StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

A friend made me aware of this issue.  Boy!  From what I understand, the effect of a levee breach in California could make New Orleans look like a splash park.

Chertoff agrees to tour California levees
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will visit California to tour Sacramento’s levees and assess the need for federal help, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday morning after meeting with the secretary…[more]

Schwarzenegger lobbies White House on levees
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lobbied the White House on Tuesday for help in fixing Central California levees but left after a 20-minute meeting without any firm commitments of help.

"There were no assurances," Schwarzenegger said. "We made our case."

The governor’s comments came at a press conference with California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats, as they begin work to squeeze more money out of Congress and the administration to prevent a Katrina-like flood disaster in Sacramento and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta…[more]

American Phoenix has interesting commentary on this subject as well.   He writes about previous flooding and evacuations, and about continued development in the flood plain.

This one should be interesting to watch as the story develops.  But you’d think that after all of the devastation caused by the levee breaks during Katrina, that the federal, state and local governments would recognize the danger to life and property of a levee break in this area…and stop waiting for disaster to strike…

• Technorati California, levee

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, Opinions

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While the debate continues over the merits of the Dubai Ports World/CIFUS deal (even here), the question of port security and the tracking of cargo remains (I believe that Phares’ POV holds).  With all of the hype over RFIDs, they’re are still not being used widely because of cost.

Ports’ Technology Failure
RFID tags could greatly increase port security by tracking international cargo — but no one wants to pay for it.

The national debate over port ownership and cargo security often features this sobering statistic: only 5 percent of cargo containers arriving in the United States are inspected. But perhaps an even more disturbing statistic is that fewer than 1 percent of cargo containers — Pentagon cargo excepted — are tracked with simple radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags — a technology that could help pinpoint where a container has been and whether someone has broken into its seal in transit.

Each RFID tag can store a unique ID number that is "read" by fixed or handheld electronic readers. Such tags can also store bits of information from attached sensors. They present an obvious and relatively cheap way to help address the cargo security question.

But the industry and government have barely begun to adopt this existing technology, says Daniel Engels, an MIT mechanical engineer and former research director at MIT’s Auto-ID Labs, a leading center of research on RFID technology.

The problem isn’t a technological one, Engels points out. Rather, the industry has been slow to recognize a business model, governments aren’t forcing the industry’s hand, and the global cargo industry has not been motivated to forge standards…[more - please read it]

…What’s it going to take to get electronic tracking for cargo containers?

"The question is how fast is the U.S. government going to mandate the use of these tags? They do have new container security rules, but the affected companies oppose the rules, because it requires change and the expenditure of money. These industries have tremendous political
clout."

Port Security and Dubai Ports World

• Technorati port security, RFID tags

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, National Security, Technology

2 Comments »

For many months, I’ve been concerned about infrastructure security and specifically the vulnerability of our Nation’s ports.  My concern and point of view was a general one.  Having not had the time to make alot of posts over the last week or so (because of my relocation), I’ve got the benefit of looking back as well as forward regarding the uproar over the Dubai Ports World controversy.

Two weeks ago, while acknowledging that there were differing points of view, I wrote that I felt that this deal was "sheer lunacy."  While I realize that there remain those who will take opposing points of view, I remain bemused as to how this can be seen as a "good" thing.

Steve Schippert of ThreatsWatch calls for the cooling off period, to breathe, before making the final decision…from both the approval or objection side of the argument.

On Port Security: Slower, Please
Neither Rubber Stamps of Approval Nor Hyperventilating Objection Serve Security

After several days of battling both for and against the prospect of Dubai Ports World acquiring P&O Steam Navigation and, thus, operation of several of our largest maritime ports, I have consistently come to one daily conclusion: Breathe.

That suggestion, by the way, is not directed solely at the many in such spirited opposition to the deal, but also at the Bush Administration and the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS). There is absolutely no need to rush this through, especially when there is quite obviously a great deal of concern among the American public…[more]

Illustrating the divide over this issue, all you need to do is read the Washington Times (not the Washington Post) editorial from two weeks ago.

Arab-owned American ports?
TODAY’S EDITORIAL February 15, 2006
…The Committee on Foreign Investment is the wrong place for this decision to be made; it appears to be little more than a rubber stamp.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, among others, is asking tough questions about this deal. For once, we agree with him: President Bush should overrule the committee to reject this deal. If that doesn’t happen, Congress should take action. The country’s ports should not be owned by foreign governments; much less governments whose territories are favored by al Qaeda.

DPW, CFIUS - Why the Secrecy?
Some of the staunchest of Republicans in the Congress have spoken out against the deal to sell the management control over 6 U.S. ports to Dubai World Ports (DPW). Its not just the U.S. Senate delegation from New York that has spoken out! Even here, in this little microcosm of public opinion, both Republican and Democrat, both Conservative and Liberal, have spoken out, both for and against this decision.

But why the secrecy in the decision?

Chertoff unaware of ports deal until after OK
…Mr. Chertoff’s spokesman, Russ Knocke, told The Washington Times the issue rose no higher than the department’s assistant secretary for policy, Stewart Baker.

"[Chertoff] was not briefed up to this until after this story started appearing in the newspapers," Mr. Knocke said.

