World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #4.

National Review Online ^ | August 02, 2006 | Walid Phares on the Mideast

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

Tehran & Damascus Move to Lebanon Lebanon-born Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Author of the recent book Future Jihad, he was also one of the architects of 2004’s United Nations resolution 1559, which called for the disarming of Hezbollah. NRO editor Kathryn Lopez recently talked to Phares about what’s going on in the Mideast, what happened to the Cedar Revolution, and this war we’re all in.

Kathryn Jean Lopez: What is “Future Jihad”? Are we seeing it in the Mideast now?

Walid Phares: “Future Jihad,” which has already begun, refers to a new and potent form of Islamic terrorism, characterized by a Khumeinist-Baathist axis. These are the two trees of jihadism, so to speak — the Salafism and Wahabism embodied in al Qaeda and the sort of jihadism led by Iran and also including Syria, Hezbollah, and their allies in Lebanon.

The alliance has not been in entire agreement as to strategy. The al Qaeda branch began its “Future Jihad” in the 1990s; its efforts culminated on 9/11 and have continued explosively since then. The international “Salafists” aimed at the U.S. in the past decade in order to strengthen their jihads on various battlefields (Chechnya, India, Sudan, Algeria, Indonesia, Palestine, etc.). “Weaken the resolve of America,” their ideologues said, “and the jihadists would overwhelm all the regional battlefields.”

As I argue in Future Jihad, bin Laden and his colleagues miscalculated on the timing of the massive attack against the U.S. in 2001. While they wounded America, they didn’t kill its will to fight (as was the case, for instance, in the Madrid 3/11 attacks). I have heard many jihadi cadres online, and have seen al Jazeera commentators on television, offering hints of criticism about the timing. They were blaming al Qaeda for shooting its imagined “silver bullet” before insuring a strategic follow up. But bin Laden and Zawahiri believe 9/11 served them well, and has put a global mobilization into motion. Perhaps it has, but the U.S. counter strategy in the Middle East, chaotic as the region currently appears, has unleashed counter jihadi forces. The jury is still out as to the time factor: when these forces will begin to weaken the jihadists depends on our perseverance and the public understanding of the whole conflict.

The other “tree” of jihadism, with its roots in Iran, withheld fire after 9/11. They were content to watch the Salafists fight it out with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention within the West, as terror cells were hunted down. Ahmedinejad, Assad, and Nasrallah were analyzing how far the US would go, and how far the Sunnis and Salafis would go as well.

The fall of the Taliban and of the Baath in Iraq, however, changed Iran and Syria’s patient plans. The political changes in the neighborhood, regardless of their immediate instability, were strongly felt in Tehran and Damascus (but unfortunately not in the U.S., judging from the political debate here), and pushed the Khumeinists and the Syrian Baathists to enter the dance, but carefully. Assad opened his borders to the jihadists in an attempt to crumble the U.S. role in Iraq, while Iran articulated al Sadr’s ideology for Iraq’s Shiia majority.

A U.S.-led response came swiftly in 2004 with the voting of UNSCR 1559, smashing Syria’s role in Lebanon and forcing Assad to withdraw his troops by April 2005. In response, the “axis” prepared for a counter attack on the Lebanese battlefield by assassinating a number of the Cedar Revolution leaders, including MP Jebran Tueni. In short, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah and the kidnappings of soldiers were the tip of an offensive aimed at drawing attention away from Iran’s nuclear weapons programs and Syria’s assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. Hezbollah was awaiting its moment for revenge against the Cedar Revolution too.

What we see now is 1) a Syro-Iranian sponsored offensive aimed at all democracies in the region and fought in Lebanon; 2) Israel’s counter offensive (which it seems to have prepared earlier); and 3) an attempt by Hezbollah to take over or crumble the Lebanese government.

Lopez: So…did the Cedar Revolution fail?

