Conservatives continue to use Fox's 24 to support hawkish policies
SUMMARY: Cal Thomas is the latest conservative figure to use the TV show 24 to forecast a nuclear attack on the United States. Conservatives have also looked to the TV series for justification of aggressive interrogation procedures.
In his January 30 syndicated column, Cal Thomas attacked "ideologically decrepit" Iraq war protesters and claimed: "Unlike Vietnam, the Islamofascists won't leave us alone if we leave Iraq before stability is established." Discussing the possible consequences of exiting Iraq, Thomas referenced Fox Broadcasting's TV series 24: "Watch the TV drama '24' for what could be our prophetic and imminent future with a nuclear device exploding in major cities. Having concluded we don't have the stomach to fight them on their turf, they might understandably deduce we are even less willing to fight them on ours."
Thomas is not the first conservative to use 24 to forecast a nuclear attack on the United States. On the January 16 edition of Fox News' The Big Story -- airing a day after the premiere of 24's sixth season, in which "terrorists detonate a mini nuclear bomb in downtown Los Angeles" -- host John Gibson stated: "Well, certainly may be fiction for now. But 24's Jack Bauer has it right. People need to wake up to the possibility of nuclear attack." Gibson later asked: "Is 24's faux suitcase nuke bomb a real wake-up call for America? Should we take this as an early warning sign that something like this could happen here?" Jack Bauer is the show's main character, a member of the fictional "Counter Terrorist Unit."
Conservatives have also looked to the TV series for justification of aggressive interrogation procedures. On the September 13 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, discussing what constitutes torture and its use by the U.S. military when interrogating terror suspects, conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham told host Bill O'Reilly: "The average American out there loves the show 24. OK? They love Jack Bauer. They love 24. In my mind that's close to a national referendum that it's OK to use tough tactics against high-level Al Qaeda operatives as we're going to get."
CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck has also referenced Jack Bauer when talking about the interrogation of terrorist detainees. On the September 7, 2006, edition of his CNN Headline News program, Beck responded to a report confirming "the existence of secret CIA prisons" and "the use of an alternative set of procedures when questioning terrorists," saying: "I want a Jack Bauer out there. ... It's the tactics and the programs that we don't know about that make me sleep well at night." Other examples of Beck's enthusiasm for the character include:
- On the November 30, 2006, edition of his CNN Headline News program, Beck responded to an email that asked about the "ill treatment of our prisoners in Guantanamo" and asserted: "Now me, I'm for more Jack Bauers. The Jack Bauer that has to extract information."
- On the September 25, 2006, edition of his CNN Headline News program, Beck claimed: "I think, really, most of us would like a Jack Bauer from time to time. The reality is a lot of these guys have information that could potentially save thousands of lives. You've got to do what you've got to do." He later asked former U.S. Army interrogator Mike Ritz: "Yes or no, does Jack Bauer exist in America, a guy like that?" Ritz said, "Sure," and Beck responded: "Love you."
Also, as Media Matters for America documented, on the January 17 edition of Fox News' Your World, private investigator Richard "Bo" Dietl used 24 to justify the use of racial profiling when searching for terror suspects. Discussing an incident in which 40 American Muslims were barred from boarding a plane, Dietl told host Neil Cavuto and guest Imam Sayed Hussan al-Qazwini, leader of the Islamic Center of America and one of the 40 Muslim passengers: "The fact of the matter is -- I mean, you don't watch 24 on Fox TV? They're out there. They're out there. There are cells out there. We have to protect ourselves against it, as Americans."
From Thomas' January 30 column:
This is the doctrine of the privileged and the pampered. It is salvation on the cheap. It makes the protesters feel good, even righteous, but does nothing to solve the problem, which isn't the United States, but a very real enemy that intends to kill us. Unlike Vietnam, the Islamofascists won't leave us alone if we leave Iraq before stability is established. They will send more fanatics to our shores. Watch the TV drama "24" for what could be our prophetic and imminent future with a nuclear device exploding in major cities. Having concluded we don't have the stomach to fight them on their turf, they might understandably deduce we are even less willing to fight them on ours.
From the January 16 edition of Fox News' Big Story with John Gibson:
GIBSON: Well. The big security story tonight, terrorists detonate a mini nuclear bomb in downtown Los Angeles, the plan to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans: fact or fiction?