Mr. Chertoff is the third Cabinet official to acknowledge he did not know his agency had signed off on the plan as a member of the interagency Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS). Both Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Treasury Secretary John W. Snow have publicly said they were unaware of the deal.

But Mr. Chertoff’s exclusion is more noteworthy because his department headed the CFIUS review and is in charge of security at all U.S. ports…

Again, remember that CFIUS is part of the Dept. of Treasury:

UAE…Friend or Foe?
Steve Emerson on the UAE (see a 9 minute interview)

My view is from that of a practitioner in homeland security, and from the stance of one who has a HLS position in a state in which there is a major port (but not where I live). All of this recognizes that GWB has vowed to veto any legislation aimed at blocking the deal to cede port management to Dubai Ports World.

1) there is a big difference between the ports being managed by a privately owned foreign corporation, and one which is totally owned by a foreign government.

2) port security (part of this nation’s critical infrastructure) has been the subject of frequent debate and comment and has been considered lacking by most if not all people knowledgeable about such things. And yes, I understand that DPW will be managing the ports, not providing security per se.

3) what are the assurances of hiring policies and security concerns relative to those employed by DPW? And yes, I know that ILU members will continue to be the primary workers on the docks.

4) where do you draw the line? Critical infrastructure is critical infrastructure. Will it be permissible for a foreign owned entity to manage oil refineries? How about nuclear facilities? And no, I cannot point to a situation in which DPW has dropped the ball.

Finally, Walid Phares writing on the Counterrorism Blog offers an in-depth analysis of the issue.  I believe that his post, A Jihad Window at the Emirates Gate? provides this as a final analysis (but you should read the entire post):

1. The general Terror threat to US port system has been and remain -regardless of the Dubai deal- about the capacity of Terrorists to strike inside the Harbors. But the specific potential threat emanating from the current crisis is different in nature: it is about an additional layer of terror risk that could be produced by a Jihadist breach via a commercial transaction.

2. A solution to the crisis is to examine the very specific matter of Jihadi penetration inside UAE and to evaluate it. If indeed the threat exist and could transplant itself to targets within the US, then measures has to be taken. In this case, these measures would include special legislation in the UAE and a testing period fot it. If the implementation of these measures is successful, the upgrade of the country conditions could be done, and hence a deal could be safe. If neither the measures are taken, nor they are successful, then logically, such deal would present national security hazards. (See interview on MSNBC)

I hope the extension granted by the company to the Administration will give all parties enough space to study how can the Jihadists play that game and how to disrupt it. Everything else, from money to politics, is less relevant.

IMO, this is a bad decision. It is a decision that the Bush Administration should reconsider. I won’t go into chapter and verse about the port and maritime security issues that I’ve dealt with and continue to be engaged in…

Consider this…first came the policy (still being debated) of immigration amnesty, and then there are the incursions by Mexican nationals into the United States. Now we cede control over ports to a company from Dubai, UAE. What follows? Can we live with this decision? Want to chance it?

Current Affairs, International Issues, National Security, Opinions

2 Comments »

"It felt like an airplane hit the building" - Bruce Pomper, eyewitness

Do you remember where you were (and what you thought) that night?  I remember sitting at the dinner table and making a very pointed statement…find everyone who is in the country who shouldn’t be, toss them out and close the borders (and yes, I know how improbable closing the borders actually is)…maybe I wasn’t being practical back then, but then again, how many of us really knew what was to come?

The Counterterrorism Blog has a really fine composite of a "look back in time" that is worth reading (including the linked materials and interviews).

On February 26, 1993, the terrorists drove a yellow Ford Econoline rental van into the basement of the WTC and set a timer to detonate the 1,500-pound urea-nitrate bomb. The massive blast created a cavernous crater 200 feet by 100 feet wide and seven stories deep in the garage of the World Trade Center… In all, the explosion killed six people, injured more than 1,000 [1,042], and caused nearly $300 million in property damage…http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/reports/wtc93.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_bombing

Steve Emerson interview following the first World Trade Center bombing

(its quite the interview - from April 8, 1997)…

The six who died:
* John DiGiovanni, Valley Stream, New York
* Robert Kirkpatrick, Suffern, New York
* Steve Knapp, Manhattan, New York City
* Monica Smith, Seaford, New York
* William Macko, Bayonne, New Jersey
* Wilfredo Mercado, Brooklyn, New York City

To make the point, what follows is a reprise…
* When al Qaeda attempted to destroy the World Trade Center the first time in 1993, we weren’t listening…and we went on.

* In November 1995, a car bomb exploded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing five Americans, we weren’t listening…and we went on.

* On June 25, 1996, a terrorist truck bomb exploded outside the northern perimeter of Khobar Towers, killing 19 soldiers and wounding 500. We weren’t listening…and we went on.

* When the embassies in Africa in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on August 7, 1998, we weren’t listening…and we went on.

* When the U.S.S. Cole was attacked in 2000, we weren’t listening…and we went on.

* When John Ashcroft cut the FBI’s anti-terrorism budget request in Sept. 2001, we hadn’t heard it yet…and we went on…for one more day.

*** And then, on September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center crumbled, the Pentagon burned, Flight 93 crash landed…we listened, and finally, we realized that we had been under attack…not just for 8 years, but likely for many years.

