Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Thirteen

WND ^ | 7-11-04 | N/A

[JustPiper]

Picture credit: TheCabal

"I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat"

LINK TO THREAD TWELVE

LUCKY THREAD NUMBER:

HOMELAND INSECURITY

Backup electrical systems failed to kick in

A mysterious power failure at Logan Airport that delayed dozens of flights for more than five hours has still not been explained – six days later.

Airport officials insist airline security was not compromised during the blackout Monday at Logan International's Terminal E, but backup electrical systems failed to kick in as they are programmed under such circumstances.

We are the "Stotters" who make ourselves aware of the enemy who wishes to do us harm

Meet It!
Greet It!
Defeat It!

[milkncookies]

I agree with you, but Donna said "The mods and JR know who did it."

Apparently they found out who was doing it after the thread was pulled.

[HipShot]

Yup. Defend first, sort it out later.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Tue, Jul. 13, 2004

Surveillance system lacking at U.S.-Canada border

BY TAMARA AUDI
Knight Ridder Newspapers

DETROIT - (KRT) - It was supposed to be a 24-hour border superhero, a sentry with eyes that never blinked, could see in the blackest night and could zoom in on objects miles away.

Able to detect body heat even on a warm summer day. On constant watch for terrorists, drug runners and illegal immigrants trying to sneak from Canada into Michigan.

But a year after officials expected the system to be up and running, a much-hailed high-tech network of surveillance cameras is still not installed along Michigan's border with Canada and at other locations along the northern border. And now federal investigators want to know why - and whether millions of dollars in taxpayer money has been squandered.

U.S. border officials said Friday that investigators with the Office of the Inspector General for the General Services Administration recently spent a week in Michigan looking into delays and financial questions surrounding the system.

The administration is responsible for purchasing the cameras. The inspector general investigates criminal misconduct and audits financial contracts.

The Detroit sector of the U.S. Border Patrol monitors 804 miles of border with Canada. The region was originally slated to get eight cameras, called remote video surveillance, last year. But now it is unclear when the system will arrive.

Some agents said they had been told the cameras would be operating by this summer. Then they heard that plan was recently delayed.

"It's not going along as quickly as we hoped," said Dan Heibert, assistant chief patrol agent for the Detroit sector.

He said investigators from Washington interviewed Michigan border agents, but the probe "doesn't involve any wrongdoing on the part of the Border Patrol."

The surveillance contract will come under further scrutiny as part of a rare national review being conducted by the internal auditing arm of the General Services Administration. The review was launched after auditors discovered considerable financial waste and bogus contracts after looking into a fraction of the nation's technology and defense contracts, said Eugene Waszily, assistant inspector general for auditing for the administration.

"Because of the seriousness of the deficiencies" in the sample audit, he said, "the agency requested that we review all of them."

The General Services Administration purchases about $5 billion annually in technology-related service and products for border agencies and the military, according to auditors.

A Connecticut-based company called International Microwave Corp. was awarded a $200-million government contract in 2002 as the only prime contractor to install the camera system along the northern border.

Shortly after the award, IMC was acquired by L-3 Communications Inc., a global company based in New York that deals in defense communications and surveillance systems.

Company officials could not be reached late Friday.

Robert Bonner, commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told a congressional panel in October that 238 remote video surveillance sites were completed and operating along the United States' northern and southern borders. Sixty-eight were installed on the northern border, he said, and an additional 224 installations are proceeding nationwide.

The cameras act as the eyes and ears of agents in remote parts of the northern and southern borders where no one is typically watching.

Border agents have said the cameras are an important tool for an agency that is strapped for manpower and is supposed to be guarding against terrorists, drug runners and human smuggling.

"The RVS system significantly enhances the Border Patrol's ability to detect, identify and respond to border intrusions, and it has a deterrent value as well," Bonner said in testimony last month before a U.S. House subcommittee on trade.

Detroit border officials chose eight sites for the cameras a year ago, Heibert said. Border agents said they are eager to get the cameras up and running.

