WASHINGTON—Putting the nation on alert against what it has described as a “highly credible terrorist threat,” the FBI announced today that it has uncovered a plot by members of al-Qaeda to sit back and enjoy themselves while the United States collapses of its own accord.

“We have intercepted electronic communication indicating that al-Qaeda members are actively plotting to stay out of the way while America as we know it gradually crumbles under the weight of its own self-inflicted debt and disrepair,” FBI Deputy Director Mark F. Giuliano told the assembled press corps. “If this plan succeeds, it will leave behind a nation with a completely dysfunctional economy, collapsing infrastructure, and a catastrophic health crisis afflicting millions across the nation. We want to emphasize that this danger is very real.”

  •  sp3ctr4l   ( @sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip ) English
    40•2 months ago

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2004/11/1/full-transcript-of-bin-ladins-speech

    All that we have mentioned has made it easy for us to provoke and bait this administration. All that we have to do is to send two mujahidin to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al-Qaida, in order to make the generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic, and political losses without their achieving for it anything of note other than some benefits for their private companies.

    … al-Qaida spent $500,000 on the event, while America, in the incident and its aftermath, lost – according to the lowest estimate – more than $500 billion.

    Meaning that every dollar of al-Qaida defeated a million dollars by the permission of Allah, besides the loss of a huge number of jobs.

    As for the size of the economic deficit, it has reached record astronomical numbers estimated to total more than a trillion dollars.

    He goaded us into defeating ourselves, and it worked.

  •  Aceticon   ( @Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English
    24•2 months ago

    In all fairness, their 9/11 attack was massivelly successful in getting the US into a spiral of increasing authoritarianism and propaganda which in turn accelerated the pillaging of the wealth of must of its population that really took off in the time of Reagan: basically people so easilly accepted massive levels of surveillance and complete total subversion via things such as anti-Terrorism legislation of the balance of Rule Of Law, that the elites just started squeezing people more and faster with total confidence that people wouldn’t rebel or be able to do anything about it.

    I mean, Neoliberalism would always naturally end up in a new Gilded Age only worse, but the rush away from fundamental elements of Democracy (you know, not to be under surveillance by a Stasi-like structure or be treated as a terrorist because of being a member of an Environmentalist group) - which in turn resulted in situations as we see now with UHC and Luigi and the vey open “in service of the 0.01%” behaviour of the Ju$tice System and the Press - was anchored on using 9/11 as an excuse.

    •  inv3r5ion   ( @inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English
      10•2 months ago

      I always argue that bin Laden succeeded in his goals in the 9/11 attack, just the effects were delayed. This country changed overnight for the worse. I was 12, I didn’t believe the official story at the time and still don’t. Bush had the shadiest ties to the saudis and he wanted a war. I’m 100% convinced that at minimum his admin let it happen so they had an excuse to start a forever war and clamp down at home against anyone that threatened their interests. It’s interesting that environmental and animal rights protesters get hit with terrorism charges and life long jail sentences, it’s interesting that’s happening to Luigi too, and it’s really interesting that not a single school shooter has been charged with the same. Is shooting up a school not terrorism or do you need to shout allah akbar first?

      •  hansolo   ( @hansolo@lemm.ee ) English
        6•2 months ago

        Regardless of the reality of what happened, the increased scrutiny and surveillance pushed a lot of people to distrust of institutions, just like you.

        That sentiment was actually ramping up quite a bit in the 90s, and the way the factors that led to the mistrust never went away, but we were given a Faustian deal to ignore them or be labeled a traitor made it all worse.

          •  hansolo   ( @hansolo@lemm.ee ) English
            4•2 months ago

            I’m certainly not going to argue with you on this.

            However, I will say that, fromy perspective, if you remember the world prior to 9/11, government incompetence was the standard. Sometimes shitbag people can bumble into a golden opportunity and have no hesitation milking it for all they can.

            But I can’t prove my idealized version any more than you can. Maybe we’re both right. Maybe we’re both wrong. We’ll never know.

            •  inv3r5ion   ( @inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English
              4•2 months ago

              Government incompetence is still the standard. Their a bunch of bumbling fools until it’s time to give goodies to their donors. But they’re pOwErLeSs to help us little people. Their hands are tied! Boo hoo!

              Re bush and 9/11, there’s some really insanely shady ties between the bush family and the saudi royal family as well as bin Laden and the Saudi royal family. The bush’s have been up to shit for over a century being shady as fuck. Same with Cheney. Then there’s blackwater, Erik prince, etc. a whole lot of hands in the “defense” cookie jar.

              The saudis are our so called allies just like the Israelis. Neither are to be trusted.

              I’m a follow the money type and war - especially forever war against a shifting target! - is really profitable for warmongers.