New nuke report

Now that Rove has been confirmed as the villain of Plame-gate, and now that the news media has finally decided to bare some fang, some wags expect to see a major new terror incident in America. Only a big boom -- of the non-economic sort -- can have the overnight effect of saving Rove, justifying the Iraq misadventure and doubling Dubya's horrendous poll numbers.

A very big boom is predicted by Joseph Farah's G2 bulletin. He confidently scries a new Hiroshima -- or rather several Hiroshimas -- all courtesy of Osama Bin Laden. Farah runs a subscription site; you can get the guts of his piece here.

I'll quote this article in pertinent part -- but before doing so, let's make one thing very clear: I ain't buying Farah's story. Not, at least, as he tells it.

Nevertheless, it deserves some attention, for reasons discussed below:

According to captured al-Qaida leaders and documents, the plan is called the "American Hiroshima" and involves the multiple detonation of nuclear weapons already smuggled into the U.S. over the Mexican border with the help of the MS-13 street gang and other organized crime groups.

Al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union – including suitcase nukes, nuclear mines, artillery shells and even some missile warheads. In addition, documents captured in Afghanistan show al-Qaida had plans to assemble its own nuclear weapons with fissile material it purchased on the black market.

In addition to detonating its own nuclear weapons already planted in the U.S., military sources also say there is evidence to suggest al-Qaida is paying former Russian special forces Spetznaz to assist the terrorist group in locating nuclear weapons formerly concealed inside the U.S. by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Osama bin Laden's group is also paying nuclear scientists from Russia and Pakistan to maintain its existing nuclear arsenal and assemble additional weapons with the materials it has invested hundreds of millions in procuring over a period of 10 years.

Again, let me stress: I'm skeptical. Very skeptical.

As long-time readers know, I believe that a mini-nuke attack is likely. (Of course, I hope history will prove me wrong.) That's one reason we should note of any new scraps of information concerning this possibility.

But this particular tale has the odor of what my ladyfriend likes to call "bunky-doody."

One tip-off is the Spetznaz motif. (Spetznaz -- a word variously transliterated -- refers to the Russian Special Forces.) Those who recall the "winter of hate" -- 1994-1995 -- may find this theme familiar. At that time, a number of right-wing fear-mongers did the lecture-and-late-night-radio circuit, telling audiences that those dastardly Soviets had poised Speznaz troops at the Mexican border. All they needed was the "go" signal from comrade Clinton, who would herald the Red Dawn as soon as he finished destroying our military.

Soviet troops? In 1994? Yep! Y'see, those red bastards faked the fall of the USSR, just to catch us off-guard! That just shows you how sneaky them gol-durned Rooskies can be.

During the "winter of hate," a surprising number of people fell for this particular piece of bunky-doody. (If memory serves, Soldier of Fortune helped to spread the tale.) I guess if a fable hypnotized listeners once, right-wing conspiracy-peddlers will trot out the same nonsense again and again. A certain type of audience never grows weary of hokum, and never holds a grudge when history proves a prediction wrong.

The "MS-13" motif is just as laughable. Members of that very unlovable gang possess no motive to collude with Osama. No evidence known to me connects the group to Al Qaida. (By contrast, plenty of evidence links the Bush family to the Bin Ladens.)

So why did Farah mention MS-13? Probably because the gang has threatened to stage retaliatory strikes against the Minutemen vigilantes patrolling the border in California and Arizona. Farah supports the Minutemen.

Who is Joseph Farah? He's yet another rightist agitator who has, in the past, taken positions so extreme as to make Ann Coulter look like Molly Ivins. For example, he has advocated the return of the Hollywood blacklist, as well as the murder of adulterers. This site portrays him as a "Christian Arab-American" with a penchant for seeing everything from Israel's point of view. His World Net Daily is another far-right cyber-rag.

In short: He's an unusual man. Not the sort of person I'd normally consider a valid source.

So why have I asked you to pay attention to his tale? Two reasons:

1. If a nuke does go off in an American city, Farah will appear to be a prophet. Although his views may have negligible impact now, they may impact national thinking after the event.

2. Farah fingers Osama Bin Laden as the criminal mastermind behind this projected nuke attack. This surprises me. If a nuke does detonate within our borders, most neocon propagandists will surely blame Iran, regardless of the actual culprit.