Current Affairs, National Security, Opinions

1 Comment »

Debate has raged on and on since the days leading up to the first Iraqi elections last Winter regarding whether the various sectarian and religious groups could find a way to join in a unified alliance of a democratic Iraq, or whether the age old differences between Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurd would inevitably lead to civil war. Further debate has occurred regarding whether the insurgency (or whatever other label some would want to use to describe it) was home grown or spurred on by foreign fighters.

For the purposes of this discussion, I am not going to care either way as to whether the insurgency is homegrown or prompted by foreign fighters. To a great extent, I don’t think it really matters, especially at this point when we now have Muslims killing other Muslims, and Muslims destroying Holy places of other Muslims. Regardless even of whether al Qaeda is behind the destruction of the al-Askariya mosque the effect is going to be shattering to the prospects of a peaceful establishment of a newly democratic Iraq (in my opinion of course). So read the article written by Steve Schippert of ThreatsWatch for details and his opinion.

Iraqi Mosque Reprisals: Teetering On the Brink
A Revealing Glimpse of the First Day of bin Laden’s Caliphate


http://inbrief.threatswatch.org/2006/02/iraqi-mosque-reprisals-teterin/
“…From a human perspective, intentionally targeting a house of worship for the effect its destruction would cause is deplorable. But from a strategic perspective, it is a master stroke by beasts who do not hold nearly as dear the ideals they publicly profess. They seek a civil war, with Sunnis killing Shi’ites…and the Kurds, well they can just stay home for this fight, thank you. And, to their credit, they probably would, with the exception of a quick and lopsided fight for Kirkuk. Why would they do otherwise?…”

Iraq orders tough curfew to stem violence
Gunmen killed dozens of civilians Thursday and dumped their bodies in a ditch, as the government ordered a tough daytime curfew of Baghdad and three provinces to stem the sectarian violence that has left at least 114 dead since the bombing of a Shiite shrine.

Seven U.S. soldiers died in a pair of roadside bombings north of the capital, and American military units in the Baghdad area were told to halt all but essential travel to avoid getting caught up in demonstrations or roadblocks.

As the country careened to the brink of civil war, Iraqi state television announced an unusual daytime curfew, ordering people off the streets Friday in Baghdad and the nearby flashpoint provinces of Diyala, Babil and Salaheddin, where the shrine bombing took place.

Such a sweeping daytime curfew indicated the depth of fear within the government that the crisis could touch off a Sunni-Shiite civil war. "This is the first time that I have heard politicians say they are worried about the outbreak of civil war," Kurdish elder statesman Mahmoud Othman told The Associated Press.

The biggest Sunni Arab bloc in parliament announced it was pulling out of talks on a new government until the national leadership apologizes for damage to Sunni mosques from reprisal attacks.

"It is illogical to negotiate with parties that are trying to damage the political process," said Tariq al-Hashimi, a leader of the Iraqi Accordance Front…[more]

[break]

This person had written (in part): The "homegrown insurgency" that never really was has just been disemboweled and destroyed by these elections. It’s over for the insurgents and it is over for the people over here who sold out everything and every principle hoping against hope that the U.S. would fail the Iraqis in this, mostly out of blind hate.

To which I responded: While I do not necessarily agree that the insurgency is growing, to somehow conclude that the "insurgency" has been disemboweled by the 70% turnout for the election is nothing if its not premature.  To me, it is the result and effect of the insurgency that is important, and not its origin or source.

Now, beyond that, we have the power playing of al-Sadr who recently proclaimed that the new Iraqi constitution had nothing good in it…

Influential Iraqi cleric Sadr rejects constitution

Influential Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said he rejects the Iraqi constitution backed by his partners in the biggest parliamentary bloc, threatening to reignite one of the country’s most explosive issues.

"I reject this constitution which calls for sectarianism and there is nothing good in this constitution at all," he told Al Jazeera television late on Saturday.

…the charter was unacceptable, complicating efforts to form a government more than two months after parliamentary elections.

"If there is a democratic government in Iraq, nobody has the right to call for the establishment of federalism anywhere in Iraq whether it is the south, north, middle or any other part of Iraq," said Sadr.

I contend that stability in Iraq is still in the distance. Comparing this situation to the evolution of the United States, or even raising the American Civil War, IMO, clouds the realities of Iraqi society and its budding "democracy."

Now that I am settled in my new location (more than 2000 miles from where I once lived), I hope to provide my observations on world events and terrorism issues on a more frequent basis.

Storm, simply looking at things without rose colored glasses.

A while back I was chastised by an “blind and unknowing” defender of a gentlemen who apparently works as part of the NATO contingent in the War of Terror (not clear on whether he is in Afghanistan or Iraq). This individual postured that: 1) the recent elections in Iraq to seat the new Assembly had all but castrated the insurgency and that 2) the people in Afghanistan.

• Technorati Iraq

Current Affairs, International Issues, Iraq, Opinions

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"Less likely" at least at this moment in time (before Noon on 2/15/06).

The Washington Post is reporting that Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration’s warrantless domestic surveillance program last week, but an all-out White House lobbying campaign has dramatically slowed the effort and may kill it, key Republican and Democratic sources said yesterday.

