Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread 5

CNN ^ | March 12, 2004

[thecabal]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- This week's deadly train bombings in Spain will not lead to a rise in the U.S. color-coded terror threat alert system, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Friday.

"Based on the current intelligence, we have no specific indicators that terrorist groups are considering such an attack in the U.S. in the near term," said department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse.

[JustPiper]

Post your sign and Counter Protest ideas here: March 20th Nationwide FReep of Leftists
3/16/04 | Trteamer

Posted on 03/16/2004 5:40:35 PM CST by Trteamer

The lefties are marching in over 200 cities on Saturday and many FReepers are coming out of the woodwork to counter protest them. Lets share ideas for signs and FReeping suggestions.........

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1099175/posts

[JustPiper]

{{Please keep us updated knak!}}

Air Force Plane Crashes in Nevada Desert, Killing Pilot and Four Contractors on Board
ap ^ | 3/16/04

Posted on 03/16/2004 10:15:08 PM CST by knak

LAS VEGAS (AP) - An Air Force plane crashed in the desert Tuesday morning, killing all five people on board, military officials said.

The Beechcraft KA 1900 went down about in an unpopulated area, about 125 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base. Four contractors and the Air Force civilian pilot were killed, Staff Sgt. Shane Sharp said.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1099345/posts

[Calpernia]

Yes, I saw you posted that. I didn't start backwards before I swam upstream. Sorry for the double post.

[JustPiper]

ETA and Al-Qaeda Are in Effect Political Allies
Arab News ^ | Amir Taheri

Posted on 03/16/2004 10:02:47 PM CST by Eurotwit

PARIS, 17 March 2004 — It may take weeks before the identity of those responsible for the March 11 tragedy in Madrid is established. But one thing is already certain: Europe has not yet taken the full measure of the terrorist threat to its way of life, indeed its existence as a zone of peace and prosperity in an unstable world.

Moments after the attacks, the Spanish Cabinet, with the notable exception of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, was mobilized to pin the blame on ETA, the Basque terrorist organization that has killed hundreds of people in its 30-year campaign for a breakaway state in northwest Spain. Because the attacks came just two days before a general election, the assumption was that Aznar’s People’s Party would benefit from the voters’ anti-ETA reflex.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1099342/posts

[JustPiper]

Saudi Columnist: ...Islamism...Should Be Declared the Public Enemy of Humanity'
MEMRI ^ | 17 March, 2004 | Muhammad Al-Rasheed via MEMRI

Posted on 03/16/2004 9:51:02 PM CST by Eurotwit

Saudi Columnist: 'The Creed that Sanctions Blowing Up Worshippers in Mosques ... Should Be Declared the Public Enemy of Humanity'

Numerous articles in the Arab press have criticized the U.S. and world Zionism for every misfortune that befalls the Middle East. The following article, written in the Saudi English-language Arab News by columnist Muhammad Al-Rasheed, criticized Arabs for blaming the U.S. for the terror attacks in Karbala and Baghdad. The following is the article : [1]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1099336/posts

[Calpernia]

BUMP!!!!!!!

[Calpernia]

Clinton Charm? Where? I never saw charm!

How are you Meg!

[JustPiper]

A Must Read!
Thanks to TailgunnerJoe!

Terror red in tooth and claw

GERARD DE GROOT

STALIN AND HIS HANGMEN
Donald Rayfield
Viking, £20

IN STALIN’S Russia, killing people was hard work. Executing enemies of the state was a process not unlike assembly-line labour. Miserable souls queued to be murdered; on reaching the front of the line they were processed, stripped bare, shot, then dragged away to mass graves. Afterwards, their possessions were plundered. Killers grew physically exhausted feeding the torrent of blood. In brief moments of leisure, a surprising number turned to verse. "There is no greater joy, no better music," wrote the poet-executioner Aleksandr Eiduk, "than the crunch of broken lives and bones."

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/thereview.cfm?id=291082004

[TexKat]

9/11 Panel Calls Bush, Clinton Officials

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The federal panel reviewing the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks disclosed its witness list Tuesday for its two-day hearing on counterterrorism next week, with scheduled testimony from top officials from the Bush and Clinton administrations.

But the list omits one invited official: national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. She has repeatedly declined on the advice of the White House, citing separation of power concerns involving its staff testifying before a legislative body.

Commission officials, who haven't ruled out a possible subpoena, are still hoping she'll reconsider.

"We would certainly welcome her to appear if the White House changes its thinking," commission spokesman Al Felzenberg said.

Also Tuesday, President Bush signed legislation giving the commission more time to finish its work. The panel was to wrap up May 27, but members asked for a two-month extension, citing repeated delays because of disputes with the administration over access to witnesses and documents.

The legislation Bush signed without fanfare or comment extends the commission's deadline for a final report to July 26. It will have until Aug. 26 to wind down business by declassifying information for public release. With the White House concerned about the political ramifications of the report going out that much closer to the November election, Bush initially opposed an extension but reversed course last month.

Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have agreed only to private, separate meetings with the commission's chairman and vice chairman, though the panel has said it would like more access.

The bipartisan panel released the schedule for its eighth hearing on March 23-24. Its Republican chairman, former New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean, said the hearing was critical in determining whether the attacks could have been prevented.

"A central aspect of our commission's mission is counterterrorism policy: what options senior officials considered before September 11, 2001, and what choices they made," Kean said. "This is clearly one of the most important hearings the commission will hold."

On the witness list are Cabinet officials from the Bush and Clinton administrations who will be testifying in detail and under oath on the attacks. They include Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as their counterparts in the Clinton administration, William Cohen and Madeleine Albright.

Also testifying will be CIA Director George Tenet, Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger, and Richard A. Clarke, former head of the National Security Council.

The commission also plans to release four preliminary reports on its investigations focusing on diplomacy, the military, intelligence and national policy coordination, with special emphasis on the time period from the August 1998 embassy bombings to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The hearing comes as the panel turns it attention to the accountability of top government officials. In previous hearings, the commission has highlighted government missteps before the 2001 attacks. Up to now, however, the panel has not assigned blame beyond midlevel officials in federal agencies.

Congress established the Sept. 11 panel, officially the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, to study the nation's preparedness for and response to the attacks and to recommend safeguards against similar disasters.

___

On the Net:

Sept. 11 panel: http://www.9-11commission.gov

[nw_arizona_granny]

OK, I will admit it, he is beautiful.

But, I would prefer to have him a greenhouse, eating his own
bugs.

Did You get the the Freep mail in the past hour? new one.

[Calpernia]

Please issue a keyboard alert the next time you make a comment like that!

^-^

[Calpernia]

Going to freep mail now.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I wonder if this has any connectiong to the plane that crashed at Miramar a week ago?

I know "get the tin foil".

It would have been about the same size, as I recall.

[liberallyconservative]

Time for another summary attempt, this one focusing on international issues:

1) The world's focus is on Spain, following the terrorist bombings which tore through Madrid rail stations last week, killing 201 and injuring over 1500.

Initial reports blamed ETA, the Basque separatist group, but further investigation found links to Al Qaeda, who claimed responsibility. The distinct possibility still exists that AQ planned the attacks but may have used ETA connections to carry them out.

This possibility needs to be noted: the number of terrorist cells throughout the world who admire AQ is vast, and a good number of them would be happy to carry out an operation in conjunction with AQ, with AQ providing the financing, planning and logistical support, and the local terrorists providing knowledge, aid and support.

2) Arrests made in the Madrid bombings have led to a virtual spider's web of terrorist connections. Several of the arrested men were from Morocco and have ties to others who carried out the bombings in Morocco last year, and who helped plan the 9/11 atacks in the US. Other connections have been made to AQ operatives in London, the Netherlands, and Algeria.

3) Spain's reaction of grief and anger at the terrorists quickly turned into an indictment of their government's support of the US, despite the majority of Spaniards having been opposed to sending troops into Iraq as part of the Coalition forces.

4) This majority spoke on Sunday, as Spanish elections were held just 3 days after the terrorist bombings. Conservative Prime Minister Aznar's party was defeated by the Socialist Party candidate Zapatero.

5) Zapatero has already promised to withdraw Spanish forces from Iraq; although the 1300 troops are a relatively small number in comparison to the total deployment of Coalition forces, the message sent to AQ and other terrorist groups is not good.

6) Basically, the winner in all this was AQ, as Spain just proved to them that by using terrorism they can affect political outcomes by forcing people to accede to their wishes.

7) Honduras, following the lead of Spain, has announced that they will withdraw their troops from Iraq as well.

8) In a show of solidarity with the US - Poland, Italy and Australia have said that they intend to keep their forces in Iraq as part of the Coalition. This is of special note since Italian forces were specifically targeted in Nasiriyah in recent weeks.

9) Security has been ramped up in countries who support the war on terror in Iraq, specifically in England and Australia. Other countries have voiced fear that they may be targeted as well for their involvement in Iraq.

10) Attacks in Iraq have taken a slightly different turn in recent weeks. Several civilians have been killed, with a group of 3 having been murdered by Iraqis dressed as police at a checkpoint. It is still under investigation whether the killers were posing as policemen, or whether the ranks of the Iraqi police have been infiltrated.

11) Other hotbeds around the world are being watched closely. Unrest in Georgia may lead to civil war; Russia remains a sleeping giant that must be watched. Evidence is being uncovered almost daily that the US (and much of the rest of the world) may have been lulled into thinking that the end of the Cold War was due to the splintering of Russia as we knew it. This sleeping giant is beginning to awaken from their long winter's nap, and they look pretty grumpy. We must remain vigilant when it comes to Russia; their sharing of secrets and technology with our other enemies (not to mention the vast number of suitcase nukes that remain unaccounted for) makes them a formidible adversary.

