What Terrifies the Terrorists?

October 1, 2010 12:05 PM

Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda are apparently very concerned about climate change.
posted by clarknova (40 comments total)

Obviously we can't fix it now! That would be what the terrorists want!
posted by echo target at 12:06 PM on October 1, 2010 [7 favorites]

_{As if the denial squad needed more ammo.}
posted by clarknova at 12:07 PM on October 1, 2010

_{Crap you beat me to it..}
posted by clarknova at 12:08 PM on October 1, 2010

Yeah! And nobody better help the Pakistanis either 'cus then they're allies of terror!
posted by pyrex at 12:08 PM on October 1, 2010

I would not particularly concern myself with the opinions of Osama Bin Laden. I do not accept that he has become a significant world leader just because engineered a monstrous terrorist attack. What I really want to know is, what does Charlie Manson think about global warming?
posted by grizzled at 12:11 PM on October 1, 2010 [12 favorites]

Why can't they just pray to their God for the death of the western world like other fundamentalists do? At least bad vibes don't raze buildings.
posted by pyrex at 12:14 PM on October 1, 2010

'Scuse me, I meant to italicize just.
posted by pyrex at 12:16 PM on October 1, 2010

What, pyrex, you think they should pray to their God for the death and destruction of the western world? But Allah is compassionate and merciful. He would never grant such a prayer. It is up to us humans to commit acts of vicious cruelty.
posted by grizzled at 12:16 PM on October 1, 2010

See? He's not all bad.
posted by Decani at 12:18 PM on October 1, 2010

Y'know I'll bet Osama bin Laden is also highly opposed to the idea of scorpions and centipedes crawling around under the sheets at the foot of the bed. All that means is that universally terrible things are terrible to everyone.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:22 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

As far as the Earth is concerned, we're all terrorists.

Ok I'm done now. And thank you grizzled - I momentarily forgot that they are, in fact, insane.
posted by pyrex at 12:25 PM on October 1, 2010

This can't be true since OBL has been dead for years.
posted by r_nebblesworthII at 12:28 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

I thought the flooding in Pakistan has been caused by poor or non-existing civil engineering, flood control and irrigation maintenance, plus an exploding population forced to live on flood plains.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:36 PM on October 1, 2010

I thought the flooding in Pakistan has been caused by poor or non-existing civil engineering, flood control and irrigation maintenance, plus an exploding population forced to live on flood plains.

Clearly, someone has never stayed at the Marriot in Shujaabad.
posted by kbanas at 12:38 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

That's the problem with flood plains. They're a great place to live & farm (flat, rich soil, good water access) until it floods. Which happens just rarely enough that it seems like a good idea.
posted by echo target at 12:40 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

I thought the flooding in Pakistan has been caused by poor or non-existing civil engineering, flood control and irrigation maintenance, plus an exploding population forced to live on flood plains.

That's exactly what a commie terrorist sympathizer would say. Any good American knows God caused the flood as a punishment for their worshiping false gods.
posted by fuq at 12:42 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

I thought the flooding in Pakistan has been caused by poor or non-existing civil engineering, flood control and irrigation maintenance, plus an exploding population forced to live on flood plains.

Oh of course. That's why they've had floods like that every year for the past 50 years!
posted by delmoi at 12:46 PM on October 1, 2010

This can't be true since OBL has been dead for years.

If he is dead, maybe he really has turned green.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:46 PM on October 1, 2010 [6 favorites]

Ew.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:48 PM on October 1, 2010

Yeah, that was a bit of a gross (com)post. I got nothin'
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:59 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

I... I don't know who you are anymore.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:02 PM on October 1, 2010

I was pretty sure that Mr. BinLaden raised the issue of climate change in a message from... was it 2007?

I am thinking it was the one where he said Americans need to listen to Noam Chompsky...

yeah, here, first link I see, likely better ones out there.. just noting it's not a new thing for "him" (one day when he is dead, will OBL be like Roanald McDonald, or the Marlbourough man, or James Bond? Anyone can "be him")
posted by infinite intimation at 1:09 PM on October 1, 2010

What I really want to know is, what does Charlie Manson think about global warming?

