Posted on 02/01/2010 3:57:52 PM PST by La Lydia
The federal budget deficit has long since graduated from nuisance to headache to pressing national concern. Now, however, it has become so large and persistent that it is time to start thinking of it as something else entirely: a national-security threat. The budget plan released Monday by the Obama administration illustrates why this escalation is warranted. The numbers are mind-numbing: a $1.6 trillion deficit this year, $1.3 trillion next year, $8.5 trillion for the next 10 years combined—and that assumes Congress enacts Obama's proposals to start bringing it down, and that the proposals work.
...it's time to start thinking of the ramifications for America's ability to continue playing its traditional global role. The U.S. government this year will borrow one of every three dollars it spends, with many of those funds coming from foreign countries. That weakens America's standing and its freedom to act; strengthens China and other world powers including cash-rich oil producers; puts long-term defense spending at risk...and reduces the aura of power that has been a great intangible asset for presidents for more than a century....
In the 21st-century world order, the classic, narrow definition of national-security threats already has expanded in ways that make traditional foreign-policy thinking antiquated. The list of American security concerns now includes dependence on foreign oil and global warming, for example. Consider just four of the ways that budget deficits also threaten American's national security:
• They make America vulnerable to foreign pressures...
• The American model is being undermined before the rest of the world....
The image of an invincible America had two large effects over the last century or so. First, it made other countries listen when Washington talked. And second, it often—not always, of course, but often—made other peoples and leaders yearn to be like America...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Obama’s plan on target
The list, ping
If dour Jerry Seib is saying the deficit is a national security threat then you know that’s the new inside the Beltway meme and it makes El Rushbo right (as usual) when he said today that Obamao is setting the stage for huge tax increases.
:) That’s what I thought, too. Thing is, he’s right, it is a threat, and that is an important point to keep in mind. But raising taxes doesn’t address it. It will make it worse.
Keep in mind this doesn’t include $6.3 TRILLION for fannie/freddie he is leaving that off even though orzeg criticized the Bush administration for that very thing.
President Barack Obama’s budget blueprint for the next fiscal year excludes the $6.3 trillion in liabilities of government-controlled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and delays for a second time a decision on restructuring the mortgage-finance companies that were seized 17 months ago.
The companies may need $54.4 billion more in U.S. Treasury Department preferred stock purchases to stay afloat in the current year that ends Sept. 30, and $23 billion more for the next fiscal year, according to calculations made from the Obama administration’s 2011 budget proposal to Congress today.
“The administration continues to monitor the situation of the GSEs closely and will continue to provide updates on considerations for longer-term reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as appropriate,” the Obama administration said.
White House budget director Peter Orszag delayed a decision on whether to bring the companies’ $1.6 trillion in corporate debt and $4.7 trillion mortgage obligations onto the federal budget. As the director of the Congressional Budget Office, Orszag criticized the Bush administration for keeping the 2008 rescue of the government-sponsored enterprises off budget.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=aqifb.wX_npo
He is right on target. Destroy the US and rebuilt it following Karl Marx’ plan. Obama is just the front man. There are a lot of people behind him pulling the strings.
A concise title, yet it speaks VOLUMES!
So does this mean Nancy Pelosi and family will have to fly commercial?
The media finally catching on? Fifty years late at least. But better late than never. Or is it too late?
The simple mathematical facts are that this nation can no longer sustain its debt load. It will therefore eventually begin to strategically default on various domestic commitments and cut-back on certain social welfare programs.
There's just no two ways around it, therefore there simply won't be sufficient funds to pay for any extra military actions.
The real issue isn't a combined military-police enforcement mechanism working at the behest of a super-state. Rather, it's a military coup engineered as the realization dawns that the current status quo cannot even meet our basic defense requirements.
That's when the 'defend the Constitution' clause becomes operational. Once something like that occurs, we'd see a refutation of all debts, domestic & foreign. Things like SS, Medi, welfare, etc.
It would be race back to a private marketplace economy to see if we could once again generate sufficient real wealth in which to protect ourselves.
Does that not make obama a security threat?
“There are a lot of people behind him pulling the strings.”