Though there have been reported reliability problems with the system, in border cities like Blaine, Wash., where 32 cameras are installed, drug seizures and arrests of illegal immigrants have increased, according to government records.

Some border agents said they are not surprised by the wait.

"It boils down to, they get to us when they get to us," Heibert said.

Border Patrol sectors in Havre, Mont., and Grand Forks, N.D., have received some cameras, but are waiting for more. The sectors together are responsible for more than 1,300 miles of Canadian border.

Meanwhile, in a budget hearing June 17 before a U.S. Senate committee on science and transportation, Homeland Security Department Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson presented 2005 budget requests for border security. Among them: $64 million for more cameras along the borders.

© 2004, Detroit Free Press.

[ExSoldier]

I guess she wasn't a "Dolly Parton" clone, huh?

[all4one]

Londonderry Tractor-Trailer Crash Spills Dynamite (New Hampshire - 7/12/04)

POSTED: 10:39 am EDT July 13, 2004 LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- Police are investigating how a tractor-trailer loaded with 40,000 pounds of explosives flipped over in Londonderry Monday.

Lt. Scott Saunders said the 18-wheeler was headed from Utah to Green Mountain Explosives in Auburn, N.H., when it turned over. Saunders said he believes the driver got onto the soft shoulder of the road and couldn't recover. The top of the trailer split open, and a few dozen cylinders of explosives went onto the road. Police alerted Green Mountain Explosives, and employees arrived to pick up the pieces.

The explosives are used by excavation crews and need blasting caps to be set off. Police said they did not pose an immediate danger. Link to Article

[milkncookies]

Almost sounds like a another pork barrel project.

[jerseygirl]

glad to be back!

In the meantime, have you all read this post and what do you make of it?

To: Sender; All
REPOSTED
In the last month or so I have been hearing here in Southeast Asia that ~

"...something big is going to happen that will cancel the elections in the United States..."

What I found even more interesting is that this time around it is not solely a 'militant muslim' operation that has been being developed. The individuals who financed and worked on the project here were 3 Chinese, 2 Indonesians, 1 Arab and a Dutch passport holder who is now dead. - They met regularly at two hotels I am aware of - one in Medan and the other in Jakarta.

Three of the nukes moved through Southeast Asia over a year ago and were ultimately destined for the United States (origin was Vladivastok). They had a total of 6 Russians come in and 2 stayed on and did some "work" on the parts (I am not sure exactly what they were doing) - Their liason is an individual in the Embassy of the Russian Federation who happens to have a Filipina girl he sleeps with that also sleeps with someone I know.


22 posted on 07/13/2004 9:43:16 AM PDT by expatguy (Fallujah Delenda Est!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Guys, here is a left-wing conspiracy!

***
7/13/04

Mechanical Problem Found on Air Force One

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - A left-wing conspiracy? On Monday, a flap on the wing of Air Force One left its track, forcing President Bush to return from Oak Ridge, Tenn., in a smaller presidential plane, a Boeing 757 rather than the 747 he arrived in.

Just over a week earlier, on the Fourth of July, a problem with an engine starter valve on the wing of his plane - this time a 757 - delayed Bush's departure from Hagerstown, Md. Another plane from the presidential fleet was flown in from Andrews Air Force Base to take him on to West Virginia.

Two different planes. Two different wings. Both times they were left wings.

The plane troubles for the Republican president apparently were just a coincidence. And the White House said neither malfunction endangered Bush.

"One of the flaps on the wing was off its track and they thought it was best to have a 757 fly down from Andrews," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Monday.

The replacement plane arrived moments before Bush's motorcade rolled onto the tarmac at McGhee-Air National Guard Base near Oak Ridge. The crew hustled to transfer lunch - pita bread filled with chicken salad - onto the substitute aircraft as the hobbled larger Air Force One taxied down the runway to be repaired.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/nation/9136789.htm

[all4one]

Amazing how they keep finding ways to kill themselves and others.

