Al Queda Is Everywhere!!

Guess you have to be more careful these days, but sweet Jesus, these guys are absolute idiots. NYTimes (07.12.06), via Josh Marshall:

"It reads like a tally of terrorist targets that a child might have written: Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn factory, the Mule Day Parade, the Sweetwater Flea Market and an unspecified 'Beach at End of a Street.' But the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, in a report released Tuesday, found that the list was not child’s play: all these 'unusual or out-of-place' sites 'whose criticality is not readily apparent' are inexplicably included in the federal antiterrorism database." U.S. Terror Targets: Petting Zoo and Flea Market?

"'We don’t find it embarrassing,' said the department’s deputy press secretary, Jarrod Agen. 'The list is a valuable tool.'" Perhaps not as embarrassing as pathetic. Oh and there's lots more. "In addition to the petting zoo, in Woodville, Ala., and the Mule Day Parade in Columbia, Tenn., the auditors questioned many entries, including 'Nix’s Check Cashing,' 'Mall at Sears,' 'Ice Cream Parlor,' 'Tackle Shop,' 'Donut Shop,' 'Anti-Cruelty Society' and 'Bean Fest.'" "'Seems like someone has gone overboard,' said Larry Buss, who helps organize the Apple and Pork Festival in Clinton, Ill. 'Their time could be spent better doing other things, like providing security for the country.'" "Angela McNabb, manager of the Sweetwater Flea Market, which is 50 miles from Knoxville, Tenn., said: 'I don’t know where they get their information. We are talking about a flea market here.'" Well Angela, we're thinking they're pretty much just pulling it out of their collective assholes. According to Homeland Security, the top terrorist target is...Indiana? Who'd a thunk it? "The National Asset Database, as it is known, is so flawed, the inspector general found, that as of January, Indiana, with 8,591 potential terrorist targets, had 50 percent more listed sites than New York (5,687) and more than twice as many as California (3,212), ranking the state the most target-rich place in the nation." This is the database they used to parcel out the antiterrorism money last May. You remember. When they "cut money to New York City and Washington by 40 percent, while significantly increasing spending for cities including Louisville, Ky., and Omaha." So the "Beach at End of a Street" is a terror target. Even we are at a loss for words.