I agree. 0bama is NOT this smart. He’s definitely The Manchurian Candidate; the perfect patsy in the perfect place at the perfect time in history. *SIGH*
I’ve heard a couple of disturbing things with gov’t finances recently.
One was that the gov’t may compel/force people with 401K plans to get annuities throught the gov’t somehow, so that the gov’t would now control the trillions that individuals savers have put away. With annuities, the gov’t would then pay back monthly payments to retirees, similar to how Social Security works now. Individuals would no longer control their retirement savings, the federal government would.
The other thing I heard is that plans are quietly being drawn up to print up more money, and slowly place it in circulation. This will cause inflation, enable the gov’t to pay for future Social Security benefits in cheaper dollars, and push people into higher tax brackets. Soon everyone will be making more than $250,000 a year, which will make them “rich” according to Obama. Then everyone will be paying higher taxes due to bracket creep.
Online.WSJ.com - THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Capital Journal: "DEFICIT BALLOONS INTO NATIONAL-SECURITY THREAT" by Gerald F. Seib (SNIPPET: "The federal budget deficit has long since graduated from nuisance to headache to pressing national concern. Now, however, it has become so large and persistent that it is time to start thinking of it as something else entirely: a national-security threat.") (February 2, 2010) (Read More...)
YNET NEWS.com: "SECURITY SOURCES: THREAT TO OCEAN FACILITIES GROWING" by Hanan Greenberg, Ali Waked (SNIPPET: "Security source said Monday night that the explosives which drifted onto Israel's southern shoreline, and were later claimed by Palestinian groups, indicated their growing motivation to launch terror attacks against Israeli targets.") (Latest update February 2, 2010, 00:39/Israel News) (Read More...)
THE MEMRI BLOG.org: "CALL TO AL-QAEDA MEMBERS: INFILTRATE GAZA WITH AID CONVOYS" (SNIPPET: "A writer on a jihadist forum has urged all all monotheistic mujahideen (i.e. those affiliated with the salafi-jihadis, with which Al-Qaeda is identified) who wish to get into Gaza...") (Posted February 1, 2010) (Read More...)
TERRORISM-INFO.org.il: "Hamas continues initiating anti-Israeli activities in Europe: Muhammad Kazem Sawalha is a Hamas activist living in Britain who in the past was involved in operational activities in Judea and Samaria. He is personally involved in preparations to dispatch another aid convoy to the Gaza Strip by sea to confront Israel") (January 29, 2010) (Read More...)
BROOKLYN PAPER.com: "ANOTHER SICK CALL TO 'KILL JEWS'" by Stephen Brown (SNIPPET: "In a stunning display of intolerance, Sixth Avenue in Park Slope was littered with strips of papers reading "KILL JEWS" in capital letters from Fourth to Ninth streets on Wednesday." SNIPPET: "All that emerged was that the slips had been cut from a document from a taxi driving school." SNIPPET: "In addition to Guilbert's Halloween discovery, last September, the same notes turned up in Bay Ridge, Boerum Hill and Clinton Hill. To top it off, vandals struck two synagogues in Brooklyn Heights in 2007 and left the same message on car windshields.") (January 28, 2010) (Read More...)
DAILY TECH.com: "POWER PLANTS REPORT INCREASE OF FOREIGN-BASED ATTACKS Cyber attacks against power plants and other vital infrastructure may be higher than previously believed" by Michael Barkoviak (SNIPPET: "A new study [PDF] that interviewed power plant operators and other "critical infrastructure" indicates more than 50 percent of all U.S. power plants have had to deal with an increase in cyber attacks. Security company McAfee funded the research, speaking with 600 IT managers and executives from 14 different nations. Around 54 percent of those interviewed said some type of network "stealthy infiltration" took place, with the same number of executives noting they faced massive denial-of-service attacks on their networks at one point in time.") (January 29, 2010, 6:20 am) (Read More...)