I wonder if the suicide bomber is a woman....does she also get 72 virgins. Considering that woman are so dispensible in the Islamic world...this is a win-win situation for them.

[HipShot]

I'm glad that it's innocuous. One thing that concerns me is that suicide jockeys advertise their loads.

[SwankyC]

Heard on KFI this morning that Bill Handel will be interviewing Paul Williams tomorrow morning. If someone missed his name, Paul is the one that believes Al Q has over 20 nukes already in the US. He usually does interviews after 7am.

[Cindy]

This is NO SURPRISE at all.

[HipShot]

That's simple to fix. Remove the left wings and put on another right wing.

[jerseygirl]

JUST A THOUGHT:

COULD THE THREE NUKES DISCUSSED IN EXPAT'S POST BELOW:
To: Sender; All
REPOSTED
In the last month or so I have been hearing here in Southeast Asia that ~

"...something big is going to happen that will cancel the elections in the United States..."

What I found even more interesting is that this time around it is not solely a 'militant muslim' operation that has been being developed. The individuals who financed and worked on the project here were 3 Chinese, 2 Indonesians, 1 Arab and a Dutch passport holder who is now dead. - They met regularly at two hotels I am aware of - one in Medan and the other in Jakarta.

Three of the nukes moved through Southeast Asia over a year ago and were ultimately destined for the United States (origin was Vladivastok). They had a total of 6 Russians come in and 2 stayed on and did some "work" on the parts (I am not sure exactly what they were doing) - Their liason is an individual in the Embassy of the Russian Federation who happens to have a Filipina girl he sleeps with that also sleeps with someone I know.

BE THE NUKES (LARGER ONES) which are represented by the three stars on the broken map of the US???

Then- the absense of Various east coast cities, Houston, Seattle and the like- might be accounted for by the stolen backpacks and other explosive devices...


Just a paranoid thought

[Cindy]

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS AN EXACT QUOTE:
===
===

http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2004/071304_patriot_report_remarks.htm

Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft
Report from the Field: The USA PATRIOT Act at Work
July 13, 2004


In Afghanistan, our Special Operations Forces have deployed state-of-the-art weaponry and cutting edge tactics to hunt al Qaeda and destroy their safe haven.


Here at home, our domestic warriors - federal, state and local law enforcement - have used the new legal tools and technology in the Patriot Act to hunt down al Qaeda, destroy their safe haven, and save American lives.


Let me be clear about something before I move on: Congress intended that the Patriot Act be used to save lives from terrorist attacks. In fact, there are a number of provisions that are only to be used to prevent terrorism or foreign spying.


But other tools in the Patriot Act were developed to combat serious crime across the board, and we have used those general tools both in terrorism cases as well as in other cases, such as to catch predatory child molesters and pornographers.


We are a nation at war. That is a fact. Al Qaeda wants to hit us and hit us hard. We have to use every legal weapon available to protect the American people from terrorist attacks.


Like the smart bombs, laser-guided missiles and predator drones employed by our armed forces to hunt and kill al Qaeda in Afghanistan, the Patriot Act is just as vital to targeting the terrorists who would kill our people and destroy our freedom here at home.


I am pleased today to have met with these distinguished members of Congress and to have presented to them a report on how the Patriot Act has been our laser-guided weapon to prevent terrorist attacks. I have also been pleased to discuss how we have used the Patriot Act to save lives from violent criminals who prey on the vulnerable.


This report is an unprecedented compilation of dozens of real life cases from across the country in which the FBI and other law enforcement officials have used the tools of the Patriot Act to protect America's families and communities, and even to save lives.


In fact, this report provides a mountain of evidence that the Patriot Act has saved lives.


By tearing down the wall between law enforcement and the intelligence community, we have been able to share information in a way that was virtually impossible before the Patriot Act.


The removal of "The Wall" and the dramatic increase in information sharing allowed by the Patriot Act has enabled us to hunt down and dismantle terror cells in Portland, Oregon; Lackawanna, New York; and Northern Virginia.