12) Another communist country that many felt was no longer a threat is Cuba. This island nation, just 90 miles off our coast, has fallen into disarray in recent years, but Castro still spouts communist rhetoric, and some countries seem more than happy to listen. Venezuala's President Chavez is aligning his political idealogy after his good friend Fidel, as is Brazilian President da Silva. Of special note is that only 7 of 33 Carribean, Central and South American countries supported US military action in Iraq. The US must be vigilant in regards to the big evil a-brewin' to our south.

13) Iran, angry over recent votes in the EU, has banned UN weapons inspectors indefinitely.

14) Joint US/Pakistani operations in the region along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border has led to the killing of several key Taliban/AQ figures. The push is on to locate OBL and his henchmen.

15) The situation in the Far East is a little volatile now as well. South Korea impeached their Prime Minister, and as a result, North Korea did not show up for talks, saying the situation was too unstable.

16) China has decided to take part in military training manoevres (some in conjunction with the French!) just as Taiwan is about to hold presidential elections. China has vowed to use force if Taiwan attempts to declare independence.

Please feel free to add to/correct this summary...

[TexKat]

Australia steps up war on terror with massive funding boost

SYDNEY, (AFP) - Australia announced a 400-million-dollar (300 million US) funding increase for its intelligence agencies to boost its war on international terrorism.

Prime Minister John Howard said the increase, in the May budget, would take total expenditure on national security to about three billion dollars since the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.

The funding increase was planned before the attack which killed more than 200 people in Madrid last week, he said.

"That decision was taken before the attack in Madrid, but it is certainly timely," Howard told an Adelaide radio station.

"It will bring to about 3.0 billion dollars ... the additional money that has been made available for security-related issues since the attacks on the United States in September, 2001."

The extra funds will go to the Australia Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Federal Police, which played a key role in the hunt for those responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings which claimed 202 lives.

Howard's announcement came as Australia continued to press the international community not to weaken its resolve to fight terrorism or withdraw troops from Iraq.

Spain's prime minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has vowed to withdraw the country's 1,300 troops from Iraq.

"We will never adjust our foreign policy because of threats," Howard said. "If you give in to threats and intimidation, you have surrendered the sovereignty of our great country."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer underscored the message, saying that to withdraw troops from Iraq would hand victory to the Al-Qaeda terror network, which has purportedly claimed responsibility for the Madrid bombings.

"This is a war that is still going on, we have to have the courage to fight," Downer told commercial radio here in a message aimed at Spain.

"We must not walk away and think that, through pursuing a policy of appeasement and weakness, somehow we are going to win that war or make ourselves immune from attack."

[MamaDearest]

Bush needs to get out there and let people know more about the terrorists that are trying to kill us..

His speeches thus far are vague and relate to the general message that terrorists are out there who want to kill Americans. You're right Knak, President Bush needs to inform Americans about the terrorists among us and the threat they pose to each and every one of us and how important it is for each of us to be observant and constantly thinking of our own personal safety.

It's not President Bush's fault that the illegal alien problem started in this country, but he could get a handle on it and help secure our homeland in this time when so much hinges of our basic security here and build himself a legacy like Bill Clinton could only dream of. All he'd have to do is announce that we are going to strictly enforce all immigration policies and deport all illegal aliens, effective immediately. It would be difficult at first, but if we were to deport potential criminals and terrorists, it would be so beneficial to our own safety. Jobs could be created to implement enforcement of laws that are presently being ignored. I can dream can't I?

[MamaDearest]

Right, and The Globe is a premier publication, right??????? Lets see now, space aliens abduct John Kerry ..... isn't that more typical of one of their articles?

[MEG33]

Gee,Cal,BC had people that adored him...He was the "bad boy" they let get away with anything.It drove me mad,of course!
Kerry has no sense of humor,no charisma.His delivery is boring and he even thinks like Clark ,implying conspiracies.

I'm fine,Cal.How are you?

[mfccinsd]

That Miramar crash sure dropped off the radar quickly here...they talked about it briefly yesterday b/c of services or something somehow...usually that kind of thing, especially if it happens here in San Diego or involves military from here, stays on the news for ages.......but it's been oddly quiet...and I've actually been home and seeing the news more often than I typically do...Their biggest comment about it yesterday was the fog, which is odd b/c it really wasn't all that foggy at that point that evening, which they even had started out pointing out. Who knows...

[MamaDearest]

You're right about that Cal. I know in one city a meter reader was attacked by a dog and severely mauled. The following year the city outsourced the meter readers for that particular utility and now use a local company to do the meter reading. The effect is still the same: lost jobs for the company outsourced. New lower paying and/or no benefits jobs for the company picking up the meter reading jobs. Same basic strategy in this case, but keeping it in the USA.