US DOJ.gov - Justice.gov/opa - Press Release: "UNITED STATES TRANSFERS THREE GUANTANAMO BAY DETAINEES TO SLOVAKIA" (SNIPPET: "Yesterday, the three detainees were transferred to the Government of Slovakia. The identities of these three individuals are being withheld at the request of the Government of Slovakia for security and privacy reasons.") (January 25, 2010) (Read More...)
INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT.org - For The Record - The IPT Blog: "POTENTIAL LET HANG GLIDER ATTACK HAS PRECEDENT" (SNIPPET: "India is on heightened alert for new terrorist attacks by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Among the concerns, the Times of India reported, is that the LeT has acquired more than 50 hang-gliders, possibly for use in an air-borne terrorist attack.") (January 25, 2010, 11:09 am) (Read More...)
ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS.com - Arutz Sheva: "SECRET REPORT: IRAN WILL HAVE NUCLEAR BOMB THIS YEAR" by Malkah Fleisher (SNIPPET: "A secret intelligence dossier currently being reviewed by US, Israeli, German, and Austrian governments reveals secret Iranian tests and hierarchies of power dedicated to the successful development of a nuclear bomb, and predicts that Iran will have a primitive nuclear bomb by year's end. According to the classified document featured in an expose by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, Iran is well on its way toward obtaining its first nuclear bomb.") (Last Update: January 25, 2010, 9:49 pm) (Read More...)
WASHINGTON INSTITUTE.com (FOREIGN POLICY.com): "WHEN YEMEN MEETS GAZA" by Matthew Levitt (SNIPPET: "Now, a small number of Yemeni jihadists have reportedly joined others from Syria, Egypt, France, and Belgium to fight a new war on an old battlefront: Gaza. According to intelligence officials, up to a few dozen foreign fighters have entered Gaza from Yemen and other Middle Eastern and European countries. Some are experienced fighters there to provide training, while others seek to be trained and experience jihad. Some of the Europeans have even reportedly "come with their credit cards" and financed jihadist activities while in Gaza.") (January 25, 2010) (Read More...)
INTERNET HAGANAH.com: "MAJAHDEN GOES GREEN" (SNIPPET: "Of course along with the al-Hesbah style colors come an assortment of other things, like spies and agents provocateurs, but that's not my problem...") (January 24, 2010)
WASHINGTON POST.com: Beirut - "HEZBOLLAH'S RELOCATION OF ROCKET SITES TO LEBANON'S INTERIOR POSES WIDER THREAT" by Howard Schneider (SNIPPET: "The Islamist group has talked openly of its efforts to rebuild, and Israel estimates that Hezbollah has about 40,000 projectiles, most of them shorter-range rockets and mortar shells.") (January 23, 2010) (Read More...)
KLTV.com: Tyler, Texas - "CHURCH FIRE HOTLINE SET UP, INVESTIGATION CONTINUES" by Philipe Djegal, Posted by Ellen Krafve (SNIPPET: "The East Texas church arson investigation continues as federal, state and local law enforcement establish a command center in Tyler, sharing information that could lead to an arrest of the person or persons suspected of lighting six churches on fire." SNIPPET: "An official tip line had been established that will be manned 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The Church Arson Hotline numbers are: 903-939-6169 or 903-939-6172. The ATF is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspected arsonist.") (Posted January 22, 2010; Updated January 22, 2010, 4:37 pm) (Read More...)
FOREIGN POLICY.com: "AL QAEDA'S ARMIES OF ONE Meet the next generation of jihadi pundits." by Jarret Brachman (SNIPPET: "The number of Web jihadists who make the transition to real-world terrorists is growing.") (January 22, 2010) (Read More...)
FOREIGN POLICY.com: "THE WORST OF THE WORST" by Jarret Brachman(SNIPPET: "These are some of the jihadi pundits who are making waves on al Qaeda's Web forums today -- and could potentially trade their keyboards for suicide vests tomorrow.") (January 22, 2010) (Read More...)
TELEGRAPH.co.uk: "AL-QAEDA HAS TRAINED FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBERS TO ATTACK WEST, US OFFICIALS WARN" (SNIPPET: "The women, who may have a "non-Arab" appearance and be travelling on Western passports...") (Published January 23, 2010, 8:30 pm GMT) (Read More...)