Well, certainly maybe fiction for now. But 24's Jack Bauer has it right. People need to wake up to the possibility of nuclear attack. This isn't only coming from Hollywood.
The reality is, a major European bank is now issuing a warning about a possible strike on Iran's nuke program. And in Washington, there's fear about Iran's nuke capabilities, of course, and fear the U.S. will open an Iran warfront, which could lead to more terror attacks here.
Is 24's faux suitcase nuke bomb a real wake-up call for America? Should we take this as an early warning sign that something like this could happen here?
Joining me now, Mike Baker, a former CIA operative. Also, national bestselling author Brad Thor, author of the book Takedown [Atria, 2006]. So Brad, did -- a lot of people watched 24 last night, and yet we're seeing these things pop up in the headlines all the time. Should we take it seriously?
From the November 30, 2006, edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: George in Barbados writes in: "Glenn, Bush administration and the American media always paint a terrible picture of the beheadings and other horrible crimes being committed in Iraq, yet they try to downplay the ill treatment of our prisoners in Guantánamo. Let's not forget the horrible things the Marines did to the prisoners in Iraq. Isn't that somewhat hypocritical?"
Uh, no, I don't think so. I mean, look, no conservative that I know was tougher on Abu Ghraib than I was. It shouldn't have happened, and it should definitely never have been downplayed. That legitimately hurt us in Iraq, and it was pointless.
Now, me, I'm for more Jack Bauers. The Jack Bauer that has to extract information, that's one thing. But Lynndie England taking pictures of, you know, a naked pyramid? That was just stupid and pointless. But to compare that to a beheading of an innocent worker or a soldier who was kidnapped is a little over the top. Maybe it's just me.
From the October 10, 2006, edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: Ed writes in from Tampa: "Glenn, relax. On North Korea, everything is going to be OK. This situation is all a setup by Fox television to promote the new season of 24. Remember, Jack Bauer was kidnapped by China, so he's already in the area, and he's going to take care of North Korea and their bomb. P.S.: Been here from day one."
Wow, so you're the one that's been sticking around from the beginning, huh? Thanks, Ed. I hope that you're right. We need some real-life Jack Bauers right about now, minus the hot daughter that almost gets thousands of people killed every season.
From the September 25, 2006, edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: But because the specific techniques are so secret, the bill instead uses terms like "serious and nontransitory mental harm, which need not be prolonged." What? Can I use the extreme sleep deprivation, or not so much? Because most of us, I think, would like to just sit back in our cozy living rooms and say, "Well, the interrogators should just ask those guys, you know, where the next attack's gonna be. Ask them nicely. Maybe offer them a lollipop. How can they not talk?"
I think, really, most of us would like a Jack Bauer from time to time. The reality is a lot of these guys have information that could potentially save thousands of lives, and you gotta do what you gotta do.
[...]
BECK: OK. Mike, really, time just for a yes-or-no question. Yes or no: Does Jack Bauer exist in America, a guy like that?
MIKE RITZ (former U.S. Army interrogator): Yes. Sure.
BECK: Love you. Thank you. Back in a minute.
From the September 13, 2006, edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: What I'm trying to tell you is this -- the average American sitting at home is not engaged on a daily basis like we are.
INGRAHAM: Right.
O'REILLY: Doesn't know what the truth is. Doesn't know.
INGRAHAM: Well, I'll tell you one --
O'REILLY: Go ahead. Go ahead.
INGRAHAM: I'll tell you one thing, Bill. The average American out there loves the show 24. OK? They love Jack Bauer. They love 24. In my mind, that's as close to a national referendum that it's OK to use tough tactics against high-level Al Qaeda operatives as we're going to get. OK?
The idea that you're going to give, as Ted Koppel [then-host of ABC's Nightline] said the other night, hoagies and Cokes to all the people who are being interrogated, that might work. They might give a lamb kebab to some low-level Al Qaeda person in Gitmo, and that might work.
From the September 7, 2006, edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: Next, you probably heard that President Bush yesterday acknowledged, for the very first time, the existence of secret CIA prisons, along with -- how ominous does this one sound? -- the use of an "alternative set of procedures," end quote, when questioning suspected terrorists.
So the real story today is very simple, at least for me. For some reason, nobody is saying this. Well, at least nobody on television is saying this. Here it is. "The Real Story." Thank God. It's these types of things, the stuff that we usually never hear about -- unless we read The New York Times -- that actually makes me feel more secure.