Phares: Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Cedar Revolution was failed. The masses in Lebanon responded courageously in March 2005 by putting 1.5 million people on the streets of Beirut. They did it without “no-fly-zones,” expeditionary forces, or any weapons at all, for that matter, and against the power of three regimes, Iran, Syria, and pro-Syrian Lebanon, in addition to Hezbollah terror. The “revolution” was for a time astoundingly successful; since then it has been horribly failed, and first of all by Lebanon’s politicians themselves. One of their leaders, General Michel Aoun, shifted his allegiances to Syria and signed a document with Hezbollah. Other politicians from the “March 14 Movement” then stopped the demonstrations, leaving them with the support of God knows what. They failed in removing the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and brought back a pro-Syrian politician to serve as a speaker of the house, Nabih Berri. Meanwhile, even as they were elected by the faithful Cedar Revolution masses, they engaged in a round table dialogue with Hezbollah, a clear trap set by Hassan Nasrallah: “Let’s talk about the future,” he said — with the implication, of course, that they forget about the Cedar Revolution and the militia’s disarming. While political leaders sat for months, enjoying the photo ops with Hassan Nasrallah, he was preparing his counter offensive, which he unleashed just a few days before the Security Council would discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear programs.

The Lebanese government of Prime Minister Seniora also abandoned the Cedar Revolution. His cabinet neither disarmed Hezbollah nor called on the U.N. to help in implementing UNSCR 1559. This omission is baffling. The government was given so much support by the international community and, more importantly, overwhelming popular support inside Lebanon: 80 percent of the people were hoping the Cedar Revolution-backed government would be the one to resume the liberation of the country. Now Hezbollah has an upper hand and the government is on the defensive.

The U.S. and its allies can be accused of certain shortcomings as well. While the speeches by the U.S. president, congressional leaders from both parties, Tony Blair, and Jacques Chirac were right on target regarding Lebanon, and while the U.S. and its counterparts on the Security Council were diligent in their follow up on the Hariri assassination and on implementing UNSCR 1559, there was no policy or plan to support the popular movement in Lebanon. Incredibly, while billions were spent on the war of ideas in the region, Lebanese NGOs that wanted to resume the struggle of the Cedar Revolution and fighting alone for this purpose were not taken seriously at various levels. Policy planners thought they were dealing with the “Cedar Revolution” when they were meeting Lebanon’s government and Lebanese politicians. The difference between the high level speeches on Lebanon and the laissez-faire approach from lower levels is amazing. Simply put, there was no policy on supporting the Cedar Revolution against the three regimes opposing it and the $400 million received by Hezbollah from Iran.

The Cedar Revolution was basically betrayed by its own politicians and is now essentially without a head. Nevertheless, as long as the international support remains, the Revolution will find its way and will face the dangers. The one and a half million ordinary citizens who braved all the dangers didn’t change their minds about Hezbollah’s terror. The resistance and counter-attack was to be expected. Unfortunately, thus far Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have outmaneuvered the West and are at the throats of the Cedar Revolution. The international community must revise its plans, and, if it is strongly backed by the U.S. and its allies, including France, the situation can be salvaged. The good seeds are still inside the country.

More at link...

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/police/all-3shootsep28,0,5333912.story


From The Morning Call
September 28, 2006
2 Shot While In Car On Easton's South Side, Police Say
Two men were shot about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday while in a vehicle near the Delaware Terrace housing project on Easton's South Side, according to police.

While police went to the scene in the 200 block of E. Lincoln Street to investigate a report of shots being fired, police said they received a second call from the shooting victims.

The victims drove several blocks west from the scene of the shooting to Reynolds Street, where police found them bleeding in a parked car.

According to police, the driver and a passenger were both wounded and taken to area hospitals by ambulance. At least one was taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill.

Police towed away their sport utility vehicle, a white Mercury with a Pennsylvania license plate.

Residents from the neighborhood said the vehicle belonged to people who lived in a house at the corner of Reynolds and Williams streets. They said one of the victims was taken immediately in the ambulance while the second, who appeared to be less seriously injured, was taken away 15 minutes later.

Police said the identities of the victims and more information about the shooting would be released today.

Officers were combing E. Lincoln Street near the Boys and Girls Club of Easton for bullet casings and other evidence. After the vehicle was towed from Reynolds Street, officers left the scene.
Copyright © 2006, The Morning Call

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/police/all-4blowdartsep26,0,7023002.story

From The Morning Call
September 26, 2006
Cat May Have Been Hit By Blow Dart, Police Say
Police are investigating an animal cruelty case after they said someone inserted what appeared to be a silver blow dart into a cat.

Sylvia Popichak, 25, of 1032 Main St., told police the cat was treated by a veterinarian and the object was removed.