ABC NEWS.go.com - The Blotter: "ALERT: FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBERS MAY BE HEADING HERE FROM YEMEN U.S. Agents Told Women Believed Connected to Al Qaeda May Have Western Appearance and Passports" (SNIPPET: "One official said at least two of them are believed to be connected to al Qaeda in Yemen, and may have a non-Arab appearance and be traveling on Western passports. The threat was described as "current" but not imminent, said the official." SNIPPET: "At least six people on the no-fly list were denied boarding in a 48-hour period between Saturday and Monday this week, according to the officials." SNIPPET: "At the same time, U.S. law enforcement agencies have quietly begun an intense and widespread effort to investigate any American resident who traveled to Yemen in recent months or who was in contact with the radical cleric Anwar Awlaki, who authorities believe serves as an al Qaeda recruiter.") (January 22, 2010) (Read More...)
MI5.gov.uk: "UK THREAT LEVEL RAISED" (SNIPPET: "...from SUBSTANTIAL to SEVERE. The current threat level means that the threat of a terrorist attack is considered to be highly likely.") (January 22, 2010) (Read More...)
WORLD TRIBUNE.com (Special from GEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT.com): "'Large number of Wahhabis' streaming into Bosnia-Herzegovina" (SNIPPET: "Muslim terrorists in the Balkans have established a terrorist training camp in northeast Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to a report in the newspaper Dnevni List. The Mostar-based Croatian newspaper reported Jan. 6, quoting security sources that the special training camp is located near Gornja Moaca in the northeastern part of the country.") (January 19, 2010) (Read More...)
OSAC.gov - Consular Affairs Bulletins - Report, Hong Kong, SAR: "Warden Message: HONG KIONG INDISCRIMINATE CORROSIVE FLUID ATTACKS" (SNIPPET: "This Warden Message is being issued to alert U..S. citizens to a series of indiscriminate attacks using bottles filled with corrosive fluid that have occurred in Hong Kong since December 2008. The six incidents occurred mostly in popular outdoor shopping areas and resulted in injuries to the victims of the attacks. In all the cases, the attacker or attackers dropped one or more bottles containing corrosive fluid from a multi-story building onto the street. According to Hong Kong officials, the attacker or attackers were not targeting specific individuals.") (January 19, 2010)
AFP via Google.com: Tehran - "IRAN TO UNVEIL THREE NEW HOME-BUILT SATELLITES: REPORT" (SNIPPET: "Taghipour named the three satellites as Toloo (Dawn), Ya Mahdi and Mesbah-2, but did not elaborate on exactly when they would be launched." SNIPPET: "Iran had earlier announced it was building seven new satellites, including three for high orbit positions.") (January 20, 2010) (Read More...)
JIHAD WATCH.org (WALL STREET JOURNAL): "YEMENI JIHADISTS: "The duty of our Muslim nation is to declare jihad against the infidels...As they declared it to be an open war on the people of Islam, we must declare an open war against them"" (SNIPPET: "I trust that moderate Muslim spokesmen all over the U.S. are even as I write this hastening to explain that it is not the duty of Muslims to declare jihad against Infidels. and that Al-Qaeda has in this particular gotten Islam all wrong. wrong, wrong, and that they are beginning comprehensive, transparent programs in American mosques and Islamic schools to teach against this idea. Aren't they?") (January 18, 2010) (Read More...)
SUNDAY MERCURY.net: "INSIDE ISLAM4UK: How Birmingham boys turn to terror" by Ben Goldby (SNIPPET: Anjem Choudary..." SNIPPET: "The banning of Islam4UK follows a similar order issued under anti-terror legislation against parent group, Al Muhijaroun, also founded by Choudary and outlawed in 2005.") (January 17, 2010) (Read More...)
NATIONAL REVIEW.com: "OUR SORTA, KINDA WAR ON TERROR President Obama has not signed up for a serious effort against radical islam." by Victor Davis Hanson (SNIPPET: "Barack Obama is doing just enough to infuriate our enemies, while at the same time trying to deny that we are in an existential war against them.") (January 15, 2010, 4:00 am) (Read More...)