I want a Jack Bauer out there. I love seeing cops doing bag checks on subway stations. Let's be honest. It's the tactics and the programs that we don't know about that make us all sleep real well at night. Earlier this year -- I should say, unless you're a bad guy.
Earlier this year, Osama bin Laden said, quote, "Death is better than living on this earth with the unbelievers among us." How do you possibly fight against that kind of mentality with conventional tactics? The answer: You don't.
How do you fight an enemy that violates the one rule of war -- that life is better than death -- that the rest of us live by every single day? You can't. And so you've got to do what you need to do to survive.
The president said these "alternative procedures" and secret prisons have saved American lives. He said they have saved -- or stopped plots designed to occur inside the U.S. Things like downing of airplanes, bombing office buildings, and potential biological attacks. Things we've never heard about.
Can't wait 'til these bozos watch Midnight Express.
When they do, they're sure to come up with some really spiffy ideas for a new approach to drug crime penalties.
Well, Bushcheney's foreign policy is based on fantasy, anyway, so why not?
"Thank God. It's these types of things, the stuff that we usually never hear about...that actually makes me feel more secure."
I'm sure that since we haven't been invaded by aliens under GWB's administration we should thank him for that too.
And he's kept the lid on the zombie problem too, so thanks George.
Our foreign policy shouldn't be conducted so that a bunch of rightwing bedwetters feel more secure.
They say that we'e only as strong as the weakest among us. With weak people like Beck, O'Reilly and Ingrahm ranting every day about their fears I'd say we are at the weakest point in America's history.
Worrier,
"And he's kept the lid on the zombie problem too, so thanks George."
I think you meant to say he COULD keep the lid on the zombie problem, if not for the liberals. The liberals, with their culture of death, their pro-abortion stance and their support of Jack Kevorkian are allowing the ranks of the undead to swell. The liberals, with their mouth-watering giant brains just beg for the zombies to come out of their graves for some fine dining, giving them aid and comfort. Laura Ingraham has the right idea. People loved "Dawn of the Dead", and that's about as close to a national referendum to start blasting zombies as you can get. We need to give Bush's alternative methods of ridding the world of zombies, such as his full-lobotomy plan, a chance to work.
I'm in agreement, but I need some clarification. Are we talking 1978 "Dawn of the Dead" where the zombies moved slowly, or are we talking 2004 "Dawn of the Dead" where the zombies moved fast.
Our tactics fighting them will have to be different depending upon whether we're dealing with fast or slow zombies.
Real zombies move slowly, as seen in the zombie films of George A. Romero. His films were made in wholesome conservative Pittsburgh, whereas the 2004 remake of his Dawn of the Dead, as well as 28 Days (another fast zombie movie) was probably made in Hollywood. Fast zombies are a lie of the far-left S-P's.
Slight correction:"28 days" is the Sandra Bullock film about detox. "28 days later" is the Danny Boyle-directed zombie flick (I happen to be a fan of "Trainspotting" and especially "Shallow Grave").
Good catch, Brab.
"Slight correction:"28 days" is the Sandra Bullock film about detox. "28 days later" is the Danny Boyle-directed zombie flick"
Barb, how do you know Sandra is not a zombie? She is a little left wing, so it is possible that she is a zombie. Another left wing plot nipped in the bud!
Well, I suppose our strategy depends on which movie was more loved.
Rusty & Neon
We need to capture one or two of them and try to domesticate them as they tried to do to "Bub" in George Romero's 1985, "Day of the Dead".
They almost succeeded.
King, they've taught some of the zombies basic computer skills. I verified this by visiting FreeRepublic the other night.
Fortunately, most of them seem to be prevented from enacting their world domination and brain-feeding by the impending visits of grandchildren and/or inability to get a driver's license.
The situation is serious, but...
Even if assuming there is some truth in all of the dire warnings being thrown around by conservatives I want someone other than George W. Bush and his neocon brain trust figuring out what to do. They have not only been dishonest but they have been irrationally driven ideologically; and they have operated on the basis of questionable theories. It was the neocon theory that Iraq would fall without insurgency. It was Rumsfeld's theory that the military could accomplish the job with a greatly reduced force. I could go on. Iraq was the ultimate neocon test tube. The undelying crisis amid the entire global terrorist threat is the lack of confidence that Americans and the world have in George W. Bush. That is the REAL problem in attempting to solve all of this.
