Ann Coulter - Thank you for choosing United, Mr. bin Laden

townhall.com ^ | 4/15/04 | Ann Coulter

[kattracks]

Last week, 9-11 commissioner John Lehman revealed that "it was the policy (before 9-11) and I believe remains the policy today to fine airlines if they have more than two young Arab males in secondary questioning because that's discriminatory." Hmmm ... Is 19 more than two? Why, yes, I believe it is. So if two Jordanian cab drivers are searched before boarding a flight out of Newark, Osama bin Laden could then board that plane without being questioned. I'm no security expert, but I'm pretty sure this gives terrorists an opening for an attack.

In a sane world, Lehman's statement would have made headlines across the country the next day. But not one newspaper, magazine or TV show has mentioned that it is official government policy to prohibit searching more than two Arabs per flight.

Meanwhile, another 9-11 commissioner, the greasy Richard Ben-Veniste, claimed to be outraged that the CIA did not immediately give intelligence on 9-11 hijackers Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar to the FBI. As we now know – or rather, I alone know because I'm the only person in America watching the 9-11 hearings – Ben-Veniste should have asked his fellow commissioner Jamie Gorelick about that.

In his testimony this week, John Ashcroft explained that the FBI wasn't even told Almihdhar and Alhazmi were in the country until weeks before the 9-11 attack – because of Justice Department guidelines put into place in 1995. The FBI wasn't allowed to put al-Qaida specialists on the hunt for Almihdhar and Alhazmi – because of Justice Department guidelines put into place in 1995. Indeed, the FBI couldn't get a warrant to search Zacarias Moussaoui's computer – because of Justice Department guidelines put into place in 1995.

The famed 1995 guidelines were set forth in a classified memorandum written by the then-deputy attorney general titled "Instructions for Separation of Certain Foreign Counterintelligence and Criminal Investigations," which imposed a "draconian" wall between counterintelligence and criminal investigations.

What Ashcroft said next was breathtaking. Prohibited from mounting a serious search for Almihdhar and Alhazmi, an irritated FBI investigator wrote to FBI headquarters, warning that someone would die because of these policies – "since the biggest threat to us, OBL (Osama bin Laden), is getting the most protection."

FBI headquarters responded: "We're all frustrated with this issue. These are the rules. NSLU (National Security Law Unit) does not make them up. But somebody did make these rules. Somebody built this wall."

The person who built that wall described in the infamous 1995 memo, Ashcroft said, "is a member of the commission." If this were an episode of "Matlock," the camera would slowly pan away from Ashcroft's face at this point and then quickly jump to an extreme close-up of Jamie Gorelick's horrified expression. Armed marshals would then escort the kicking, screaming Gorelick away in leg irons as the closing credits rolled. Gorelick was the deputy attorney general in 1995.

The 9-11 commission has finally uncovered the proverbial "smoking gun"! But it was fired by one of the 9-11 commissioners. Maybe between happy reminiscences about the good old days of Ruby Ridge, Waco and the Elian Gonzales raid, Ben-Veniste could ask Gorelick about those guidelines. Democrats think it's a conflict of interest for Justice Scalia to have his name in the same phonebook as Dick Cheney. But there is no conflict of interest having Gorelick sit on a commission that should be investigating her.

Bill O'Reilly's entire summary of Ashcroft's testimony was to accuse Ashcroft of throwing sheets over naked statues rather than fighting terrorism. No mention of the damning Gorelick memo. No one knows about the FAA's No-Searching-Arabs counterterrorism policy. Predictions that conservatives have finally broken through the wall of sound coming from the mainstream media may have been premature.

When Democrats make an accusation against Republicans, newspaper headlines repeat the accusation as a fact: "U.S. Law Chief 'Failed to Heed Terror Warnings,'" "Bush Was Told of Qaida Steps Pre-9-11; Secret Memo Released," "Bush White House Said to Have Failed to Make al-Qaida an Early Priority."

