StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

Our Nation’s Unfinished Business…an opinion. As the year of 2005 comes to a close, here is only a partial list of unfinished business…

Terrorism:
The true nature of Iraq’s new democracy will show itself in the New Year.

The question/reality of whether the violence in the streets and countryside of Iraq will continue remains (meaning the insurgency), IMO, unresolved (yes, I admit that I’ve read other people’s points of view that the insurgency would dissipate following the election…remains to be seen).

Despite the often rose colored glasses outlook, it remains to be seen, in my opinion, FWIW, if there will not be civil unrest and possible divisions within the new democracy before we reach the next New Year. Anyone comparing the emergence of Iraq’s constitutional democracy with the fits and starts experienced by the infant United States in 1787 is sorrowfully mistaken, IMO of course, and is totally underestimating the impact of religious/secular/sectarian and tribal differences.

Bin Laden and Zawahiri are still at large: some people still somehow trust Pakistan (the reasons are beyond my understanding). al Qaeda’s brand of terror will survive either of them.

Zarqawi is alive, operating and spreading his brand of Islamic terror to Europe and Africa and recently, his al Qaeda in Iraq took credit for the recent missile attacks in Israel (http://www.globalterroralert.com/pdf/1205/zarqawi1205-9.pdf). There is no proof to the contrary. Zarqawi’s legacy of bloodshed and hatred is already established and will not disappear even when he is captured or killed.

Zarqawi Fulfills Promise, Launches Rockets at Northern Israel

This was also discussed by Steve Schippert at ThreatsWatch: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda in Iraq has announced that they are the ones who executed the Wednesday katyusha rocket attacks on the Israeli towns in a statement posted on a jihahdi website that has been used in the past for al-Zarqawi statements. Israel initially blamed Hezbollah for the eastern-most attacks and the Damascus-headquartered PFLP-GC (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command) for the western coastal attacks.

Southeast Asian terror (“hat tips” to Zachary Abuza and Andy Cochran of CTB) Southeast Asian Wrap-up

continues in places like Indonesia (where Islamist militias affiliated with Jemaah Islamiyah continue to attack…the latest being yesterday in Palu http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20051231100846&irec=0

where the casualties from a bomb attack outside a shop selling pork have risen to 7 deaths and 47 injured), Thailand (the insurgency in the troubled Muslim south has continued. Since January 2004, some 2004 people have been killed. In 2005, alone, 91 police were killed and 151 wounded), and in the Philippines where Abu Sayyaf has apparently abandoned kidnappings and shifted to more “traditional” acts of terrorism.

Indonesia Bombing: Jemaah Islamiyah’s Christmastime 2005 Attack? (Updated)

Steve Emerson’s Comments on Terrorism

…the lack of terrorist attacks in the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks is due to a combination of factors, including the investigative and law enforcement activities; plain luck; and the lack of terrorist infrastructure in the U.S…

The video interview is quite worth watching.

http://www.investigativeproject.org/SAE-NBC-12-30-05-TodayShow.wmv

Question: The reason we haven’t been struck in this country since 9/11- luck or are we doing everything right?

EMERSON: Both of those, A and B, and probably C and D, C being serendipity and D being the unwillingness of the terrorists to carry out attacks right now because they don’t have the infrastructure. Let me add one more thing, Matt. I think that in the set-up that you described initially, I fear we are getting away too far from the War on Terrorism. It’s not resonating in our mind. We are now having what I call the U.S. wars. We are now a ways away from the war with Al Qaeda directly and we’re immersed in this terribly acrimonious debate about the Patriot Act and the Iraq War, about the issue of secret camps, about the use of wiretaps…

Domestic Issues:

Privacy incursions like Terri Schiavo’s death, not just the issues related to the NSA surveillance remain unresolved.

The question of free speech protection will become an even louder topic in the coming year as opponents of the War in Iraq come more increasingly into the cross hairs of those who would stifle their rights to dissent. Just a “clue” to those who disagree…it is neither unpatriotic nor un-American to voice disagreement with National policy.

The question of balancing Security with Privacy will be a topic of hot debate in the second session of the 109th Congress, and probably beyond.

Thanks to the disclosure of the NSA surveillance issue, the Patriot Act is now in danger of not passing…this would be a tragic loss, IMO, to our National security (yes, Mike, I know you and I disagree on this). But not one expert that I have heard speak on the subject, not one expert I have read on the subject, believe that bin Laden etal. weren’t aware of this. IMO, the “secret” was that this was being done without warrants.

Secret Wiretaps Damaging, Worrisome

The President’s NSA Wiretaps: Unnecessary Problems in the War on Terrorism

Jack Abramoff may have reached a plea bargain agreement…his revelations will likely include some Democrats…but that is not to say that Republicans will not also be smirched by the Abramoff touch. No amount of uninformed optimism can shed light on how this will come out, who it will touch, and what changes (dramatic at that) will occur in the way our Nation’s business is conducted (What! “You” didn’t know that lobbyists play a function is our Nation’s business?)

The Budget Reduction Act has made it quite difficult for elderly Americans to receive health care and elder care…especially to the Medicaid Asset Transfer Provisions.
http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Politics/5-12-19-BudgetBillPassesHouse.htm
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c109:3:./temp/~c109P1rxub:e317814:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c109:3:./temp/~c109P1rxub:e317814: (Chapter 2 – Reform of Asset Transfer Rules)…So much for compassionate treatment of elderly Americans.

Other legislative issues remain unfinished.

The absolute jarring nature of the “Polarization in America” continues…

Cracks showing in GOP coalition - Republicans torn between toeing the party line, appeasing more moderate voters.

Most unresolved remains the outcome of the 2006 midterm elections. I realize that a few people have already counted the votes, reapportioned the seats in both Houses, and started preparing to engage in the political bashing and character assassination of the next Presidential Election, but my personal suggestion is to allay that optimism. The “game” is only beginning, and the result is not currently known. What I believe is that there will be a re-emergence of the American Middle.

"Re-creating the American Middle"…has a nice ring to it as a political campaign slogan…or maybe it should be "Re-claiming the American Middle"

A friend on TMF commented in response to an excessively divisive post “Give your countrymen of both parties more credit for taking the right action in an emergency.”

All of us, and I mean all of us, remain Americans.

Have a safe New Year’s Eve and may this country emerge from the coming year more secure.