Travel.State.Gov - U.S. Department of State - Office of the Spokesman - Fact Sheet: "2010 WINTER OLYMPICS" (SNIPPET: "Security Assessment: The U.S. Government remains concerned about the sustained international terrorists threats directed against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. While there have been no specific, credible terrorist threats to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, in the post-September 11th world, the threat from international terrorist groups at major public events is always a principal concern. As security increases in and around Olympic venues, terrorists could shift their focus to more unprotected Olympic venues, open public spaces, hotels, railway and other transportation systems, churches, restaurants, and other sites not associated with the Olympics. U.S. citizens planning to attend Olympic events or to participate in any large-scale public gatherings during the Olympic Games are advised to use caution and to be alert to their surroundings at all times. This includes the periods immediately before and after these events.") (Read More...)
OSAC.gov - Consular Affairs Bulletins - Report - Kenya: "Warden Message: KENYA WESTERNER KIDNAPPING THREAT IN DADAAB REFUGEE CAMP" (SNIPPET: "U.S. Embassy Nairobi wishes to alert the U.S. resident community that there has been a threat to kidnap Westerners in Dadaab refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. Reports state that al-Shabab agents plan to enter Dadaab refugee camp feigning to visit relatives/friends, and then kidnap any Westerner in the vicinity. There was no additional information on the specific timing, method or target of the attack.") (January 15, 2010) (Read More...)
OSAC.gov - Consular Affairs Bulletins - Report - Malaysia: "Warden Message: MALAYSIA WARNS OF VIOLENT ATTACKS" (SNIPPET: "There are indications that both criminal and terrorist groups are planning or intend acts of violence against foreigners in eastern Sabah, notwithstanding the Government of Malaysia's increased ability to detect, deter and prevent such attacks.") (January 15, 2010) (Read More...)
INTERNET HAGANAH.com: "ANSAR AL-MUJAHIDEEN FORUM POSTS A FIELD REPORT FROM SOUTH WAZIRISTAN" (SNIPPET: "The premier English-language jihadi forum has members in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad...") (January 15, 2010) (Read More...)
ECONOMIC TIMES.INDIA TIMES.com: "JIHADI ON RECCE NABBED AT WAGAH" (SNIPPET: "Noman Arshad, a teenaged youth hailing from Singhpura near Lahore, was apprehended inside Indian territory by troopers of BSF's 55th battalion. He later told the security agencies during his interrogation that he had come to the border on a recce. He said around 6-7 suicide bombers, three of them women, were waiting across the border in Pakistan to cross over into Punjab for possible strikes.") (January 15, 2010, 0405 hrs IST, ET Bureau) (Read More...)
OnlineOpinion.com.au (YaleGlobalOnline): "TERRORISM'S NEW AVATARS -- Part II" by Gabriel Weimann (SNIPPET: "One of the little-noticed facts that connects many recent acts of terrorism - from Nidal Malik Hassan, the Fort Hood Shooter, to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas day bomber, is the growing use of the Internet by terrorists not only to spread their propaganda but also to recruit and raise funds.") (Posted January 14, 2010) (Read More...)
DHS.gov - Press Release: "Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano" (STATEMENT: "In view of the event of Christmas Day we must remain vigilant about the continued threat we face from al-Qa'ida. We are taking an additional set of aviation security precautions to protect the American people. Some of these measures include enhanced random screening, additional federal air marshals on certain routes and adding individuals of concern to our terrorist watch list system. As a result of these measures and others we have put in place since Christmas, travelers should allot extra time when flying--particularly into the United States from overseas. We are facing a determined enemy and we appreciate the patience of all Americans and visitors to our country, and the cooperation of our international partners as well as a committed airline industry. We will continue to update and adapt our defenses as needed to ensure air travel is both safe and efficient. As always, we continue to ask all Americans to report any suspicious behavior to the local law enforcement authorities.") (Release Date: January 14, 2010)
SPACE DAILY.com (AFP): "U.S. OFFICIAL QUESTIONS CHINA SPACE INTENTIONS" (SNIPPET: ""The Chinese have stated that they oppose the militarization of space. Their actions seem to indicate the contrary intention," said Wallace Gregson, the assistant secretary of defense in charge of Asia. "We continue to press the Chinese for explanation," Gregson told a congressional hearing.") (January 13, 2010) (Read More...)