After having watched "Mother of all fears", you know, where austrian neonazi stole israel made A-Bomb and leveld Philadelphiacreat WW3 between Russia and the US, i only have to say one thing to GW : bomb Austria ! Bomb Israel !
More seriously, they should not jump on the 24 bandwagon : the show always has a lot of plot twists and one must not trust the appareances. Remember the fourth season i believe where the terrorists were maniplated by the military-industrial complex and even the fifth where the president himself staged the gas attack to make is case on new anti-terrorist agreements with Russia ? In a few weeks 24 may demonstrate how dangerous it is to trust the appareances, and then thos wingnuts will denounces it as a traitor.
Several weeks ago there was some concern expressed that 24 was pushing Bush's scare tactic agenda [I read this at The Huffington Report & News Hounds websites]...and Right-Wingers were denying it & laughing at the charges. NOW the Right-Wingers are openly doing just that.
I watched a few episodes of this program in its first season. It didn't hold my interest.
Real life UNDER Bush is much more dramatic & infinitely scarier.
Didn't someone call "24" Conservative terror-porn?
I thought it was funny a while back when there was torture debate going on about Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and our overall torture policy. Rightwingers were actually citing 24 as a source to defend their views. They didn't like it very much when I condescendingly reminded them that they were basing their ideas on fiction.
Might also keep in mind how many innocent people on 24 have been tortured.. it's quite a long list. My favourite being that CTU chick they zapped in the neck with the stun-gun.. that one had me laughing.
Methinks "blood-and-thunder" would be a more accurate description of what 24 is all about.
That, and the possibility for where same may be discreetly subsidised by His Fraudulency's Great Within (and the fact of which is not disclosed clearly to viewers).
Has anybody considered such possibilities?
Yes, and why don't we solve our energy problems by following Jed Clampett's example? At least we'd have Ellie Mae to look at!
And Bush could just watch Bullwinkle and Rocky to see how to pull a rabbit out of his ass...er...HAT.
Again? That trick NEVER workds.
Uh...WORKS.
Typical weak-minded magical thinking. These clowns wish for an all-conquering superhero who will smite all their enemies and keep them cozy in their beds, because they just can't face the world as it is.
Hmm. That could explain their approach to religion as well.
I agree. The problem with these fictional heroes is often referred to the John Wayne fallacy. Good defeats evil, and the triumphant slowly rides off into the sunset. Yet nobody ever shows dead bodies being cleaned off of the street, or children being treated in hospitals for stray bullet wounds.
Mwolfson, you picked a good example in the Duke.
John Wayne spent his last years down the coast from me in Newport Beach, and I crossed paths with him a couple of times as a kid.Once when I was about 14, working as a busboy in a waterfront restaurant, Wayne was at the bar. The other time as I was leaving the Balboa theater down on the peninsula where he lived.
At the risk of getting jumped on for insulting an icon, I have a very strong impression of john Wayne based on those two encounters; He was , in real life, an angry, arrogant, drunken bully.A royal A-hole, and people love him because of his corny movies.
There is a big statue of the bastard at my local airport, which is named after him, although I refuse to call it John Wayne Airport. Even when booking a flight, and being asked "from John Wayne?", I confirm "Yeah, from Orange County".
Why, Rusty?
Why do you make the Baby Jesus cry?
It's a strategery in my war on His birthday.
Have these guys watched 24 lately? All last season was about a manipulative President who played dumb but was really selling out the country to a conspiracy of corporate interests. This year, one of the main villains is a Dick Cheney clone who's trying to get his extreme right-wing agenda past the President by silencing critics (including one beloved character from last season) who say he's trampling on constituional rights. Even the show's use of torture has been turned on its head this season, as Jack is a wreck after being torured two years himself and (if you're paying particular attention) one of the main terrorists is motivated because of Jack's torturing of the guy's brother in the past, which raises the interesting question of is our hero partially to blame for the anger that led to the attacks? 24 is mostly just a thriller that sometimes requires a near ridiculous level of suspension of disbelief. But if you watch the actual show, its politics are hardly just some right-winger's wet dream, particularly lately, when they're making a lot of specific points about the abuse of power, the risks of profiling, and the need to be careful about constituional rights.
Disbelief, as in getting across LA in 15 minutes during rush hour.
Well, remember that most people don't pay enough attention to notice these things. They see only the surface and therefore: Exactly what the rightwingers want.
