FBI: REWARDING FAILURE

Undisputedly, the FBI needs major reorganization and updated ground-rules on initiating investigations. However, in many aspects, some reports are starting to sound like déjà vu all over again.

Growing up in a large Polish-Russian neighborhood back in the 1950s, many residents were relatively new arrivals or first generation Americans. They were here because they had fled their homeland from the communists and/or the Nazis. Generally speaking, they were a hard working and happy lot and, even with the economic problems of the time, life was quite pleasant for us back then.

The FBI, however, acted like we were a bunch of commies, most hatching schemes in the background to subvert the United States. Agents regularly hassled people in my old neighborhood. Worse, it was common for them to “break-and-enter” businesses and dwellings so as to look around and take whatever they wanted.

Somewhere in the 1970s, that was all changed and Congress reigned in those cowboy-agents and made them a bit more law-abiding.

So, anyway, y’all are going to have to excuse me if I take a little exception to what the Justice Department is proposing again.

Lately, Congress is criticizing the FBI for not responding to pre-September 11 terrorist warnings. I somewhat agree. But, there’s a lot more to this than just that.

Does the name Eric Holder come to mind? As columnist William Safire pointed out in his May 29 article: “Mueller -- Eric Holder's gift to Justice, held over by an entranced Ashcroft and determined to protect his benefactor from embarrassment -- insists that even an unencumbered investigation would not have stopped 9/11.”

Mueller, of course, is wrong. Had the Justice Department ridded the country of illegal aliens, and those overstaying their visas, as is their duty under the law, 9/11 probably would not have happened. Had Justice cracked down on all these so called “students” here on student visas, 9/11 probably would not have happened. If the Justice Department would just stop allowing people with known terrorist ties to enter the country, that would help a whole lot.

Instead, the Attorney General calls for a major overhaul designed to change the bureau from one of investigating crimes already committed to a proactive agency intent on preventing crime. That sounds good on face value. However, it is also a major slap in the face of liberty. Do we really want police investigating crimes that have not happened? Are they hiring psychic police now?

Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller outlined a reorganization plan listing 10 priorities, including a commitment to "protect the United States from terrorist attack." These changes will include changes in investigative techniques. Among other things, the plan calls for expanding the FBI's counterterrorism task force with 14 new task-force units and establishing "flying squads" to coordinate investigations. In addition, the FBI intends to hire 900 new agents.

“We must refocus our mission and our priorities, and new technologies must be put in place to support new and different operational practices,” Mueller told Senators a few days ago. “We must improve how we hire, manage and train our work force, collaborate with others and manage, analyze, share and protect our information.”

Mueller promises to do more than just “move names around on organization charts.” To free up agents, the FBI's plans to delegate responsibilities for some crimes to state and local police -- who are already complaining about that.

By importing a bunch of analysts from the CIA, Mueller proposes building a "supersquad" that would centralize the global war against terrorists and, evidently, coordinate CIA and FBI services better.

Anyway, instead of phoning home for permission, any field office could begin counterterrorism inquiries themselves. And, these investigations could last from 180 days to one year before being scrutinized by senior officials. That, in itself, is a bad move. Any cowboy with a badge could go off on a half-cocked snooping spree on the general public with no supervision.

Not everything mentioned was troublesome, though. Previously, agents were (so they said) not able to “browse” the Internet looking for interesting information that could be helpful in an investigation.

That was stupid! It should be changed. All police have the right to view any and all public information. One interesting case in point is the complied information on the Islamic Terror web page.(1)

Another problem is, no matter how you cut it, giving the FBI new powers seems a lot like rewarding failure. But, unfortunately, that is exactly how the federal government operates.

Worse, it was common for them to “break-and-enter” businesses and dwellings so as to look around and take whatever they wanted.

Well, forest, be reasonable with the FBI. If they and the INS don't bother to investigate and arrest perpetrators of Federal crimes like overstaying visas, using false documents, illegal immigration, or if they don't even bother to detain or deport illegal aliens like this Ingmar chap who likes to mug white girls in DC's Rock Creek Park, they need something to occupy their highly paid time ... like being pro-active.

Why hell, we could even have a Federal Corps of Regional Agents Provocateurs (F-CRAPs) who could foment more sting operations like the OKC Tower or the 1998 WTC Bomb. Or they might stake out church compounds in Waco, surveille the folks at Ruby Ridge, and snipe the odd alleged perpetrator from time to time. After they start the criminal act, they of course can arrest someone ... well practically anyone, as a matter of fact.

Here's your bottom line. Until a lot of these cowboy agents get their heads double-tapped by citizens, their extra-legal powers will increase until we here in America have our own Secret Police, like the Czar, oh whose payroll Joe Stalin was. We can have our own CHEKA, or KGB; our very own Gestapo.

Our Federal Police are inept at enforcing existing laws. What is worse, they are out of control. I and a group of concerned citizens in my county (population 31,000)had to go to court to FORCE our county sheriff to arrest those wanted on outstanding warrants. While these county mounties were out writing tickets and looking for loose cash from drug smugglers, 43 violent criminals were loose and on warrants in the county! Same thing has to happen on the Federal level.

FBI, BATF, DEA, INS= non performers. We need to get congress to start leaning on these clymers to do their jobs and interact with one another to get them done right.

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