StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

According to an AP story, Many illegal immigrants no longer hike. They bike.

The 110-degree heat and rough terrain of the Arizona desert would exhaust the fittest of cyclists, but these migrants are often middle-aged housewives or farmers, riding battered second-hand bikes for 30 or 40 miles…

A…three-rail fence that marks the U.S. border. The fence has prevented vehicles from driving across into the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, but migrants can easily toss a bike over and slip through the rails.

From there, it’s a brutal ride over Organ Pipe’s hard-packed terrain…

The bikes also carry their supplies and belongings, so if rocks or cactus spines shred the tires, they get off and push.

The prize? A chance at a low-wage job.

See previous post, Tactical Implications of a Border Fence - From Stratfor for more information.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, International Issues, National Security

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As my usual disclaimer, I have no idea how long the article will remain searchable through Google Search. Regardless, I’m going to attempt to respect Stratfor’s copyright and not post the entire article in this post.  Please try to read the entire article.

The House of Representatives has passed a measure, H.R. 4437, that calls for 698 miles of border fencing to be built in five strategic locations. Meanwhile, the Senate is considering a measure, S. 2611, that has been amended to authorize 370 miles of new fencing, which would be built over the next two years. In all likelihood, the Senate will pass a measure and the numerical differences will be worked out in a joint conference committee. Splitting the difference would mean that about 500 miles of new fencing ultimately would be built.

Currently, there are only about 75 miles of existing fence along the U.S.-Mexico border — a distance spanning some 2,000 miles…the numbers of illegal aliens apprehended and amounts of narcotics seized in the San Diego sector have plummeted dramatically since fencing was built…

…the net result over time has been to redirect the flow of illegal traffic. This is a logical outcome…

…There have been no calls in Washington for the border to be completely walled off, nor — given political and economic considerations and international perceptions of such a move — would that be particularly productive. It certainly would not be effective: Illegal aliens also have been apprehended coming in by sea and by air, not to mention at well-manned border checkpoints where they were found with legitimate immigration documents (fraudulently obtained) and sophisticated counterfeits…

At this point, I want to interject an opinion.  An effective border and immigration policy needs to include stepped up border enforcement and defense (I fully recognize that there is a split camp on both sides of the aisle regarding building of the "wall"), but also, implementation of serious measures to enhance the security of immigration and identity documents.  While I have a rooting interest in this area, it is clear to me that simply using biometrics or RFIDs or digital watermarks, these "preferred" security measures, are not enough to ensure rockhard, bullet proof security because these can be circumvented (unless the levels of security for each are ramped up…a measure that also ramps up the cost of the security).  What would I do?  Email me, and if you’re "qualified," we can discuss it.

… Fencing will not stop the flow of illegal immigration, but will redirect it…

Walls, Fences and Statistics
…Border walls and fences have been used for thousands of years. The Athenians built "long walls," such as that running to Piraeus, as military fortifications. Chinese emperors built the Great Wall to help protect against Mongol invasion; the Romans erected Hadrian’s Wall to guard settlements in what became England from marauding Picts and other tribes to the north…

…The most modern construction techniques in border fencing began to appear in 1995, with a three-tiered design created at Sandia National Laboratory. In this design, the steel landing mat structure is the southernmost layer; a well-lit, open area separates that from a 15-foot metal mesh fence (designed to keep out pedestrians) about 50 yards to the north. A road through the open space allows for Border Patrol access, and an array of technologies — heavy video coverage, thermal imaging and embedded sensors that detect metals, heat and movement — blanket the area…

…According to the U.S. Border Patrol, there were more than 100,000 apprehensions every year along the border in the San Diego sector before the triple fence was built, but that number now has dropped to about 5,000 per year. However, these numbers pertain only to apprehensions along the southern border. The San Diego sector is a large space — encompassing 7,000 square miles of southern California territory — and stretches far to the north of the Mexican border. Many more people are apprehended within the entire sector — 138,608 in fiscal 2004 — than they are within the border zone. Nevertheless, the overall trend line shows a decline in apprehensions (which can be extrapolated as an indication of fewer illegal crossings) since the wall was built…

