Al-Qaeda is on its last legs, according to various US officials; an analysis by journalist Peter Goodspeed touches on the related issues in a National Post article.

However, some officials say the main threat now comes from “home-grown” terror. “Lone-Wolves” using the internet to learn their evil craft or to organize plots with other wolves pose a greater danger to us all.

The US government is preparing to handle duelling with wolves in its usual blunt-force manner.

Fear-Mongering

I’ve made the point before that fear-mongering by various named and “unnamed” officials contributes to further abuses of rights using such police-state tactics as the now standard physical molestation of air travelers.

Now, the government thugs are preparing to assault free speech as well as your body. There are already several legislative initiatives launched by the US government to exercise total State control of the internet.

These include government control of domain registries, monitoring of all internet communications and a “kill switch” which would allow the Executive branch to shut down the internet in times of emergency (however defined).

Fear of “home-grown” terror attacks may help the government to push through such legislated invasions of free speech and association.

Choosing to Kill

As to the efficacy of “lone-wolves” it is useful to note that some people simply choose to kill. As a practical matter it is easy to kill people once deciding to take that route. Some kind of moral code keeps, as a rule, the vast majority of people from such evil acts as choosing to kill.

Anders Behring Breivik, the Oslo killer, recently made it quite clear that an individual acting alone could conceive, plan and execute without detection. This was an exception that proves the rule.

Most such plots are revealed when the schemer trips up. Just yesterday an AWOL serviceman, Private First Class Naser Jason Abdo, was arrested, apparently admitting to planning another attack on Fort Hood, Texas. He was caught after making a purchase at the same gun store patronized by Maj. Nidal Hasan in 2009.

Fear Your Government

Government cannot guarantee against such heinous acts and should not be permitted to use their rare occurrence as excuses to run rough shod over the civil liberties of the vast majority who never commit such evil. The fear-mongering should be regarded with scepticism. It is more appropriate to fear your government.

©Copyright 2011 Edward Podritske