Threat Matrix: December 2007

Previous Thread ^

[nwctwx]

Calculating the Risks in Pakistan

A small group of U.S. military experts and intelligence officials convened in Washington for a classified war game last year, exploring strategies for securing Pakistan's nuclear arsenal if the country's political institutions and military safeguards began to fall apart.

The secret exercise — conducted without official sponsorship from any government agency, apparently due to the sensitivity of its subject — was one of several such games the U.S. government has conducted in recent years examining various options and scenarios for Pakistan's nuclear weapons: How many troops might be required for a military intervention in Pakistan? Could Pakistani nuclear bunkers be isolated by saturating the surrounding areas with tens of thousands of high-powered mines, dropped from the air and packed with anti-tank and anti-personnel munitions? Or might such a move only worsen the security of Pakistan's arsenal?
Full story...

	Musharraf: U.S. Shares Blame for Pakistan and Afghanistan
	Bin Laden's Message to the Europeans
	Messages from bin Laden Since 9-11

Threat Matrix:
December 2007

November 2007

Threat Matrix Index

Theat Matrix Handbook

Theat Matrix 'BOLO'

Invaluable Tips

Preparedness

[nwctwx]

Death Toll for Iraqis Falls

REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz

The number of Iraqis killed last month fell to 718, an Associated Press tally showed, the lowest monthly death toll since just before the 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine provoked a vicious cycle of retaliatory sectarian violence.

The figures come as the military says violence has fallen to levels not seen in nearly two years, while acknowledging that Iraqis are still dying in unacceptable numbers.

An expert on the effect of conflicts on civilians agreed, saying that while the downward trend was positive, it needed to be kept in perspective.
Full story...

Turkey Attacks Kurdish Rebels | Chavez Threatens to Cut Off Oil Exports

Threat Matrix: Since November 3, 2003
																				55	54	53	52	51
50	49	48	47	46	45	44	43	42	41	40	39	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	26
25	24	23	22	21	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	09	08	07	06	05	04	03	02	01

"No matter where you live in the world, this is a message that bears repeating: Your assistance is needed to prevent terrorist acts." From TM'er and Freeper ~appalachian_dweller~
Submit Information Online: FBI Tips & Public Leads
CDC ::::: CIA ::::: DHS ::::: DOJ ::::: DOD ::::: FBI ::::: NSA
Government Web Sites			Homeland Security Weekly		Nuclear Threat Initiative
	Most Wanted Terrorists		Terror-Alert.com		NCI: Nuclear Terrorism
	FBI: Seeking Information		Global Crisis Watch		IR and Security Network
	Are you Ready?: Ready.Gov		SOFIR		World Policy Institute
	CDC: Preparedness/Response		Little Green Footballs	Threat Matrix Related
	Defense Dept. War on Terror		Terror Base UK		Terrorism Knowledge Base
	U.S. Immigration & Customs		The Blotter		Terror Information Bank
	DOJ: Combating Terrorism		Middle East Live Daily Thread		South Asia Terrorism Portal
	US-Cert: Current Activity	Think Tanks			Terrorist Scorecard
News & Information			The Terrorism Research Center		Iraq Pipeline Watch
	IPN - Fire & Police Paging		The Jamestown Foundation		National Security Archive
	MEMRI | MEMRI TV		The Brookings Institution		Islamic Dictionary
	The Counterterrorism Blog		Council on Foreign Relations		IACSP Terrorism/Antiterrorism
	Jihad Watch		SITE Institute	Maps
	GlobalTerrorAlert.com		CSIS		Terrorist Network in U.S. Map
	LauraMansfield.com		RAND Corporation		Recent Disasters: Worldwide
	Internet Haganah		International Crisis Group		Nuclear Weapon Effects Calc.
	Topix.net: Terrorism News		The Heritage Foundation		Nuclear Terrorism: Blast Maps
	Faith Freedom International		Foreign Policy Institute		FEMA Nuclear Fallout Map
	TrackingTerrorism.com		Center for Defense Information		U.S. Nuclear Targets Map
	DEBKAfile		The Cato Institute		Global Incident Map
	TerroristWarning.com		Hudson Institute	Pay Sites
	HomelandSecurityUS.net		Homeland Security Institute		Strategic Forecasting
New Links in Italics

"America Supports You" spotlights what Americans are doing in support of the military all across the land, encourages others to thank the troops and allows all to tell their stories by giving voice and visibility to their efforts.