…Though it is not yet clear how much new fencing Congress might authorize, it is apparent from the existing proposals that much of the construction would occur in high-traffic areas along the border — which also means near urban areas. Ultimately, we would expect the plan to force illegal crossings toward more sparsely populated areas of the border…

Implications
First, such a plan could help to take some of the heat out of the current debate on immigration, which has become a tremendous headache for the Bush administration and both parties in Congress…

…Second, building fences would increase the physical risks faced by those attempting to cross the border illegally…

…The increased difficulties might prompt would-be immigrants to seek the assistance of coyotes — or alien smugglers…

Evolving Tactics
In some respects, the border fence discussion is a great example of the larger challenge posed by illegal immigration. The U.S. government builds one section of fence, and the flow diverts to other areas. The pressures that drive emigration northward from poorer countries are so strong that even if the United States was capable of sealing the land border with Mexico, other areas and means of entering would be found…

…In recent decades, for example, an arms race of sorts has been raging between governments and people who counterfeit or alter legal documents used by immigrants, and it likely will accelerate if border fencing adds significantly to the challenges of entering the United States illegally by land. Counterfeiters have been aided greatly by advancements in digital technology…

…In cases where technical alteration becomes too difficult, other types of crime tick upward: Criminals steal blank birth certificates or pay others to swipe legal records for them…

…Each physical security innovation on the part of the government sparks a tactical change on the opposing side, in a self-perpetuating cycle…

…Successful criminals are invariably resourceful, and the issues that fuel illegal immigration to the United States are multifaceted. So long as immigration crimes remain profitable, there will be attempts to circumvent — and reinvent — the system…

Another opinion…Fences alone cannot be the solution to the illegal immigraiton problem…in fact, "guest worker" programs cannot solve the problem either (recognizing that both options are politically and emotionally charged).  Even taking further steps to enhance the security of entry documents will not solve the problem.  In many ways (at least in my opinon), the documentation issue is the leading edge of the solution.  The problem there is the limited view of the government of the available technologies, and despite the perception of security afforded by biometrics and RFIDs, there is more that can be done, and in fact, is in development today.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, National Security, Opinions, Technology

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Its Memorial Day weekend.  We should be remembering those who have died defending this country.  And IMO, we should consider those who died on September 11th to be the first casualties of this new war, the War on Terrorism.

I cannot consider those who disbelieve the events of September 11th  as credible.  And yet, there are those who actually continue to "seek the truth" and who believe that in some perverted way, the U.S. government was responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001 that killed nearly 3000 people.  As ludicrous as that may be, it seems that there are some Americans who believe that.

In his editorial in the Washington Post "9/11 Truth?  I Don’t Think So," William H. Arkin takes those people on.

"Every day, I receive a half dozen e-mails and a score or more comments from 9/11 rejectionists.  The 9/11 cover-up, according to these correspondents, is that the U.S. government was complicit, even responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Like those who often write to tell me that the Pentagon, the FBI and/or the intelligence agencies are following them, that they are mind control victims whose lives have been ruined by directed energy weapons in space or the transmitters implanted in their teeth, I have a special place for this mass of correspondence.  It is called delete.    

So, when the headline crossed my desktop on Monday that "Over 70 million American Adults Support New 9/11 Investigation," I admit that I fell for it and clicked on the link.

The tale is depressing.  The 9/11 truth seekers, that self-declared movement who now count in their membership a number of high profile celebrities, turn out to be exactly what I thought they were: predatory and devious, seekers of polarization and not light, abusive of the political system, contemptuous of anything that even resembles the "truth."

Fast forward to 911Truth.org’s press release Monday.  "Although the Bush administration continues to exploit September 11 to justify domestic spying, unprecedented spending and a permanent state of war," it said, "a new Zogby poll reveals that less than half of the American public trusts the official 9/11 story or believes the attacks were adequately investigated."

The poll, conducted from Friday, May 12 through Tuesday, May 16, shows, according to 911truth.org, that:

• 42% of Americans believe there has indeed been a cover up,

• 45% think "Congress or an International Tribunal should re-investigate the attacks, including whether any US government officials consciously allowed or helped facilitate their success" [more]

I’ve written this before, and it bears repeating now.  Before my recent relocation, I lived approximately 30 miles due east of the World Trade Center.  On a clear morning, I could see the tops of the towers on my way to my office.  On the morning of September 11th, like many other Americans, I was getting dressed just before 9am when the first airliner hit the Towers.  In disbelief, I sat down for a moment, and then, realizing what was happening, I felt compelled to continue dressing.  After the first Tower crumbled, I decided to leave my home and drive to work.

