Cell Division

So, watching the Today show just now (it's a character flaw, I know) . . . big story on Hezbollah "cells" in the United States and whether those "cells" might stage terror attacks within the U.S. Hmmm. The story made clear, after appropriate fear mongering, that these groups are really fundraising groups rather than, um, "terrorist cells." But the emphasis of the story was on, well, just how dangerous these Hezbollah fundraisers are. To make things even worse, while the "terror expert" was talking, on a split screen, on the other half of the screen NBC was running the most disturbing terror porn it could find in its files of Hezbollah military demonstrations, including the obligatory terrorist training camp footage of guys in military fatigues on rope bridges and what looked like Hezbollah members (most of whom looked to be about 20-30 lbs. overweight) giving something that looked like a Nazi salute. The sound folks at Today had also set the levels so you could hear something that sounded like a call to prayer under the conversation between the anchor and the "terror expert." Nice touch.

I laughed, but the better half reminded me that this is not really funny. And she's right, of course. Not funny at all.