America's wimpy "free press" not wimpy enough

Apparently that's the view of Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder is in the hot-seat over the government's seizure of Associated Press phone records.

When your "free press" is as docile, malleable, toothless, and spine-free as America's, you would think that the power elite would thank their lucky stars and leave well enough alone.

This kind of brazen intimidation of the media was in the past deemed the purview of totalitarian states. Not any more.

And what secrets were revealed by the AP story that sparked this crack-down? Apparently the CIA nabbed a would-be undie-bomber in Yemen last year.

Luckily for the fate of America, he was nabbed before he could board a plane. He had access to a new and improved version of the exploding underpants that failed to ignite in the previous undie-bomber case.

This is what they mean when they talk about asymmetrical warfare. Our side has the biggest defence budgets, the biggest drone fleets, the biggest nuclear arsenal.

Those guys have new and (maybe) improved exploding underpants.

Uncle Sam better get his boot on the neck of that free press before their reckless reportage tips the balance in favour of our enemies.

New & improved undie bomb; intelligence coup or propaganda coup?

Leon Panetta was on the TV a couple of days ago intoning in his most serious senior-statesman-like voice that the fortuitous capture of the latest undie bomber was proof that we all have to remain suspicious of arabic-looking guys on or near airplanes, or near other forms of public transport, or just nearby.

And there were startling revelations about this second generation undie bomb. Apparently these new and improved underwear weapons are invisible to the body scanners installed at virtually every airport in America! 

OH MY GOD!

No discussion about how those body scanners don't actually work in the first place, and how any serious suicide bomber could circumvent them simply by shoving the bomb up his ass. No, that discussion would sour the prospects of the former Homeland Security types now making a fortune peddling the scanners.

Couple of days go by and it comes out that the guy caught with the new and improved underwear of terror is actually on the CIA payroll.

Hmm...

Intelligence coup or just another scary story designed to keep us on the edge of our seats in the run-up to November?