It was a clear blue sky morning.  As I drove north along the parkway, I could see the black smoke rising in the sky above Manhattan.  I immediately thought of my daughter who lives in Manhattan, but of course, cell phones were already jammed.  When I got to my office, email worked and I found her safe, but shaken.  That Saturday morning, my wife and I went to Jones Beach, a favorite place at the West End, where you had a lcear shot view of lower Manhattan.  Instead of the majestic towers rising to the sky, there was the pile of rubble, smoldering and spewing its black smoke in the clear morning sky.  Off shore, we saw the Navy ships on patrol.  And "these" people believe that the U.S. government somehow conspired to do this?

There have been conspiracy theorists on both the Moon and Storm blogs in the past.  I’m certain there will be more of them now.  My own opinion is that those who believe that the U.S. government orchestrated the attacks and killed all of those people are simply "daft."

Current Affairs, Opinions

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Sadly, but not surprisingly, the death and violence on the streets of Nuevo Laredo continued this week.

Deadly shootout erupts in streets of Nuevo Laredo

Also Friday, assailants opened fire with machine guns on a vehicle in the Pacific resort of Zihuatanejo before dawn, injuring two girls and a 26-year-old woman.

Witnesses said the girls, ages 13 and 14, and the woman left a beach-front bar shortly before dawn with three men…

…Already this year, at least 114 people have been killed, compared with 45 this time a year ago. The reason, authorities say, is continued fighting between rival drug organizations, with the Sinaloa cartel solidifying its presence on Interstate 35, a vital cocaine and marijuana smuggling route into Texas.

The cartel is expanding its reach along the Texas border, officials say, even as it presses its battle with the rival Gulf cartel for control of the I-35 corridor and establishes itself deep inside Nuevo Laredo - to which it has been transferring some of its operations from Monterrey, Mexico, and Laredo, Texas.

The Sinaloa cartel is "feeling quite comfortable," said a U.S. investigator, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They have the upper hand, and they’re moving towards Matamoros…

…Officials noted that the number of kidnappings has declined in Nuevo Laredo - not because organized criminals have fewer targets or have lost interest, but because they are openly killing people rather than bothering to make them "disappear."

So far this year, 35 people have been reported missing, according to human rights organizations, compared with 80 for all of 2005…[more]

Assailants gun down lawman in Nuevo Laredo
Killing marks 11th officer shot to death this year in the border city
Assailants firing assault rifles killed a Nuevo Laredo police officer and wounded his partner, the 11th law enforcement official to be gunned down this year in this violent border city, authorities said Friday…

One man is dead and three others in custody following an early morning shootout Friday in Nuevo Laredo between state police and drug cartel gunmen believed responsible for at least 10 homicides here — including the death of a local police officer Thursday night.

The firefight, which started about 1 a.m., ignited when a team of state police officers approached a home they suspected was used by the men who hours earlier had killed police officer Jesus Segovia Sanchez, authorities said.

Two cartel members were arrested and another injured in the early morning melee. One state police officer also was injured in the shootout.

At the scene, officers discovered the body of a gunman, identified only as "El Mara" because of the distinctive Mara Salvatrucha gang tattoos on his body…

OPINION:
Open borders?  My "eyes!"  Referring to the comment made to an earlier post about the recommendations of the Task Force on the Future of North America: Building the Immigration "Wall" and Task Force on the Future of North America, with rampant drug smuggling and violence on the border with Mexico, I can see no way for a "borderless" border to ever occur.  The U.S. must control the flow of people and illegal narcotics across its southern border.  I see no alternative.  Pat Buchanan has commented that he believes that there is a border war with Mexico on the horizon.

Current Affairs, International Issues, National Security, Opinions

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I’ve held off writing this for "certain" reasons.  Two weeks ago, a controversy flared up regarding the Chairman of the House Appropriations Sub-Committee for Homeland Security and the principal issue, the creation and completion of the Transportation Workers Identity Card (otherwise known as the TWIC).