TERRORISM-INFO.org.il - INTELLIGENCE AND TERRORISM INFORMATION CENTER: "The Students' Union of the London School of Economics and Queen Mary College of London University Have Twinned with the Islamic University in Gaza. The Islamic University is a Hamas stronghold, a terrorist base and a center for manufacturing weapons. It is also an important center for radical Islamic indoctrination." (January 13, 2010) (Read More...)
INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT.org - IPT News: "RADICAL YEMENI CLERIC'S EXTENSIVE AMERICAN CONTACTS A SOURCE OF MAJOR CONCERN" (SNIPPET: "U.S. intelligence officials believe there are dozens -- perhaps hundreds - of Americans who have been in e-mail contact with the radical Yemeni cleric who is believed to have inspired and directed both the Fort Hood shooter and the failed Christmas Day airline bomber, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned. Efforts to learn the details of that communication, or even to target Anwar Al-Awlaki militarily, may be hindered by his status as an American citizen.") (January 19, 2010) (Read More...)
ABC NEWS.go.com - THE BLOTTER: "U.S. WORRIED ABOUT THREE DOZEN CRIMINALS WHO CONVERTED TO ISLAM IN PRISON, MOST FROM NEW YORK" (SNIPPET: ""The group seeks to recruit American citizens to carry out terrorist attacks in the United States," said Sen. John Kerry, D.-Mass., the committee chairman." SNIPPET: "Dunleavy, the former deputy inspector general of the New York prison system and author of the forthcoming "The Fertile Soil of Jihad," said he has repeatedly warned that radical Imams have long had too much free rein inside many institutions. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, about 9,000 inmates seek to attend Islamic religious services, about six per cent of the total prison population.") (January 19, 2010) (Read More...)
FOX NEWS.com: "GOP LAWMAKER FEARS RADICALIZATION OF AMERICANS IN YEMEN" (SNIPPET: "A GOP lawmaker is seeking answers from the Obama administration on how it plans to combat the potential radicalization of the 55,000 Americans now in Yemen -- a country that has come under the thumb of Al Qaeda.") (Updated January 13, 2010) (Read More...)
Online.WSJ.com - Opinion Europe: "THE ROME-TEHRAN AXIS" by Giulio Meotti, Rome (SNIPPET: "Italian companies -- with Rome's backing -- have equipped Iran's military and contributed to the regime's satellite and possibly nuclear programs.") (January 14, 2010, 4:27 p.m. ET) (Read More...)
REUTERS.com: Timbuktu, Mali - "AL QAEDA LINKED TO ROGUE AVIATION NETWORK" by Tim Gaynor and Tiemoko Diallo (SNIPPET: "The clandestine fleet has grown to include twin-engine turboprops, executive jets and retired Boeing 727s that are flying multi-ton loads of cocaine and possibly weapons to an area in Africa where factions of al Qaeda are believed to be facilitating the smuggling of drugs to Europe, the officials say.") (January 13, 2010, 2:33 pm EST) (Read More...)
TERRAPLEXIC.org - Current Intelligence: "OUR ELUSIVE RADICALS" by Marisa Urgo (SNIPPET: "However, if researchers can find out why this networked and interdependent community in Northern Virginia produces so many violent Muslim radicals, I think it would greatly improve our ability to understand our adversary.") (January 12, 2010) (Read More...)
MEMRI.org - Report No. 2747: "The Taliban of Pakistan's Swat District Releases Video Showing Children And Teenagers Training for Jihad And the "Lovers of Houris" (the Women of Paradise) Who Carried Out Martyrdom Missions" (January 12, 2010) (Read More...)
MEMRI.org: "IRANIAN ATOMIC ENERGY ORGANIZATION HEAD: 'We Have the Right to Enrich Uranium to 100%'" (SNIPPET: "It should be noted that uranium enriched to 90% or higher is used only for military purposes, in the construction of nuclear weapons.") (January 11, 2010) (Read More...)
