Body of Lies, or Why The Kid That Works In My Lab Would Make a Great Terrorist

(There's this kid that works in my lab. He'll probably kill me if I mention his real name, so we'll just call him The Kid.)

Today I saw Body of Lies with the fam. Despite some of graphic violence I actually enjoyed the movie. The part that really stuck with me is the idea of just how easy it is for terrorists to evade us. Clearly technologically there's no way a terrorist organization could really compete with US, but we're working under the false assumption they would want to. Ok so fine, technology makes communicating significantly easier. But that only holds in places where technology is easy accessible. I mean can Osama really Skype from his cave? I doubt it. I bet he gets no wifi. How or why he continues to live in a place that doesn't offer the basic technological amenities I'll never understand. Oh wait, yeah I do. That's the whole point of this: Osama (like other terrorists) evade our intelligence gathering attempts by staying off the grid.

Basically, we created the grid to keep track of people and things. One of the primary purposes of the grid is to make it easier to find people, so to remain hidden all someone has to do is stay off the grid. Deliver messages in person or written down on actual paper in some basic form of encryption. Don't touch the phone or a computer, don't ever let one near you, and you can probably avoid our CIA's prying eyes. True, this is probably an over simplification, but you get my point.

The real fear-inducing aspect of terrorism is the fact that anything could happen at any time. Its that sense of uncertainty that makes people really pee their pants, that feeling that there's a possibility the world as you know it can change in an instant.

This brings me to The Kid. The Kid is the only American I've met who really would be perfectly happy existing in the middle of nowhere with very few of the customary comforts most of us take for advantage. The Kid really likes playing with electronics, but be thrilled to give up his cell phone. He might miss his laptop and internet access, but just the fact that The Kid can detach himself from his cell phone is simultaneously impressive and disconcerting. (Disconcerting only because of the uniqueness of his situation: I don't know anyone else quite as willing to detach themselves from their cell phone.)

So this movie got me thinking...The Kid, in theory, would make a great terrorist. The only problem is his idealism and disdain for all things evil, like Google, but that's post for another day.