Threat Matrix: Recommended Reading

December 2007

7th Annual Report on al Qaida
United Nations Security Council

Being prepared is a good thing, no matter where one lives; no matter what alert level we are on.
From TM'er and Freeper ~Cindy~

Intelligence is the best weapon against terrorism.
National Commission on Terrorism: 1999

Ian Livingston

[nwctwx]

Ping to December.

[familyop]

But Pakistan is our ally. That’s what our Quaker leadership told us in ‘71. Besides, our soldiers couldn’t catch the donkeys that Pakistan’s nukes are riding on.

What goes around (to obfuscate the Iranian threat) comes around.

[null and void]

December? Dang!

[SlowBoat407]

Time flies. Thanks, Ian.

[Cindy]

Thank you nw for this new thread.

I hope you’re all moved in and all is well.

[Quix]

THANKS THANKS.

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=frwn
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=gwot
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/index.cfm?page=Captured

#

http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/index.cfm?page=Wanted_Terrorist
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=globaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihad

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=internet

#

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: Before, During and After
http://www.truthusa.com/911news.html
http://www.truthusa.com/911news2.html
http://www.truthusa.com/911news3.html
http://www.truthusa.com/911.html

#

http://www.sofir.org
http://sfir-arabicsource.blogspot.com/
http://www.internet-haganah.com

#

http://www.jihadwatch.org

#

http://www.memri.org/jihad.html
http://www.memriiwmp.org/
http://www.memritv.org
http://www.thememriblog.org/

#

http://truthusa.com/a/index.php

#

http://www.truthusa.com/quicknews.html

#

http://www.persecution.org
http://www.memri.org/antisemitism.html

###
###

Off Topic:

http://www.truthusa.com/CHRISTmas.html
http://truthusa.com/b/index.php?topic=7.0

[Cindy]

[Cindy]

ON THE INTERNET:

http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/site/html/search.asp?isSearch=yes&isT8=yes&searchText=T104&pid=167&sid=13&preview=

http://memritv.org/subject/en/89.htm

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hezbollah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizballah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbullah

#

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=search_videos&search_query=nasrallah&search_sort=video_date_uploaded&search_category=0&search=Search&v=&uploaded=

###
###

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,233305.shtml

“Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Supporting Hizballah”

Posted : Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:27:55 GMT
Author : U.S. Department of Justice
Category : PressRelease

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “DETROIT, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A former resident of Dearborn, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to providing material support to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization, Stephen J. Murphy, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, and Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced today.”

###
###

[Bean Counter]

Bookmarked....thanks!

[Cindy]

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/018989.php
(WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE)

December 1, 2007

“Newsletters urging ‘seas of blood’ in jihad found in storage locker of organization accused of aiding jihadists under guise of ‘charitable’ work”

###

Previously...

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/018786.php
(BOSTON GLOBE)

November 13, 2007
“Trial begins for 3 Boston-area Muslims accused of aiding jihadists”

###

Previously...

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/013599.php
(WASHINGTON TIMES)

October 16, 2006
“Tax-exempt jihad”

[Cindy]

http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=360.0

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=taliban
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=taleban

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933483/posts

#

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41993&Itemid=117

“4 Taleban killed at Wedding”
Sunday, 02 December 2007
Agence France Presse

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Four Taleban rebels were killed when their ammunition exploded during a wedding party they attended as special guests in a southern Afghan village, police said on Saturday.

Eight other rebels were injured in the blast in southern Zabul province late on Friday, the provincial police chief said.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=abujihaad

#

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/018987.php
(NEW YORK TIMES)

December 1, 2007
“Hearing for former U.S. sailor accused of leaking classified information shows contacts with jihadists, pro-jihad websites”

###

Previously...