According to police:

Popichak said the gray female cat got out the rear door of her home around 10 a.m. Sunday. She said about an hour later, she heard the cat scratching to come back inside. She said the cat appeared to be pierced by a large metal needle.

Police said the item appeared to be a blow dart.

The item was removed and the cat was not seriously injured and didn't appear to be in pain, according to police.
Copyright © 2006, The Morning Call

[nw_arizona_granny]

I think that I put OBL in the same box with JFK, listen to the current story and know that you will never be sure that you have ever heard the truth.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Milford do you have this Russian mosque fire already?

[nw_arizona_granny]

The 7up helps, but the dizzy stays.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Are we suddenly going to be at war with Venezuela, when Iran hits the fan?

[nw_arizona_granny]

Some of that chatter has indicated that Hizbollah has been encouraging some of its sympathizers in the U.S. to join local police forces, the FBI, the armed forces, and other security agencies.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htterr/articles/20060927.aspx

<<<<<<<

And so they did and have brought our intell departments to a standstill...............

[nw_arizona_granny]

What a wonderful way to gain all the American nuclear secrets, form a new group and get so many to join, that even the U.S, is forced to do so and then pay them to take our secrets.

We are fools.

[nw_arizona_granny]

This terrorist tied up traffic for quite awhile in Conn.

http://www.nbc30.com/slideshow/slideshows/9954252/detail.html?qs=;s=1;w=320

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.nbc30.com/news/9954175/detail.html

Student Found Dead In SCSU Dorm

POSTED: 10:05 am EDT September 28, 2006
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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- A 20-year-old student has been found dead in his dorm room at Southern Connecticut State University.

The body was found Wednesday.

A police representative said that authorities do not suspect foul play.

An autopsy is being planned.

[LibertyRocks]

LOLOL Thanks, I needed that. That's one big bird!

[nw_arizona_granny]

TerroristWarning.com Terrorism Headlines 09/28/2006 # 1

National:

[CBS42] TEXAS - Suspicious Package Causes Scare At State Building

"letter with a suspicious-looking substance inside "

http://keyetv.com/topstories/local_story_268151220.html

[KCCI] IOWA - Bomb Goes Off Inside Altoona Woman's Vehicle

http://www.kcci.com/news/9931266/detail.html

[WPXI] PENNSYLVANIA - Police Find Suspicious Remote In Stolen Car

http://www.wpxi.com/news/9927013/detail.html

[WPMT] PENNSYLVANIA - Bomb Scare Shuts Down New Oxford [Briefcase under car, false alarm]

http://fox43.trb.com/news/wpmt-092506-bombscare,0,2944279.story?coll=wpmt-news-3

See also http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_4398104

[AP] CALIFORNIA - Suspicious powder forces quarantine at radio station

"scare came on the same day a suspicious powder was found in the mail at an investment firm in Woodside"

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=5459126&nav=9qrx

See also http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/September/26/local/stories/01local.htm

[KLAS TV] LAS VEGAS - Mystery Shrouds Accidents Involving Cement Trucks

"not ruling out sabotage"

"Two different cement trucks from the same company were involved in separate accidents Monday morning and both happened on the same road, just a few miles apart"

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5456982&nav=menu102_2

[AP] COLORADO - White powder, threatening notes prompt scare at 4 Colorado buildings

http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Sectionfiltered=NATIONAL&ID=564811448350802012

[Rocky Mountain News] COLORADO - Hoaxes put state on alert

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5021656,00.html

[Danville Register-Bee] VIRGINIA - Police arrest man in bomb scare

"charged with making a threat to blow up Food Lion"

http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB/MGArticle/DRB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190824254

[Dow Jones] USA - US Agriculture Still Vulnerable To Terrorist Threat – FBI

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=71210

[WTVC] TENNESSEE - Suspicious Package Left at Bank [What delivery company leaves medical supplies outside a bank?]

http://www.newschannel9.com/engine.pl?stationfiltered=wtvc&id=6659&template=breakout_story1.shtml&dateformat=%25M+%25e,%25Y

[Bluefield Daily Telegraph] VIRGINIA - 3 face federal charges after missing explosives recovered

http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_268215449.html?keyword=topstory