The delivery of the TWIC has been delayed, not through any action by the Chairman, Congressman Rogers, but because of the the ultimate inability of the DHS to get stuff done.  Now nearly five years after September 11th, the DHS is still experiencing "growing pains" and in some cases, can’t get out of its own way.

Anyway, the New York Times wrote a hatchet job article accusing the Congressman of everything from delay tactics to nepotism to helping to create jobs in his district (by the way, the way that most Congressmen keep their jobs is to deliver for their districts…its when they forget who elected them that they lose their jobs).  Just in case you can’t link to the NY Times article, here is another link to it (not chosen for any other reason than a link to the article). 

Well, the truth is that the author of the Times article failed to note that:

• Laser Card, the company that has a subsidiary in Rogers’ district is actually one of the premier identity card companies in the world and has its headquarters in Mountainview California.  Additionally, the company used to be known as Drexler Technologies, the leader (or at least one of the leaders in smart cards).  It’s a centralized card production facility in Congressman Rogers’ district that seems to have the NY Times, and the author, Eric Lipton, confused.
• the TWIC is one of three government identity card projects.  To my knowledge all three, the TWIC, the DoD identity card project, and the broader, Uniform Federal ID Card program, are all behind schedule. 

Now, if I know these details, why wouldn’t Eric Lipton know it, or what stopped him from finding it out?  ‘Cause it was a hatchet job!  Because of this controversy, a more junior, but almost equally influential Congressman, Peter King from NY, the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security is now being quite cautious about backing a program that might appear to favor only companies in his district (of course, the particular program in question has companies based in 3 states).

In today’s Louisville Courier Journal, Congressman Rogers had his turn and wrote an editorial rebutting the sad attempt to cast aspersions his way.

Now, for more information:

To understand some of the challenges in developing these cards, please refer to HSPD-12/FIPS 201

Challenges and Opportunities
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) presents both challenges and opportunities for U.S. federal government agencies. The aim of the directive is to establish a single, government-wide standard for identification credentials to increase security, reduce identity fraud and to increase efficiencies within the government department and agencies…

Biometric ID card for port workers
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard have signed off on proposed regulations to develop a biometric-based identification card for the nation�s approximately 750,000 port workers � a key component in the larger effort to create a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).

"The TWIC is designed to ensure that individuals posing a security threat do not gain access to our nation’s ports," said TSA Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley.  "This proposed rulemaking represents a significant milestone towards putting TWIC on the fast track."

The TWIC proposal calls for collecting worker’s biographic information including:

• ten fingerprints
• name
• date of birth
• address and phone number
• alien registration number, if applicable
• photo
• employer
• job title

It also would require background checks, including a review of criminal history records, terrorist watch lists, immigration status, and outstanding warrants, he said. Hawley added that all individuals with unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels regulated under the Maritime Transportation Security Act would be required to have a TWIC, which including longshoremen, port operator employees, truck drivers and rail workers…[more]

Amendment Would Delay New U.S. Travel Card
A new ID card for citizens of the United States, Canada and Mexico could be delayed by a provision added to an immigration bill that passed the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The PASS card covered by the provision would act as an ID card for travel in region, and is part of President Bush’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

The U.S. government plans to require U.S. citizens to carry passports to re-enter the country from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, a change from the current practice of accepting a driver’s license as sufficient identification. But, some citizens protested because a passport costs $97. So, the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for border control, and the State Department, which issues travel documents, devised the PASS card as a cheaper alternative. If the immigration bill is approved, the amendment would delay the PASS card system for 17 months, until June 1, 2009, from its original Jan. 1, 2008, start date. About 27 million Americans will need some identification as outlined in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative…[more]

The Real ID Act and the National ID Card

The freaking information is out there…so is the truth, and yet the NY Times and apparently the Louisville Courier Journal (and probably others):

1. can’t seem to do their homework
2. don’t know as much as I do about the subject
3. had ulterior motives…the truth not being among the motivations.