You are exactly right. Olbermann and MMFA are looking like morons attacking a show that shows multiple viewpoints about the terrorist problem.
If you watch the show at all, which MMFA obviously does not, anyone would know this. Most of the rightwingers pick out only the parts they agree with. MMFA ignores the parts they agree with because all they care about is trying to smear Fox. The smear is dopey because they are smearing alot of their own viewpoints.
Actually, LH, not once does MMFA criticize 24 in this topic. They are criticizing it's use, by various media figures, to support the neocon agenda. Thank you for pointing out one-sided and incorrect view these media conservative's have of 24.
Bobby Joe that's too much nuance for conservatives. When they watch 24 they say:
"Ug- Look bad Arabs"
"Ug- Arabs set off nuclear bomb"
"Ug- Big Boom"
"Ug- that city looks like LA. Means it could happen here."
"Ug- we need bad azz like Jack Bauer to protect us"
And this is the same party whose members thought "Murphy Brown" was real, too...
Where was MMFA when West Wing had a terrorist
bomb kill members of the President's staff?
Oh yeah, because a bleeding heart liberal was in charge.
Did the media use "The West Wing" to justify administration policy like the conservative media is doing with "24" today?
But then this isn't the first time that the right has used TV to justify something. After all didn't they use "The Flintstones" to refute evolution to prove their point that men and dinosaurs lived together?
Why don't you watch 24 instead of cartoons and maybe you
would learn something.
I watch both. I pray that our national security apparatus is less cartoonish than CTU. I understand that it's a TV show, with no basis in reality.
How about we not watch 24, as it does not teach us anything. If you want to learn something watch actual news other than the crap on fox, or watch something satirical. The goal of shows like 24 is to entertain (people who usually have lower levels of intelligence)
What I have learned from watching "24":1. Kiefer Sutherland is not to be effed with.2. Torture almost always saves the day.3. Torturing people who did nothing wrong happens a lot.4. Nuclear bombs are bad.5. Don't trust the President.6. Government installations never do background checks and have really lax security.7. Computers are watching me in my sleep.8. Skinny women are not to be trusted.9. Terrorists are bad.10. Terrorists can be anyone.
11. And finally: IT'S JUST A SHOW, AND SHOULD NOT BE THE BASIS FOR GOVERNMENT POLICY.
I also learned never to copy a numbered list to this site, or it'll look like SEE ABOVE. Ugh...
Leatherhead, that's great advice! Oh yes, we should all watch "24" so that we can learn something. I for one have gathered enormous knowledge from fictional T.V series'. "Flipper" taught me everything i need to know about marine biology; A few episodes of "Fraggle Rock" left me very well versed in mining and engineering and one season of MASH was enough for me to be accepted at Johns Hopkins. You should grab yourself season one of Ally McBeal - before you know it, you'll be on the Supreme Court.
Stunning ignorance!
"Things we've never heard about"... and neither has it been proven that they were going to happen. I didn't know Bush admitted that there are secret prisons. I say we all e-mail the EU leaders and tell them to put pressure on the countries where those prisons are located. I DEMAND SANCTIONS AGAINST THOSE WHO HARBOR TORTURE.
In fact, It's folks like him, who make me NOT be able to sleep at night.
No beck it is your large paycheck from CNN that makes it easy for you to sleep at night.
Wait.. let me get this right.. a fictional television program has sound reasoning about terrorism and how it relates to America and Iraq, but scientists have no idea about evolution or global warming?
Scientists have no idea how the earth got here or how man go here and I am still waiting for all those scientists who claimed an ice age was coming in 1975 to come out and apologize.
Leatherhelmet,
We're deeply sorry that there wasn't an ice age in 1975.
Respectfully, all the scientists.
Uhm, science knows exactly how the earth got here. It was created from a huge cloud of dust left over from a supernova and the effects of gravity, same things that created the Sun and all the rest of the planets. And man got here by evolving from a tree-dwelling primate during a partial deforestation of Africa a few million years ago. This science does know. How come you don't know this?
So I guess that you're part of the 9% of Americans who don't believe in God. Thanks for presenting the minority view point.
Dirin im eldar a dirant Eru..."I have gazed between the stars and saw God." The real God. The universe. The God of galaxies and black holes, of photons and atomic nuclei. The God that science reveals in all it's incredible splendour and complexity.
If you mean I don't worship some mythological Hebrew war god and all the fantasies, intolerance and bigotry that accompanies that cult, then you are right.
