Much Ballyhooed Terror Plot Anything But

Remember those radical Islamic terrorists the FBI made such a big deal about busting? It turns out they weren't much of a threat. In fact it seems the only threat to those buildings in Chicago was the efforts of the FBI to advance the plot. The Washington Post is reporting that these weren't much more than dreamer wannbe's who the FBI latched onto and greatly helped. Had it not been for the federal agents these men never would be any more of a danger than a couple drunks in your neighbrhood bar dreaming up some grand scheme.

The FBI rented the warehouse and wired it just to catch this bunch and thump their chests to show the country how good they are at catching terrorists. It also enabled President Bush to play the fear card once again. According to court records:

But lawyers for the defendants have raised questions about where a government sting ends and entrapment begins. Not only did government informants provide money and a meeting place for Batiste and his followers, but they also gave them video cameras for conducting surveillance, as well as cellphones, and suggested that their first target be a Miami FBI office, court records show.

So these men had absolutely no capability on their own to conduct any action. The FBI provided the tools and encouragement they needed to begin a plot. So the government was actually more a factor in this plot than anyone else. If what these men are being accused of are crimes then the FBI agents should also be charged.

The Bush Administration keeps screaming about these terror plots against the country but it always turns out there isn't anything to them. Like the plot against the New York financial district the summer of '05. We later discovered the information about that was four years old. Like the alerts that were the result of torturing a mentally ill captive who was giving whatever information he thought Bush's agents wanted.

We've spent billions of dollars on these bogus alerts and threats. It certainly appears most have been nothing more than political plays. They've been used for nothing more than changing the national discourse every time the news is especially bad for George Bush. It's gotten so we can even predict them.