Posted on 12/28/2007 10:45:44 AM PST by K-oneTexas
Top Six National Security Bloopers of 2007 by Pam Meister
It’s the end of the year, and you know what that means: top whatever lists coming out the yin yang. From the worst dressed celebrities to the top reasons to hate your boss, there’s a top five, ten, and twenty list for every occasion.
Here at FamilySecurityMatters.org, we aren’t much interested in what the stars wore to the latest awards show. What matters most to us is security: national security, to be precise. And while we all like to think those in the top echelons of government are doing their level best to keep us safe in our beds at night, they – like us – are only human. Sometimes mistakes are made because of simple human error…yet others are made out of sheer incompetence.
And the government elites don’t have a corner on incompetence. You can add the “neutral, unbiased” mainstream media to that list. It’s bad enough that there are government employees disgruntled enough with their jobs (or the fact that their party didn’t win the White House in 2004) who are willing to leak secret, sensitive information during a time of war. What’s worse is that many in the press, who deny they have any agenda but the “truth,” would be willing to publish that information. Sure it may be true. But is it prudent to publish it? Sadly, these days “if it makes George Bush look bad, run with it,” seems to be the rule of thumb.
And so in the spirit of end-of-year list making frolics and the very serious topic of national security, I give you the top six national security blunders of 2007. Sure it’s a weird number, but it’s been a weird year. Here’s hoping we’ll see less of such nonsense in 2008…but I’m not holding my breath.
#6: USE OF TRANSLATION SERVICE ENABLED CHINESE SPIES TO INFILTRATE
This is outsourcing at its worst. The spy penetration was actually discovered a few years ago but, as it was just made public this month, it deserves the number six spot on this list. According to the Washington Times, China’s Ministry of State Security set up a Chinese translation service in Hawaii, presenting it as a U.S.-owned concern. The company was contracted by a National Security Agency in Kunia to translate a large amount of Chinese and other Asian language communications. This, er, working relationship allowed “China’s spy service to steal codes and other electronic intelligence secrets, and to recruit military and civilian personnel with access to them.”
If the agencies committed to tracking the comings and goings of our enemies can’t even vet a contractor properly, what hope do we have that they are analyzing the information they do receive accurately?
#5: MEDIA DROPS IRAQ SUCCESS LIKE A HOT POTATO
When the news from Iraq was bad, it was front page material. Now that the surge has been proven so successful that even Democrats like Dick Durbin and Brian Baird admitted it publicly, we’ve gone from hearing about the casualties to hearing…crickets. Oh, there’s the odd story here and there. But since MoveOn.org’s hit job on General David Petraeus didn’t work and the surge did, what’s a grumpy editor to do but ignore the good news and hope people won’t hear about it? But with the new media (Internet, talk radio, etc.), the news is getting out – which is bad news indeed for the old guard.
#4: SUPPORT FOR U.N. TREATIES THREATEN U.S. SOVEREIGNTY
The U.N. doesn’t just want our money, it wants to tell us what to do. And there are those in our government who will help them do just that. The Bush administration, the media, and some members of Congress favor ratifying the U.N. Law of the Sea Treaty which would put America at the mercy of non-elected bureaucrats who come from mainly anti-American countries. Not only that, but after years of defending why he didn’t sign the Kyoto Protocol, President Bush suddenly wants to make nice with the rest of the world. At the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali, he agreed that by 2013 the U.S. will dramatically decrease greenhouse emissions under international supervision (read: babysitting). Not only that, but we’ll provide other countries with more money and technology to do the same. It’s interesting to note how so many other countries only want the U.S. to be active in world affairs when large sums of our money are involved.
If Gene Roddenberry were alive, he would be leaping for joy: the U.N. seems to be well on its way to gaining the power and prestige of the one-world government known as the Federation in Star Trek. And we have our president, Congress and the media to thank for it. Scotty, three to beam up…
#3: MEDIA BLASTS CIA FOR KEEPING INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES, WELL, SECRET
Why is the media having a fit that the CIA, whose every move is supposed to be cloaked in secrecy, is trying to keep its interrogation tactics a secret from the enemy? This makes even less sense when you think about how many MSM outlets were outraged about the “outing” of (non-covert) agent Valerie Plame. The CIA’s decision to destroy interrogation tapes of high-value al Qaeda captives makes sense in a time of war: you don’t tell your opponents your battle plans; nor do you tell them anything else that might give them an advantage. Besides, as Cliff Kincaid pointed out, the whole thing was blown out of proportion by a press salivating at the chance to place the White House in a cover-up scandal not seen since the days of Watergate.
Andrew McCarthy got it right: “the tapes would certainly have leaked. No one knows the CIA as well as the CIA’s operations directorate. They know anti-Bush, antiwar ideologues in their organization have strategically leaked national defense secrets for years.” This is why they had to be destroyed. But just as we’ll never know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop®, we’ll never know for sure if the press is more outraged over the tapes’ destruction, or the fact that they didn’t get the chance to air footage and stills of the tapes (had they been leaked) à la the Abu Ghraib photos…further riling up Jihadists and Leftists against the Great Satan.