They attributed the shift to last week’s closed briefings given by top administration officials to the full House and Senate intelligence committees, and to private appeals to wavering GOP senators by officials, including Vice President Cheney…

So I’m guessing that it won’t happen, at least not in a public hearing.

One of the other things that I noticed, however related to the NSA wiretap issue was the revelation that The National Counterterrorism Center maintains a central repository of 325,000 names of alleged international terrorism suspects or people who aid them, a number that has more than quadrupled since the fall of 2003, according to counterterrorism officials.

Comments of note include:

…The list kept by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) — created in 2004 to be the primary U.S. terrorism intelligence agency — contains a far greater number of international terrorist suspects and associated names in a single government database than has previously been disclosed…

…U.S. citizens make up "only a very, very small fraction" of that number, said an administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of his agency’s policies. "The vast majority are non-U.S. persons and do not live in the U.S."

You all can read the rest of the two articles for other details, but it looks like the practice itself is on-going and that it will continue relatively unchanged, unless of course the Senate intelligence committee reverses itself.  It is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a Democratic-sponsored motion to start an inquiry into the recently revealed program in which the National Security Agency eavesdrops on an undisclosed number of phone calls and e-mails involving U.S. residents without obtaining warrants from a secret court.

More later I am sure.

Previous posts on the subject:

• NSA/FISA Domestic Spying Debate Continues
• On Liberty and Counterterrorism
• Spying Increased after 9/11

• Technorati NSA, wiretap

Current Affairs, National Security

1 Comment »

What is it going to take?  Will it take a melt down in a nuclear facility?  How about a sabotage at a chemical plant?  Back in September, we learned about illegal aliens from Mexico being found working (in non-sensitive jobs) in a nuclear facility in Omaha Nebraska.  This incident was somewhat minimized by some people, saying that these people held maintenance jobs.

Late last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 9 illegal aliens from Mexico working (construction workers) at the Dugway Proving Grounds, a place where the Dept. of Defense performs testing on chemical and biological weapons.  See the post written by Bill West at the Counterterrorism Blog for his perspective, Illegal Aliens Arrested Working at Chemical Weapons Depot.

Here is the press release from ICE:

ICE ARRESTS NINE ILLEGAL WORKERS EMPLOYED BY SUBCONTRACTOR AT CHEMICAL MILITARY TESTING SITE

Utah facility used by military for chemical and biological defensive tests

SALT LAKE CITY – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested nine illegal aliens at the Dugway Proving Ground overnight who were working for a subcontractor at the military testing facility located 80 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

The nine unauthorized workers from Mexico were taken into custody by ICE agents yesterday evening inside the perimeter of the highly sensitive site, which serves as a major chemical and biological testing center for the Department of Defense. The foreign nationals were employed by Spacecon West, a subcontractor hired to do maintenance and construction work at the facility. ICE agents say two of those arrested had Utah Identification Cards, but none of the employees had valid work authorization documents. Military authorities emphasize that the individuals taken into custody were working in an area several miles from where the actual chemical and biological testing is done.

The lead in the case came as a result of a Project Shield America visit by ICE agents to the Proving Ground last week. During that visit, military representatives advised ICE about their suspicions that some subcontractors on the base were using unauthorized workers. Project Shield America is an ongoing effort by ICE to prevent the illegal acquisition and export of sensitive technology and weaponry. As part of the initiative, ICE agents conduct regular outreach visits to companies and facilities involved in the production and export of sensitive military technology.

“We are working closely with the authorities at the Dugway Proving Ground in this ongoing investigation and are receiving the military’s full cooperation,” said Joseph Romel, assistant special agent-in-charge for ICE investigations in Utah. “This is another example of how ICE is using its unique immigration enforcement authorities to safeguard worksites and installations that are potentially vulnerable to security threats or sabotage.”

The workers, who are being processed at ICE’s office in Salt Lake City, will be placed in immigration removal proceedings.

Yesterday’s arrests are the latest in ICE’s ongoing efforts to target and remove illegal aliens working at sensitive sites and critical infrastructure locations around the nation, including defense facilities, nuclear plants, chemical plants, airports, and seaports. Unauthorized workers with access to security sensitive sites and critical infrastructure facilities are vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists, smugglers, traffickers or other criminals. In accordance with ICE’s homeland security mission, ICE agents prioritize worksite enforcement efforts by focusing on investigations related to critical infrastructure and national security.

To aid employers with the immigration document screening process, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services operates the Basic Pilot Program, a Web-based system that businesses can use to verify the employment eligibility of newly hired workers. Nationwide, there are thousands of employer sites linked into the Basic Pilot Program. Interested employers are urged to call the agency’s toll-free number (888-464-4218) to obtain more information.

ICE is involved in ongoing efforts to target and remove illegal aliens working at sensitive sites and critical infrastructure locations around the nation, including defense facilities, nuclear plants, chemical plants, airports, and seaports. Unauthorized workers with access to security sensitive sites and critical infrastructure facilities are vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists, smugglers, traffickers or other criminals, according to ICE officials.

The United States is a Nation of many people and many colors…from many countries.  The "melting pot" however also permits people who have entered this country illegally, to "disappear" simply by acting normally if they have the "documents."