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017506.php
(AP)

July 24, 2007
“Muslim in US Navy discussed sniper attacks on military personnel”

[Cindy]

blog:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=28124_The_Muslim_Student_Associations_Backdoor_Censorship_Tactic&only
“The Muslim Student Association’s ‘Backdoor Censorship’ Tactic”
Sat, Dec 1, 2007 at 10:28:59 am PST

#

http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/charliesykes/11853126.html#Scene_1

“SHUT UP, THEY EXPLAINED”
By Charlie Sykes
Story Created: Nov 27, 2007
Story Updated: Nov 27, 2007

#

http://www.shoebat.com/

“WALID SHOEBAT
from Hate to Love”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=mexico
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=zetas

#

“Mexican army secures Rio Bravo”
Valley Morning Star/The Monitor ^ | December 1, 2007 | MARTHA LETICIA HERNANDEZ
Posted on 12/01/2007 9:57:24 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
“Shooting outside downtown restaurant left 6 dead, 3 wounded”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “RIO BRAVO — The Mexican army cordoned off Rio Bravo early Friday, one day after a shooting outside a downtown restaurant left three hospitalized and six dead, including prominent political figure Juan Antonio Guajardo Anzalduá.

Soldiers searched vehicles leaving and entering the city, which sits in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas across the Rio Grande from Donna(Texas). Some residents of the city said the incident has frightened them, and the residents fear violence in the city could escalate. “We are afraid. We are very scared,” one Rio Bravo woman said in Spanish, requesting anonymity out of concern for her safety. “We think that something bigger could happen.”

Gunmen opened fire about 5:30 p.m. Thursday as Guajardo and his entourage left a restaurant on Madero Avenue. Guajardo was the former mayor of Rio Bravo, a two-term representative and a one-time senator. He was seeking re-election before he died Thursday, one day before his 49th birthday.

The spray of bullets ripped through Guajardo’s group and several bystanders.

Authorities identified the deceased as Gerardo Enrique Guzman Velásquez, Carlos Hugo Moncada Gonzalez, Jesús Mata García, and federal agents Gastón Miguel Cequeda Garcia and Israel Sanchez García. The federal agents have guarded Guajardo for months, after an assassination attempt on him earlier this year.

Tight lips

Law enforcement officials revealed little about the investigation, which will be led by Assistant District Attorney No. 3 Gerardo Treviño Martinez. Treviño’s office said he spent Friday in Reynosa, overseeing the delivery of the bodies and interviewing the three injured people, who were hospitalized in Reynosa.

One of the injured victims is a federal agent, who suffered a bullet wound to his abdomen.

A bullet grazed a woman’s chest, and a third woman’s leg broke when a bullet struck her.

So far, authorities have released no motive for the shooting. Earlier in the year, the Zetas organized crime syndicate had threatened Guajardo’s life, and he had also narrowly avoided an assassination attempt, prompting the government to assign bodyguards to him.”

[Cindy]

WASHINGTON TIMES.com (REUTERS):CHINA REJECTS ANOTHER NAVY MOORING" (December 1, 2007)

FreeRepublic.com - Key Word: "CHINA"

[Cindy]

Look for products that have been recalled here:

RECALLS.GOV
http://www.recalls.gov

[Cindy]

US-CERT.GOV
http://www.us-cert.gov

#

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov07/botnet112907.html

“’BOT ROAST II’
Cracking Down on Cyber Crime”
11/29/07

#

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel07/botroast112907.htm

“’Bot Roast II’ Nets 8 Individuals
Second Phase of Ongoing Cyber Investigation Reveals More Than $20 Million in Economic Loss and More Than One Million Victimized Computers. Public Urged To Take Precaution.”
(November 29, 2007)

[Cindy]

UPDATES to the TEDDY BEAR Jihad:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=teddybear
http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=1230.0

[Cindy]

UPDATES regarding THE CARTOON Jihad:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=cartoonjihad
http://www.truthusa.com/MoreThanCartoons.html

[Godzilla]

Zilla checking in 9 minutes after midnight, left coast time.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jerusalem

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933493/posts

#

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/

#

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546781063&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Dec 2, 2007 9:51 | Updated Dec 2, 2007 10:03
Earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter felt throughout J’lem
By JPOST.COM STAFF

An earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale was felt in and around Jerusalem Sunday morning.

