StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

In the waning moments of the Presidential Election campaign, there is little left but the counting. I don’t know how it will turn out. I’ve voted already (just once). My mind races with things to say about the decision making power of the American electorate. In my rather short life to date (based on the longevity of men in my family, I’ve got a few laps of the track left), the “influencers” and “influences” on these decisions have certainly changed.

There is no wonder why we end up with the poor choices we have. Perhaps we deserve better, perhaps, we get what we deserve.

Alas, I believe that this is the best place for me to “get off the bus.”

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With all of the empty headed rhetoric I’ve read in the months leading up to this very horrific election for President, a most recent “prediction” that an Obama election would result in the destruction of multiple U.S. cities with the deaths of millions of citizens is about the most outrageous of what passes as truth/fiction on the Internet. Opinions abound. There is no doubt in my mind that the candidate in question is perhaps the worst choice we’ve ever been presented, and will no doubt, if elected, prove many of the negatives about him to be true. So I once asked a friend of mine who actually served his country with distinction and does the kind of work claimed by this “predictor of doom and nuclear holocaust” about this writer of fiction. My friend, a true and honest hero read some of the “predictor’s” web site and other writings, and came back to me with this:

“Other than looking like he just bought 1500 dollars worth of surplus kit from brigade Quartermasters, and looking like Twinky Central. There is absolutely no background on why he is the considered expert on anything other than a cool web page…(opinion about the “Twinky’s” personal tragedy deleted).

He should have background music from the twilight zone.”

There is no truth in this World on the Internet, only words. Yes, there are many who would claim some level of “expertise” without ever leaving the computer. And yes, there are the many who would believe, simply because the words scream from the computer screen. And yet, they are “Twinkies and Wannabees” and nothing more.

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A sure sign of defeat is when the opposition resorts to desperate measures to discredit…or draws on extraordinary and actually very vague satire to make a point.  With respect to the person who pointed me to this, I will not refer to any post but only to what appears to be a serious paper that infers that Obama uses hypnotic suggestion in his speeches.

I am speechless. If I wasn’t speechless, I’d be…

ROFL

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Many in the blogosphere crowd will be surprised by the answer to this question. But even the question and answer is raising the eyebrows of some people like Evan Kohlmann who know alot more about the al Qaeda mentality thant (I hate freakin’ typos!) almost everyone out there (including myself, of course).

In a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said the Arizona Republican would continue the “failing march of his predecessor,” President Bush.

The post apparently draws the conclusion that al Qaeda has successfully lured the U.S. into a trap that had “exhausted its resources and bankrupted its economy,” and goes on to suggest that a terrorist strike might swing the election to McCain and guarantee an expansion of U.S. military commitments in the Islamic world.

In Kohlmann’s post on Counterterrorism Blog, he points out that Randy Scheunemann and Jim Woolsey, McCain advisors quickly spoke to minimize the entry on al-Hesbah as a “blog entry.” Clearly, al-Hesbah is not just another blog site, nor is the propaganda in this particular post meaningless blog-blather.  Six months ago, on April 3, 2006, Al-Qaida’s Organization in Saudi Arabia issued an official communique regarding their relationship with Al-Hesbah: “We can only say good things about our brothers from the Al-Hesbah network…The brothers from Al-Hesbah have provided a superb service to the jihad and the mujahideen and everyone credits them for this.”

Of greatest importance to me and clearly supporting my views all along is Kohlmann’s conclusion that should be read and understood by each and every one of the blog-bursting citizen journalists who have exercised their freedom of speech to express their views to their minions who agree with them, even if the information posted there on their blogs has no real factual value (I’m not going to blockquote this section because it would de-emphasize the type face and I want it to be read):

