Posted on 11/04/2001 4:33:08 AM PST by truther
WASHINGTON While the U.S. war effort is focused on the terrorists hiding out in Afghan caves, a terrorist supporter regularly flies his planes over U.S. territory, unimpeded.
The Federal Aviation Administration told NewsMax.com that in 1998, on ex-President Bill Clintons watch, the "commercial flights of the communist Cuban regime of Fidel Castro were finally given the green light to operate over U.S. territory.
Heretofore, Castro had bitterly complained that the decades-long ban against flying over U.S. airspace while going to and from Canada had forced his state-owned Cubana de Aviacion to spend huge amounts of money on fuel.
FAA spokesman Hank Price confirmed Friday to NewsMax.com that the Cuban planes are now permitted to fly two paths, one over land on the U.S. East Coast, and the other offshore over the Atlantic Ocean near the U.S. coastline.
Price could not name the states in whose skies the Cuban planes fly. He referred us to the Cuban Interests Section in Washington. Repeated efforts to reach the Cuban office through two separate phone numbers resulted in incessant ringing during business hours. No one answered.
At the time the Cuban government was granted permission to fly over U.S. airspace, Clinton was thought to be moving toward a normalizing of relations with Castros dictatorship. The Clinton administrations later effort to please Castro by sending in armed agents to kidnap the young Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was widely viewed as another move toward closer U.S.-Cuban ties. Ironically, the bad publicity over forcefully sending the boy back to Cubas police state may have slowed down the drive to resume diplomatic relations, which had been severed in the Eisenhower and Kennedy years.
Cuban planes now fly over American communities notwithstanding Castros ties to the worlds deadliest terrorist groups and biotechnology manufacturing plants, his strong ties to Iran, and his well-documented hatred of the United States.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against this country have caused security-minded specialists to revisit their concerns over the Cuban threat.
Just this week, Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that exposes and prosecutes government corruption, warned, "the United States government continues to ignore that Cuba is an eminent threat to this country.
At a recent congressional hearing, Rep. Robert Menendez D-N.J., presented facts regarding the following developments:
Three suspected Afghans were arrested in the Cayman Island with fake passports after transit to Cuba.
Cuban spy Ana Belen, only recently arrested after working at the Pentagon for years, provided classified information to Cuba.
Cuban spies recently convicted in Florida provided Castro with detailed information about the U.S. mail system. (This could cause raised eyebrows, given the recent anthrax problems at postal facilities and mailrooms in and out of government.)
Castro recently visited Iran, following interchanges that have for years existed between scientists in Cuba and Iran and the documented cases of terrorists who have sought and achieved safe harbor on the island just 90 miles from U.S. shores.
When presented with the above examples of Castros hate-America drive, all Secretary of State Colin Powell could say was that he was "not familiar with most of them. The fact that Powell was unaware of what Cuba was doing strikes Judicial Watch as "scary, especially in light of his earlier announcement that he wanted to soften the embargo against Cuba.
Judicial Watch Chairman Larry Klayman is critical of the U.S. government for contacting Cuba for support only days after the terrorist attack in New York "even though the Communist regime is on the U.S. terrorist nation watch list. That list is issued each year by Powells own State Department. Assuming the secretary is not "unaware of that, asking Castro to help combat terrorism ranks as "a blatant display of denial and chutzpah, in Klaymans view.
A Cuba-watcher who had been informed that Castros planes were flying over peaceful American communities reacted by saying that the flights are undoubtedly "used also for military surveillance purposes to photograph targets while overflying the U.S. They could drop biological material.
Some of the strongest backers of President Bushs action in this war against terrorism believe he can best advance the cause by reversing the Clinton approval of the Cuban overflights. Castro, they point out, recently proclaimed "Iran and Cuba, in coopeation with each other, can bring America to its knees.
Because that aim is also number one on bin Ladens agenda, terrorism experts have difficulty figuring out how Castro can be of any help in the U.S. fight against the Taliban.
After 9-11, America cannot afford to ignore enemy on its backyard anymore. The time is ripe to bring Cuba 'to its knees.' Freepers, we have 'to bombard' our representatives in Congress and Cenate to address the issue.
Bush has to bring this to the attention to the socialist Canadian government and tell them: 'It's all about security, STUPID!'
Like a missile attack, there's not enough deniability in any such plan. If Cuba is caught red-handed dropping unconventional weapons, we'd feel free to nuke Cuba, and Castro knows it.
Cuba is going to be in a world of hurt for awhile unless Michelle picks up her pace. That storm is massive.
twinzmommy
I wonder why Iran when he could work with Saudis and Iraqis who are the ones trying to do it now and Iran seems not to be involved in this.
As an active member of the international terrorist network, Castro will not hesitate in allowing his terrorist partners to use a Cuban commercial airplane as a missile to attack the Capitol, the White House or a nuclear plant in Florida.
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