While it has no direct impact on National Security, a friend of mine works in security in the gaming industry.  The particular company chooses not to hire illegal aliens.  Because their business is not "sensitive," they’ve been told that they cannot access templates that could be used to help identify illegal work papers.  It is easily argued that the company can fire an employee if it is discovered that they used fraudulent papers to secure the job.  Is that enough?  I think not.

• Technorati illegal aliens, ICE

National Security, Opinions

4 Comments »

Well, we survived the Blizzard of 2006.  Somehow, NYC in Central Park broke the record, with nearly 26.9" of snow…just west of me, the National Weather Service reported only 12" (and we’re only 30 or so miles east of NYC).  Just goes to show that Mother Nature plays funny tricks and is always unpredictable.

Despite an earlier post that I wrote regarding the need for improvements in the cyber-security infrastructure based on a series of articles in NetworkWorld, Cybersecurity - Infrastructure Needs Improvement, a recent war game called Cyber Storm has concluded with the Internet surviving.

The U.S. government concluded its "Cyber Storm" wargame Friday, its biggest-ever exercise to test how it would respond to devastating attacks over the Internet from anti-globalization activists, underground hackers and bloggers.

Bloggers?

Participants confirmed parts of the worldwide simulation challenged government officials and industry executives to respond to deliberate misinformation campaigns and activist calls by Internet bloggers, online diarists whose "Web logs" include political rantings and musings about current events.

The Internet survived, even against fictional abuses against the world’s computers. Experts depicted hackers who shut down electricity in 10 states, failures in vital systems for online banking and retail sales, infected discs mistakenly distributed by commercial software companies and critical flaws discovered in core Internet technology.

Some mock attacks were aimed at causing a "significant cyber disruption" that could seriously damage energy, transportation and health care industries and undermine public confidence, said George Foresman, an undersecretary at the Homeland Security Department.

There was no impact on the real Internet during the weeklong exercise…[more]  Did they say "bloggers" would be a part of an attack against the Internet?

DHS weathers Cyber Storm
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security still has to evaluate how well it fared through a series of simulated cyber attacks this week, but government and private companies avoided real-world damage and complications during their preparedness exercise.

More than 100 public, private and international groups participated in mock attacks replicating the invasion of a utility company’s computer system and the disruption of power grids. The exercise, called Cyber Storm, was designed to test the abilities of private companies and government agencies to deal with a major cyber security incident.

DHS announced the completion of the exercise on Friday but has yet to fully evaluate how effectively the groups communicated, cooperated and responded…[more]

"Preparedness against a cyberattack requires partnership and coordination between all levels of government and the private sector," Homeland Security Under Secretary for Preparedness George Foresman said in a statement Friday. "Cyber Storm provides an excellent opportunity to enhance our nation’s cyberpreparedness and better manage risk."

What remained unclear was the extent to which the exercise proved successful. The agency said it plans to compile responses from all of the participants and to issue a final report this summer assessing Cyber Storm’s performance…  

…"We won’t have the results for a little while yet." But the very organization of the program, he said, symbolizes "how seriously people are taking (cybersecurity), to try and simulate a situation so that we can evaluate our preparedness and take the necessary steps ahead of time to improve on that."

Homeland Security officials revealed few details about the project, except to say that all attacks were "prescripted and executed in a closed and secure environment, eliminating any external distress to participants’ day-to-day systems during the exercise." One of the incidents, for example, simulated the breach of a utility company’s computer system and subsequent power grid disruptions.

The main "control center" for the game was located at U.S. Secret Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. Within the U.S. government, seven cabinet-level departments, including Justice, Commerce, Defense and Treasury, along with the U.S. military, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the FBI and the American Red Cross, participated. Among the other private businesses onboard were Intel, Microsoft, Symantec, McAfee and VeriSign. Representatives from the governments of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada also were involved...[more]

Over and out!  Tough day behind, and a tougher day ahead.

• Technorati cyber terrorism

Current Affairs, National Security, Opinions

2 Comments »

Once again, an emerging story that might have some substance to it, or maybe it will fizzle out (I don’t think so though).  Now there are reports that the F.B.I. have put a "halt to a separatist plot" to blow up Puerto Rican and other U.S. interests.

No president of the United States has paid an official visit to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico since Dec. 15, 1961, when John F. Kennedy greeted his host, Luis Muñoz-Marín, with the following words: ”Governor, I’m grateful to you, and I am grateful to your people. We have many of them on the mainland, and they are among our best citizens — and I’m glad to be in America this afternoon.”

Only once since then has a U.S. President set foot on Puerto Rican soil, and that president didn’t come to visit Puerto Ricans. In 1976, Gerald R. Ford chose an exclusive resort in Dorado, Puerto Rico, as the site at which he would host the second annual summit meeting of heads of government representing Free World economic powers. During that high-level international conclave, Ford’s contacts with Puerto Ricans were as superficial as they were brief...

…On Dec. 22, the Bush-appointed President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status released a long-awaited report that recommends congressional action to terminate the civic inferiority to which residents of Puerto Rico have been subjected ever since their homeland was ceded to Uncle Sam in the December 1898 treaty that ended the Spanish-American War.

Without delay, Congress should ratify the White House roadmap and hasten the day when a president can proudly fly into San Juan, echo JFK’s words to the effect that he is ”glad to be in America,” and sign into law a bill that will at last empower Puerto Ricans to determine their own dignified destiny.

