How will we react to another terror attack?

Will we rally around revenge while again marginalizing all those not focused on counter-attacking someone, anyone, whoever seems to be loosely guilty. Will there be time to investigate the crime, go after all that helped let it happen and truly end the financing and training of the militants? "Why are you waiting," the public might ask. "Why aren't we attacking Iran now?" the politicians and media talking heads might demand. Advertising rates will increase as the public tunes in to hear all about this group called "Al Qaeda of Iran" while obvious oddities are ignored. When the public is mourning and afraid, they are eager to trust leadership and get revenge, regardless of who it's against. Revenge is sloppy. Tragedy changes things.

Obama runs the government, right? He's a good guy; the days of questionable terror events, war and torture that fosters terrorism, the politicization and profiteering of terrorism are over, right? Obama's in charge and Dick Cheney is gone, right? The questionable connections between terrorism, organized crime, terror financing and politicians are a thing of the past, no? The defense industry and organized crime are too busy taking over banks to.... but wait, wars and a response to terrorism are very profitable ways (for banks, defense/security industries and organized crime) to get out of a deep recession....

So what's the harm in being a bit more alert right now? Fear is the wrong response to terrorism though it's the one that politicians and war/security businesses would probably rather have you experience. Revenge is sloppy and we're easily misled.

Dick Cheney has not left the building.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has moles in the Obama government which report back to him from the Pentagon, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh told NPR and MSNBC on Tuesday.

Speaking with NPR's Terri Gross, Hersh revealed that the former Vice President -- who he characterized as "really smart" -- has individuals that report back to him from key positions in government. He called these individuals "stay-behinds," an intelligence term generally applied to insiders left behind in foreign governments after the occupying power is driven out.

"He’s put people back," Hersh said. "They call it a stay-behind. It’s sort of an intelligence term of art. When you leave a country and, you know, you’ve driven out, you know, you’ve lost the war. You leave people behind. It’s a stay-behind that you can continue to contacts with, to do sabotage, whatever you want to do.

"Cheney’s left a stay behind," Hersh continued. "He’s got people in a lot of agencies that still tell him what’s going on. Particularly in defense, obviously. Also in the NSA, there’s still people that talk to him. He still knows what’s going on. Can he still control policy up to a point? Probably up to a point, a minor point. But he’s still there. He’s still a presence."

So who has more influence over the Pentagon, Dick Cheney and Israel (who also have "moles in the Pentagon") or Barack Obama?

What's Barack Obama going to do about any of this -- Dick Cheney ran an assassination ring and nothing happens. Does the president run the government or does the government run the president? You know what I think.

Your Job:
Pay attention. Be alert. Don't be afraid.