[ClickOnDetroit.com] MICHIGAN - FBI Clears Southfield Charity

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/9935040/detail.html

[Daily Freeman] NEW YORK - Fake bomb found in truck

"fairly elaborate and sophisticated hoax"

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1769&dept_id=72585&newsid=17249809&PAG=461&rfi=9

[Witchita Eagle] KANSAS - Two bomb threats may be related

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/15614191.htm

[San Antonio Express-News] MEXICO - Mexican drug cartels' new scare tactic: beheadings

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/26/MNGJELCP391.DTL

[CNN] USA - Former FBI agent: Clinton never approved a plan to kill bin Laden

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/26/coleman.cnna/

[WLNS] MICHIGAN - Local Bomb Scare Causes Search Spanning 2 Counties

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=5457836

[RGJ] NEVADA - Vandals target power line along river [Stolen copper, damaged power lines]

"50 electric poles have been destroyed"

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060927/NEWS15/609270325/1144

[CNN] COLORADO - High school siege ends; one hostage shot, gunman dead

"gunman had a backpack and told police there was a bomb in it"

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/27/school.shooting/

[NBCSandiego.com] CALIFORNIA - Neighbors Rattled By Series Of Pipe-Bomb Explosions

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/9947528/detail.html

[AP] WISCONSIN - Student arrested for threatening to bomb buildings at UW Oshkosh

http://nbc15.madison.com/news/headlines/4248716.html

[AP] WASHINGTON D.C. - Federal courthouse reopens; no bomb found

http://www.examiner.com/a-313771~Federal_courthouse_reopens__no_bomb_found.html

[First Coast News ] FLORIDA - Bomb Squad Called to FBI Offices [False alarm]

"landscaper saw a small globe with wires coming from it, down in the bushes"

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=65773

[AP] USA - NJ Congressman wants Briefing on FBI Anthrax Probe

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?sectionfiltered=local&id=4600630

[Reuters] NEW YORK - NY plot suspect associated with militants: expert

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060927/us_nm/security_plot_dc;_ylt=A86.I1NBKxtF9x8BphAWIr0F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

[TransitSecurityReport.com] GLOBAL - View the latest edition of TransitSecurityReport.com for transportation terrorism and security news items

http://www.terroristwarning.com/index.php?pageID=1&sp=Transit

International:

[AP] ISRAEL / MEXICO - 'Suspicious' object found near Israeli Embassy in Mexico City

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/26/america/LA_GEN_Mexico_Israel_Embassy.php

[Reuters] ISRAEL / IRAN - Israel seen lifting nuclear veil in Iran stand-off [4 page article]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-09-25T123752Z_01_L19902440_RTRUKOC_0_UK-NUCLEAR-ISRAEL-IRAN.xml&archived=False

[Reuters] ISRAEL - Arab attempt to reveal Israeli nukes thwarted

http://www.jnewswire.com/article/1160

[MENL] RUSSIA / IRAN - Russia offers SAMs to protect nukes

"Russia, pledging to complete the Busheher reactor, has offered to sell a range of surface-to-air missile systems to protect Iran's nuclear facilities"

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2006/september/09_22_1.html

[AFP] AFGHANISTAN - Suicide bomb hits southern Afghanistan town, 18 killed: police

"attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body at a crowded ceremony "

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=143770

[Jerusalem Post] ISRAEL - Car bomb explodes in Tel Aviv; none hurt

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193318434&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Itar-Tass] RUSSIA - 16.5 tonnes of explosives, 2,000 weapons seized in police operation

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10829183&PageNum=0

[Vanguard] AFRICA - Red Alert as Drug Resistant TB Goes Airborne

"pandemic of the new drug resistant strain of tuberculosis which has since become airborne"

http://allafrica.com/stories/200609260509.html

[KUNA] PAKISTAN - Osama is alive and in good health -- Taliban

http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=908487

[AFP] ALGERIA - Al Qaeda ‘recruiter’ arrested

"Algerian authorities have arrested an alleged Islamist, suspected of having ties to the Al Qaeda terrorist network and accused of recruiting fighters for Iraq"

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=109566&versionfiltered=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17

[Xinhua] AFGHANISTAN - Bomb explosion injures 4 in university in E. Afghanistan

"bomb attack wounded three teachers and one student on Tuesday in Khost University"

http://english.people.com.cn/200609/27/eng20060927_306590.html

[Irish Examiner] IRELAND - Three injured in petrol bomb attack on Belfast house

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=12810034&p=yz8yxx8x&n=12810122&x=