FBI says thwarts Puerto Rico ‘domestic terrorist attack’ by independence activists
FBI agents in Puerto Rico on Friday searched five homes and a business to thwart what the agency said was a "domestic terrorist attack" planned by militants favoring independence for the U.S. island territory.

The alleged attack would have involved explosives directed at "privately owned interests" and the public in Puerto Rico, according to Luis Fraticelli, special agent in charge of the FBI on the island.

Fraticelli, in a statement, did not disclose details about the alleged attack or the investigation, which the FBI earlier said was focused on the pro-independence People’s Boricua Army.

"The FBI is committed to aggressively investigating all matters related to national security and the safety of the citizens of the United States, to include Puerto Rico," Fraticelli said.

Agents searched the homes and business in and around the island’s capital of San Juan, and in the smaller towns of Mayaguez, Aguadilla, Isabela and San German.

FBI spokesman Harry Rodriguez said there were no arrests, but declined to provide details about the operation.

"All I can say is that it is an investigation that deals with the People’s Boricua Army," he said.

The People’s Boricua Army, also known as the Macheteros or "cane cutters," was accused of bombings and attacks in the 1970s and 1980s…

Puerto Rican…Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila denounced the incident.

"There is no justification for the excessive use of force," he said in a statement. "Puerto Ricans want security and law and order, but with absolute respect for our values and our rights."[more]

FBI Claims Puerto Rico Threat

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002798296_wdig11.html

Let’s also reprise a post from a few months back: Task Force on the Future of America

Being from the New York City area, I’ve always said that if Puerto Rico wanted its independence, then we should give it to them.  I suspect also that a new post category for "Domestic Terorrism" might be in order.

• Technorati domestic terrorism

Domestic Terrorism

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I don’t honestly care right now because if Reynolds is claiming to be a patriot, and the Feds are indicating that he was conspiring with al Qaeda to blow-up the Alaska Pipeline, just what would you think he was?

At this moment, this is a developing story.  It may turn out to be nothing, but somehow, I don’t think so.

The USA government has issued a subpoena to an individual and to Microsoft to view the contents of a Hotmail account.

This case involves some of the issues that now Gov. Corzine of New Jersey has been concerned about since he was in the Senate, the vulnerability of our chemical plants and oil refineries (along the New Jersey Turnpike around Perth Amoby, you can see dozens if not hundreds of oil and chemical tanks in the refineries).

Since I noticed this, I’ve been trying to read what news is available.  Question: Is Shannen Rossmiller  - a judge from Conrad, Montana, involved in some way in this (she’s the one who helped snare a Washington state national guardsman who was considering defecting to al Qaeda) nutty, delusional or on target?

Pa. Man accused in terror sting
Michael Curtis Reynolds says he’s a patriot. Federal authorities say he’s a terrorist.

The FBI believes that the unemployed Wilkes-Barre man tried to conspire with al-Qaeda to wreck the American economy. Agents say Reynolds plotted to blow up the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a Pennsylvania pipeline, and a New Jersey refinery.

The sensational allegations, disclosed in a federal transcript obtained by The Inquirer on Friday, reveal a convoluted plot that includes cyberspace intrigue, an elaborate FBI sting, and a clandestine money-drop on a deserted Idaho road.

The case also involves a municipal judge from Montana who has devoted the last four years to snaring would-be terrorists online.

Reynolds, 47, has not been publicly charged with terrorism. But a federal prosecutor leveled that accusation during a December court hearing, saying that Reynolds attempted to "provide material aid to al-Qaeda" and that the case "involves a federal offense of terrorism."

"He was doing it as a plan to disrupt governmental function, to change the government’s actions in foreign countries, and to impact on the national debate about the war," Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus Jr. said at the hearing in Wilkes-Barre.

Reynolds has been held without bail since Dec. 5 on unrelated weapons charges. A U.S. citizen, he is being detained in the Lackawanna County jail…[more]

US government subpoenas Hotmail  account
…No details of why the subpoena was issued are in the public domain.

Penn Man Named in Alleged Terror Plot
Federal agents contend that a Pennsylvania man tried to work with al Qaeda in a plot to blow up the Alaska pipeline, another pipeline in Pennsylvania and a refinery in New Jersey, according to a published report.

Michael Curtis Reynolds, 47, has not officially been charged with terrorism, but a prosecutor at a hearing said that Reynolds tried to "provide material aid to al Qaeda" and that the case "involves a federal offense of terrorism," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in its Sunday editions.

At Reynolds’s Pennsylvania home, federal authorities seized his computer and files that, according to a court document, spelled out his bomb plans.
Reynolds has been held without bail in a county jail since Dec. 5 on an unrelated weapons charge.

"He was doing it as a plan to disrupt governmental function, to change the government’s actions in foreign countries, and to impact on the national debate about the war," Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus Jr. said at the December hearing…[more]

Possible Al-Qaeda Terror Plot Uncovered In Area
A possible terror plot may have been uncovered right here in Pennsylvania. A man from the Poconos is believed to have hatched a plan to become an Al-Qaeda operative with the intent of blowing up critical sites in the Northeast.

