Terrorist attack - could this happen?

[Euro-commuter]

I thought the general consensus of opinion was that Bin Beardie had knocked his pipe out about a year ago.

Jacques Chirac said so, but I don't know if it's general opinion....

[richard-af]

He is not al qua'eda. To say he is is like saying that Eamon Holmes is the Manchester United fan.

Bit of a difference! Eamon doesn't have a beard, for a start.

[wendigo100]

Bit of a difference! Eamon doesn't have a beard, for a start.

Hmm, that's true. Eamon isn't as well liked either!

[gingerjedi]

But does Al Qaeda even exist? Wasn't it a term that was dreamt up by the neo cons to give the septics a 'face' to fight? The idea that we're up against some sort of Blofeld figure with vast resources is laughable.

[richard-af]

Hmm, that's true. Eamon isn't as well liked either!

Is Eamonn actually Bin Beardie? A few moment's reflection on the matter has led me believe that he is.

Resigned from a cushy number like GMTV to do "other stuff"? Come on! Eamonn was replaced by a surgically altered Bin Beardie, who then had to spend a few months scoffing pies to get the weight right.

The hair! They got the hair wrong. Noticed that "Eamonn's" hair is now a strange Davina McCall reddish shade. Never used to be. They always make a little, basic error, don't they? Well Mr. Bin Holmes, we've seen through your masquerade!

[wendigo100]

Well Mr. Bin Holmes, we've seen through your masquerade!

I think you've hit on something there...

[wendigo100]

But does Al Qaeda even exist? Wasn't it a term that was dreamt up by the neo cons to give the septics a 'face' to fight? The idea that we're up against some sort of Blofeld figure with vast resources is laughable.

This is what I was trying to say. The term was quoted by Bin Laden or some such but, IIRC, simply means "the struggle".

[Ardesco]

But does Al Qaeda even exist? Wasn't it a term that was dreamt up by the neo cons to give the septics a 'face' to fight? The idea that we're up against some sort of Blofeld figure with vast resources is laughable.

If i remember it means "The Directory" and was a name given to a directory of islamic terrorists compiled by the FBI. If somebody is in Al Qaeda it means that they are on the FBI's list of islamic terrorists.

There can be no head of Al Qaeda because it is just a list of dodgy people, some of whom may have been in contact with each other and the majority of which have probably never even heard of each other. It's a bit like compiling a list of prisoners in UK jails and calling it "The Firm" and then making out that "The Firm" are a big group of criminals that are waging a war of crime against us....

All total fantasy, but it gave the American public a tangible enemy to fight against, and without that there could have been no "War on terror".....

[ContractIn]

If i remember it means "The Directory" and was a name given to a directory of islamic terrorists compiled by the FBI. If somebody is in Al Qaeda it means that they are on the FBI's list of islamic terrorists.

There can be no head of Al Qaeda because it is just a list of dodgy people, some of whom may have been in contact with each other and the majority of which have probably never even heard of each other. It's a bit like compiling a list of prisoners in UK jails and calling it "The Firm" and then making out that "The Firm" are a big group of criminals that are waging a war of crime against us....

All total fantasy, but it gave the American public a tangible enemy to fight against, and without that there could have been no "War on terror".....

I agree. If these people were so sophisticated, surely they could do something better than driving a jeep into an airport terminal, remarkably unsuccessful. If me and six of my mates put our heads together I'm sure we could come up with a more devastating attack.

To me this show's these minority fanatics are desperate and have no real support or structure in place.

[Euro-commuter]

If i remember it means "The Directory" and was a name given to a directory of islamic terrorists compiled by the FBI. If somebody is in Al Qaeda it means that they are on the FBI's list of islamic terrorists.

It means "the base". It refers to the creation of a base for jihad. Afghanistan is currently the base, in one sense (and that is the Taliban's raison d'etre). In another sense, it is the organisation, or more correctly association, that bin Laden put together to manage jihad.

It is a loose association, not out of loose thinking but in order to make it resilient: there is no head or central organisation whose removal can kill the beast. So it is true that bin Laden himself is perhaps no longer necessary; certainly it was planned that way. But that doesn't mean that al Qaeda is only a way of thinking: it is a real organisation.