The CBS Ambush Jumping The Shark

Austin Bay puts down on paper what I've had rattling around in my head for a while but have never gelled: the CBS Ambush.

Coordinated Bloodspilling + Sensationalism = CBS Ambush.

The recent murder of a nun, and it's sensationalism thereof pursuant to the Pope's words is a prototypical example of such an attack.

But, for CBS Ambush to work, the "S" has to be present.

Amercians have shown themselves as willing as any to feast on lurid displays of mayhem and stupidity, but they also have shown themselves to be quite flighty in their tastes for said luridness. So what happens when the sensationalism of these attacks isn't enough? What happens when we can't change the channel?

Two things will happen: the CBS'ers will step up their attacks till they indeed hit a trip wire, and that trip wire will be a historical spasm.

Tony Blankly said that history comes in fits and spasms: Pearl Harbor, and the assasination of Archduke Ferdinand, for example. The United States has historically been slow to react in the face of growing historical pressures, and usually only really swings hard at the ball after such a spasm. I think that CBS attackers have in general purposely avoided attacks in the US in order to avoid that spasm.

My fear is what this next spasm will bring. Notwithstanding the rantings of many of the left, who say that we are imperialists and that we are actively trying to take over whatever, we really do have enormous and historically unprecedented destructive capability. If we were really, really mad, I shudder to think what could happen.

After Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto feared that Japan had awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve. The next time we won't need to wake up. We'll just be watching TV.