According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday, 35 percent of Americans believe a terrorist attack somewhere in the United States is likely over the next several weeks.
If there is one thing that people in the media love to do, it's throw out poll numbers at you - constantly.
Have you ever wondered how these numbers are generated? How big is the test sample? What questioned were asked? Where was the poll conducted? How old is the data? You can just go on from there.
If there is one thing that 'polls' are good at gauging, it's how a group of people feel about something at a particular time. If there is one thing that polls CAN'T do, it's predict what people are going to do.
Enter the lunatic-fringe cheerleader Michelle Malkin and her band of jubulantly ignorant, easily-lead, faceless drones.
On her self-title blog, one of her droogies has written an article titled "America is losing its fear of terrorist attacks", in which the above mentioned CNN poll is cited as proof positive that George W. Bush has made us all feel safer.
Do I think we’ll be hit in the next eight to ten weeks? Probably not. In the next 52-156 weeks? I wouldn’t bet a lot of money we won’t. Especially if Hopey McChangerson gets in office.
But timelines aside, I think there’s something to this. Al Qaeda’s getting creamed. They’ve been reviled and repudiated in Iraq, although they’re gaining strength in Europe and Pakistan and because of that second one things are getting kind of hot in Afghanistan.
And meanwhile, while we haven’t done nearly enough and there are a lot of holes all around the country (HINT HINT SOUTHERN BORDER NEEDS FENCE), we’ve wised up a little bit and made ourselves harder to hit. It’s an ongoing process of hardening and rethinking, but together with aggressive disruption of the bigger cells it’s kept most terrorism in America small and isolated
It appears that the author of the article subscribes to the 'lucky socks' theory of national security.
Here's an example:
"I have had my lucky socks on for 7 years, and I still haven't gotten cancer."
Doesn't sound like a theory grounded in reality, does it?
Well, let's take a look at reality.
George W. Bush doesn't think Bin Laden is a person to be concerned about. This is the man that he was going to get "dead or alive" ( which has not happened ).
There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq until the Bush administration said there was. Of course, if we follow their logic, their way of governing, there is potentially Al Qeada everywhere, right now - maybe in your own home. Boo!
Terrorists only have to attack once. After that, they just let their victims tear each other apart with the fear that they have instilled. Seems to have worked.
So, according to CNN's poll, 35% of Americans fear of a terrorist attack within the next few weeks. What about the remaining 65%? What do they think?
If you're part of the neo-conservative movement, especially someone that is as visible as Malkin ( or her contributing staff ) you'll want to cite the higher number, but give it a nice spin. Make it look pretty - like the Republicans made this all possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment