PHOTO-OP: At the 2000 Strawberry Festival in Plant City, George W. Bush posed for a picture with the Al-Arian family when he was running for president. (credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF AL-ARIAN FAMILY)
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Posted on 02/24/2004 3:19:05 AM PST by Revel
Edited on 05/26/2004 5:19:43 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
February 24, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has dispatched the elite commando force that hunted down Saddam Hussein to Afghanistan for a new operation aimed at getting Osama bin Laden, officials said yesterday. Military sources confirmed that members of the shadowy Task Force 121, the unit that conducted the high-tech search for Saddam and his henchmen, have recently begun operating in the remote mountainous region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where bin Laden and key al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives are believed to be hiding. The Task Force is made up of highly trained Delta and SEAL commandos, as well as CIA paramilitary operators. It operates outside normal military channels.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Bonuses totaling more than $10 million were paid out to five Kraft Foods Inc. executives at the end of 2003, even as the giant food maker made plans to lay off thousands of workers.
From the Jewish World Review:
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
What are we to make of the fact that a Muslim extremist (or "Islamist") named Dr. Sami Al-Arian was arrested and indicted last week on 50 counts, among them conspiracy to finance terrorist attacks that killed more than 100 people -- including two Americans? One thing is sure: It is not, as Al-Arian claimed when federal agents led him away in handcuffs, "all about politics."
After all, this alleged leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad -- an organization Attorney General John Ashcroft has described as "one of the most violent terrorist organizations in the world" -- was allowed into the Bush White House on at least one occasion. According to Saturday's Washington Post, in one of these meetings, he was among the front-row attendees at a briefing conducted by the man who is, arguably, Mr. Bush's chief aide: Karl Rove. Generally, political foes do not receive such treatment.
Click on link to read article.
By Daniel Pipes
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
Osama bin Laden's capture or death, the focus of renewed U.S. military attention, would greatly help the war on terror — but not in the way you might expect.
It would not do that much to prevent jihadist violence.
True, in some cases, seizing a terrorist leader leads directly to a reduction in threat or even to the decomposition of his organization. Consider these examples:
Abimael Guzman, head of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) gang in Peru, was captured in 1992 and his Maoist organization went into a tailspin, ending its threat to overturn the government. A rump force in turn continued to fight until its leader, Oscar Ramirez Durand, was captured in 1999.
Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Partiya Karkaren Kurdistan (Worker's Party of Kurdistan) or PKK in Turkey, was captured in 1999 and his Maoist organization immediately deteriorated. When Öcalan called from captivity for the PKK to renounce its war against the Turkish state, it effectively did so.
Saddam Hussein, former dictator of Iraq, was captured in December 2003, and the terrorist insurgency he headed over the previous eight months shuddered to an end. (In contrast, militant Islamic violence continued unabated.)
Terrorist specialist Michael Radu points out that the same pattern also held with the capture of leaders of smaller terrorist groups, including Andreas Baader of Germany's Rote Armee (Red Army) and Shoko Asahara of Japan's Aum Shinrikyo. A similar steep decline, Radu notes, will likely recur should Velupillai Prabhakaran of Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) be captured or killed.
In all these cases, the leaders offer characteristics — charisma, power, ruthlessness — critical to their organizations. If no other figure can replace these strengths, then rivalries, incoherence, and decline result.
But bin Laden's elimination in several ways would not fit this pattern.
Being only one of his organization's key figures, his disappearance will not devastate Al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda is more "an ideology, an agenda and a way of seeing the world" (writes Jason Burke, author of Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror) than an operating terrorist force.
And Al-Qaeda being just one of many jihadist organizations around the world, its decline would do little to abate the wave of militant Islamic violence in such places as Algeria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.
While Bin Laden personally symbolizes militant Islam and his continued ability to elude coalition force inspires his Islamist followers, his capture or execution would have a mainly psychological impact by demoralizing those followers. His elimination would certainly be a blow to his movement, but one it could readily recover from it. "His capture won't end terrorism's danger," Robert Andrews rightly noted in a recent USA Today article.
Ending terrorism requires more than targeting terrorists, their leaders, or their organizations. It requires recognizing and defeating the body of ideas known as militant Islam or Islamism. The war cannot be won until politicians and others focus on this ideology rather than on terrorism, which is merely its manifestation.
This said, bin Laden's capture or death could indeed have a major beneficial impact on the war on terror — by helping to re-elect President Bush against his presumptive Democratic opponent. Who wins the forthcoming presidential election will deeply affect the future conduct of the global war on terror. To adopt Fred Barnes' formulation in The Weekly Standard, "George W. Bush is a September 12 person. John Kerry is a September 10 person."