“There is, of course, a degree of well-deserved irony in John McCain having to defend himself against charges of being a “terrorist enabler”. The McCain campaign has been unforgivably slow to condemn the vocal minority of their supporters at recent campaign rallies who have shouted out “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!” in response to hearing the name of Senator Barack Obama. The fact is, Al-Qaida’s real interest in the current American election cycle has nothing to do with choosing one candidate over the other — clearly, Al-Qaida doesn’t like either candidate. Rather, what Al-Qaida is hoping to witness this political season are internal recriminations, name-calling, racism, xenophobia, disunity, and America tearing at its own social fabric. The motivation is obviously not in crowning the victor, but in prolonging the game. Those foolish individuals who have shown up at political rallies carrying tasteless signs and threatening violence against their own fellow Americans are Al-Qaida’s real allies in this race. They are the ones who are responsible for providing a limitless bounty of propaganda fodder for our global adversaries — and there should be no tolerance in either campaign for such despicable behavior.”

Each every one of the amateurs should read that paragraph carefully, fully and then re-read it. In the search for what you believe is the truth, you have given al Qaeda and its followers, exactly what they wanted.

Is there an attack on the horizon? I don’t know and if I had that information, I wouldn’t be blogging. But contrary to the knee jerk reaction of Randy Scheunemann and Jim Woolsey from the McCain campaign, in my opinion, the meaningless “musings and bravado” has come from many of the conservative blogs that couldn’t focus on issues, and instead spent their time on name calling.

[This may be the best place for me to "get off the bus."]

Al Hesbah, Randy Scheunemann and Jim Woolsey

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How many times is someone suddenly foisted onto the staged, only to be revealed as something that he or she is not? Well, Joe Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber” (whose real name is Sam), has found that sometimes if you step into the limelight, you can get slimed.

Seems like Sam W. isn’t a licensed plumber!

It wasn’t long before the Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters and Service Mechanics revealed that Wurzelbacher was not a licensed member of their trade.

“That means that he has not completed the training program necessary for him to sit for a license test,” said Tony Herrera, market recovery specialist for Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 50 in Toledo, Ohio.

“It’s a shame that this guy has ended up in this situation because it seems like he’s misrepresented himself — and for that matter the plumbing and pipefitting industry.”

“Say it ain’t so, Joe!” (er-r-r-r-r, I mean Sam)

What may even be worse, it seems like Joe owes some back taxes too! But, according to the ever reliable New York Times, the spin is still trying to evade Obama’s comments:

“I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year,” he told Mr. Obama. “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?”

That encounter wound up on YouTube and led to appearances on the Fox News Channel, interviews with conservative bloggers and a New York Post editorial, all of whom seized on a small part of Mr. Obama’s long reply. “I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody,” Mr. Obama had said.

There is no way to parse those words and have them come out saying anything different. “I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody,” Mr. Obama had said.

Despite the chastizing of a commenter on a previous post, Linda “N” who is a real estate agent in Maryland who probably sold houses to people who got those sub-prime mortgages, defaulted and now are crying about losing their houses - houses I might add that they really didn’t have the income to qualify for a mortgage of the required amount to start with - and got rich off of the commissions and fees from the transaction (perhaps even a little skim from the mortgage company???), MY WEALTH IS MY WEALTH AND IT IS HARD EARNED. STAY AWAY FROM IT!

Joe the Plumber

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OK, I saw this on other blogs but it bears repeating. Obama wants to give everyone a chance to succeed and will work to spread the wealth! What ever happened to someone working to become wealthy? WTF!

This is what Obama says: “It’s not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody that is behind you, that they have a chance for success too.”

Forget his name! Attack his freakin’ policies. Redistribution of wealth?!!! I’ve worked hard ot get where I’ve gotten and made huge sacrifices. He wants to give other people a chance to achieve, or to simply “get!” Something for nothing??? “F” that shit!

