Does Al Qaeda Get Its Ideas from Tom Clancy?

Follow my reasoning on this:

1) So, the Super Bowl’s on my mind. The Seahawks will play my former favorite team of all-time, the Steelers. Such a matchup couldn’t have happened before the Seahawks switched to the NFC, but now, it’s a dream come true.

On Sunday, February 5, in the All-American city of Detroit, Michigan, we’ll watch my Seahawks beat my Steelers. It’ll be a bittersweet day.

2) Going back in time, to 09/11/2001:

After watching two 767s crash into the World Trade Center and seeing the damage from the 757 that plowed into the Pentagon, I couldn’t help thinking of the Tom Clancy novel, Debt of Honor, published in 1994.

If you haven’t read the book, it’s about a modern-day war between Japan and the United States. In the shocking finale of the book, a grieving, vengeful Japanese commercial pilot intentionally crashes a 747 into the U.S. Capitol building, killing almost all of Congress and the President.

3) There’s another Clancy book called The Sum of All Fears. (There’s a movie too, but it stars Ben Affleck, so I suggest you avoid it).

In the book, an Israeli nuclear bomb is lost during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and eventually ends up in the hands of a terrorist organization.

(In case you didn’t know, the Yom Kippur War began when Syria and Egypt invaded Israel with probably the largest tank force ever fielded. Outnumbered 10-to-1, Israel soundly defeated the Arab forces with heavy losses on both sides.)

The Super Bowl plays a prominent role in the book. The terrorists use their recovered nuclear bomb to vaporize Mile High Stadium during the game.

4) On 01/06/2006, al Qaeda’s second-in-command, Ayman al Zawahiri, released a video tape that some analysts believe is a “green light” for a major terrorist attack in the near future; some analysts say within 30 days.

5) On 01/19/2006, Osama bin Laden came out of his cave to release another best-selling audio tape on al Jazeera. Based on the contents, there’s speculation of a strong likelihood of an Al Qaeda attack on U.S. soil sometime in the near future.

6) Do you see where I’m going? A week from today, the Super Bowl will be played in Detroit. That is definitely in the 30-day window mentioned above. If al Qaeda has already stolen an idea from one Tom Clancy book, why not steal another? It sure is easier than thinking them up on their own.


I’m not predicting anything, but it’s interesting to think about. I pray nothing bad happens, at the Super Bowl or anywhere else in the United States.

But I will make one prediction: Seahawks 37, Steelers 17. Oh, and 110 rushing yards for Shaun Alexander and 300+ yards passing for Matt Hasselbeck.

It’s probably just my subconscious trying to console me about not going to Detroit and having to watch the game at home…