#2: BUSH ADMINISTRATION GIVES ‘ICE’ AND BORDER PATROL THE OLD BRONX CHEER
From Border Patrol agents Jose Alonso Compeon and Ignacio Ramos being sent to jail for 12 and 11 years respectively for shooting a Mexican drug dealer as he tried to cross the border, to the reassignment of ICE agents to work as U.S. Customs officers, President Bush has made it clear that border security is less important than appeasing the open borders/illegal alien activists and the Mexican government. (Don’t forget his support for the amnesty – I mean, “comprehensive immigration reform” that tanked earlier this year.)
We realize that politicians need to keep channels open when it comes to potential voting blocs. After all, it’s their stock in trade. But when vote pandering flies in the face of obvious security concerns and the financial well being of real live taxpaying, voting U.S. citizens, it’s time to sit back and take another look at what’s going on in our government. Last time I checked, the U.S. was still a sovereign nation and as such, its government has a duty to uphold the laws of the land as they pertain not only to citizens, but those who would usurp that sovereignty. Also last time I checked, President Bush isn’t running for office again. It would behoove him to remember that.
Drum roll please…
#1: CONGRESS GIVES BORDER AND AMERICAN PEOPLE THE ONE-FINGER SALUTE
Move over, George: Despite the fact that strengthening border security remains at the top of the “to do” list for most Americans, our elected leaders don’t seem to be getting the hint. In a bill so laden with pork it should be named Wilbur, amendments to this 3,500 page behemoth removed the two-tier fence requirement from 2006’s Secure Fence Act and replaced it with a one-tier fence. The ban on so-called sanctuary cities was also removed. And, in their infinite wisdom, lawmakers made a provision for $10 million in emergency funding for the attorneys of illegal aliens. The bill went on to the Senate, where it was approved after $70 million in funding for Iraq and Afghanistan was added without restrictions that Democrats had been pushing for. The bill now awaits the president’s John Hancock.
(Oh, and a $2 million earmark was also approved for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College. Thank goodness! I was worried that there would be no earthly memorial to the good congressman. It’s not fair for Senator Robert Byrd to have all the fun!)
Is the funding for Iraq and Afghanistan with no strings attached a good thing? Yes. But in this supposed “twin defeat” for Democrats, there is a silver lining for terrorists who would exploit our borders and our legal system for their own nefarious ends.
# #
FamilySecurityMatters.org Editorial Director Pamela Meister is a former radio broadcaster, a recovering liberal, a contributor to AmericanThinker.com and a formidable blogger at blogmeisterusa.mu.nu. read full author bio here
PING!!!
On all 6 of these, Duncan Hunter shines as the best candidate.
.
.
.
.
According to Intrade, the winner of the December 12th GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts
Why the smart money is on Duncan Hunter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926032/posts
In this poll Hunter is up 3% and even with Paul and Thompson.
http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=3481ef60-8195-46a9-af04-b87b907bcfdd
You’re right. I’ve been persuaded. If he even shows in Iowa and NH I’m going to scream with joy.
Actually Hunter is coming up, and these Iowa polls show him ahead of the pack.
scroll down for the poll.
You mean there is hope??!!!! \O/
On all 6 of these, Duncan Hunter shines as the best candidate.
No, he doesn’t.
He and Fred AGREE on all six of them, so quit saying that.
He and Fred AGREE on all six of them, so quit saying that.
*** Hunter’s criticism of Thompson over immigration is well aimed. We need someone in the white house who isn’t a johnny-come-lately on this issue.
Road to Des Moines Conversions on Immigration (Hunter Press release)
News Which Cannot Lose ^ | 10/25/07 | Duncan Hunter/staff
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1916889/posts
Johnny come lately? LOL. Whatever. Don’t be a jerk. Thompson is as well qualified as Hunter having been a Senator longer. Also, I’d like to point out that besmirching Thompson for “joining the campaign” later that anyone else is a lame loser way out, and the ONLY thing you can find to hold over him.
GO FRED
Excuse me, but that is what my candidate said about your candidate, so the comment is fair game.
Interesting that you point out that your candidate “is as well qualified as Hunter having been a Senator longer” doesn’t make any sense, because Hunter isn’t a senator, so it shows you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Note that as names pop up for National Security and SecDef, Hunter is on the short list but Thompson usually isn’t. Hunter is the better candidate when it comes to national security.
Relax.
I’m perfectly relaxed. hahahaha piss off
Kevmo.. let me clear something up here. This thread ISN’T about Thompson, or Hunter, or any of the other Candidates. That’s why I made the comments I made about your bringing politics into it. Politics might play a part in some of those things, but, not to the degree that people like to make it sound.
Thank you for your kind advice coming from an officer and a gentleman.
“having been a Senator longer” presumes that one has been a senator. Your writing is piss poor. Then you do the standard Fred-supporter backpedal, claiming you were just joking. Take a writing class if you want to support your candidate better.
.
.
.
.
According to Intrade, the winner of the December 12th GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts
Why the smart money is on Duncan Hunter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926032/posts
In this poll Hunter is up 3% and even with Paul and Thompson.
http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=3481ef60-8195-46a9-af04-b87b907bcfdd
Again with the poor writing. This thread IS about the candidates when it mentions they made blunders, like Fred did. Learn to write.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.