The information-sharing and coordination made possible by section 218 assisted the prosecution in San Diego of several persons involved in an al Qaeda drugs-for-weapons plot, which culminated in several guilty pleas. They admitted that they conspired to receive, as partial payment for heroin and hashish, four "Stinger" anti-aircraft missiles that they then intended to sell to the Taliban, an organization they knew at the time to be affiliated with al Qaeda.


To allow section 218 and the other provisions of the Act to sunset at the end of next year would be paramount to unilateral disarmament against al Qaeda.


To take away the smart bombs, advanced night-vision equipment, and 21st Century communications capabilities from our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines would gut their ability to hunt and destroy al Qaeda terrorists.


To let the Patriot Act's laser-guided tools sunset would be to disarm the FBI and rollback our ability to target terrorists here at home, and would return us to the vulnerabilities we faced before September 11, 2001.


The Patriot Act is al Qaeda's worst nightmare when it comes to disrupting and disabling their operations here in America. Our law enforcement and intelligence teams have never before been so integrated and coordinated, and technologically-equipped, to target the 21st Century threat of global terror.


The Patriot Act has also allowed us to go after violent criminals who would harm the innocent.


In Kentucky, law enforcement used section 210 of the Patriot Act to investigate an individual linked to several sexual assaults of children at public libraries and local parks. Just before the individual in question became the primary suspect in the case, he attempted to rape and abduct a six-year-old girl at a playground in Boone County, Kentucky.


Investigators used section 210 to obtain key information from an Internet service provider. Within 20 minutes of receipt of the subpoena, the investigators obtained the information that allowed them to get a search warrant of the suspect's residence. Without that information, it is unlikely that investigators could have obtained a search warrant for the house.


Evidence located in the house proved essential in the arrest of the suspect and his wife within 24 hours. The couple was charged and prosecuted for 100-counts of receipt and possession of child pornography.


The prosecution also led to information tying the couple to multiple sexual assaults in Kentucky and Virginia. The defendants were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of approximately 30 years and 90 years.


In another example, Section 212 was instrumental in quickly rescuing a 13-year-old girl from Western Pennsylvania who had been lured from her home and was being held captive in Virginia by a 38-year-old man she had met online.


An anonymous caller contacted the FBI and stated that he had chatted online recently with an individual claiming to have taken a girl from Pittsburgh.


Based on information provided by that caller, FBI agents in Pittsburgh quickly requested information from an Internet service provider pursuant to section 212.


With the information provided in response to that request, agents were able to locate the kidnapper. They immediately went to his residence in Herndon, Virginia, and rescued the child victim. The suspect subsequently was arrested, pleaded guilty to charges of travel with intent to engage in sexual activity with a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor, and was sentenced to over 19 years in prison.


There are those who have criticized us for using the Patriot Act aggressively both in our war with al Qaeda and to protect the innocent from criminal predators.


This report will help reinforce what the majority of Americans already know: When it comes to saving lives and protecting freedom, we must use the Patriot Act and every legal means available to us.


I thank Chairman Sensenbrenner and the Members of Congress for taking the time to meet with me today. I thank them for their continued support as we work together to protect the lives and liberties of the American people.


###

[Judith Anne]

Do you mean THIS thread was pulled? A poster here was spamming?

I figured out why I can't ever finish reading one of these threads, it's that I get such anxiety!

I commend everyone who continues to contribute. I swear, this makes me nervous.

[drymans wife]

Thanks for pulling us back up. I sure wish we
could know more info when this is happening.

[Oorang]

I'm not sure Cal. Sorry I didn't get back to you last night. Let me scan that thread and get back to you in awhile. Have to go outside and get some work done, be back in a bit.

[texasbluebell]

Going through past posts last night, I saw you were the one who originally put up the list, didn't ping you before because I didn't know you did it.

Thanks for that list. Maybe it can give us a clue somehow. Another piece of the puzzle.

[milkncookies]

Iraqi police arrest over 525 in Baghdad, fate of Filipino hostage unknown