Just a small question....

Has ANY plot uncovered by the US in the wake of 9/11 ever actually held up to serious scrutiny, or not involved an FBI-paid agent provocateur as a central figure?

I mean, really. The Fort Dix allegations are ludicrous. As almost all the previous allegations have been. I sometimes think my professor, John Horgan, was right, when he said that if we just didn't do anything beyond basic security checks, there would be a negligible effect on the rate of terrorist attacks. Because, as we can see, the state creates its own terrorist scares where none exist, driving up the perception of terrorism. Whereas in fact, as we can see, terrorist attacks, at least in stable liberal democracies, are really very rare and far and few between.

Of course, we in the UK are doing a swell job of following the US lead. Here, of course, the stakes are much higher though, as whoever can fuck up the least is going to get a nice chunk of cash as part of their permanent budget. Scaring the public is, of course, a secondary consideration.