According to reports, the epicenter of the quake was at the Dead Sea.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

[yorkie]

A 4?

Whew!

[Cindy]

4 is not bad by this Calif. girl’s standards, but I don’t know how that works in Jerusalem with all those old buildings.

[Cindy]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124434

22 Kislev 5768, December 2, ‘07

Published: 11/30/07, 1:33 PM
“Kassams Fly, Army Prepares; Volunteers Plan Joyous Chanukah”
by Hillel Fendel

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “(IsraelNN.com) As Kassams continue to fly towards Sderot and north of Gaza, the 20 Gazan terrorists killed by the IDF this week are apparently the harbinger of a major IDF anti-terror offensive. Volunteers are preparing a joyous Chanukah for the besieged Sderot residents.

Four Hamas terrorists were killed on Thursday by the IDF, for a total of about 20 this week. The dead terrorists were engaged in firing Kassam rockets and mortar shells at Israel, or placing explosives designed to explode upon Israeli forces.

IDF Offensive Nears, Fatah Prepares

With Hamas preparing feverishly for a Hizbullah-style onslaught of Israel, including non-stop smuggling of explosives and weapons into Gaza, it is a matter of near-consensus that a large-scale IDF operation inside Gaza is inevitable. Now that the Annapolis summit has ended, the time appears to be getting much nearer.”

[Cindy]

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07120003.htm

Saturday, December 1, 2007

“Evangelist’s House Burned in India”

By James Varghese
Special to ASSIST News Service
ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

[Cindy]

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07110191.htm

Friday, November 30, 2007

“Kidnapped Assyrian priest released unharmed”

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
ANKARA, TURKEY

[yorkie]

That was the first thing I thought of, when I read about the earthquake:

Oh, no. Not on the first day of Hannukah! (That is almost too spooky to think about.)

[Cindy]

ADDING TO POST NO. 28:

Previously...

blog:

http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/3847.htm
(”Source: Hurriyet, Zaman, Turkey, November 29, 2007”)

Posted November 30, 2007

BLOG ENTRY SNIPPET: “According to Anto Nuay, a clergyman, the kidnappers said on a second call that they would kill the priest if they were not given the money.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=philippines

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933495/posts

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3942210
(AP)

“Filipino Protesters Storm US Embassy”
The Associated Press MANILA, Philippines Dec 2, 2007 (AP)

[Cindy]

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3873.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Sun Dec 02 2007 00:35:33 GMT-0800 (PST).

November 26, 2007

[yorkie]

My mistake. I thought today was the first day of Hanukkah. Just realized it is Tuesday. My mistake. Sorry.

[Cindy]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/FOREIGN/112020035/1001

“British warn of China cyber-spying”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “LONDON (AP) — The head of Britain’s domestic spy agency has warned that China is spying on the computer systems of British corporations, a newspaper reported yesterday.

The Times of London said MI5 chief Jonathan Evans sent a letter last week to 300 executives and security chiefs at banks, accounting firms and legal firms, warning them they were under attack from “Chinese state organizations” over the Internet.

The newspaper said the letter had also been posted on a secure section of the Web site of the government’s Center for the Protection of the National Infrastructure.”

[Cindy]

No problem.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933497/posts

“The Terrorist Roundup for December 2, 2007”
12/02/2007
Posted on 12/02/2007 1:11:28 AM PST by Straight Vermonter

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=uranium
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=enricheduranium

#

Note: Various posters covered this incident on the November 2007 thread of The Threat Matrix. Here is one article for recap.

#

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7119172.stm

Last Updated: Thursday, 29 November 2007, 17:14 GMT

“Slovak raid nets ‘bomb’ uranium”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Uranium seized in Slovakia on Wednesday was enriched enough to be used in a so-called “dirty bomb” to spread radioactive material, police say.

The uranium was found during a raid on alleged smugglers near the Hungarian border. Three people were detained.

The suspects had just under 500g (17.6 ounces) of uranium in powder, senior police official Michal Kopcik said.