I could go on, but then I might reveal proprietary information.  We are nearly five years since the attacks on our country, and yet secure identity cards for ports workers, for federal workers, for citizens, is still in the future.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, National Security, Opinions

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Of course, this is only my opinion, but I have frequently commented that Karzai’s position was tenuous, and dependent on the support of the warlords/druglords.

Afghan president calls for calm in insurgency hotbed
Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a rare visit to southern Kandahar province and called for calm amid a dramatic spike in Taliban-linked violence.

The president told a gathering of about 150 elders from across the insurgency-hit province, the birthplace of the Taliban movement, that he was working with Afghanistan’s international partners to halt the violence.

"I swear to God, I’ll bring security to you," he said at a meeting of elders…

Let’s keep watching the developments as Karzai clings to power…

International Issues, Opinions

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Pentagon’s "black" budget largest since 1988 (thanks to my new subscription to the Homeland Security Daily Wire.

CLASSIFIED FUNDING IN THE FY 2007 DEFENSE BUDGET REQUEST

Classified military spending has reached its highest level since 1988, near the end of the Cold War, a new independent analysis has found. Classified, or "black," programs now account for about $30.1 billion, or 19 percent, of the acquisition money the Defense Department is requesting for fiscal year 2007, according to Steven Kosiak, a defense analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, an independent policy-research organization. The figure is more than double the amount the Pentagon requested in 1995, when classified military acquisition spending reached a post-cold war low. It reflects an increase in intelligence funding and a wave of new weapons research and procurement since the 9/11 attacks. "In terms of where the money is actually going, it’s quite speculative. But clearly a lot of space programs, new satellites are funded through this, and other surveillance systems such as UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), things like that," Kosiak said.

The Air Force controls more than 75 percent of the Defense Department’s classified acquisition money, the largest share of any service…

Classified military spending reaches highest level since Cold War
Classified or “black” programs appear to account for about $30.1 billion, or 19 percent, of the acquisition funding included in the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Department of Defense (DoD) budget request (see Table). This total includes $14.5 billion in procurement funding and $15.6 billion in research and development (R&D) funding. These figures represent 17 percent and 21 percent, respectively, of the total funding requested for procurement and R&D…[more]

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, National Security

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Once again…I have no idea how long the article will remain searchable through Google Search (previous articles have remained available through the Google link).  Regardless, I’m going to attempt to respect Stratfor’s copyright and not post the entire article in this post.

"Break Point"
May 23, 2006 19 56  GMT
By George Friedman
A government has been formed in Iraq. It is a defective government, in the sense that it does not yet have a defense or interior minister. It is an ineffective government, insofar as the ability to govern directly is at this point limited institutionally, politically and functionally. Ultimately, what exists now is less a government than a political arrangement between major elements of Iraq’s three main ethnic groups. And that is what makes this agreement of potentially decisive importance: If it holds, it represents the political foundation of a regime.

If it holds…

…If it doesn’t hold, the rest is impossible…It is not hyperbole to say that everything depends on this deal.

The deal that has been shaped is about two things: power and money. First, it addresses the composition of power in Iraq — defining the Shia as the dominant group, based on demographics, the Kurds next and the Sunnis as the smallest group. At the same time, it provides institutional and political guarantees to the Sunnis that their interests will not simply be ignored and that they will not be crushed by the Shia and Kurds. In terms of money, we are talking about oil. Iraq’s oil fields are in the south, unquestionably in Shiite country, and in the north, in the borderland between Kurd and Sunni territory. One of the points of this arrangement is to assure that oil revenues will not be controlled on a simply regional basis, but will be at least partially controlled by the central government. Therefore, at least some of that money will go to the Sunnis, regardless of what arrangements are made on the ground with the Kurds.

The Sunnis got this deal for a simple reason: Their insurgency made them impossible to ignore.  First, the insurgency forced the Americans to recognize that their initial inclination, de-Baathification, also meant de-Sunnification of Iraq, and that the price for that would be painful. Second, the insurgency threatened Iraq with partition and civil war…

at the end of the day, the Shia are the dominant force in the Iraqi government: If their militias were integrated into the military and security structures, they still would be available to serve Shiite political purposes. If, on the other hand, the Sunni militias were disarmed or integrated into the Iraqi military and security structures, they would lose their force and their leverage.

