Terrorism and crying wolf.............

I don't quite know what to make of the recent red alerts all over the Middle East and other Muslim countries. The latest news is that al Qaida franchises in Yemen are the culprits and our Embassy in Sanaa is the primary target. So O just yanked the non-essential Yanks out of the country. I can't imagine there are many remaining.

 

We are told that messages were intercepted between the top AQ guys in Yemen that they were planning something nasty. Another theory is that this was a ploy by AQ  to confirm that there were intelligence intercepts of their transmissions. I doubt this. They would surely know that, anyway.

 

Yet another is that this was an AQ bluff to keep the Yanks on the hop. If so, it worked

 

There are also reports of kidnappings. That caper is a national pastime in Yemen and has been going on for years. War lords from any number of the numerous tribes in the country are forever nabbing travelers and holding them for ransom. I don't recall any of the kidnapees ever having been brutalized or killed.

 

The war lords just want money, or in some cases special attention like the release from detention of one of their tribal members. This is hardly terrorist stuff, but it is being flaunted as but another example of Yemen's evil ways.

 

All the recent news alerts and breaking news items on the subject of imminent acts of terror somewhere in the world have mainly had a numbing effect on the public.

 

 First, there are far to many alerts and breaking news items these days for anyone to get excited. It results in media overkill and self-destruction. They cry wolf so many times a day it is a wonder if anybody  gets excited.

 

In addition, the content of the alerts and breaking news items is generally hollow. In spite of some stories with real content, we get a spate of items of a could be, might be and could possibly be nature. These items tend to fizzle out in tune with the minds of the American public who are subject to them.

 

Yes, we are developing a serious case of news fatigue.

 

 We are no longer capable of fleeing for cover every time our network and cable news agencies cry wolf. Nor is this situation at all daunting to the news agencies. They only intensify their alerts which some agencies spice up with leggy female presenters with enough cleavage to slip under the decency code.

 

 

Given this trend, we shall one day view the evening news featuring nude presenters. I dare say we shall become immune to their state of dress in due course as well.