Manson was and is a pretty staunch environmentalist. Anti-environmentalists really seem to enjoy trotting out that tidbit like it proves something besides the the fact that, on at least one issue, they are worse than Charles Manson.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:10 PM on October 1, 2010 [4 favorites]

Hayley: "...what? You love nature, therefore you must be a nice guy?"
posted by malusmoriendumest at 1:25 PM on October 1, 2010

Charles Manson: "If I could get about fifty million of you I might be able to save my trees and my air and my water and my wildlife."
posted by thescientificmethhead at 1:33 PM on October 1, 2010

grizzled : What I really want to know is, what does Charlie Manson think about global warming?

Well, he did once say "From the world of darkness I did loose demons and devils in the power of scorpions to torment.” so I'm going to guess that broadly speaking, he's against it? Then again, he also said “If you're going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy.” so he might just be fucking with us.
posted by quin at 1:38 PM on October 1, 2010

1) OBL knows us better than than the right, and they will be manipulated (like a lot of you jokingly are doing to point out this fact) that "Green = Terrorism" (I mean, aside from their already insane views on the topic of Environmental Radicalism).

2) Which means, idiot right wing. He knows when you're gonna zig, so zag instead. Christ.

3) This sucks. Because there are people on "my" side (i.e. the left) anti-war activists -- One just posted on my FB wall a link to Ahmadinejad with 9/11 "truther" bullshit. It's bad enough they're espousing this nonsense, and now they're cheering on a fundamentalist nut job from another country? If you lived in Iran, you'd hate the dude like you do Bush/Obama. But since you don't and he's against the US empire, you cheer him on.

I'm just sick of this idiocy all around me on every side. And then they're gonna say "ha! See! OBL ain't bad. He speaks TRUTH!" FFS people.

But then again, they think he's just anarchoprimitivist living in a cave anyways, I mean, all the terror attacks are *really* done by the US or something. So of COURSE he's an innocent hero.

What the fuck is happening in this goddamned world man?
posted by symbioid at 1:43 PM on October 1, 2010

I do not accept that he has become a significant world leader just because engineered a monstrous terrorist attack.

Allegedly. I'm not sure that's been demonstrably proven.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:02 PM on October 1, 2010

infinite intimation (one day when he is dead, will OBL be like Roanald McDonald, or the Marlbourough man, or James Bond? Anyone can "be him")

Emmanuel Goldstein.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 2:07 PM on October 1, 2010

Allegedly. I'm not sure that's been demonstrably proven.

FBI says, it has “No hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11”
posted by thescientificmethhead at 2:23 PM on October 1, 2010

I do not accept that he has become a significant world leader just because engineered a monstrous terrorist attack.

I wouldn't agree that anyone thinks he is a significant world leader, but his voice has currency with people who don't like us. He is also useful for motivating the Tea Party and other extremists in our own country to hate and fear at election time.

So to the extent that understanding people's grievances may help us make peace, and keep our country from turning into the next Nazi Germany, perhaps we could give his comments some thought in the larger context of why people are upset with the United States, while still acknowledging the violent crimes he and his group are responsible for.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:28 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Emmanuel Goldstein.

Odd that that article doesn't once mention Emma Goldman.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:35 PM on October 1, 2010

re:no hard evidence+binladen, well, no, surrogates did the physical things, so there likely wouldn't be "hard" evidence... doesn't mean he wasn't master-minding the tool shed.

Maybe it's been edited, but that link mentions Emma Goldman now. Maybe I should clarify, I wasn't saying Mr. BinLaden is a 'good guy' for putting these kinds of issues into his messages symbioid (I do recognize that people do this however), just kind of noting that he seems to have been doing this sort of mind game, supporting or discussing various things (wedge issues, Noam Chomsky, 'weak democrat party', etc.,) in America, for a lot of the last decade, all of which have contributed to the clusters of misinformation, and strange bedfellows that seem to creep into the politics over here [usa]. Remember how belligerent President Bush was with his reporters? They weren't even being mean to him.

Professor Martin Gibling of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, a river expert who has worked in the region, thinks that changes in the strength of the monsoon caused by climate change may be to blame.

He explained: “Monsoon intensity is somewhat sensitive to the surface temperature of the Indian Ocean.

“During times of cooler climate, less moisture is picked up from the ocean, the monsoon weakens, and the Indus river flow is reduced.”

So, will global warming have the reverse effect, returning the Indus to the monster river of 6,000 years ago?

“That is the million-dollar question”, said Professor John Clague, from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, an expert on the Asian monsoon.

posted by infinite intimation at 5:21 PM on October 1, 2010

Oh of course. That's why they've had floods like that every year for the past 50 years!