Obviously, this is why the defense and interior ministers have not yet been designated. It is not really about the individuals to be named, as their power will be circumscribed by the Cabinet. The issue is not the ministers themselves, but how the ministries will be run. More accurately, since it is these ministries that will control Iraq’s military and internal security forces, the question that must be answered is how these forces will be configured. The Shia do not need guarantees. The Sunnis do…[more - please read the rest]

Bill Roggio on the Counterterrorism Blog has a slightly different outlook on this suject in his post, Iraqi Government Forms; Recent Counterterrorism Ops. 

The establishment of the Iraqi government, after five long months of contentious negotiations, has dealt Zarqawi and al-Qaeda in Iraq’s efforts to derail the political process. As Zarqawi stated in his 2004 letter to Osama bin Laden, once the Iraqi people begin to take control of the political and and security responsibilities, al-Qaeda’s foothold in Iraq will become tenuous. In Zarqawi’s own words, "If we fight them [the Iraqi government], that will be difficult because there will be a schism between us and the people of the region. How can we kill their cousins and sons, and under what pretext, after the Americans start withdrawing? The Americans will continue to control from their bases, but the sons of this land will be the authority. This is the democracy, we will have to pretext [to continue to fight]."

The Iraqi government is not yet fully formed, as the crucial ministries of Defense and Interior, and the National Security posting remain unfilled. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki plans to submit nominations by week’s end, and has committed to applying "maximum force" to subdue the insurgency and bring the militias under control. Baghdad and Ramadi remain two major areas of strength for the insurgency, and there is talk of conducting major operations to reestablish order in the cities…[more]

Current Affairs, International Issues, Iraq

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In this case, the Washington Post has it right in their editorial, Digital Incompetence - The government has yet to adjust to the computer age. …This may sound obvious, but it apparently must be said again in thewake of the news from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Yesterday the department’s boss, R. James Nicholson, announced that every living veteran is at risk of identity theft after an employee took a data file containing names, birthdays and Social Security numbers home, where it was stolen. Mr. Nicholson says that the employee was not authorized to take this information home, but his department clearly failed to do enough to enforce its own guidelines. It now promises to restrict access to sensitive data to those who need it and to conduct background checks on those who do. It’s extraordinary that this approach did not prevail already…

Info For 26.5 Million Veterans Stolen
SecurityProNews unhappily reports a new recipient of the Idiot Watch award has emerged from the pack. The unnamed male data analyst who took the data home had not been authorized to do so. He has been placed on administrative leave by the Department of Veterans Affairs while an investigation takes place.

The VA posted an Important Announcement on the homepage of its website, describing the loss:

This data contained identifying information including names, social security numbers, and dates of birth for up to 26.5 million veterans and some spouses, as well as some disability ratings. Importantly, the affected data did not include any of VA’s electronic health records nor any financial information.

Personal data on millions of veterans taken in burglary, U.S. warns
Personal electronic data on up to 26.5 million veterans, including their Social Security numbers and birthdates, was stolen from the home of a Department of Veterans Affairs employee who had taken the information without authorization, the agency has announced…

Veterans’ data swiped in theft
…According to a message posted on the department’s Web site on Monday, one of the department’s data analysts violated procedure by taking home the information without authorization. The information was stored on a laptop, according to Avivah Litan, a security analyst for research firm Gartner. Law enforcement agencies have launched a search, the department said.

The message also said that besides Social Security numbers, data lost included dates of birth for veterans and some of their wives. The employee whose house was robbed was placed on administrative leave…

Antiquated computer systems and stupid employees working for government agencies with access to proprietary information.  Something needs to change quickly.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, National Security, Opinions, Technology

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Concern…airport security.

El Al Plane in Geneva Saved From Terrorists’ Rocket
It has only now been publicized that an unnamed Islamic terror gang planned to fire an RPG missile at a plane as it took off from the Geneva airport. The Swiss agents first learned of the terrorists’ plans five months ago…

…The Swiss intelligence agency uncovered a terrorist gang planning to blow up an El Al plane during take-off, and for a week, diverted all El Al flights to Zurich…

Should we "believe" it?  You tell me why not.