But when Republicans make accusations against Democrats – even accusations backed up by the hard fact of a declassified Jamie Gorelick memo – the headlines note only that Republicans are making accusations: "Ashcroft Lays Blame at Clinton's Feet," "Ashcroft: Blame Bubba for 9-11," "Ashcroft Faults Clinton in 9-11 Failures."

It's amazing how consistent it is. A classic of the genre was the Chicago Tribune headline, which managed to use both constructs in a single headline: "Ashcroft Ignored Terrorism, Panel Told; Attorney General Denies Charges, Blames Clinton." Why not: "Reno Ignored Terrorism, Panel Told; Former Deputy Attorney General Denies Charges, Blames Bush"?

Democrats actively created policies that were designed to hamstring terrorism investigations. The only rap against the Bush administration is that it failed to unravel the entire 9-11 terrorism plot based on a memo titled: "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States."

I have news for liberals: Bin Laden is still determined to attack inside the United States! Could they please tell us when and where the next attack will be? Because unless we know that, it's going to be difficult to stop it if we can't search Arabs.

Ann Coulter is host of AnnCoulter.org, a Townhall.com member group.

©2004 Universal Press Syndicate

Contact Ann Coulter | Read Coulter's biography

[onyx]

Excellent.
Another keeper.

[oolatec]

I <3 Ann!

[GeronL]

Last week, 9-11 commissioner John Lehman revealed that "it was the policy (before 9-11) and I believe remains the policy today to fine airlines if they have more than two young Arab males in secondary questioning because that's discriminatory."

Hmmm ... Is 19 more than two? Why, yes, I believe it is. So if two Jordanian cab drivers are searched before boarding a flight out of Newark, Osama bin Laden could then board that plane without being questioned. I'm no security expert, but I'm pretty sure this gives terrorists an opening for an attack.

?????!!!!!!!

and no news outlets reported this????!!!!!

[goldstategop]

Yes we can't offend brown-skinned terrorists. To liberals, another 9/11 is preferable to give Arabs grounds for offense.

[GeronL]

Coulter is right. We must get the media to mention this search policy!! She even mentioned that O'Reilly keeps referring the myth of the sheet on the statue.

[Yaelle]

When Democrats make an accusation against Republicans, newspaper headlines repeat the accusation as a fact: "U.S. Law Chief 'Failed to Heed Terror Warnings,'" "Bush Was Told of Qaida Steps Pre-9-11; Secret Memo Released," "Bush White House Said to Have Failed to Make al-Qaida an Early Priority."

But when Republicans make accusations against Democrats – even accusations backed up by the hard fact of a declassified Jamie Gorelick memo – the headlines note only that Republicans are making accusations: "Ashcroft Lays Blame at Clinton's Feet," "Ashcroft: Blame Bubba for 9-11," "Ashcroft Faults Clinton in 9-11 Failures."

How I wish we had a network news show as popular as 60 Minutes to point this screaming fact out to Main Street America. They simply do not realize this. 80% of Americans do not realize this. Only a small minority know and approve of it (the politically active libs), but the rest of the country has NO IDEA how they are being scammed. They are too busy leading their lives. They are not too interested in politics. But they determine elections. The Democrat press knows this and plays with it.

[ObiJuan]

I love Ann more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lol

[Captainpaintball]

If Condoleeza Rice STILL would not mention the Logan Airport/ACLU/profiling story at the 9/11 hearings...TO SAVE HER OWN, AND THE ADMINISTRATION'S COLLECTIVE ASS (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), we are losing the war on terrorism, period.

[Nateman]

I knew from the beginning that those hearings were just a political game of "tag your it" so I've changed channels whenever I saw this spin game , even on FOX. I knew Ann Coulter would pretty much sum it up for me eventually. Nice work Ann.

[Graymatter]

It was sort of a Matlock moment, wasn't it?

Wait a minute. Ann Coulter watched Matlock?

[lainde]

bttt

[Brian Allen]

At 'em, Ann!

Great post, katts!

[GeronL]

I thought everyone watched Matlock =o)

[GeronL]

did you know about that rule?? No more than two arab males per flight can be searched??

HUH??

All they gotta do is send more than 2??

