What Is Al-Qaida's Thing For Airplanes?

What is the fascination that Al-Qaida has for airplanes? We've got 9/11, the El Al flight coming out of Kenya (unsuccessful), and now this report coming out that they have acquired Russian made SA-7 missiles with the idea of shooting down a Western airliner during Ramadan.

Why?

What does shooting down a Western airliner really accomplish? They might scare a few people, particularly if they do it over here. But how does it further their cause?

The only thing that it would prove is that they have no concern for innocent human life. And that they could hit the aeronautical equivalent of a barn door with a guided missile.

There is no symbolism in shooting down a 747 any more. Today, we have no equivalent to Pan Am. There would be no equivalent image as the Clipper of the Seas lying in the field in Lockerbie. Everyone who knows anything about commercial aircraft knows that those big turbofans are nothing more than giant bullseyes for infrared missiles.

So by shooting one down, they prove that they can pull the trigger and that they're willing to pull it on innocent people. Unless you're truly deranged enough to think that you can win a battle with a motivated, focused, and pissed American people this probably isn't too bright. Ask Adolf or Tojo. Ask Kaiser Wilhelm if bringing the Americans in full force was a bright idea. Hell, Yamamoto knew it and still ended up paying for with his life.

Why do people keep thinking it's a good idea to create the next Lusitania or Pearl Harbor? Why do they think it's a good idea to draw us into a wider war, one in which our weaponry, our tactics, and most importantly, our conviction are superior? To judge us by our peacetime internal squabbling and open demeanor is to make a grave mistake.

They have SA-7s. We have a reserve of strength and fortitude stronger than any weapon,. They have jihad. We have such a belief in our values that we don't feel a need to impose them on everyone by force. They believe it to be a great accomplishment to murder hundreds and to destroy millions of dollars of hardware. We believe the murder to be lamentable and the destruction to be replaceable. They are pushing their limits every which way. We've barely begun to scratch the surface of ours.

They can shoot down an airplane and our lives will go on. Theirs, however, becomes more questionable.