Current Affairs, International Issues

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From McKinsey…

The road ahead for capitalism in China

Having undergone over 20 years of steady and fundamental economic reform, China has taken big steps toward its goal—creating the framework for a market economy under the rule of law. However, an evolving China faces a number of challenges: solving the remaining problems of the old system, resolving the contradictions generated during the period when the new and the old systems coexisted, and establishing a suitable environment for the new one.

China’s problems include a stagnant rural economy, poor rural people, and a backward rural society, the incomplete restructuring of the state sector and of state-owned enterprises, serious unemployment in cities, a fragile financial system, polarization between the rich and the poor, social disorder, and widespread corruption…

• Two starkly contrasting possible futures exist for China: a market economy under the rule of law or crony capitalism.
• The right way ahead lies in furthering economic, social, and political reform and comprehensively establishing and improving the free-market economic system.
• To achieve these goals, China must force state-owned enterprises to behave more like private companies, end the discriminatory treatment of private companies, and ensure that the social system protects the weakest members of society.
• Building a democratic society under the rule of law will be a main theme of reform in the years to come.

Take it anyway you wish.  With billions of people and an emerging economy, China represents a force to be reckoned with in the immediate future.  Please read the entire article while it remains available.

Current Affairs, International Issues, Opinions

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What the - - - - ???

Uprising at Guantanamo as ‘armed’ inmates attack guards
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Published: 20 May 2006    

The much-criticised US jail at Guantanamo Bay experienced unprecedented disturbance this week, including four attempted suicides by detainees in a single day and an impromptu uprising by inmates against guards.

Prisoners armed with fans, light fixtures and other improvised weapons fought guards who were trying to prevent another prisoner from hanging himself on Thursday - the fourth suicide bid that day, the Pentagon said yesterday.

The fracas took place in a medium-security section of the camp. Detainees struck guards as they entered a communal living area or dorm housing some 10 inmates, where the man was trying to hang himself. Earlier, three detainees in another part of the prison attempted suicide by swallowing prescription medicine they had been hoarding, a spokesman said.

The revolt appears to have been quickly quelled…

…Yesterday, the White House noted that President George Bush himself said earlier this month he would like to close Guantanamo, but that he was waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on whether inmates could face military tribunals.

In the meantime, "everything that is done in terms of questioning detainees is fully within the boundaries of American law," Tony Snow, Mr Bush’s spokesman, told reporters. Washington also argues that it cannot release some detainees because there is nowhere to send them where their safety can be guaranteed…

Riot at Guantanamo as torture watchdog calls for its closure
THE largest prisoner uprising yet at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre was reported by the US military yesterday as the UN watchdog on torture called for the camp to be shut down.

The revolt took place when ten terror suspects clashed with ten guards trying to prevent a detainee from hanging himself in a communal living space in a medium security section of the camp on Thursday.

The camp commander, Rear Admiral Harry Harris, said that the prisoner was only pretending to hang himself to lure the guards into the room. “The detainees had slickened the floor of their block with faeces, urine and soapy water in an attempt to trick the guards,” he said.

“They then assaulted the guards with broken light fixtures, fan blades and bits of metal…”

Consider the source.

Current Affairs, National Security, Opinions

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Its probably only the first of a series of many incidents like this.

Border crossing reopens after fatal shooting
Driver shot dead by authorities after trying to enter Mexico
The world’s busiest border crossing reopened early Friday following a nine-hour closure that occurred after federal authorities shot and killed the driver of a sport utility vehicle headed for Mexico, officials said…

What we have here is a driver who refused to stop or open his door, and then tried to ram his truck into the U.S. agents at the border.  Not surprisingly, Mexico wants an investigation.

Mexico Calls for Probe in Border Shooting
By THOMAS WATKINS, 05.19.2006, 05:34 PM

The Mexican government called for an investigation Friday into a shooting by two federal agents that left one person dead at the world’s busiest border crossing. A union representing the Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting defended the officer’s conduct.

The shooting took place Thursday afternoon after U.S. agents surrounded a sport utility vehicle that was under surveillance on suspicion of immigrant smuggling, police said.