[Pakistan News Service] PAKISTAN - Bomb blast claims 3 lives in Swat

http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?155532

[ÈTK] PRAGUE - U.S. Embassy recommends precautions over terrorist threat

http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=211838

[AKI] MIDDLE EAST - Terrorism - Al-Qaeda video threatening Pope imminent [TW Editor - also be on the lookout for a video/audio to prove UBL is alive]

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.344684154&par=

See also http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=awfGUmfeJCRA&refer=germany

[PTI] INDIA - Powerful bomb recovered in Manipur

"more than 20 powerful bombs, planted at different places in Manipur valley by militants targetting security forces, had been recovered and defused in the past some weeks"

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200609281231.htm

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/09/dozens_of_forei.html

Dozens of Foreign Pilots Training Illegally at US Flight Schools
September 25, 2006 1:09 PM

Brian Ross and Eric Longabardi Report:

Dozens of foreign student pilots with questionable visas have been able
to
slip between the cracks and gain entry to American flight schools,
federal
officials tell ABC News.

The FAA says it is conducting an investigation of a number of flight
instructors and schools, including one school which was attended by
9-11
hijackers Mohammed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi.

An internal Homeland Security document obtained by ABC News, says the
post
9-11 program to prevent terrorists from entering US flight schools has
been
marked by "confusion and misinterpretations."

Under the program, no foreign national can receive flight training in
the
United States without approval from the Transportation Security
Administration.

In a July, 2006 memo, the TSA complains the program has been flawed
because
other agencies, including the Department of State, have provided
"conflicting and ambiguous" information about whether applicants had
valid
visas for flight training.

continued...............

[nw_arizona_granny]

I hoped it would bring a smile.

I laughed harder at all the people stopped by him, while he looked in the chrome and shiney paint on their cars.

They love attention, so soon you will find hime their at the same time each day.

Was that where the saying "meals on wheels" came froom?

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2006/09/25/news/denmark.php

<http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2006/09/25/news/denmar
k.php


Danish wake-up call on Islam

By Dan Bilefsky International Herald Tribune
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2006

COPENHAGEN On Sept. 5, the day Danish police arrested nine Muslim
suspects
in connection with a foiled terrorist plot, a slender book warning of
conquest by Islamic fundamentalists in Europe appeared in bookstores
here.

"Islamists and Naivists," by Karen Jespersen and Ralf Pittelkow, has
since
risen to the top of the best-seller list and is causing a sensation in
Denmark - in part because the authors are establishment figures
previously
known for their progressive attitudes toward Islam and integration.

The book is also gaining notice because Denmark, a country celebrated
for
its fairy tales, is on the front line of the culture wars between Islam
and
the West following publication in a Danish newspaper late last year of
cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.

The book's main argument is that Europeans who ignore the threat posed
by
Islamists belong to a new and dangerous tribe of "naivists," a term
coined
by the authors. This may not sound so radical at a time when the pope
has
upset the Islamic world by quoting a medieval passage calling Islam
"evil
and inhuman" and when Islamic terrorist plots have put Europe on edge.

But the book also equates Islamic fundamentalists with Nazis and
Communists
- a provocative stand on the heels of the cartoon crisis, which
strengthened
a backlash against immigrants that was already brewing here.

Pittelkow says the new book's publication on the day of the terror
arrests,
while a coincidence, was a prescient reminder.

"The threat is that the Islamists and their values are gaining ground
in
Europe, especially among the younger generation," he said in an
interview.
"They try to interfere in people's lives, telling them what to wear,
what to
eat, what to think and what to believe. They warn Muslims to create
their
own societies within Europe or risk disappearing like salt in water."

Muslim leaders here have denounced the book, accusing Pittelkow and
Jespersen of giving Muslim-bashing a respectable face in Denmark, a
country
that views itself as a tolerant and open society.

Danish analysts say the book reflects the extent to which skepticism
about
Islam has invaded the European political mainstream.

