JAPAN is considering reneging on its commitment to send troops to Iraq to assist in the aftermath of the war.

THE deadly Bali bombing was originally intended to coincide with the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the US, alleged bomber Ali Imron declared yesterday.

The top two executives of FirstEnergy are key financial supporters of President Bush, according to campaign records. H. Peter Burg, chairman and chief executive, was one of three hosts of a $600,000 fund-raiser for Bush's re-election campaign in Akron, Ohio, on June 30. Vice President Dick Cheney was the featured speaker.
Anthony Alexander, FirstEnergy's president, was a "Pioneer" for Bush's last campaign, meaning he raised at least $100,000.

For Bush to accuse those who planned and executed the UN bombing of ?contempt for the innocent? is brazen, to the say the least. He waged a war against Iraq in flagrant violation of international law. It is conservatively estimated that at least 5,000 Iraqi civilians lost their lives in the US invasion, many of them killed as a result of US bombings of targets located in or near residential areas. At least 20,000 more suffered serious injury and are still suffering from the effects. Washington dismissed the carnage carried out against these innocent victims as ?collateral damage.?


So we have two observations:
1. It would be easy for anyone wishing to massively disrupt society,
to successfully attack the crucial infrastructure (and escape free.)
2. Suck attacks do not seem to occur. Instead we have (in the USA) one
instance of spectactular, suicidal, localised destruction (WTC), and one
instance of a generally disruptive (but politically targeted) biological
attack. (The anthrax mailings.)
The only possible conclusion, is that there is simply no one seriously
interested in committing major infrastructure attacks. And that implies
there are actually no true (or even wannabe) 'terrorists' among us.
And never have been.