[Graymatter]

Let's put it this way, when I was the age she was when she was watching Matlock, I wasn't sitting around watching Perry Mason. ;)

[nopardons]

I've never seen even one episode. :-)

[nopardons]

HUNH?

[GeronL]

huh??

There is a bunch of raving lefties out there claiming to speak for "9-11 families" when they can't. They speak only for themselves. Its funny how they always get on TV when the conservative families can't.

[onyx]

You signed on today, (04-15-04)
and thus far you have spammed 4 threads
with 9llcitizenswatch.org.

I think YOU have an agenda.
I know from your first post here
that you do not like President Bush.

Guess what?
The owner of this site is solidly pro-President Bush.
So am I.

[GeronL]

Old lawyer gets client, solves case, catches bad guy, eats hot dog.

[Texasforever]

The person is a new member and is most likely trolling given its comments here

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1117922/posts

[kayak]

Either you have just earned the Best Sarcasm of the Day Award or you are a disruptor. The fact that you signed up just today gives me a tiny bit of a hint as to which is correct.

[GeronL]

I figured that. Probably had a cow reading my post.

[alaskanfan]

I just stopped by for the photo. Where the heck is it?

[GeronL]

#23- I should write the TV Guide!

[GeronL]

good question!

*applause*

[nopardons]

Then you'd best inform them that there are simply oodles of shows that I have never seen either. LOL

[Travis McGee]

It is amazing how the lamestream media is keeping the damning memo secret!

[nutmeg]

read later bump

[onyx]

Yes it is, but the GOP must go on the offensive now.

[Ben Chad]

SWISH

[Kozak]

Happy?

[GeronL]

UBC-TV-7:00 EST: New Show that nopardons will not watch.

[alaskanfan]

Obligatory photo please!

And let's have a new one this time!

[nopardons]

Not really " amazing " at all...it's their usual MO. :-(

[alaskanfan]

Sorry, I was getting impatient.

[nopardons]

UBC-TV?

I don't watch a whole lot of T.V.;just FNC," MASTERPIECE THEATRE"," LIVE FROM THE MET",and old movies on TCM. :-)

[GeronL]

I made up UBC... but there is an MBC on cable... Minority Broadcasting Company...

[endthematrix]

"...I alone know because I'm the only person in America watching the 9-11 hearings..."

Even Ann feels lonely and frustrated sometimes.

[GeronL]

Obligatory photo please!

Me?? I didn't post this thread... =o)

[nopardons]

Really? I've never heard about MBC either.

You have now become my "go to guy",when it comes to T.V. info. :-)

[alaskanfan]

Thank you!!!

[Brian Allen]

<< did you know about that rule?? No more than two arab males per flight can be searched??

HUH??

All they gotta do is send more than 2?? >>

I knew it and wrote obsessively about it from the time arab terrorists walked on the bomb that brought down TWA's Boeing B-747 off Long Island and when, in close concert and cooperation with their hastily-allied beached-whale-corporation major-airline operating cohorts, subsequently brought off the corruptly-cli'ton FBI-mismanaged/NTSB "accident investigation" and follow-on Al-queada Gore-leone "investigation" into "airline security."

[Pardon me a minute here -- HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah HahHahHahHahHah -- that's a bloody joke!]

And they also noticed and sent way more than 2 -- which we all noticed.

And at least two of their major enablers and facilitators, DICK BEN-VENISTE and GORELICKer sit on the so-called "9-11 Commission."

Go figger.

[GeronL]

I watch very little TV actually.

MBC came up because they had boxing and I wanted to watch Boxing and ESPN2 was showing College Basketball!

Comcast stinks BTW

[GeronL]

Why won't the media talk about that?? You'd think the conservative media would!

[Dec31,1999]

It's behooves us to make our own media outlets in various forms. From local weeklies, to worldwide satellite news programs. The Internet alone is just NOT going to cut it.

Who has the initial money to be put up, in the case of satellite/cable productions? Who can back us? Surely there are some out there.

[BigSkyFreeper]

I thought everyone watched Matlock =o)

I thought only bluehairs who winter in Florida watched Matlock.