The War On You....Or Dave

Since the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaeda as a legitimate threat to Americans, and the American way of life, and even American values, has proven to be something of a washout.

Yes, terrorists supposedly inspired or influenced by Al Qaeda have tried to attack Americans inside the US, and depending on how you view events like the Fort Hood shootings, dozens have been killed. But as a real actual day-to-day threat to the American way of life....well, Al Qaeda have done a pretty shit job of it.

The FBI, like the CIA, like the Pentagon, has to justify their massive budgets. They have to be able to prove, year in, year out, that they are spending taxpayers money on important work, vital work, life-saving work. That they are, in fact, Keeping Americans Safe. If they don't, budgets get slashed, people lose their jobs.

So if Al Qaeda don't measure up anymore as a viable threat to Americans, then who does?

How about You?

Or your neighbour?

Or that guy down the street? Whatshisname?

Dave? Yeah, Dave.

Fuckit. Why not just declare The War On Dave?

Who's Dave? Doesnt' matter. But he wants to kill you and threaten your way of life. Or something.

This is how The War On Dave is being sold in the UK, by the Rupert Murdoch media :

Fifteen years after the Oklahoma City bombing, the spectre of domestic terrorism has returned to haunt the Obama Administration, with a warning from the FBI that “home-grown and lone-wolf extremists” now represent as serious a threat as al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

The warning, from the FBI Director, Robert Mueller, came as the former President Clinton drew parallels between the Oklahoma City tragedy and a recent upsurge in anti-government rhetoric, while American television audiences heard Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, describe the “absolute rage” that drove him to plan an attack that killed 168 men, women and children.

An FBI spokesman told The Times yesterday that Mr Mueller was referring to right-wing extremist groups and anti-government militias, as well as American Islamists, in his testimony to the Senate committee that must approve the FBI’s $8.3 billion (£5.4 billion) budget.

The White House was careful to emphasise that the threat of external terrorism remained acute but senior officials are privately confident that military operations in Afghanistan are going well and putting al-Qaeda on the back foot. Few people in Washington are as confident about the domestic threat.

Timothy McVeigh, and all those people killed in the Oklahoma bombings, are now a marketing opportunity for the FBI.

The average American is more likely to be killed, or wounded, by a KFC Double Down burger than by 'home grown terrorists'.