WASHINGTON POST.com: "AL-QAEDA HAS A NEW STRATEGY. Obama Needs One, Too." by Bruce Hoffman (SNIPPET: "Fifth and finally, al-Qaeda is covetously seeking recruits from non-Muslim countries who can be easily deployed for attacks in the West. The group's leaders see people like these -- especially converts to Islam whose appearances and names would not arouse the same scrutiny that persons from Islamic countries might -- as the ultimate fifth column. Citizens of countries that participate in the U.S. visa-waiver program are especially prized because they can move freely between Western countries and blend easily into these societies.") (January 10, 2010) (Read More...)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com - Editorial: "OBAMA'S HAVOC TO THE INTEL SYSTEM The president established intelligence death panels" (SNIPPET: "The intelligence process works in large part because of trust. A reliable sense of confidence must exist between superiors and subordinates, agents and sources, and the intelligence community and policy makers. Without trust, people will not take the risks needed to do their jobs successfully. Mr. Obama has destroyed this sense of trust. On his watch, the intelligence community has suffered a year of body blows.") (January 11, 2010)
LONG WAR JOURNAL.org: "CIA SUICIDE BOMBER APPEARS ON TAPE WITH LEADER OF PAKISTANI TALIBAN" by Bill Roggio (SNIPPET: ""We will never forget the blood of our emir Baitullah Mehsud," Balawi said. "We will always demand revenge for him inside America and outside.") (January 9, 2010, 11:07 am) (Read More...)
GUARDIAN.co.uk: "UK MUSLIM TV CHANNEL LINKED TO AL-QAIDA CLERIC AL-AWLAKI" by Jamie Doward (SNIPPET: "The channel's chief executive officer, Mohamed Ali Harrath, has been on an Interpol wanted list since 1992...") (January 10, 2010) (Read More...)
CNN.com: Sanaa, Yemen - "YEMEN UNIVERSITY IN FOCUS AFTER CHRISTMAS JET INCIDENT" by Paula Newton (SNIPPET: "Al-Iman University" SNIPPET: "Every year, thousands of Islamic students from Yemen, Africa and around the world are cocooned in al-Zindani's compound, where they study their faith and are instilled with a strident defense of that faith. Last year, al-Zindani made a public plea to recruit millions of young men to fight jihad against Israel.") (January 9, 2010, 3:50 am EST) (Read More...)
INATODAY.com - INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANALYSIS TODAY.com by Toby Westerman: "9/11, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS, AND THE 'TWISTED MIND SET'" (SNIPPET: "Cuba's aid to terrorist networks range from sophisticated espionage operations to important bio-technology research which could easily be used in a germ warfare attack against the U.S.") (January 10, 2010) (Read More...)
SOFIA ECHO.com: "ISLAMIC JIHAD TO TARGET BALKANS NEXT, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINSITER SAYS" (SNIPPET: "Islamic Jihad organisations that already had infiltrated countries in Africa and South America intended doing the same in the Balkans, through similar methods including huge transfers of funds and the establishment of cells, Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said.") (January 7, 2010, 14:19 CET) (Read More...)
INDIA TODAY.com: "Indian Mujahideen planning 9/11-type attack'" (SNIPPET: "A 9/11-type terror attack using hijacked aeroplanes stares India in the face with an Indian Mujahideen terrorist having acquired pilot training and waiting to strike, according to intelligence agencies. Intelligence Bureau (IB) sources say Shahzad Ahmed alias Pappu, one of the key accused in the September 2008 Delhi blasts case, learnt to fly planes in Bangalore and could now be planning to execute an airborne terror strike. A dozen other trained Indian Mujahideen terrorists are also at large and, together with Shahzad, pose a big security threat.") (New Delhi, January 6, 2010) (Read More...)
JPOST.com - THE JERUSALEM POST: "NORTH KOREA AND IRAN TOP LIST OF WORST PERSECUTORS OF CHRISTIANS" by E.B. Solomont (SNIPPET: "North Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia are the worst persecutors of Christians around the world, according to a ranking released Wednesday by a Christian mission agency.") (January 7, 2010) (Read More...)
INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT.org - For The Record - blog for the IPT News: "RADICAL FUNDRAISER BECOMES ILLINOIS POLICE CHAPLAIN" (SNIPPET: "Previously on the IPT blog we stressed the need for the Defense Department's Islamic Chaplaincy program to adopt a stricter vetting process, citing historically radical imams who have served in the program. Now the same can be said for the chaplaincy program for the Illinois State Police. The Mosque Foundation website reports that Sheikh Kifah Mustapha recently completed a four day training session in Springfield, Illinois to become the first certified Muslim chaplain for the Illinois State Police. Mustapha's name appears on a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) Hamas financing trail, which ended with sweeping convictions in November of 2008. On this list he is identified as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee.") (January 5, 2010, 4:06 pm) (Read More...)
JIHAD WATCH.org (THE LOCAL.se): "MUSLIMS THREATEN SWEDISH MOTOONIST" (SNIPPET: "The first of two phone calls to Vilks came on Monday morning. A subsequent check by the Swedish artist revealed that the call originated in Somalia, where the Islamic militant group al-Shabaab has gained increasing influence in the war torn country. Al-Shabaab is also believed to have ties to al-Qaeda. In the last month, al-Shabaab supporters who reportedly used to live in Denmark have killed at least 22 people, including three ministers, in a suicide bomb attack carried out in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. According to Vilks, the man who threatened him spoke Swedish.") (January 4, 2010) (Read More...)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "GLOBAL THREATS Lax 2009, rough 2010" -Commentary by John R. Bolton (SNIPPET: "The outlook is not promising. Too often, Mr. Obama seems either uninterested in the global threats we face, unpersuaded that they constitute dangers to the country, or content simply to blame his predecessors. When he does see international threats, his instinct is to negotiate with them rather than defeat them.") (January 4, 2010) (Read More...)
CNS NEWS.com: "DHS PLANS TO CATCH ONLY ONE IN FOUR TRAVELERS COMMITTING 'MAJOR' CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS WHILE ENTERING U.S. ON INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS IN 2010" by Terence P. Jeffrey (Documents produced by the Department of Homeland Security indicate that in fiscal 2010 the department is planning to catch only 26 percent of travelers committing major criminal violations while seeking to enter the United States through international airports.") (January 4, 2010) (Read More...)
THE MEMRI BLOG.org ("Source: ILNA, Iran, January 4, 2010"): "IRANIAN FM PROPOSES ALTERNATE URANIUM ENRICHMENT SITES" (SNIPPET: "The deal is to take place either in Brazil, Japan, or Turkey, which have agreed that it can be executed on their soil, or on the Iranian island of Kish.") (Posted January 4, 2010) (Read More...)
INTERNET-HAGANAH.com: "JIHADI OSINT EFFORT DIRECTED TOWARDS U.S. NAVY" (SNIPPET: "The J-boys are itching for a fight and using the al-Faloja forum to collect open source intelligence about the activities of the US Navy, particularly it seems in the Gulf region.") (January 4, 2010) (Read More...)
WHITEHOUSE.gov: "Remarks by the President on Security Reviews" (SNIPPET: "As we saw on Christmas, al Qaeda and its extremist allies will stop at nothing in their efforts to kill Americans.") (January 5, 2010) (Read More...)
YEMEN.USEMBASSY.gov - Press Release: "EMBASSY CLOSED IN RESPONSE TO SECURITY THREAT" (SNIPPET: "The U.S. Embassy in Sana'a is closed today, January 3, 2010, in response to ongoing threats by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to attack American interests in Yemen.") (January 3, 2010) (Read More...)
ARMIES OF LIBERATION.com - blog: "AL SHABAB TO SET SAIL FOR YEMEN" by Jane Novak (SNIPPET: "AFP however does note the widely overlooked November arrest and later release of an individual at a Mogadishu airport with chemicals and a syringe. Jihaddists have been going back and forth between Yemen and Somalia for some time.") (January 1, 2010) (Rread More...)
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