Got Him, The Sequel

Once again jubilant Americans take to the streets to celebrate the end of a terrorist. Crowds cheer police officers and military personnel. Fans at ball games chant “USA, USA!”
 
Last time it was a diabolical international terror mastermind hiding in an expansive compound right under the noses of the Pakistani military. This time it was a pot-smoking teenager hiding in a boat right under the noses of a suburban family.
 
Once again, there’s a Russian connection. Last time it was the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. This time it was Putin’s brutal crackdown on Chechnya. This time we even got a tipoff from the Russians. Once again, it disappeared into the federal security bureaucracy.
 
Last time we learned out how to make it harder for a terrorist to blow up a plane – and harder for all of us to get on a plane. This time we learn – what? If you see something, say something? See what? Dark-skinned young men carrying backpacks in college towns?
 
Because we’re a fair-minded people, Americans strive not to stereotype Muslims as terrorists. But we struggle to understand how a religion seems to spawn so many young men who want to blow us up.
 
The question is: How many more times will we see this movie?
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Gary Pearce

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Got Him, The Sequel

Once again jubilant Americans take to the streets to celebrate the end of a terrorist. Crowds cheer police officers and military personnel. Fans at ball games chant “USA, USA!”
 
Last time it was a diabolical international terror mastermind hiding in an expansive compound right under the noses of the Pakistani military. This time it was a pot-smoking teenager hiding in a boat right under the noses of a suburban family.
 
Once again, there’s a Russian connection. Last time it was the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. This time it was Putin’s brutal crackdown on Chechnya. This time we even got a tipoff from the Russians. Once again, it disappeared into the federal security bureaucracy.
 
Last time we learned out how to make it harder for a terrorist to blow up a plane – and harder for all of us to get on a plane. This time we learn – what? If you see something, say something? See what? Dark-skinned young men carrying backpacks in college towns?
 
Because we’re a fair-minded people, Americans strive not to stereotype Muslims as terrorists. But we struggle to understand how a religion seems to spawn so many young men who want to blow us up.
 
The question is: How many more times will we see this movie?
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Gary Pearce

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