Just as Saddam Hussein's capture in December helped to end Howard Dean's candidacy for president of the United States, so bin Laden's capture might harm Kerry's.
That's because Kerry has lashed out at the way the war on terror is conducted, blaming Bush for everything from faulty tactics (allowing bin Laden to escape near capture in Tora Bora), to poor strategy ("only an ad hoc strategy to keep our enemies at bay"), to an overall failed policy ("the most arrogant, inept, reckless and ideological foreign policy in modern history"). Kerry goes so far as to claim that the United States is worse off now than on September 11, 2001.
Such over-the-top criticisms render Kerry vulnerable should bin Laden actually be caught or killed. Which makes catching or killing bin Laden truly an urgent war imperative.
I'm surprised that the Dems have not already used it in their commercials.
PHOTO-OP: At the 2000 Strawberry Festival in Plant City, George W. Bush posed for a picture with the Al-Arian family when he was running for president. (credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF AL-ARIAN FAMILY)
ANTITERRORISM MARITIME HOMELAND DEFENSE CRUISE SHIP & SECURITY BARRIERS
U S Dept of Homeland Security Fact Sheet: Maritime Security Requirements
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
CIA Director George J. Tenet warned Congress yesterday that the threat of al Qaeda terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction is growing and the group continues planning "spectacular attacks" against the United States and its allies.
"Over the last year, we've ... seen an increase in the threat of more sophisticated chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear capability," he said. "For this reason, we take very seriously the threat of a [chemical, biological or nuclear] attack."
Mr. Tenet noted that captured al Qaeda members have said the United States remains the group's "main enemy," and al Qaeda's effort to produce deadly anthrax bacteria is "one of the most immediate" terrorist threats.
He also said al Qaeda remains decentralized and dangerous. "Across the operational spectrum — air, maritime, special weapons — we have time and again uncovered plots that are chilling."
Mr. Tenet spoke in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he again defended U.S. intelligence agencies from partisan critics who said the CIA and other agencies misread intelligence indicating Iraq had stockpiles of chemical and biological arms.
"I think it's too early to make judgments about what happened to Iraqi arms stockpiles," Mr. Tenet said.
"We want to know whether we were right or wrong. We want to know what the disposition of these programs were. We do need to understand whether there was any secondary proliferation, which would be of great concern to us."
Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat and ranking member of the committee, said American credibility was damaged by what he called "the intelligence fiasco" of not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after predicting the arms were there before the war.
"Initiating a war on the basis of faulty or exaggerated intelligence is a very serious matter," Mr. Levin said. "Life and death decisions are based on intelligence. The fact that intelligence assessments before the war were so wildly off the mark should trouble all Americans."
In a sharp exchange with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, Mr. Tenet said he did not believe intelligence was misused by the Bush administration to launch the war with Iraq.
Mr. Kennedy said Mr. Tenet failed to correct exaggerated statements made by Vice President Dick Cheney and other policy-makers that the senator said were tantamount to "warmongering."
Regarding a classified Pentagon intelligence report produced in October 2003 that suggested there were operational links between Saddam Hussein's government and al Qaeda, Mr. Tenet said the CIA "did not agree with the way the data was characterized in that document."
Mr. Tenet said the relationship between Saddam and al Qaeda included "contacts, training and safe haven," as well as help for al Qaeda collaborator Abu Musaab Zarqawi, his role in the assassination of a U.S. diplomat in Jordan and operations in Baghdad.
On the terrorists' pursuit of chemical, biological and nuclear arms, Mr. Tenet said networks of people are helping terrorists with scientific knowledge and their hunt for material in areas stretching from the Near East to Europe.
Osama bin Laden has said that to acquire chemical, germ or nuclear arms is a religious obligation, and in addition to al Qaeda, more than two dozen terrorist groups are seeking chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials, Mr. Tenet said.
Candidate Bush with the Al-Arian clan
The Post article was accompanied by a photograph taken of Al-Arian with Candidate George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, during a campaign stop at the Tampa Strawberry Festival in March 2000. Perhaps this photo op was a way of thanking Al-Arian and his wife for the efforts they claim to have made on Mr. Bush's behalf "in Florida mosques and elsewhere because they thought him the candidate most likely to fight discrimination against Arab-Americans."
Interesting article, thanks for posting it. It does point out that Bush's staff should have done more investigation. But remember, Al-Arian was a professor at a well respected university, so it is not unusual, that he was accepted at face value.
If Harley has FLV, odds are the momma cat does, too. If she hasn't been tested, she should be ASAP. If she's negative, go ahead and get her vaccinated. If she's positive, there is no cure and she'll infect other cats she comes in contact with.