I'm glad delmoi knows what a monsoon is.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:46 PM on October 1, 2010

So Osama Bin Laden is slightly more moral than big oil?
posted by nola at 7:30 PM on October 1, 2010

Professor Martin Gibling of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, a river expert

What's a "river expert" doing in a town without rivers? I could see a "creek, ditch, and culvert" expert, but even then you'd have to go up to Bedford to see to the Sackville Trickle.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:51 PM on October 1, 2010

A few of the above comments question my assertion that Bin Laden is actually responsible for 9/11. Even if the FBI says that they have no hard evidence of a connection, still, Bin Laden himself does take credit for the attack and threatens similar attacks, in his periodic taped messages, and for some reason, the US has devoted a lot of effort to looking for him (although as yet unsuccessfully). I am certainly willing to withhold my judgment until after a trial, but there is certainly enough evidence to bring him to trial. If it should turn out that Bin Laden was just fooling us about his involvement with 9/11, he still does not qualify as a world leader. He is either a major terrorist, or if not, he is just a person pretending to be a major terrorist. In either case, his opinions on global warming do not carry great weight for me.

Blazecock Pileon also notes of Bin Laden that "his voice has currency with people who don't like us". That much is true. However, I think that people who don't like us are in need of a better spokesman. As long as they choose to frame their dislike in terms of threats of terrorism, we do not have a good basis for discussion. And of course, there are also actual world leaders such as Ahmedinejad whose voices have currency with people who don't like us. Perhaps if the US can reach an accommodation with Ahmedinejad, Bin Laden and his admirers will also be satisfied. And if they aren't, screw them.
posted by grizzled at 6:50 AM on October 2, 2010

still, Bin Laden himself does take credit for the attack and threatens similar attacks

But is he speaking as Terrorist Mastermind Osama Bin Laden, or as CIA Operative Tim Osman? Dude's like a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a pretzel wrapped in a chocolaty outer coating.

Man, what ever happened to those chocolate covered pretzel things? Are they still around? I could sure go for some.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:08 PM on October 2, 2010

Maybe it is more like Paleo-river expert?

Ah, yeah, going to his website, seems like his research is along the lines of River Historian.

I am currently exploring Quaternary deposits of the Ganga Plains in northern India, in cooperation with Dr. S.K. Tandon (University of Delhi), Dr. R. Sinha (Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur), and Dr. Mayank Jain (Risoe National Laboratory, Denmark). Our current interest is focused on cliffs more than 30 m high that border many rivers in the southern and western parts of the Himalayan Foreland Basin.

These cliffs expose strata that exceed 100 ka in age, providing an excellent record of alluvium through the last glacial and interglacial cycle -- and perhaps beyond. Our purpose is to establish a stratigraphic framework for the alluvium, which contains prominent discontinuities as well as aggradational successions.

A paper is now published in Journal of Sedimentary Research (v. 75, 2005). Our data suggest that strong variations in the strength of the monsoon have basically controlled the sequence architecture in this region. Please contact me for a pdf of the JSR paper. Abstract.

We are also attempting to determine how long the Himalayan-derived Ganga and Yamuna have occupied their present positions, the timing of incision of these large rivers, and the timing of their apparent southward migration through time (craton-derived channel sands lie at depth). We are also using remote-sensing images and field study to investigate the modern Ganga-Yamuna interfluve, which is not currently flooded by the big rivers, and is underlain locally by lacustrine and eolian sediments.

To assist us, a small drilling rig has been slowly but effectively providing us with core down to more than 50 m below the plains' surface. Within the next year, we hope to have completed a drilling and outcrop traverse across the southern plains which, with radiocarbon and OSL dates, should provide us with a first-pass assessment of river dynamics in this important area -- arguably the world's premier alluvial plain and a key modern analogue for foreland basin deposits of the rock record.

posted by infinite intimation at 2:55 PM on October 2, 2010

Science, especially geology, tends to use the theory of uniformitarianism these days. Geology and evolutionary biology are both sometimes called "the historical sciences" because the present state of things is thought to be mostly the result of some basic generalizations acting over time on the past state of things.

Which is to say that any expert in the geology of rivers is pretty much going to sound like a river historian. It wouldn't make any sense to talk about it in any other way.

You probably weren't taking exception with his historical attitude towards his science; I might just have a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Damnit I love history and the physicists can all just go kiss a neutron.

9/11 was an outside job!
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 8:58 PM on October 2, 2010 [1 favorite]