Obama socialism

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We could very well lose this election and see Obama as President. It will be the fault of everyone who failed to focus on the issues: National security, War on Terror and the economy. We could well lose this election because McCain has allowed himself to be backed into the corner and taken the mantle of “Bush-v3.” We could lose this election because McCain never came out and soldified the importance of regulating the credit markets. We could well lose this election because we haven’t emphasized the role that people in Congress who claimed that they saw nothing wrong or insecure with the sub-prime mortgages (including Frank and Shays and others including Maxine Waters) didn’t just lose 20% of their home values because people who were being given a chance to own a home, even when they didn’t have the credit scores to justify their mortgages. We could well lose this election because the move from a “chicken in every pot” to “everyone is entitled to own a home” is pure and simple bullshit! Owning a home is not a right! Owning a home is something that you earn and work hard to afford.

We are running the risk of losing this election and seeing Obama in the White House because the Republican Party lost focus, and didn’t understand that this election is truly the first election to be decided on the Internet. The blogdom that focused on the ridiculous instead of the issues (largely because the blogopsphere is incapable of critical thinking and issues discussions), will have handed this election to Obama (Barry, or Barack, which ever you please).

But we will all most certainly pay the price of having an inexperienced person in the White House in a time when the World is clearly still at war, and with Obama, who truly will strip the military.

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She’s a beautiful woman in a beautiful pose in a tasteful picture taken by her husband Brad Pitt. The photo is an wonderful and intimate view of a natural event. I see nothing wrong with it.

“Angelina posed for Brad in one of the photos while breastfeeding. It’s really beautiful and tastefully done.’

“The photos are amazing,” added a second source.

Angelina says: ‘I’m just a mom and I’m very grounded by my family. I’m very happy, and I’m so lucky. ‘The world can like me, hate me, fall apart around me, and at least, you know, I wake up with my little kids and I’m happy.’

More…So why is there such a hub-bub and Internet buzz over Mrs. Pitt’s tit?

La Leche League International, the world’s oldest breast-feeding support organization, applauds Jolie’s apparent decision to be photographed nursing.

“Breast-feeding in public reveals a whole lot less than what has been revealed on the red carpet. … I think we do need more role models like Angelina Jolie willing to be photographed and say, `Hey look, it can be done, it oughta be done,’” said La Leche spokeswoman Jane Crouse.

Its the voyeuristic world in which we live. IMO, she is strikingly beautiful, especially in that cover shot.

Angelina Jolie, breast feeding picture

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A “POST-IT” NOTE: Well, I was obviously wrong at the end of the day. While the market’s wild ride had it down nearly 700 points during interim trading, the Dow finished 43 points higher. Did the market actually bottom, or did bargain hunting simply “save the day?” From any analytical perspective, it is clearly too early to tell what Monday will bring. One thing is certain, people who played by the rules, had good credit, and paid their bills have been trumped by people who tried to live outside of the realm of their life’s reality, leaving the good guys, me included, in the dust of their defaulted mortgages. So to all of those people I say “eff-u.”

NOTE: Yesterday, Yom Kippur. Generally it is a light trading day. The market will tank today. All of that volume and downward swoosh in the indicies happened with a good percentage of the floor traders and brokers and stock traders fasting on the Day of Atonement. Hold on for another wild and deadly ride.

Yesterday’s post:
Combined with all of the misdirectedness of the blogosphere and Russ Limbaugh focusing on words like “Hussein” and “Muslim” and “whitey” instead of leadership and experience, “its the economy stupid!” Yes, a refrain from 1992, but with the market dropping over 20% in 2 weeks, who will be blamed? That’s why we’re in for a very long and very dangerous next four years.

Everyone with a home with a mortgage that they could actually afford is being left holding the bag for all of the leaches and fire flies who bought houses that they couldn’t afford because FANNIE and FREDDIE were willing to loan them money (without anything close to the credit score that I’ve maintained). I’ve been screwed by this home mortgage crap. I’m angry, and I’m about to get even more angry because of the implausible focus on the man’s middle name, and not his lack of experience or ability to lead! Fucking idiots that you all are. And you call yourself Republicans. Oh, I forgot! You’re “conservatives.”

stock market

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Combined with all of the misdirectedness of the blogosphere and Russ Limbaugh focusing on words like “Hussein” and “Muslim” and “whitey” instead of leadership and experience, “its the economy stupid!” Yes, a refrain from 1992, but with the market dropping over 20% in 2 weeks, who will be blamed? That’s why we’re in for a very long and very dangerous next four years.