"The book is significant because it shows how attacks against Islam are
no
longer limited to people on the right, but have become acceptable, even
fashionable, among people close to the establishment," said Jakob
Nielsen, a
commentator for the left-leaning newspaper Politiken, which Pittelkow
labels
"naivist" for underestimating the threat of the Islamists. "The reality
is
that nobody in Denmark bats an eye anymore when people talk about the
threat
that Islam poses to Danish values because this is viewed, however
wrongly,
as a fact of life."

The authors' backgrounds could hardly be more mainstream. Pittelkow, a
former literature professor and prominent Social Democrat, advised
former
Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen before becoming a commentator for
Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that published the Muhammad cartoons.
Jespersen, Pittelkow's wife, is a former interior minister and social
affair
minister who belonged to a leftist revolutionary party in her youth.

Pittelkow says that Denmark's cherished openness is under attack by
Islamists due to a clash of values epitomized by the cartoons. He
argues
that Islamic radicalism nearly triumphed during the crisis because many
editors and political figures in Denmark and elsewhere accepted Islamic
arguments that publishing the caricatures was an affront to Islam,
turning
their backs on free speech.

"The mixture of political correctness and fear all too often leads to
compliance with Islamism," Pittelkow writes in the book. "The fatal
mistake
of the naivists was to cave into demands for Islamic-style censorship."

For Pittelkow and Jespersen, the best defense against the threat from
Islamic fundamentalists is to tighten Europe's immigration policies,
which
they argue have allowed pockets of unintegrated Muslim communities to
flourish.

"Denmark and the rest of Europe need to integrate their existing Muslim
communities," Pittelkow said. "Multiculturalism has gone too far."

One "naivist," Pittelkow says, is Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain.
He
cites the existence of Sharia councils in Britain that rule on divorce
and
inheritance cases, and notes a recent poll by Britain's Channel 4
indicating
that 28 percent of young British Muslims want Britain to become an
Islamic
state and that 30 percent would rather live under Sharia than British
law.

Danish analysts say the largely enthusiastic reception for the book
reflects
the growing popularity of the Danish People's Party, which has 13
percent of
seats in the Danish Parliament and has pushed through some of the
toughest
anti-immigration rules in Europe.

Pittelkow denies that his views mirror those of the party, whose
leaders
have equated Muslims with cancer cells. But he acknowledges that the
party
has forced Denmark to engage in an immigration debate that he says has
been
pushed to the sidelines by political correctness in other countries.

The book has been sharply criticized by Muslim leaders.

"Pittelkow and Jespersen are Islam- bashers who show how acceptable it
has
become to attack Islam," said Imam Wahid Pedersen, a prominent Muslim
leader
who converted to Islam. "They are dangerous because by pushing the
debate to
the edges, they are making it harder for moderate Muslims in this
country to
find a middle ground."

Pittelkow strenuously rejects these arguments, saying that his critique
is
of Islamic radicalism, not of Islam itself. He also denies that the war
in
Iraq and other conflicts between the West and the Muslim world are the
root
causes of Muslim extremism. "Britain and France do not have tight
immigration policies and they have a far more serious terrorist threat
than
we do," he said. "Germany has no troops in Iraq, yet it has been
targeted by
terrorists. Many things can be used a pretense to fight Western
societies
that Islamists hate."

For many Muslims, the book's most incendiary passages are those
comparing
"Islamism" with Nazism and communism. But Pittelkow insists that all
three
movements have totalitarian impulses and seek to control people's
lives.
Islamists, he says, include not just terrorists but also include
Muslims who
seek to impose their values on Europe in the name of religion.

"If a woman doesn't wear a headscarf, the Islamists will exert maximum
pressure and use the threat of violence to make sure that she does," he
says. "It is that zealous attempt to apply Islamist principles that is
as
authoritarian as Nazism or communism.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Al Qaeda's novel death technique: Detonating hundreds of simultaneous explosions through cell phone and Internet


DEBKAfile Exclusive: Al Qaeda's novel death technique: Detonating
hundreds
of simultaneous explosions through cell phone and Internet

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3321

September 27, 2006, 1:46 PM (GMT+02:00)

DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources report extreme concern among
security
services in the United States, Europe, the Far East and Israel, after
the
source of 350 multiple attacks in Bangladesh on Aug. 17, 2005, was
traced to
Tripoli, Lebanon

French counter-terror experts leading an international inquiry into the
attacks discovered that a facility, set up there by Abu Musab al
Zarqawi, al
Qaeda's late Iraq commander, had developed the new design which works
through Internet messengers like Skype or MSN.

