The report also mentions the Mall of America, Sears Tower and unknown sports stadiums as other potential targets.
Disneyland was among the targets of the Millenium bomb plot, which was foiled by U.S. agents when one of bin Laden's terrorists tried to smuggle explosives over the Canadian border. Seattle canceled its New Years' celebration that year as a result of that plot.
Disney execs, predictably, hit the roof when they saw this report. Rumor in the Mouse House has it that higher ups (possibly Eisner himself) called Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush, who then called his brother George W. The FBI then issued a quick denial, which in reality didn't say anything that the FBI hadn't already said in the Herald's story.
I honestly don't know how to react to this. But it's certainly an important issue, so I throw it open to discussion.
On 9/11, the attacks hit our travel industry (airlines), economy (WTC), and government (Pentagon). One of the first notions I had was that tourism or entertainment might be a possible target, and while a major event like New Year's Eve or The Superbowl would be a likely target, a popular attraction, such as the Mall of America, a Las Vegas casino, or DisneyWorld, could be just as threatened.
Plus, if you really want to be a sadistic, American hating terrorist, you can plan an attack against the one place your average citizen would never expect an attack to occur: the so-called 'happiest place on Earth'. I don't even want to imagine the trauma children would go through at the idea of the Magic Kingdom being attacked. And I know some of you are snickering at the very thought, right now.
And you've got to admit, Mickey Mouse is an American icon. Although he may be known worldwide, his roots are in the US.
I'm not pointing all this out to say, "My God, Disney is a bombing range for terrorists." I'm just saying that the possibility cannot be ruled out. It's up to our government to make sure that the tragic events of two years ago do not happen again: anywhere.
