Excuse me for a little post holiday crabbiness.
But people who write stories like this are really not doing their jobs.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA said there was “huge malevolence” against the United States, and warned that the terrorism threat against the country is on the rise. “I think terror is up worldwide,” she said. “The numbers are way up.”
[snip]
Both lawmakers admitted that the more diffuse nature of today’s terrorist groups has made it harder to counter potential threats. Rogers pointed out that the rise in al-Qaeda affiliates spread around the globe raises the risk of a smaller scale attack and makes it “exponentially harder” for U.S. intelligence to keep track of them all.
It has been clear for two weeks that this fearmongering is part of an attempt to justify the dragnet. But the premise and the response are so illogical they should never be presented as “news.”
If we’re less safe, then what thousands of experts will be fired for screwing up the war on terror?
If we’re less safe, then why aren’t our overseers scrambling to understand why massive dragnets haven’t kept us safe?
If we’re less safe, than why isn’t the press asking why both Dianne Feinsein and Mike Rogers be fired for their failures?
If we’re less safe (and the real numbers don’t support these fear-mongers), then the response should be far more aggressive than simply repeating the claims that show a massive failure on the part of our security establishment.
But, if the claims are transparently bullshit, then reporters should not report them as fact.