WITNESS TO A MUGGING

Adding a newly dramatic meaning to the phrase "Don't get your panties in a twist", a (thankfully) inept Nigerian man unsuccessfully tried to ignite his Al Qaeda issued underwear bomb on Northwest Flight 253. 

Heroic passenger Jasper Schuringa subdued the flaming jihadi and removed the burning device, saving over 200 of his fellow passenger's lives.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano came out quickly with a statement that the 'system worked'.  The uproar over this statement, after all of the missed opportunities to stop this terrorist - from visa issues to passport problems to airport security to his own father warning US officials of his son's radical jihadism - caused Napolitano to come out on the Today show this morning and claim all of those crazy right-wingers were taking her remarks "out of context".  She claimed that her 'system worked' comment was in regards to after the fact response, NOT security measures to stop the incident in the first place. 

I'm sure the passengers of Flight 253, as well as every person boarding a flight since the incident, will rest easy knowing that if they had been blown out of the sky, the FAA would have been prompt in notifying other flights and government agencies that a terror attack had taken place.  After all, the response is FAR more important than thwarting the incident in the first place, right? 

Once again, Napolitano (and, by extension, the Obama Administration) made an ass of herself with her half-cocked response before all of the information is in.  She also insisted this was a 'lone wolf', isolated incident.  Too bad Al Qaeda didn't get the memo.  Neither, apparently, have these people.

At what point is the administration going to finally realize that there really is a war on terror, and we are fixed squarely in the sights of radical islamic jihadis who will continue to attack us in any way possible?  Was this the mugging by reality that they so desperately needed to wake them up?  It certainly has illustrated, among other things, that the people appointed by President Obama are woefully inexperienced and poorly chosen for their positions.

Mutallab may not have succeeded in blowing that plane out of the sky (thank God), but he did succeed in scaring the crap out of all of us.  And that's the whole point of 'terrorism', isn't it?

Prolonged periods of fear and stress often lead to things like Stockholm Syndrome and appeasement to make the pressure ease.  Seems like our liberal brethren in high office have already succumbed....

We were not attacked in 2001 because of the most heinous Bush-monster, and the attacks didn't stop because al Qaeda lost interest after 9/11.  They attacked us before Bush took office and after he left office.  They have been unsuccessful so far because of diligence on behalf of law enforcement and private citizens.  This incident is proof positive that the ball has been dropped.  There is no one person to blame, it is a systemic failure, but the constant down playing of the terrorist threat by Ms. Napolitano and the administration in general has to have played a significant part in the relaxation of security across the board.  Why be vigilant when you are constantly being assured that there is no such thing as a war on terror or radical islamists or terror attacks?

The administration is in denial about the Ft. Hood killer being a jihadi, but this shot across the bow is so blatant that even they can't ignore it or spin it away.

Yes, Janet, there really are terrorists.  It's okay to believe; don't let the other kids tell you differently.

Being mugged by reality really sucks, I know, but it's time to take the lesson you've been handed and actually learn from it before lives are lost.