On Mon, Mar 24, 2003 at 05:41:09PM +0100, Eugen Leitl wrote: > This is dire lunacy. Currently US is perceived as an agressor by the > majority of the world, including the so-called ally U.K. which has lent > more than just its name. You will see an unprecedented surge in terrorism > in the heart of homeland soon after this campaign is over.
I fear that's right. We have substantially increased our number of enemies capable of causing us serious damage (and have the requiste means, motive, and opportunity), while arguably decreasing the number of our allies. Moreover, some of the intrusive laws we have adopted since 9-11 and expansions in government power have increased the danger of attacks on, say, Washington, DC by domestic malcontents. Given that the U.S. has experienced relatively little homeland terrorism so far, compared to other countries like the U.K., it wouldn't take much to mark an "unprecedented surge." That said, I fear you're right -- and it'll take a far more distributed form. I'm still predicting radio-controlled helicopters (or RC planes, which could carry a far greater load). Or perhaps we'll see someone take a GPS-controlled small plane, which can carry 1,000 lbs, and turn it into a flying bomb or delivery system for something quite noxious. These planes can be rented by the hour at hundreds of small to medium sized airports around the U.S. Though I don't know if the autopilot is configurable enough to let an attacker program it to head to a certain altitude at a certain location and then bail out via parachute. -Declan