Slovakian investigators believe the enriched uranium came from somewhere in the former Soviet Union.

The identity of the intended buyer for the uranium has not been released.

A dirty bomb uses conventional explosives to scatter radioactive debris and contaminate the target area.

‘Powder form’

The uranium seized on Wednesday could have been used “in various ways for terrorist attacks”, Mr Kopcik said.

“The radioactive uranium was even more dangerous because it was in powder form,” he said.”

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314484,00.html
(AP)

“FBI Arrests Pair Wanted in $7 Million Robbery”
Saturday, December 01, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “CLEVELAND — A couple wanted in the disappearence of $7 million in cash and checks from an armored car company was arrested on Saturday in West Virginia, the FBI said.

Roger Lee Dillon, 22, and his girlfriend, Nicole N. Boyd, 24, were arrested by agents from Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Pa., and Beckley, W.Va., early Saturday morning outside Beckley, FBI Special Agent Scott Wilson said.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=turkey
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iraq

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=pkk

#

blog:

http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/3865.htm
(”Source: Sabah, Hurriyet, Turkey, December 2, 2007”)

“Turkish Military Conducts First Across-the-Border Operation Into Iraq
(Posted December 2, 2007)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=saudiarabia
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=russia

#

blog:

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/783
Daniel Pipes’ Weblog

“Riyadh Reorients to Moscow”
(December 5, 2007)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933202/posts

“My harrowing story, by the teenage girl who was sentenced to 200 lashes . . . .”
Daily Mail ^ | 30. November 2007 | Richard Pendlebury
Posted on 12/01/2007 6:46:42 AM PST by UKrepublican

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “My harrowing story, by the teenage girl who was sentenced to 200 lashes after being gang raped in Saudi Arabia

When a teenage girl was gang raped in Saudi Arabia,a court sentenced HER to 90 lashes. After she complained,it was increased to 200. Now, the victim speaks for the first time...

She was only 19 and a new bride when it happened.

Seven men held her at knifepoint and, for a number of hours, she was subjected to a horrific gang rape.

But when she later went to the authorities, they sentenced her to 90 lashes.

She complained in the media, so the punishment was increased to 200 lashes and imprisonment.

Her lawyer has been suspended for speaking out against it.

Too outlandish to be true? Well, these are the bare facts of the so- called “Qatif girl” case, which has become a cause celebre among Western liberals and in Saudi Arabia, the West’s most important Middle Eastern ally.

Earlier this week, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, declared that what had happened was, indeed, an “outrage”.

But he did not mean that the rape victim had suffered a gross injustice.

No, only that criticism of his country was a foreign conspiracy.”

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Sun Dec 02 2007 02:22:11 GMT-0800 (PST).

Worldwide Caution

October 09, 2007

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=farc

#

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/FOREIGN/112020038/1003

“Rebels’ hostages ‘live like the dead’”

PARIS —

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The document was part of a haul of letters and grainy video seized from captured leftist guerrillas that showed for the first time since 2003 that Mrs. Betancourt and three U.S. contract workers were still alive.

Mrs. Betancourt, a former presidential candidate kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2002, tells how she sleeps under a mosquito net in a hammock, washes in rivers and says she has tried to escape.

“All these years have been terrible, but I don’t think I would still be alive without the commitment they have brought to all of us here, who live like the dead,” she wrote, according to Reuters news agency.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nuclear
http://memritv.org/subject/en/121.htm

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

#

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/01/africa/02iran.php

“Iranian pushes nuclear talks back to beginning”
By Elaine Sciolino Published: December 1, 2007
PARIS:

[Cindy]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071129-6.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/budget/2008/index.html

#

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071201.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 1, 2007

President’s Radio Address

Just the Facts: 2007 War Funding by the Numbers
In Focus: Budget Management

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Next week, Congress returns from its Thanksgiving recess. Members are coming back to a lot of unfinished business. And the clock will be ticking, because they have only a few weeks to get their work done before leaving again for Christmas.

