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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Tech World of Commodities

Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 2:32 PM

In this decade, we find no difference between the equipment of terrorism and the products of global consumerism:

The heavily armed attackers who set out for Mumbai by sea last week navigated with Global Positioning System equipment, according to Indian investigators and police.

They carried BlackBerrys, CDs holding high-resolution satellite images like those used for Google Earth maps, and multiple cellphones with switchable SIM cards that would be hard to track. They spoke by satellite telephone.

And as TV channels broadcast live coverage of the young men carrying out the terrorist attack, TVs were turned on in the hotel rooms occupied by the gunmen, eyewitnesses recalled.

The flood of information about the attacks — on TV, cellphones, the Internet — seized the attention of a terrified city, but it also was exploited by the assailants to direct their fire and cover their origins. This is terrorism in the digital age.

Commercial planes, box cutters, cell phones, GPS devices, Google, simulation systems, laptops. How can an army (the state) which uses specialized military equipment counter a fluid force that uses the generalized equipment of daily life in consumerist society?

Comments (8) RSS

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Torture.

Posted by Bush on December 3, 2008 at 2:41 PM

The U.S. is a military base. Has been since the 1950s.

Posted by Cold Wario on December 3, 2008 at 2:42 PM

hate can only be countered with love.

Posted by Max Solomon on December 3, 2008 at 2:42 PM

Is it strictly necessary to carry all those gizmos when the plan is basically "run around, shoot random people, throw grenades, repeat"? I guess everyone thinks they can't live without all that crap no matter what their job is.

Posted by elenchos on December 3, 2008 at 2:48 PM

News flash: terrorists use shit, a new report released todday says.

This includes:

fire
iron
bronze
horses
guns
telephones
radios
and now
garmin, iphones etc.

Yawn.............................

Next news flash: terrorists use beds and boats...also wear clothes...

Posted by PC on December 3, 2008 at 2:48 PM

Wait wait wait, terrorists use all the same things non-terrorists do, only to do terrorist things?
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE

Posted by Darla Greene on December 3, 2008 at 3:05 PM

And grenades! They sell them at the convenience store next to the cigarettes. It's a marvel that they use ordinary things like shoes and backpacks and thong underwear. Truly a sign of the evil of the capitalist era.

Posted by eric sic on December 3, 2008 at 3:33 PM

I believe the answer is that counter-terrorism is not a military task, but rather should be conducted by law enforcement professionals. To continue to fight terrorism as if we were fighting another state is folly because the opponent we fight is not a state but a collection of criminals.

Posted by TacomaRoma on December 3, 2008 at 3:59 PM