Tuesday, May 04, 2010

In Reporting On Terrorist Shahzad, Reality Bites

The Obama administration does it again. A terror attack is thwarted in Times Square on a Saturday night as thousands are walking around, enjoying the weekend, and the Obama spokespeople refuse to call it what it was. They again were slow to even label it a terrorist act.

The difficulty in appreciating the 'no drama Obama' public face is that it comes off as indifference. It comes off as cowardly in the face of danger. It does not come off as cool or mature. To show a bit of emotion would be refreshing. Obama waited until the event was well over to speak words written by others as he responded. Then, in order to avoid criticism as they took for the lame first response during the time of the Christmas underwear bomber incident, Attorney General Holder held a press conference at 1:30 AM when the capture was announced but took no questions. Then Team Obama sent out every member of the administration remotely responsible for response to this latest act today to do a mega press conference to appear to be all hands on deck. It's all about appearances for these people. The heavy influence of advertising and publicity superstars is evident. The president is on camera virtually almost every single day yet during the most serious of times, he is absent. It is just bizarre.

Those concerned with the politically correct response to danger look as though they live in another world. Here are a couple of examples:

Mayor Bloomberg said in an interview when asked if the terrorist could have been 'home-grown': "Home-grown, maybe a mentally deranged person or somebody with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something. It could be anything."

As illustrated HERE,some in the leftist mainstream media opening wish for any extremist but a Muslim extremist to be the perpetrators of violence to that their own bigotry can bear out. To the majority in the bloviating liberal press and media, to be conservative is to be a loon on the fringe.

Tea Party people have been savaged in the press. To hear the logic of the media people, they are violent racists who are enraged that a black man (or half black) is in the White House. So blinded by their rage, they have taken to the streets with their guns to spit on Congress members and threaten violent retribution. What is not told during media reports or press accounts covering liberal protests, for example the marches in support of illegal immigration, is that these are the protests and marches that turn violent. These are the events where law enforcement is attacked and injured, where businesses are vandalized, where participants physically attack counter-protesters as well as verbally abuse them. Somehow it is always the Tea Party crowds that are 'ugly' and 'divisive'.

Kudos to the law enforcement agencies that worked together and captured Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen. Shahzad is from Pakistan, where his wife and young children still live. He is a 30 year old man from a wealthy family but in personal financial difficulties here, according to press reports. As an American citizen, he was Mirandized and does continue to talk to investigators. He was captured 53 hours after he ran from the scene of the burning SUV at JFK airport attempting to fly to Dubai.

So, no, the terror suspect is not an angry white guy from a Tea Party rally protesting the socialization of our country's social programs and industries. I don't know that I've read how Shahzad feels about Obamacare.

Eventually even the media folks will have to face the real world and all the ugly truths.

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