As a matter of fact, many scientists ARE religious people, and believe this process of the big bang, evolution, etc. are parts of the workings of the Almighty. You do not have to be an atheist or an anti-theist to believe in evolution.
Do not allow your hatred for things you obviously don't understand demonstrate you to be a fool, Rino.
Scientists have an excellent idea of how man got here: evolution from lower primates. Did they not teach that at your madrassa, Leather?
I found that alot of issues where brought up in this clip, which is why it did not seem very clear. Firstly, as we all know, 24 is a lame tv show that does not educate anyone or accurately portray social movements and phenomena. So, lets not give this more attention than it deserves. Thanks, Fox for covering 24 instead of something significant in the world. You call yourselves a news program. Secondly, ought the American nation protect itselves from nulear threats using the CIA. Of course it should. Yet this does not mean that everyone must be kept in the dark about it. Most people do not know about such threats. I certainly don't. This is why people tune into 24, and get moved and scared by sensational entertainment. It's this kind of stuff that turns the U.S. into a scared gorilla with a gun. Lastly, on a minor note, I don't want guys like...whatever the main characters name is out in the real world if he's going to circumvent the rule of law and set up secret torture camps. People, we must not only protect our safety, but our moral principles and way of life. This is what makes life worth while.
No shock and awe here.
When one is running a war waged on fictitious grounds, a fictional program provides a rich source of justification.
I wonder how many times Bush has requested Jack Bauer be put on the case and Cheney had to don a jacket with the CTU emblem and play dress up.
It is the Dan Quayle syndrome: they seemingly cannot diestinguish between a television and real life. Hey Beck, Jack is not a real person and things are alot easier to protray on TV then real life. But, how about this: You volunteer for national service in a secret agency and give it a try. You look about the same age as Jack.
A lot of die-hard conservatives (while I'm conservative on a lot of issues, I'm not die hard) are living in a fantasy world where they believe the majority of the country thinks as they do. The only reason, in their mind, the last election was lost was because of the spendthrift ways of the last few Congresses. Being locked into that fantasy world, its easy (at least for me) to see why they rely on fantasy (i.e., 24) to try to advance their agenda.
I don't get why these people think that torture will work. If you torture someone, they will just tell you what they think you want to hear so that you will stop torturing them. This quality of information may be appropriate for the secret police of the Soviet Union, but not for an ostensibly free democracy.
They're just sadists. They don't want to torture for security purposes, they want to torture because they enjoy inflicting pain. All torture regimes are the same. It's meant to create fear, to satisfy hatreds and prejudices, to be sadistic and cruel. It's never meant to gather intelligence, but to spread terror and feed the evil lusts of the torturers. Is it any wonder that the tortures at Abu Ghraib were distinctly sexual in tone? It's just like the serial killer who tortures and rapes his victims before killing them. It's the exact same mental illness at work.
The CIA operated torture chambers in the 1950's, in Operation Artichoke. It operated torture chambers during Vietnam. It operated torture chambers in Central America during the 1980's. And now in the 00's, it operates torture chambers all over the world. I for one am not very thrilled at being taxed to maintain torturers on the government payroll. I don't see these people as defending me at all. I nfact, they seem far more of a threat.
How bout this, Maybe this is Art imitating life. The Threat of a Nuke being set off in Us cities is something that is a real threat. No one with a brain (not even 24) is saying that all muslims are bad, Hell the show this season even has Muslims Helping the CIS.
Their are a large groups of muslims that are basing what the feel their religon is telling them on Sharia law. Yes it's only something like 10% of Muslims, but it's still 10,000 people out of the one million. all it takes is a hand full of Nutsjobs to get a nuke into the USA. so i think it is something to worry about.
Whether Glenn Beck likes it or not, ‘24’ “abets those to whom the rule of law is an unwelcome hindrance, and helps create the kind of climate in which human rights abuses thrive says rights advocate Andrew Hogg.
The London based Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture reminds cheerleaders like Beck that the readiness of some to torture has always been with us, along with the readiness of some to denigrate others because of their different skin colour, or cultural beliefs. "Both are aspects of the human condition that instead of indulging, civilised societies fight hard to resist. Giving up that struggle in pursuit of ratings is nothing short of a betrayal of the generations to come. "This is insane. Americans love Oscar the Grouch too but that doesn't mean they want to live in a garbage can.