Everyone with a home with a mortgage that they could actually afford is being left holding the bag for all of the leaches and fire flies who bought houses that they couldn’t afford because FANNIE and FREDDIE were willing to loan them money (without anything close to the credit score that I’ve maintained). I’ve been screwed by this home mortgage crap. I’m angry, and I’m about to get even more angry because of the implausible focus on the man’s middle name, and not his lack of experience or ability to lead! Fucking idiots that you all are. And you call yourself Republicans. Oh, I forgot! You’re “conservatives.”

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I can easily argue that everyone who spent time and time and time trying to prove that Obama was a Muslim or Michelle Obama said “whitey” or any one of the other byte vacuums, instead of actually studying Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience will be as much to blame for the result if Obama wins, as McCain is (or was) for allowing himself to get painted into the corner to be blamed for the financial mess that is President Bush’s alone (and his Adminstration) or for allowing Obama to make the statement that he made about “invading a country that hadn’t been involved in 9/11.”

The lack of critical thinking instead of school yard name calling and its associated mentality will be responsible if the worst case scenario plays out.

Each and every one you who wasted time worrying about “Barry’s name” will be to blame. The freakin’ illuminati of the conservative far right, deep in their lack of knowledge of world affairs, policy issues, and the like, fell quickly into the trap of focusing on the non-issues long before Obama took the nomination away from Senator Clinton. That too was a result of distracting people unable to think for themselves away from the real issues of leadership and experience. Those people who today bemoan the possibility that Obama will win the election, would have cried loudly had Mrs. Clinton been the Democratic nominee. Then, those who lack the depth of knowledge needed to actually make considered decisions based on critical thinking, would have gone back in the “way back machine” to 1992 and re-characterized Mrs. Clinton’s health care plan. So, we now face the prospect of not only having a President without experience becomes our President for at least the next four years.

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This is borrowed from Debbie Schlussel’s website (why I haven’t been reading this lady’s writing more in the past, I cannot know, but will correct in the future). This piece, a bit off color in some places (its Howard Stern on satellite radio afterall) shows you just how illiterate and ill-informed the electorate is, and why this Nation is at the brink of great troubles, especially re: foreign policy, but also in general (IMO).

Some language is a bit harsh to the ears of some more sensitive readers, and for that, you have my apologies in advance.

If this radio interview represents how even a small segment of the population will make its decision in the next election, we are all doomed. If this radio interview represents how even a small segment of the population will make its decision in the next election, we should seriously consider IQ testing as a pre-qualification for voting. If the people interviewed in this audio are in any way involved in the selection of the next President, G-d Help Us All.

It is also very important (recognizing that this is solely my opinion) that if people had focused more attention on Obama’s lack of experience, what I consider to be his horrible judgment in foreign policy and diplomacy, and a general insensitivity to World issues (including his ridiculous comment in yesterday’s debate in which he made a statement about “invading a country that had nothing to do with Sept. 11th”), instead of worrying about Rev. Wright, and spending “time and time and time” trying to prove that Obama was a Muslim or Michelle Obama said “whitey” or any one of the other byte vacuums…and if John McCain hadn’t allowed himself to get painted into the corner to be blamed for the financial mess that is President Bush’s alone (and his Adminstration), we might not be facing the next four years with a Democrat in the White House, and an ill-prepared semi-Senator as President.

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Despite the relative calm and void of terrorist attacks on US soil, we are nonetheless a Nation at war. We all must remain vigilent and report anything, as a DHS agent said in a recent presentation that I attended, that “Doesn’t Look Right.” I some circles, a rumor of an attack on October 7 2008 had been spread. The concern is that the source of the initial analysis that was flawed, not that bloggers became the conduit of mis-information.