CBS 3 been working on this developing story and here is what we can tell you. A Wilkes-Barre man who is described by associates as both a nice guy and troubled is at the center of a major homeland security concern…[more]

Report: FBI names Pennsylvania man in alleged terror plot
…Michael Curtis Reynolds, 47, has not officially been charged with terrorism _ but a prosecutor at a hearing said that Reynolds tried to "provide material aid to al-Qaida" and that the case "involves a federal offense of terrorism," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in Sunday editions…

The Inquirer attained a copy of a federal transcript alleging that Reynolds plotted to detonate propane-filled trucks along sections of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the Transcontinental Pipeline, a natural-gas pipeline that runs from the Gulf Coast, through Pennsylvania, to New Jersey and New York City…

…The FBI also alleges that Reynolds targeted Standard Oil Co. in Perth Amboy, N.J., as well as the Williams Refinery in Opal, Wyo. He was arrested not far from there…

…Richard Danise has bitter memories of Reynolds, his former son-in-law.

Danise, of Kunkletown, Monroe County, said Reynolds eloped with his daughter, Tammy, in December 1982. The couple later divorced, although Danise said he didn’t remember when, and their three children live with their mother.

"I just washed my hands of him. I don’t know where he went," Danise said. "I have bitterness. You have no idea…"

If there is anything to this story, its going to be that Reynolds needed money and was induced by possible al Qaeda funds.  But at the same time, it should worry us all that people like this exist in this country, people who would consider such plots, and maybe, someday, actually succeed in carrying one out.  We have got to understand that disenchanted people like Reynolds have outlets in terrorism today that they didn’t have 5 years ago to vent their anger.

Domestic Terrorism

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How’s that you say?  It seems based on this morning’s reports that a Malaysian recruited to pilot the airplane backed out of the assignment after witnessing the carnage of the World Trade Center attacks, the Pentagon and the fatal crash of Flight 93.

Malaysian among militants involved in 2002 West Coast terror plot, officials sayThe plan never appeared close to the stage where it could be put into execution. And scores of arrests in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks severely curtailed the ability of Al Qaeda and it’s Southeast Asian affiliate, Jemmah Islamiyah, to operate…[more]

While not directly linking the "foiling" of this plot to the NSA wiretap practice, President Bush did suggest that U.S. Surveillance Helped Stop the Attack..."Under fire for eavesdropping on Americans, President Bush said Thursday that spy work stretching from the U.S. to Asia helped thwart terrorists plotting to use shoe bombs to hijack an airliner and crash it into the tallest skyscraper on the West Coast.

"It took the combined efforts of several countries to break up this plot," Bush said. "By working together we stopped a catastrophic attack on our homeland."

Some information about the foiled attack was disclosed last year, but Bush offered more details. He did not say whether information about the West Coast plot was collected by his administration’s program to monitor - without court warrants - some calls to the U.S. from terror suspects overseas…"[more]

This does beg the questions raised by the post made by Zachary Abuza at the Counterterrorism Blog, Fast and Easy with the LA Terrorist Plot, in which he wrote, "There is something terribly disingenuous about the President’s assertions today that a 9/11 styled attack on the West Coast was thwarted…"

I understand that Abuza knows alot about Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).  But is this post suggesting that the LA Terrorist Plot didn’t happen?  Somehow, I have a hard time, even with history in our rear view mirror, that GWB’s speech was misleading, especially when it comes to the 10 Terrorist Plots that were disrupted.

President Discusses War on Terror at National Endowment for Democracy
Overall, the United States and our partners have disrupted at least ten serious al-Qaida terrorist plots since September 11–including three al-Qaida plots to attack inside the United States.  We have stopped at least five more al-Qaida efforts to case targets in the United States or infiltrate operatives into our country.

Additional commentary can be found at Small Town Veteran.

Over and out. Adiós para ahora.

• Technorati terrorist plot, wiretapping, terrorist plot, Jemaah Islamiyah, NSA

Current Affairs, National Security, Opinions

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Some interesting "stats" on how the Department of Homeland Security " ricocheted across the government."

How DHS Shifted Federal Employment

“The creation of the Department of Homeland Security ricocheted across the government,” writes Stephen Barr of the Washington Post in his “Federal Diary” column, citing data from the Office of Personnel Management.

• From October 2002 to October 2004, the Transportation Dept. lost 45,655 employees, the Treasury 36,292, and Justice 27,412
• One group–safety technicians (TSA screeners)–increased by 65.6%
• Federal employment increased by 38,302 workers, bringing the executive branch total to 1.85 million
• Secretarial jobs decreased almost 16%, to 37,798

While the article does not address DHS and the 22 agencies this is interesting…Overall federal employment increased during the 2002-2004 period, by 38,302 workers, to bring the total number of executive branch employees to 1.85 million…

…During the 2002-04 period, the number of professional, administrative and technical jobs increased, and the number of clerical jobs fell…

Anyway

• Technorati Department of Homeland Security

Current Affairs

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A sensor alerts a possible "nerve gas" (a false positive from a cleaning agent?).  Nerve gas on Capitol Hill?  How many times has there been a "false alarm" on Capitol Hill and when will the alarm be real?  That is the question we all need to ask.  At some point, whether its a jihadist or some "out of wack" American with an agenda, there will likely be a real attack on our government.  The question is how prepared are we to deal with such an attack?  How prepared in the National Capitol Region Office to deal with an attack?  How well prepared is the surrounding area (what is it, 16 municipalities) to deal with an emergency evacuation if a CBRN attack occurs in DC?

