I got out of LAX a couple hours before the shooting gallery excitement over at El Al, and arrived safely in St. Louis. What is the deal of this idiocy in not calling it terrorism? A hate crime? Puhleeeeeze. If you want to play that game, what happened September 11 was a “hate crime.” Certainly, if you listen to their rhetoric, Al Qaeda was largely motivated by hate. Can we please put this politically-correct stupidity to rest? Crimes are crimes. That they’re motivated by “hate” is irrelevant, and renders them thought crimes.

My opinion: the FBI is too embarrassed over their failure to prevent this at what was supposedly one of the most secure (and targeted) locations in the US. It sounds less like they were asleep at the switch if they can call it something other than “terrorism.”

But it’s unreasonable to think that this could have been easily prevented, anyway. We don’t have security at the ticket counters–it starts at the entrance to the gates. My biggest concern now is that they’re going to use this as an excuse to move the brain-dead security policy (and lines) to the airport entrance, instead of the gate entrance. If I were the paranoid sort, I’d think that big (and blundering) government partisans were setting these things up to give them an excuse to increase their intrusions on our lives.

Anyway, on the fourth, we went downtown and watched a spectacular fireworks display, framed by the Arch. No terrorist incidents, other than some squirt guns. We were in a perfect position to watch them destroy the Arch, if they were of a mind to, but it didn’t happen. As similar fearsome scenarios didn’t play out elsewhere.

I’m finding myself in agreement with those who think that Al Qaeda shot their wad last September. The guys who pulled that one off weren’t the brightest bulbs on the string, and they were likely the best they had (at least of those willing to sacrifice themselves).

Which doesn’t mean, of course, that it’s no longer necessary to drain the Arabian swamp.