Nicholas Kristof: All-American Osamas. I’m not sure if this piece is overly alarmist or if we just haven’t seen the worst yet. There’s no question that there are plenty of lunatics hiding in the woodwork plotting dastardly schemes in the name of truth, justice, and their version of the American way, but the question is how real a threat they are. Kristof obviously thinks that we ought not underestimate them, and indeed people like Timothy McVeigh illustrates the dangers of doing so. I’m usually tempted to ignore them, but perhaps that’s just denial. Riffing on the previous item, it seems likely that a lunatic from some rural hellhole might be able to get that USDA loan for a “crop duster” that Mohammed Atta was refused.