Would You Like the Bad News First, Or the Bad News First?

I'm pretty certain that, since 9/11, most Americans have thought the country would be hit by another terrorist attack. Frankly, after that horrendous day, I really thought that the country was just gonna' start getting hit left and right - mass transit, malls, more planes, etc. You name it, those miserable SOB's were gonna' try it.

Nearly 9 years later (I cannot believe it has been that long), I'm somewhat surprised that America hasn't been hit again. Hence, the bad news and the bad news.

I just read this article, compliments of CNN.com, which states that another terrorist attack in America in the next three to six months is "certain."

F*ck*ng fantastic.

But here's the other bad news. It looks like America gets to worry not only about planes being blown up mid-air or radicals strapping bombs to themselves and blowing up crowds, but also gets to add cyber terrorism to the list.

I'm going to be perfectly frank with you. Cyber terrorism scares the SH*T out of me. Not that the violent, horrible stuff and all the killing isn't scary - it absolutely is. And I hate it. And I wish there was a way to get get rid of the bad guys for good. But while violent attacks by air, land, or sea generally affect a few areas, the threat of cyber terrorism affects not only the entire United States of America, but all allies, and pretty much the world.

I like that we live in an age where we can blog, Tweet, use Facebook, pay our bills online, etc. But the fact that some hacker with dial-up in a third world country has the potential to launch some sort of computer virus which takes down all communications, all power grids, or really any sort of infrastructure anywhere, is absolutely mind boggling.

Take this under consideration: have you ever driven to work during rush hour when the program that automates traffic signals is down? People are backed up for miles, honking, cutting each other off - it's just chaotic. Could you just imagine if that happened on a large scale? Or worse, if it happened on a large scale in conjunction with a horrible attack when people are trying to evacuate an area or region?

This quote from Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, should make people poop their pants:

"Sensitive information is stolen daily from both government and private sector networks, undermining confidence in our information systems, and in the very information these systems were intended to convey," Blair wrote. "We often find persistent, unauthorized, and at times, unattributable presences on exploited networks, the hallmark of an unknown adversary intending to do far more than merely demonstrate skill or mock a vulnerability."

Man ... I really hope that we have a few good hackers locked up in some prison somewhere that, if the time comes, can help any country that's being cyber attacked get back up and running.

And pardon me while I go clean myself up.

- The Incident