Been there, done that and it was no fun. I lost 13 of 15 cats to the disease.
FLV can't be transmitted to humans or to other animals. Neither can Feline AIDS. There is a canine version of that, and an equine version though.
TRI VALLEY HERALD.com: Oakland - "HOMEMADE BOMBS DISCOVERED ON BOAT" by Harry Harris (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Except for being a bit "weathered," nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the 28-foot cabin cruiser docked along the Oakland Estuary across from Coast Guard Island. But the Alameda County Narcotics Task Force said Monday the nameless boat was the packaging and distribution center for a methamphetamine dealer. Among its cargo were two homemade bombs, authorities said. The boat's owner, Eugene Sarha, 48, of Pleasanton was charged Monday in Alameda County Superior Court with possession of methamphetamine for sale and two counts of possession of a destructive device. He had been working as an emergency room nurse at Alameda Hospital before his arrest.") (March 9, 2004) (Read More...)
WHITEHOUSE.gov - News: "REMARKS BY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR DR. CONDOLEEZZA RICE AT THE MCCONNELL CENTER FOR POLITICAL LEADERSHIP" (March 8, 2004) (Read More...)
HONOLULU STAR BULLETIN.com: Hilo - "BIG ISLE FENCE VANDALS SOUGHT" by Rod Thompson (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The vandalism was discovered in mid-January when department staff returned to finish fencing a 9.6-acre site in the Puu O Umi Natural Area Reserve. The reserve covers 10,182 acres from the 5,260-foot Puu O Umi summit to the cliff-faced seashore. Department personnel found that vandals had carefully cut hogwire at every second post supporting the fencing, then rolled the fencing back and secured it by crimping. The wire was cut at 142 different locations with a total of about 1,500 individual cuts in the wire. The effort would have taken a full day's work, the department said. Unused fencing lying on the ground was also cut into 10-foot pieces. In an area where the fence bordered a pasture, it was not damaged, the department said. The rainy Puu O Umi reserve contains highland bogs that are used by the endangered native koloa duck. The enclosed area contains an endangered lobeliad plant species called oha wai. Additional endangered species were being planted there by the department") (March 7, 2004) (Read More...)
NY POST.com: "CANDY-KID RAPIST" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: " Station owner Frank Sadigi said Garcia, a native of El Salvador, was "a regular customer" who often came in with his common-law wife, Maria Ventura, and their three kids. Garcia was charged with attempted murder, aggravated sexual abuse and other charges. He's being held without bail. Officials said he has a long record that includes menacing and DWI busts. A neighbor of Garcia's, who asked not to be identified said, "I never liked him. He's a strange guy. He was always around - he never worked.") (March 4, 2004) (Read More...)
BORDERLAND NEWS.com - EL PASO TIMES.com - Times Wire Reports: "MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL BRIBERY CHARGES" (NEWS BRIEF SNIPPET: " LAS CRUCES -- A Las Cruces man has pleaded guilty to federal charges after being accused of bribing an employee of the Social Security Administration's Las Cruces office to get Social Security cards for undocumented immigrants from China. Fa Shun Ou, 46, also known as Uncle Ou, pleaded this week to charges of conspiring to transfer false identification documents, encouraging undocumented immigrants to reside illegally in the United States and bribery, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday." (March 6, 2004) (Read More...)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "AU RESEARCHER GETS 7 MONTHS FOR SELLING TO CHINA" by Jerry Seper (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A former American University researcher who was once convicted of espionage in China was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to seven months in prison for illegally exporting computer equipment with military applications to China. Gao Zhan, who pleaded guilty in November to charges of illegal arms export and tax fraud, also was ordered to pay a fine of $2,500, U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty said. Gao's husband, Dongua Xue, also pleaded guilty in November to filing a false tax return, a misdemeanor, Mr. McNulty said.") (March 6, 2004) (Read More...)
PHILLYBURBS.com (AP): "EXAMINER ACCUSED OF ILLEGAL DRIVER'S LICENSE SCHEMES" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Hundreds of people obtained such licenses, typically paying $700 or $800, in twin scams that went on from 1999 through 2003 with the help of former Pennsylvania Department of Transportation examiner Tillie Green, state Attorney General Jerry Pappert's office said. Green, 33, of Philadelphia, was to surrender to authorities on Friday to face charges of forgery and tampering with public records. A man who helped immigrants in New York get the Pennsylvania licenses under a reciprocity agreement by submitting counterfeit French drivers' licenses to Green also was in custody, said Kevin Harley, a spokesman for Pappert.") (March 5, 2004) (Read More...)