To think that a self-proclaimed homeland security expert (see this older post from Debbie Schlussel titled, UH-OH! Northeast “Intelligence” Network Steps In It: Fake “Terrorism Expert” Douglas Hagmann Admits Plagiarism, Fabricated Info), a “font of information” with a lack of credibility, and yet a large following (notably among only those who refuse to accept the fact that the National Intelligence Network - or NIN - and its self-proclaimed “experts” are not experts at all) actually knows more than any of our law enforcement agencies (DHS, FBI, NSA etc.) or know more than excessively credible counterterrorism websites and sources of information (one among the many being the Counterterrorism Blog), is what makes the “chicken little/sky is falling” hurricane of words, and bits and bytes, more distrubing. Ask the intelligent question, rather than relying on an unreliable source like NIN. Would none of these credible sources have written something to alert the citizenry if this supposed threat had any merit?

Of course, the argument will always be, “better right than sorry,” or “don’t worry about or be embarrassed for being wrong.” That’s all true. The problem is the source of the information, not the intention of the bloggers who spread the illicit rumor.

In my opinion, spreading an unsubstantiated rumor from a less than credible source, is exactly what the terrorists want. The more often the populace is in any way alerted to an impending terrorist attack, the more desensitized the populace will become, and the less likely they are as a broad population to be ready to respond and react when the real terrorist alert comes. Since I am passed the point of caring, the simple point is that bloggers who choose to spread information from less than credible sources, then “bicycle the blog articles around to other bloggers” do this country a huge disservice. I’m not calling these citizen journalists anything like “unpatriotic.” Quite the opposite, they are doing what they feel is the right and patriotic thing to do (albeit perhaps they are quite naive). But in spreading misinformation and bad intelligence from a less than “intelligent” source, they are not serving the public good. Thousands of people, maybe hundreds of thousands people, walked around the last few weeks thinking that we were going to be attacked yesterday, and yet, we were not attacked.

In my entire circle of friends and associates, many of whom are in the business of counterterrorism and law enforcement and national security, none ever even mentioned the rumored attacks of October 7th, 2008. That is not to say that another attack on US soil is not coming. Someday, regettably, I believe that we will be attacked, and perhaps that attack will happen sooner than later. Perhaps, even, that attack will come from within, from a US based terrorist group, maybe not even one connected to the jihad.

One thing is certain to me (and I care not about any flack I might take for writing this entry or for what I am about to say).

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

October 7, terrorism

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Now I’ve seen everything, and if you bother to spend your time looking at this embedded video, you too, will say, “wow, I can’t believe that people believe this stuff.”

Since its conception in the late 1990’s, the Web Bot Project has made a number of very accurate and insightful predictions regarding coming events. Originally designed to track stock market trends, the Web Bot uses a system of spider that crawl the Internet looking for patterns of behavior, trends and chatter pertaining to coming events. This tool is believed to be able to forecast the future by tapping into the collective unconscious of society.

Foresees a West Coast/Vancouver area large scale earthquake around December 12, 2008.

Will there be a September 11th scale attack on the U.S. next week as predicted? One thing is for sure, “tinfoil” or not, you can’t stop people from believing what they want to believe.

Stay safe, stay secure and keep that roll of duct tape handy.

October 7, Web Bot Project

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I hate politics on blogs and tend to shy away from political commentary here. But I find Sandra Bernhard’s attack on Sarah Palin to be more outrageous, when she said that Palin would be gang-raped if she ever visited New York. Now, I am pro-choice, and I couldn’t give a rat about anyone’s sexual preference as long as it doesn’t impose on my life.

“I certainly wish Gov. Palin no harm — I’d just like her to explain to me how she can hold such outrageous views … and then go back to Alaska,” she said.

Now, I doubt that Sandra will ever have children, and likely never become pregnant. I find her to be a less than credible defender of women’s rights. I’m not so sure she’s in a position to speak to a woman’s right to choose at all. Perhaps she should isolate her defense of right to those of gay and lesbian rights.

lesbians, Sandra Bernhard, Sarah palin

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