[Spar]

The INS said the visas was granted weeks before Sept. 11. They insisted they granted approval to Atta and al Shehhi only because they were never told of their terror links by other government agencies.

This is not the first case of local police or some government agencies saying the same thing. Something was cloaking or "ghosting" these terrorists from certain government data bases and not from others (especially on databases frequently used to ID people directly but they were on databases that the were restricted to routine checks).

Either it's a systemic lack of communication between government agencies that's the problem or something else.

The INS has many faults but they did not drop the ball on this one.

[Spar]

fyi

[FreedominJesusChrist]

Get ready for a good old round of a government bureaucracy blaming another government bureaucracy blaming another government bureaucracy blaming another government bureaucracy...

[glc1173@aol.com]

And the "chattering classes" tell you to "trust your government" to protect you against terrorism instead of buying a gun and learning how to use it...

GUN REVIEWS free from ad-money bias - with emphasis on woman-friendliness of tested guns!

[SunStar]

The INS said the visas was granted weeks before Sept. 11. They insisted they granted approval to Atta and al Shehhi only because they were never told of their terror links by other government agencies.

Then why does the rest of the country know these two names by memory?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

INS says visas issued to terrorists because government agencies never told of their terror links

Say again? Didn't the name "Mohammed Atta" ring a bell to anyone, especially since the guy's name has been splashed all over the media for the last 6 months? INS should burn for this!

[antaresequity]

Dumb and Dumber...How pathetic...

[dennisw]

Obviously the fat assed retards in the INS never read a newspaper and the name Mohammed Atta did not ring a bell for any of them. What morons! Same kind of idiots are now your federalized airport screeners.

[hellinahandcart]

Red-faced INS officials said the department was battling a backlog of visa applications with an antiquated mail-delivery system. The INS said the visas was granted weeks before Sept. 11.

I use the same antiquated mail delivery system as the INS (it's called the USPS), and I can certainly get a letter where it's supposed to go in less than seven months. <pThey are lying, lying, lying. And they're also stupid and lazy. And they probably ALL make more money than I do, with lots of cool freebie benefits on my dime. They should all be fired. Their job could be done by "nobody" just as efficiently.

[Earl B.]

From another account of this fiasco:

"The INS is the Mickey Mouse Club of federal agencies, but this actually would indicate that's an insult to Mickey Mouse."

[Inkie]

Aside from the INS issue, how should the flight schools be punished for training these people before their visas came through?

[habs4ever]

Don' the bright sparks at INS read papers or watch TV? These names didn't leap off the page??Your tax dollars hard at work!!

[Poohbah]

Either it's a systemic lack of communication between government agencies that's the problem or something else.

My bet is on the former. Government agencies jealously hoard any and all information from "outsiders" (specifically, anybody not in THEIR alphabet agency), even when sharing it is critical to the success of a project they're paying for.

[FixitGuy]

"They insisted they granted approval to Atta and al Shehhi only because they were never told of their terror links by other government agencies."

This all makes sense when you consider that the paperwork was completed by knuckle draging, clueless federal employees.

Anyone with half a brain and a TV set knows who these guys were without a photo ID.

[Tacis]

Hey, ease up on the guys in the INS!! Yeah, you!! The INS guys have a very difficult time splitting up equitably the payments that SOME, and only, some of them get from illegals who need something expidited, deserving folks needing to come across the border for humanitarian reasons but whose background would not otherwise allow them to be admitted, and merchants who need to have a special product messenger make a quick trip to Chicago, Miami, or New York. The INS folks who are in a position to help these folks shouldn't get all the tangible appreciation that is offered, so it must be divided amongst the many. It isn't easy and they really don't have time to take care of all the trivial stuff. An INS agent at the Mexican border may be faced with the problems associated with thousands of dollars in gratuities every day. Do you want they should insult folks who may be very important in Mexico or shuffle some bureaucratic papers? It is this kind of unfair criticism that is forcing many INS agents to move to Airport Security.

[vetvetdoug]

The INS is just another bloated government bureaucracy that is loaded with affirmative action and politically correct employees. The government employees are promoted by everything but efficiency and job performance. Even the employees of the INS that mop and clean the offices make more money and have more retirement that the average private sector employee. If this isn't a wake up call as to the ineffeciency of the INS and some government agencies, then it is a testament as to what our taxes are used for and what we will get the rest of our lives.

[McGavin999]

The first thing that needs to be changed is the ability to FIRE government workers. That needs to be changed NOW! These people don't do their job because they have NO fear of ever losing that job.

[tenderstone jr.]

"It's time somebody investigated the INS."

Investigate what exactly? Is there anyone out there that doesn't already know this is the most disorganized and corrupt government agency there is? We should immediately halt all immigration and naturalization, and not issue any more visas until the INS gets its act together. This is a national security issue. We are letting in criminals and terrorists, and very few people in the government seem to care.

[UB355]

Anybody can check this site, it's one banks use to check on money holds.

OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL

[jackbill]

They insisted they granted approval to Atta and al Shehhi only because they were never told of their terror links by other government agencies.

Just another government finger-pointing circle jerk.

[Gritty]

These people have set a new standard for the word "Idiots!".