Posted on 06/26/2007 7:16:30 AM PDT by GFritsch
The Justice, State and Homeland Security Departments have all made it clear they want to help other countries prevent terrorism. They're not nearly as clear about how they plan to do that.
Such lack of clarity leaves U.S. agencies unsure about their international responsibilities and may have compromised several counterterrorism operations overseas, a new government report says.
The Government Accountability Office cited in its report several examples of U.S. agencies not cooperating, or even communicating, during overseas missions.
For example:
When the State Department launched a program in 2002 to help monitor migration across a terrorist-rich border, planners never consulted U.S. border patrol or immigration officials who have expertise in the field. No terrorists have been prosecuted as part of the program.
In another unidentified country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were assigned to track special-interest aliens while the FBI was in charge of identifying terrorists trying to enter the United States. Because of poor coordination and communication, both agencies moved in on the same person, possibly jeopardizing several investigations.
Approval of three full-time U.S. border agents in a terrorist-rich country has been delayed. The ambassador there believes the agents should work alongside locals at airports and immigration offices, rather than at the embassy.
The report credited the FBI for working to recruit more agents into international posts and working more closely with foreign agencies to prevent attacks. A key problem cited in the report, however, is that no agency is in charge of getting everyone to work together. And if one agency is, indeed, in charge, not everybody agrees on which one it is.
The Justice Department said in February that the FBI was the lead agency in charge of terrorism investigations overseas. But the report found that officials working overseas — including in Justice Department agencies — disagreed. They said there was no lead agency coordinating overseas efforts.
Law enforcement working groups based at U.S. embassies only address general issues and do not function cohesively, the report found.
"For example, in one country we visited with an extremely high terrorist threat, an FBI official told us that the law enforcement working group had never been asked to try to identify or disrupt any of the terrorists on the most wanted lists of the departments of State or Defense, or of the foreign nation itself," the report said.
When asked to provide a list of key accomplishments from 2001 to 2005, nobody at State, Justice, or Homeland Security could do so because there is no system for documenting them.
All three agencies responded to the report in writing. State Department officials said it would alert ambassadors to the problems and urge that the matters be addressed. Officials also said State Department counterterrorism programs were underfunded.
Homeland Security officials said they generally agreed with the report's findings but credited its overseas workers with disrupting terrorist networks, even if such disruption could not be measured in prosecutions.
The Justice Department criticized the report's "fundamental misunderstanding" about the roles Justice Department agencies play overseas. While pledging to work with the State Department to coordinate policies, Justice Department officials said it's untrue that overseas officials lack a unified, strategic direction.
"This finding is inconsistent with the fact that Goal 1 in the department's strategic plan is to 'prevent terrorism and promote the nation's security,'" the Justice Department wrote.
Officials at the National Counterterrorism Center — charged with developing an overarching plan to combat terrorism — told government auditors they had drafted a plan that addresses some issues raised in the report. Officials refused, however, to release the plan for review.
Washington remains OUT OF CONTROL. They just do not care.
Here’s a conspiracy theory for you. They’ve done it deliberately so they can declare a state of emergency and suspend the US Constitution.
Either that or they are just relying on wishful thinking.
bttt
Or their brain-dead bureaucrats...
we need a new law that requires the firing of at least 5% of all federal govt employees in each paygrade each year. that is the only way i can think of to rid govt of worthless, unaccountable employees.
They hate America, but love their protected Elite Political Class status.
“In another unidentified country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were assigned to track special-interest aliens while the FBI was in charge of identifying terrorists trying to enter the United States. Because of poor coordination and communication, both agencies moved in on the same person, possibly jeopardizing several investigations.”
I thought this sort of thing, one of the identified factors that kept us from preventing 9/11, was one of the stated purposes for setting up this Homeland Security Dept. I can’t argue with the fact that we have not yet had a successful assault on American soil. I am wondering how accurate this report of a lack of coordination is.
No reasonable explanation has come forth from our people in D.C., so I’m forced to believe money is talking to those D.C. folk and money has made this plan necessary.