The driver refused to get out, and when agents smashed the vehicle’s window with a baton, he accelerated in the direction of five U.S. agents blocking his path and "nearly pinned an agent standing next to the vehicle," said San Diego police Lt. Jeff Sferra…

…Five male passengers, all illegal Mexican immigrants, were taken into custody. Some of the passengers told investigators that Garcia and a 17-year-old boy in the vehicle were both immigrant smugglers, said Alberto Lozano, spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. Police said one person had been arrested on immigrant-smuggling charges.

At the time, the vehicle was going toward the Mexico border, not away from it, police said. Investigators had no immediate explanation for that.

"We asked for an official investigation of what happened," Lozano said. "We want to know why they shot this person…"

The driver refused to stop or open his door, and then tried to ram his truck into the U.S. agents at the border.  How hard is that to understand?

Zetas

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, International Issues, National Security, Opinions

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One of the provisions of the various legislation being debated relating to the immigration issue is making English the official language of the United States.  Not unexpectedly, this has become a partisan issue.

Democrats blast  GOP’s English  proposal as racist
Senators squabbled over symbolic measures in an immigration bill Thursday, voting to make English the national language as President Bush asked Congress to approve $1.9 billion to beef up border enforcement.

As debate continued on the first reform of immigration laws in a decade, the Senate voted 63-34 to approve an amendment that would designate English as the "national language of the United States."

The measure, championed by conservatives, was a largely symbolic measure with little legal impact, but it provoked strong comments in the Senate.

After an emotional debate fraught with symbolism, the Senate yesterday voted to make English the "national language" of the United States, declaring that no one has a right to federal communications or services in a language other than English except for those already guaranteed by law.

The measure, approved 63 to 34, directs the government to "preserve and enhance" the role of English, without altering current laws that require some government documents and services be provided in other languages. Opponents, however, said it could negate executive orders, regulations, civil service guidance and other multilingual ordinances not officially sanctioned by acts of Congress.

"I think this amendment is racist," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-NV. "I think it is directed at people who speak Spanish."

Democrats voted against the measure and offered an alternative by Sen. Ken Salazar, D-CO., which declared English as a unifying language of the nation…

Note to Senator Reid:  How about people who speak Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian, German etc., etc., etc., etc.  I know of one Congressman in particular who has been arguing that "dual language" documents was a waste of public money for years.

Senate vote endorses English as the ‘national language’
Bill’s effects on multilingual services unclear

"This is something that is more significant to the American people than it is to some of the people in this chamber," said Sen. James Inhofe, R-OK.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, Opinions

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Bill West of the Counterterrorism Blog wrote about this afternoon in his post, Return of Euro-Jihadis a Threat to America:  Today, the Washington Times ran a report that publicizes a threat known for some time to Western intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This is the threat posed by radical Islamic Jihadis from Europe who infiltrated into Iraq to fight with al-Qaeda forces there who are now beginning to return to their Euro-homelands. These combat experienced and battle-hardened terrorist veterans, estimated to be at least in the high hundreds, who not only possess violent extremist Islamic radicalization but European citizenship, will prove to be a major challenge to the security forces of Europe. There is surely no reason to believe these hardened Jihadi fighters will leave their violent ways behind in Iraq…

Of course, as noted by Mr. West, this is not surprising.

How Many Terrorist Supporters in Europe?
August 24, 2005
The implications of this could be staggering.  I’ve written elsewhere that one of the "net effects" of the War in Iraq is that "jihadists" from other countries have gone in and come out "better terrorists" and better equipped with the "know how" of how to create death, destruction and mayhem.  Many of them have gone to Europeans countries…

How Many Terrorist Supporters in Europe?

Global Terrorism - A Virus
August 24, 2005
It has been my contention that terrorism is spreading.  One way or another, regardless of your political leaning, I suggest that what is happening in Iraq is that the streets of Baghdad and Mosul and Fallujah have served as training grounds to terrorists, mostly of the Muslim variety, who, when they leave Iraq, go back to their country of origin, loads smarter about strategy and tactics.  So in this way, al Qaeda-type terrorism, like that being practiced by Zarqawi and friends, is penetrating countries in Europe and elsewhere.  This is a very bad implication.

Iraq New Terror Breeding Ground
War Created Haven, CIA Advisers Report

Current Affairs, International Issues, Iraq, Opinions

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