Network-connected mobile phones can remotely detonate over the Internet
simultaneous explosions hundreds of miles apart, anywhere on the world.
US
forces located and killed Zarqawi on June 7, 2006.

This system, seen only in Bangladesh so far, is more complex than any
used
by al Qaeda before. A year ago, some 350 explosions in quick succession
in
36 districts hit government facilities and hotels in Dhaka and 16 other
Bangladeshi towns. One person was killed and 115 people injured.

The French team was led to Tripoli by a tip-off that al Qaeda operative
Kaci
Warab, seen at Bangladesh's international Zia airport shortly after the
multiple blasts and followed since, had turned up in the north Lebanese
city. The materials found at the al Qaeda lab there were removed to
forensic
facilities in Paris and produced the following picture:

For its Bangladesh operation, al Qaeda had prepared 350 cell phones.
Communications software was installed in each, together with a simple
interface program designed in the Tripoli lab. Loaded onto the master
computer in Tripoli linked to global Internet was the readily available
Skype or MSN software. The cell phones were given 350 different
usernames -
or rather the same one with a different numeral, e.g. Tom1, Tom2, and
so
forth up to Tom350. The program was relayed to the mobile phones which
then
transmitted the operational signal to detonate the explosives.

The Bangladesh method would be hard to apply in the United States,
Europe or
Israel. Anti-terror security measures are more stringent there and
would
make it difficult to plant 350 hidden bombs without some being
detected. On
the other hand, DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources point out that
setting
off 20 or even 10 simultaneous explosions would have a disastrous
effect if
the bombs were planted, say, on express trains in different countries.

So
far, this has not happened, but it is possible that Al Qaeda's hi-tech
experts are working on improvements to the system, such as adapting it
to
satellite phones.

[nw_arizona_granny]

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2006, Issue No. 103
September 27, 2006

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

Support Secrecy News:
http://www.fas.org/static/contrib_sec.jsp


** PRESIDENT BUSH SPEAKS OUT ON OPENNESS, CLASSIFICATION
** SELECTED CRS REPORTS


PRESIDENT BUSH SPEAKS OUT ON OPENNESS, CLASSIFICATION

"We believe that the more we inform our American citizens, the better
our government will be," President Bush said Tuesday.

The remark could be considered conventional wisdom. Yet it is
unexpected from this President since by most objective measures --
such as the record number of classification decisions, skyrocketing
expenditures on classification-related activities, and growing
security controls on unclassified documents -- public access to
government information has been markedly curtailed under the Bush
Administration.

Nevertheless, the President reiterated, "We believe that the more
transparency there is in the system, the better the system functions
on behalf of the American people."

It follows that the less transparent aspects of government, such as
the national security decision making process, function less well,
which is manifestly true.

The President spoke at a signing ceremony for the Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act, which will establish a
searchable online database of federal grants and contracts.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2006/09/wh092606.html

A White House fact sheet presented an argument that the new law "Is
Part Of President Bush's Ongoing Commitment To Improve Transparency,
Accountability, And Management Across The Federal Government."

http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2006/09/wh092606-fs.html

At another event on Tuesday, the President appeared to express doubt
that the national security classification system was working
properly.

Referring to press reports in the New York Times and elsewhere about
a classified National Intelligence Estimate on trends in terrorism,
portions of which were declassified Tuesday, President Bush
complained that "Somebody has taken it upon themselves to leak
classified information for political purposes."

In Washington, he said, "there's no such thing as classification
anymore, hardly."

http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2006/09/wh092606.html

In reality, of course, classification has expanded in size and scope
to unprecedented levels in the Bush Administration.

So the President might have been making a deep point that the
efficacy of classification declines when its use increases sharply,
along the lines of Justice Potter Stewart's familiar dictum that
"when everything is classified, then nothing is classified." Or
maybe he just misspoke.


SELECTED CRS REPORTS

Some noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service
that have not been made readily available to the public include the
following.

"Interrogation of Detainees: Overview of the McCain Amendment,"
updated September 25, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/RL33655.pdf

"The War Crimes Act: Current Issues," September 25, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/RL33662.pdf

"U.S. Policy Regarding the International Criminal Court," updated
August 29, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL31495.pdf

"Agroterrorism: Threats and Preparedness," updated August 25, 2006:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL32521.pdf



_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.

