Posted on 05/20/2002 9:06:48 PM PDT by Pokey78
Edited on 04/23/2004 12:04:31 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
It might be useful to call a truce, step back from the finger-pointing about who in the government made what mistakes before Sept. 11, and look for a moment at who was doing things right.
Much of the information upon which these men reached their conclusions was available to the rest of us. Why weren't we as perceptive as Rick Rescorla et al.?
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
This is one of my pet peeves. If some Army PFC somewhere were to sell to the Russians what the pinheads in routinely tell the Washington Compost on background, he would go to jail for a long time. Yet we do nothing about Congressmen, staffers, and others who leak vital secrets related to sources and methods of intelligence collection.
Wrap some around a bomb and get hydrogen cyanide gas with your explosion.
...While the CLINTON Administration used the capturing of the Blind Muslim Cleric as the Mastermind of the Bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 as its primary example that it was not soft on Terrorism during the 1990's...
...it was ..RICK RESCORLA.. and his old Army Buddy and Terrorism Expert / Convert to Islam ..DAN HILL.. that actually brought this Terrorist to Justice...
...while the CLINTONS just sat on their hands.
NEVER FORGE
The reason it will only rarely give us advance warning is because - as Mr. Woolsey made clear - in 1995 Bill Clinton ordered the CIA to stop collecting any "human intelligence" from anyone that might be considered a "human rights violator." In other words, because the Taliban treated women like dirt, we had to sever all undercover ties to them, as well as completely abandon out HUMINT networks in untold dozens of countries around the world. Thus, by 2001, when Bush took office, there WAS NO FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE LEFT TO GET. An outfit like Al-Qaida that only occasionally uses computers to communicate can only be infiltrated by other humans. Bill Clinton - and Woolsey - ruled that unacceptable for reasons of political correctness. Thousands died as a result.
The answer is that you can't replicate a gifted ability.
But it was well known that Kenneth Williams in Phoenix had an uncanny ability to see through the fog of information "noise." So did Rick Rescorla. After two major attacks on this nation, WTC 1993 and OKC in 1995, as well as the repeated successes on U.S. overseas targets, some thinking outside the box should have taken place.
I believe that it is institutional jealousy, as much as anything, which prohibits organizations from identifying the above-noted "stars" and assembling a team to brainstorm what the terrorists' next operation might look like.
This article points out very clearly the follies and calcification of institutional thinking.
It's like it's no big deal now, isn't it? If you do a search for cyanide here on FR it becomes clear that islamic terrorists value cyanide.
QUITE SO!!! Strongly agree. The only way I've thought of to set things up to routinely get around that is to have small groups of average citizens tasked and paid handsomely to oversee various components of government. They would be selected on a logical basis after thorough research and nominations from anyone.
But any system of man is going to have flaws at the best we can do. We all await The King who demonstrated His Sacrificial Love so finally and selflessly. He alone is the lasting Hope. We have an infinite capacity to screw things up without His help and intervention.
Hitler considered Jews vermin, the Zyklon-B cyanide poison used to kill them had previously been used as an insecticide, and the Jews were told they were being deloused.
The Islamofascists, who seem to admire Hitler, may well feel they are ridding the world of vermin by killing infidels with cyanide.
1. Louis Freeh did not like computers
and his FBI offices did NOT have computers
OR E-mail
under his administration.
(Mueller presently is having computers installed)
2. The snail-mail service on Capitol hill still is shut down.
Offices are using Federal Express.
This is incredible. Can it really be true? This may explain a lot.
2. The snail-mail service on Capitol hill still is shut down. Offices are using Federal Express.
I've been told that grant applications to Federal agencies (like NSF and NIH) now have to be made either through their on-line system or via Federal Express. Apparently you can't even hand-deliver applications to NIH any more, because of security considerations. (People used to use hand delivery sometimes to get an application in just under the deadline.)
Batchelor and Alexander also found it hard to believe.
But the story now has been told
by two different guests
two nights in a row.
What we are learning about Freeh's administration
is incredible in every aspect.
He didn't like bad news
and anyone who gave him any got the axe.
Freeh took personal charge
of all major investigations
including such wonderful successes
such as the Jewell arrest
the Los Alamos problems,
etc. etc.
Perhaps this explains
why the Anthrax investigation has moved so slowly
"The Secret History of the FBI"
...It's now...
...11,400... RICK RESCORLA ..Medal of Freedom Award Petition Signatures for President BUSH to consider and...
...that's just ...OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!!
NEVER FORGET
A very rapid installation of networked computers by people with little experience suggests that security vulnerabilities may result.
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