::::::
It is always about money and power. And it is not for, or about, the American citizen. That is why they are keeping it all under wraps. It is a sad day when you can no longer trust your own government. Our free Republic and what was once a “Government for and by the people” has rotted away....and this is what we have. It is time to clean house in 2008.
We need a 10 million American march on Capitol Hill!
Don’t forget. These lifers vote and vote for left-wing candidates every time.
If the Senate passes this travesty, I will consider it their declaration of war against the American middle class.
bttt
The John Birch Society has been right all along.
Some will say we have declared war on terrorism, no matter where it may be. Let’s look at that.
What IS terrorism?
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 defines terrorism as,
1 : the unlawful use or threat of violence esp. against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion
2 : violent and intimidating gang activity —ter•ror•ist /-ist/ adj or noun —ter•ror•is•tic /"ter-&r-'is-tik/ adjective
We have many instances of terrorism against the governments of, and the people of, The United States, The United Kingdom, many nations of Europe, even some Middle Eastern countries, especially Israel. Terrorism was brought home to the United States, quite unlike anything we have experienced in recent history, by the terroristic strikes of 9/11/01. So where is our war on terrorism to strike? Who is our war on terrorism to strike?
The average citizen doesn’t have the knowledge to decide where these terrorist acts originate from.
We must trust our governmental representatives and agencies to have the knowledge and the will to find these things out and decide those things.
But the average citizen does want to know, “What are we doing to keep our country safe from another attack like that, or worse?”
Which brings me to my second point.
Illegal immigration:
Look closely at the second definition of terrorism. “Violent and intimidating gang activity”
We have many instances of that right here in our own country performed by our own citizens, as well as citizens of other countries here, legally and illegally.
Where is our war on terrorism?
Are we now to decide what type of terrorism we are at war with?
It’s my belief that most of the better organized gangs, especially at the top echelons, are comprised in large part of illegal aliens.
Why do these thugs, legal and illegal, roam our streets freely, acting with, almost, impunity, and we do little about it?
Why do millions of illegal immigrants pour across our southern border each year?
To begin with, is this not a hole in the fabric of our nation’s security? Could terrorists come across our border, even with the means to commit acts of terror, easily?
I have to say that the answer is, YES.
Yes, a terrorist could easily cross our southern border and I believe many do.
Not the type of terrorist you are thinking about. The man with a bomb strapped to his back, the man with nuclear devices in his backpack, the man with biochemical weapons attached to his belt, even though these could all be true.
I’m talking about the illegal immigrants that are part of gangs, or going to become part of a gang.
There are many of them, both already in a gang or willing to join a gang once here for self preservation, or to protect their families, whom, being illegals, won’t go to the police, or just wanting to show the gringo that they can’t be pushed around like, you got it, what they are, an illegal alien.
(channeling terrorists) "Why worry about committing acts of aggression yourself when you can get willing dupes to do your job for you?
Let’s sow some discord within the USA. Let’s get the USA to look at a different problem, illegal immigration, and they won’t be looking so hard in our direction. While we’re at it, let’s get some of our own people in easily so that when we ARE ready we’ll have a fifth column in place."
These reasons, in addition to the fact that many people have the gut feeling that the illegal immigrant should not be rewarded for breaking the law, are why we need to secure our borders, especially our southern border.
I believe that most people would be more than willing to have the many illegal immigrants as neighbors, the hard working ones at least, if only they had come to our country legally.
Most of the government, local, state, and federal, has turned a blind eye to the illegal immigrant lawbreakers in our country.
I haven’t been able to figure this out yet. Someone is getting paid off, I’m just not sure who yet.
The government says these people pay taxes. How is that? A business is not supposed to be able to legally hire an illegal immigrant, so how are they paying taxes? Are they voluntarily paying their taxes to our government out of their under the table pay? I don’t think so. Are they even voluntarily paying their OWN government taxes out of their under the table pay? I don’t think so.
So we have one of two scenarios happening here. Either, we have illegal immigrants being paid under the table, illegally, by business owners or we have business owners accepting false documents from illegal immigrants and now the illegal immigrants are doubly criminals.
Either way, there are two crimes happening and very little being done about it.
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