MIAMI.com - THE MIAMI HERALD: "STOWAWAY FOUND ON PLANE AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Authorities at Miami International Airport on Wednesday morning detained a man who stowed away in the landing gear of a plane that arrived from the Dominican Republic. An airline employee noticed the man as he climbed from a wheel of American Airlines flight 680 shortly after it touched down from Santo Domingo, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The man, whose name or age was not released, was in good condition, having braved below-zero temperatures during the one hour, 40 minutes flight, said Zach Mann, a DHS spokesman.") (March 5, 2004) (Read More...)
GUARDIAN.co.uk (AP): "ALGERIAN GROUP FORGING TIES WITH AL-QAIDA" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Nabil Sahraoui, after becoming the Salafist leader last year, declared the group's allegiance with al-Qaida in September. Sahraoui ousted longtime leader Hassan Hattab, who reportedly was viewed within Salafist ranks as too moderate. Under Hattab, the Salafists distrusted outsiders and kept al-Qaida at arms length, focusing instead on a domestic agenda. Sahraoui's declaration confirms authorities' thinking that some regional terrorist groups are going international, joining the broader conflict of Islam versus the West, a French intelligence official told AP.") (March 9, 2004) (Read More...)
stepping back in time...US INFO.state.gov: "STATE DEPARTMENT ADDS THREE GROUPS TO FOREIGN TERRORIST LIST" (SNIPPET: ""The Salafist Group for Call and Combat is an Algerian armed group dedicated to the overthrow of the Algerian government and the imposition of fundamentalist Muslim theocracy," he said during the regular State Department briefing. "It's an offshoot of the Groupe Islamique Armee -- the GIA, or Armed Islamic Group, which has conducted a terrorist campaign in Algeria for over a decade and which was already on our terrorist list."") (March 27, 2002) (Read More...)
ASSIST NEWS SERVICE: Yelwa, Nigeria - "CHRISTIANS AXED TO DEATH IN CHURCH MEETING BY MUSLIM WARRIORS" by Michael Ireland (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Forty-eight people have been hacked to death in Yelwa, Nigeria, by armed Muslims, many during a church meeting, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). A recent upsurge in violence in southern Plateau State in Nigeria has claimed at least 100 lives and in the worst single incident so far, at least 48 people were murdered, many during an early morning prayer service on February 24, CSW reported. Armed Muslims invaded the service, ordered the congregation to lie face down and proceeded "to machete and axe them to death in their house of worship" according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The victims included women and children. The Yelwa incident was preceded by an attack on Tunka in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) during which 18 people were killed, including four mobile policemen who were murdered in an ambush. The deaths of the policemen, who were assigned to the area to maintain peace, caused many to flee their homes, CSW said. A local source told CSW the attacks were being carried out by as many as 400 heavily armed Muslims who shouted "Allah u Akhbar" (God is great), wore red and black uniforms and moved with military precision.") (March 8, 2004) (Read More...)
THE SUN.co.uk: "FANATIC: 'KILL TONY BLAIR'" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A BRITISH-based crony of Osama Bin Laden yesterday urged followers to assassinate Tony Blair. Mohammed al-Massari said it would be justified because of the Iraq war.") (March 7, 2004) (Read More...)
OBSERVER.GUARDIAN.co.uk - UK News: "ISLAMIC RAPPERS' MESSAGE OF TERROR" by Antony Barnett (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The rap song is called 'Dirty Kuffar' - Arabic for dirty non-believer - and it praises Osama bin Laden and the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. The video has recently been posted on the British website run by the Islamic extremist Mohammed al-Massari, the UK-based Saudi Arabian dissident who has lived in Britain since 1994. Al-Massari claims that the video has been selling in large quantities at mosques to the younger generation and is in heavy demand overseas. The rapper fronting the video calls himself Sheikh Terra and the Soul Salah Crew - a take on the rap group So Solid Crew. 'Salah' is Arabic for faith.") (February 8, 2004) (Read More...)
Dubai GULF NEWS.com: Muscat - "OMANI SCHOLAR: US MUST STOP PUSHING FOR DEMOCRACY" (ARTICLE NOTE: The "Omani scholar" is identified as "Dr Isam Ali Ahmed Al Rawas, Dean, College of Arts and Social Sciences at the Sultan Qaboos University") (March 7, 2004)) (Read More...)
AFTENPOSTEN.no - News From Norway: "SABOTAGE HITS OSLO TRANSIT SYSTEM" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Trams operated by Oslo's rapid transit system (Oslo Sporveier) have been hit by at least six incidents that transit officials claim are sabotage during the past half-year. Police are investigating.") (Updated Mark 4, 2004) (Read More...)
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