Congress must address four critical priorities. First, Congress needs to pass a bill to fund our troops in combat. Second, Congress needs to make sure our intelligence professionals can continue to monitor terrorist communications so we can prevent attacks against our people. Third, Congress needs to pass a bill to protect middle-class families from higher taxes. And fourth, Congress needs to pass all the remaining appropriations bills to keep the Federal Government running.

Congress’s first priority should be to provide the funds and flexibility to keep our troops safe and help them protect our Nation. Beginning in February, I submitted detailed funding requests to Congress to fund operations in the war on terror. Our military has waited on these funds for months. The funds include money to carry out combat operations against the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq. They include money to train the Afghan and Iraqi security forces to take on more responsibility for the defense of their countries. And they include money for intelligence operations to protect our troops on the battlefield.

Pentagon officials recently warned Congress that continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of our military. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has already notified Congress that he will transfer money from accounts used to fund other activities of the military services to pay for current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — and no more money can be moved. So he has directed the Army and Marine Corps to develop a plan to lay-off civilian employees, terminate contracts, and prepare our military bases across the country for reduced operations. Military leaders have told us what they need to do their job. It is time for the Congress to do its job and give our troops what they need to protect America.

Another priority Congress must address is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. FISA provides a critical legal framework that allows our intelligence community to monitor terrorist communications while protecting the freedoms of the American people. Unfortunately, the law is dangerously out of date. In August, Congress passed legislation to help modernize FISA. That bill closed critical intelligence gaps, allowing us to collect important foreign intelligence. The problem is, this new law expires on February 1st — while the threat from our terrorist enemies does not.

Congress must take action now to keep the intelligence gaps closed — and make certain our national security professionals do not lose a critical tool for keeping America safe. As part of these efforts, Congress also needs to provide meaningful liability protection to those companies now facing multi-billion dollar lawsuits only because they are believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend our Nation following the 9/11 attacks.

Congress’s third priority should be to fix the Alternative Minimum Tax. The AMT was designed to ensure that the wealthy paid their fair share of taxes. But when Congress passed the AMT decades ago, it was not indexed for inflation. As a result, the AMT’s higher tax burden is creeping up on more and more middle-class families. If Congress fails to pass legislation to fix the AMT, as many as 25 million Americans would be subject to the AMT. On average, these taxpayers would have to send an extra $2,000 to the IRS next year. This is a huge tax increase that taxpayers do not deserve, and Congress must stop.

Finally, Congress has important work to do on the budget. One of Congress’s most basic duties is to fund the day-to-day operations of the Federal Government. Yet we are in the final month of the year, and Congress still has work to do on 11 of the 12 annual spending bills. Congressional leaders are now talking about piling all these bills into one monstrous piece of legislation — which they will load up with billions of dollars in earmarks and pork-barrel spending.

This is not what Congressional leaders promised when they took control of the Congress at the start of the year. In January, one congressional leader declared, “No longer can we waste time here in the Capitol, while families in America struggle to get ahead.” He was right. Congressional leaders need to keep their word and pass the remaining spending bills in a fiscally responsible way.

The end of the year is approaching fast, and Americans are working hard to finish up their business. Yet when it comes to getting its business done, Congress is only getting started. Members of Congress now have only a few weeks left before they head home for the holidays. Before they do so, I urge them to do their job: fund our troops, protect our citizens, provide taxpayers relief, and responsibly fund our government.

Thank you for listening.

END

[Cindy]

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=8cf4c563-7f4d-4265-a1e1-c372adbff99c&k=26017

“Canada faces repeated threats like Air India, former RCMP commissioner tells inquiry”
Kim Bolan , CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, December 01, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Urgent legislative changes are needed to improve the information flow between CSIS and the RCMP to keep Canadians safe from an increasing terrorist threat, former RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli told the Air India inquiry Friday.

Zaccardelli said many of the same problems between the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP that existed when Air India Flight 182 was bombed in 1985 remain 22 years later.”

[Global2010]

Off hand how many miles does Jerusalem cover?

[Global2010]

Close enough though.

[angelsonmyside]

Thanks to each of you that keep this going and for all you do. This is such an important thread and I appreciate you keeping me on the list. I do enjoy keeping up with it.