot I even let my front door open, so my dog can go into the garden when he likes. Never was something stolen. I know trust is risky, but far better than violence.

 

[brmstn69]

G, I have edited you reply to remove some ill thought comments on your part.

If you want to have a civil debate, that's fine. But behavior like that will not be tolerated...:no:

Any more instances such as this will result in disciplinary action...:butslap:

That said, put something else in your pipe and smoke it...

 

[Tom]

I think there are several reasons the U.S. makes such hype about something like this.
For one, the news media.
For another, it has been 150 years since war has been fought on our soil.
The lot of American people still feel as though we are immune to such terrorist or gorilla warfare attacks.
Certainly we've learned something from 9/11. But still feel we are superior, and we won't let it happen again.
Thing is with this, we don't even know who did it yet.
No proof it was terrorism.
The President is on this, because he needs to be the center of all attention. Personally I don't think he had to get involved yet, wait until more is sorted out, at the city level, and depending on what's found then it can go higher to FBI and Homeland Security if need be.
I agree with Integritas0, it's blown out of proportion.
We need to be aware of it, it should make the news, but shouldn't be all the news.
I can't say about European Countries, but here, there's plenty of gang violence, rapes, kidnappings, murders, that barely get any coverage.
But because car bombs and such are so rare, we make a big deal over it.

 

[iSlut]

The location of the incident is part of the reason for the media attention. Times Square is one of the busiest and best known locations in the US. The previous posters are also correct in that car bombings are quite rare in the US. Drive-by shootings, on the other hand, are commonplace.

I was born in London and lived there as a lad, then immigrated to the US with my family. Even as a boy I got the sense Americans were oblivious to possible terrorism, notwithstanding that it was somewhat common in Europe.

 

[Ecclesies]

First of all, most criminals are not sophisticated enough to make a proper bomb, so when there is one, a big red flag goes up saying "he's no average mugger." Secondly, even criminals have to buy/trade for bullets, so usually when they kill they use a sparse amount, and refrain from bombs due to prices in chemicals and whatnot. some of you may say "oh Eccy, they're rolling in dough, money is no object." Yes it is my friends. They are greedy little gremlins, they just want to wave it around, and spend it on shiny things, not buy stuff that blows up later. Moreover, the criminals here, even thy have a moral fiber, most of the time. Even they, tend to keep innocents uninvolved when possible If not that, then it's surely because they sure don't want witnesses. It's easier to witness a bomb, than a quick bullet to the face. Also the complications; duds, delays, collateral, backfires. Bombs are tricky, and very tempermental.

On the observer side. Gun-downs are seen as hideous, bombs are even worse. Why?, because guns don't have splash/shock damage (unless operated with that intent) The planting of bombs usually implies that the targets are unarmed, defenseless innocents. Either that or whoever gets caught is SoL. This kind of carelessness/apathy is frowned upon in America. These people are sent to hospitals, where their brains are picked at untill we know why they think as they do, OR until they die why we try; whatever's first.

 

[iSlut]

And I am surprised that this is not a pretty regular happening in the US...

Overall, incidents of terrorism are quite low in the US plus both law enforcement and the populace are pretty vigilant. What you're describing would be fairly difficult to pull off in a major US city like NYC with any kind of regularity. NYC is more contained than a city like London.

A couple of months ago didn't some crazy guy fly his plane into a CIA/Revenue Commissioners

It was the IRS -- the Internal Revenue Service, which collects federal income taxes. The IRS attracts nutters.

But this one car bomb.... and there was media hype not just in the US, but internationally too. I still don't get why it was such a massive deal.

Did they find out who did it? Or why?

Times Square, the location of the attempted bombing, is one of the most recognized sites in the world. It's a top tourist site in the US. Hence, the location generations publicity on its own.

As well, NYC is the location of 9/11. While this attempted bombing was in a different part of the city, it's still Manhattan. Given several other near-misses in NYC recently, the fact that this happened in NYC probably helps fuel the media coverage.

All in all, terrorist strikes are much harder to pull off in the US than in Europe, so a near-miss like this is big news.

They have caught the guy BTW and he confessed.

 

[Tom]

Turns out he was a terrorist. Fortunately for us he was a failure at it.:thumbs up:

Same with the underwear bomber:thumbs up:.
Got nothing but a HOT ASS and ROASTED WEINER!!:rofl:
Serves em right! I hope every time he pees, for the rest of his life
it's very very painful.

Now I would be pretty damn embarrassed to be a failure at terrorism. And this latest one, the idiots sounds like he's bragging about it. Dude, come on, your a flippin looser! That's why the terrorist wanted to use you and that's why your bomb didn't go off. There's nothing to brag about you jackass!, besides all those virgins you thought you would have in heaven, yea, that's right they ain't gonna be there for you now pal! Cause you fucked up!!
HAHA, no you go to hell, cause your freaking god only want's people who murder innocents!

HAHA

OK, I'm done now. Sorry about the outburst. I will try to contain myself.
I know this is serious post about a very serious subject. I just had to get that off my chest on how demented these people are.

 

[brmstn69]

72 Virgins...

 

[ritsuka]

Too bad we've failed to stop the greatest terrorists in the world--the US military. Currently piloting unmanned drones from places like new york, they are dropping bombs on civilian homes, weddings, funerals in Pakistan and Afghanistan; where they also drag schoolboys out of their homes at night and shoot them in the head. They have turned entire cities such as Fallujah into ruins so polluted with chemical weapons that babies are born with deformities. But, indeed, in a country so jingoistic, self-centered and deluded, there is a large puppet show whenever someone seeks some small justified revenge for the millions murdered, tortured, made homeless and sick by the US they are called 'terrorists' and made the justification for more ridiculous charades like the recent Leiberman bill that seeks to give the US government the power to take away your citizenship if they want to. I guess it's crazy to plant a bomb in a car, but to bomb some random person's house from above is good policy.