The American Spectator

The Nation's Pulse

There's big controversy here in Pittsburgh about the mayor taking the city's anti-terrorism van to a Toby Keith concert during the summer. But, really, where would our federally-supplied anti-terrorism vehicle have been that August night if the mayor hadn't taken it? Riding around the city streets looking for al Qaeda? Checking out the Ali Baba eatery, or Pita Land?

I'd say the mayor got it right that night, whether by design or chance, in terms of national security.

The Department of Homeland Security, seeing Pittsburgh as a potential target of Islamic fundamentalists, gave us the GMC Yukon for surveillance, to identify potential terrorism targets, and for intelligence gathering -- to ride around and keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious or out of place.

The vehicle isn't a tank. There's no button on the dashboard to launch a surface-to-air missile and knock down an incoming plane that's been taken over by a gang of religious martyrs. The vehicle is just for blending in, for shadowing, especially in target-rich environments.

Now, pretend for a minute that you're a full-blown jihadist in Pittsburgh, looking for the fight of your life that summer night. Downtown's completely dead. The Marine recruiting offices are closed. The mall movies are ho-hum. Hands down, there's no better place to explode yourself than in front of a jingoistic country singer who has a crowd all pumped up with his two-fisted response to 9/11:

p> em>This big dog will fight br> When you rattle his cage br> And you'll be sorry that you messed with br> the U.S. of A br> 'Cause we'll put in a boot in your ass br> It's the American way. /em> /p>

The U.S. Attorney here, Mary Beth Buchanan, is investigating whether our federally-supplied anti-jihad asset was misallocated. It's my guess that the Toby Keith concert was probably the only time the Yukon was in the right place at the right time. Where, for example, was the vehicle last night -- parked outside a meeting of the International Student Association at Chatham University?

topics:
Islam, Environment, Movies, Alaska