Counterterrorism Blog is following this story.

Security scare forces US Capitol evacuation
A suspected nerve agent forced the evacuation of a U.S. Senate office building late on Wednesday until tests concluded the vapor that set off the alarm was harmless, police said.

Some 200 people, including several senators, were quarantined for three hours in a nearby underground garage while tests at the Russell Senate Office building determined they were never in danger…[more]

Senate nerve agent scare a false alarm
More than 200 were evacuated from Russell office building
Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer said the building was "all clear" as footage from the scene showed the evacuees leaving the area where they had been gathered after the scare.

Eight senators and more than 200 staffers were evacuated after alarms sounded at 7 p.m. in the attic of the Russell Senate Office Building, just north of the Capitol, Senate aides said. (Watch how the people inside were taken to a nearby garage — 3:30)

IMO, we need to wake up to the possibility that a real attack will occur before all of this "terrorism stuff ends."

G’night to all.

• homeland security

Current Affairs, Opinions

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Did I really write "Terror by Marriage?"  Some people might actually think that I meant that being married was a form of terror…come to think of it, "never mind."  It seems that there’s a man named Shawqi Omar, a dual American-Jordanian citizen (born in Kuwait), who is related by marriage to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

While it is being denied, Omar is accused of helping Zarqawi plan insurgent attacks…

"…a new filing in U.S. District Court in Washington claims that Omar had a second occupation helping the insurgency against U.S. forces in Iraq. A declaration by Army Maj. Gen. John Gardner, deputy commanding general for detainee operations, states that Omar was arrested in October 2004 at his Baghdad home “in a raid targeting associates” of Zarqawi.

The general’s declaration said Omar had “several weapons and Improvised Explosive Device-making materials in his home,” and that there is “testimonial evidence of Mr. Omar’s numerous private meetings with al-Zarqawi.”

The declaration adds that Omar “was captured harboring an Iraqi insurgent and four Jordanian foreign fighters" and that they all conducted surveillance of potential kidnap victims within Baghdad. Omar allegedly used his English skills “to visit Baghdad hotels in order to entice foreigners to return to Omar’s home for the purpose of their kidnap and ransom…”

"…Omar is also one of 12 people charged Oct. 17, 2004, with plotting a chemical attack in Jordan…"[more]

One of my first posts here: "Terrorists Among Us"

Life has certainly changed.  Can you say "immigration and naturalization" reform?

• Technorati immigration and naturalization reform, Shawqi Omar, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

Current Affairs, Iraq, Opinions

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Repeating…"Supporting Repressive Regimes Encourages Extremism." http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0207/p09s01-coop.html

This is an interesting article that examines the question of whether the Hamas victory was due to a failure by the GWB Administration…now, the answer to that question, posed in the article is a definitive no (and FWIW, I don’t believe that it is either).

Steve Schippert from ThreatsWatch also writes in his post Was the Hamas victory a Bush failure? That is a popular assertion these days: That the electoral victory of a terrorist organization is a failure of Bush specifically or the West’s approach generally. The popular phrase is “Be careful what you wish for…”

But that Hamas, or any other group, was able to be freely and fairly elected is a democratic success and at least partially a natural spill-over of the wave of democracy spreading throughout the Middle East since the removal of the ruling dictatorial regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and the free elections that followed in each.

The failure that Hamas’ election represents is not that of the wave brought on largely by the current Bush Administration policies, regardless of one’s opinion of those policies, but rather the maturation of the failures that preceded them…

In fact, it is noted that the actual "failure" if that is the right word, is actually a maturation of the failures of decades of previous policies. Some of the examples would be the support of the Shah of Iran that led ultimately to the rise of the Iranian student revolt and the ascension of the Ayatollah Khomeni. Similarly, the coddling of Arafat and his corrupt regime laid the foundation for the election of Hamas in the recent election. Of course, the question remains whether Hamas, the terrorist organization can step aside for Hamas, the government, and the organization that was perceived by the Palestinian electorate as less corrupt and better able to deliver services and a better standard of living than Fatah.

Other examples (now from the article directly):  "…Most of the dictators the US winds up supporting or tolerating - not only Arafat but also Hosni Mubarak, Bashar Assad, Pervez Musharraf, the Saudi royals and, once upon a time, Saddam Hussein - have a symbiotic relationship with Islamic extremists. The radicals serve the dictators’ purpose: They scare the West into endorsing an illiberal status quo. President Mubarak, for one, extends more tolerance to the Muslim Brotherhood than to liberal critics such as Ayman Nour, now languishing in jail. When the mosque becomes the only outlet for dissent, the odds of an Islamic takeover increase once the tyrant leaves the scene.

Bush is right not to play the dictators’ game anymore. The best way to avoid the Hobson’s choice between different types of tyranny - secular or religious - is to pressure existing regimes to allow more dissent, and eventually democracy…"

Quite the interesting concept IMO.

• Technorati Hamas

Current Affairs, International Issues, Opinions

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