The USS Cole happened because the guards on US warships got lax about keeping the small boats away. Locals keeps sailing out hoping for generosity from the wealthy Americans, or to do quick business. Armed guards on the ships would chase them away. They got lax and the terrorists watching the ships noticed. So they attacked. They had been planning just for that eventuality.

The second WTC happened because the first one failed. In the rest of the world, especially the Arab nutjob world, the WTC is a symbol of American globalisation, a hated one. That’s why they tried to hit it in 93. The failure then was like a challenge to try again and get it right.

But the biggest thing is that the terrorists don’t *think like Americans*! They think like Arab Muslim extremist fundamentalists out to make a point. Remember when rumors got out around Christmas ‘01 about a possible attack on shopping malls? It would have taken only *one* attack and Christmas would have been hosed for that year. No one would have gone near a mall for a long, long time. It would have wrecked the economy for a long time to come. You and I know that, but it wouldn’t have occured to your garden-variety Arab Muslim terrorist.

Same with dropping some bioweapon into the middle of a college football game. You could take out up to 80,000 people in one evil go; more if its an infectious disease with some period of latency. It would have had a profound impact on America and, again, killed a whole industry. You and I know this, but Arab Muslim fundamentalist terrorists don’t think about college football. It’s decadent Americanism.

We are, to some extent, lucky that they don’t understand us and they are proud of that fact. It has saved us from some truly, truly horrible attacks.