The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

[nw_arizona_granny]

Man Hits Flight Attendant After Being Told 'No More Chicken'

Passenger Had A Beef With The Beef
We're not quite sure where to begin with this one. A Maryland man was
arrested Sunday at Kennedy Airport, after allegedly hitting a flight
attendant after she told him there were no more chicken dinners
available on
his flight from Zurich -- and that he'd have to settle for the beef.

The New York Daily News reports Pierre Delis, 36, was flying home from
visiting relatives in Switzerland when the fracas took place. American
Airlines Flight 65 was about 90 minutes into its transatlantic voyage
when
meal service began... and Delis was told, despite his request for a
chicken
dinner, there was only beef to be had.

Air marshal Matthew Lloyd said Delis "became exceedingly irate and and
began
yelling and swearing" before he stood up, and punched the flight
attendant.

Another flight attendant and two passengers restrained Delis, reminding
him
perhaps that resorting to violence is no way to get your meal. Police
met
the flight when it landed in New York... and a criminal complaint was
filed
against Delis in Brooklyn Federal Court.

The flight attendant was treated at an area hospital for bruising and
swelling related to the, well, sucker-punch she received.

The Daily News adds at Delis' arraignment hearing, defense lawyer
Florian
Meidel asked the court to tell officers to feed his client -- as Delis
hadn't had anything to eat since Sunday. Wisely, Meidel did not say if
his
client had a meal preference.

We're guessing there's really no choice in jail.

FMI: www.aa.com
aero-news.net

[nw_arizona_granny]

NTSB: Accident Plane May Have Run Out Of Fuel

Investigators Looking For Others Who Flew On Bonanza
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board wish to
speak
with passengers who flew onboard a Beech Bonanza that later crashed,
before
the start of the Wings and Wheels air show at the Shelby County Airport
this
weekend.

Birmingham, AL television station FOX6 reports a preliminary
investigation
of the accident found no evidence of fuel onboard the wrecked plane.
Additionally, witnesses told authorities the plane's engine sounded as
if it
was sputtering as it took off.

As Aero-News reported, the plane was able to take off... but then
banked
sharply to the right, and the nose pitched down. The plane remained
largely
intact as it impacted the ground, but all three persons onboard the
plane
were killed.

The pilot, Clayton Reuse, was giving a ride to passenger John
Smitherman and
his 11-year-old son, Landon, when the plane went down. The rides were
part
of a fundraising program offered by the Birmingham Aero Club, for the
Southern Museum of Flight, before the start of Saturday's air show.

Investigators want to ask other passengers who flew on the plane if
they saw
the pilot fuel the aircraft... or if they noticed anything unusual
about
their flights.

** Report created 9/26/2006 Record 4
*******

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 8148R Make/Model: BE33 Description: 33 Debonair,
Bonanza (E-24)
Date: 09/23/2006 Time: 1800

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N
Missing: N
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
City: ALABASTER State: AL Country: US

DESCRIPTION
ACFT ON TAKEOFF, LOST POWER AND CRASHED INTO THE AIRPORT PROPERTY
FENCE,
THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, SHELBY COUNTY
AIRPORT,
ALABASTER, AL

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 3
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:
# Pass: 2 Fat: 2 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Take-off Operation: OTHER

Departed: ALABASTER, AL Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: Flt Plan: Wx
Briefing:
Last Radio Cont:
Last Clearance:

FAA FSDO: BIRMINGHAM, AL (SO09) Entry date:
09/25/2006

FMI: www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net

[nw_arizona_granny]

FAA: No Fire On Jet Landing At Daytona Beach Airport

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Authorities said a jet's faulty indicator light
is to
blame for a fire scare at Daytona Beach International Airport on
Tuesday
night.

Volusia County officials initially said a fire broke out in the
auxiliary
power unit of a United Express regional jet approaching the airport,
and
that the jet's onboard extinguishing system had the fire out before the
plane landed.

But a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said there was no
fire at
all, just a faulty fire indicator in the cockpit.

The plane was coming from Washington Dulles International Airport.
http://www.wftv.com/news/9947831/detail.html