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Ran across two comments posted by readers on another website:
(Posted by) NameBM
September 11, 2012 at 12:45 am
Foreign policy is not often discussed on this site aside of Israel and the Middle-East, but it was announced yesterday that an Al-Qaeda cell was arrested in Merida, Mexico. The cell was composed of 2 Belizians and 1 US citizen, all of Mid-Eastern origin.
You could have knock me off with a feather when I read that. I know Merida very very well and I have NEVER seen a mid-easterner there. Chinese Tourists yes (!), Mennonite Farmers yes (!) but Mid-Easterners NEVER.
The fact that 2 were holding Belizian passports (Belize is about 6/7 hour away) is showing a consistent and long term policy by Al-Qaeda to infiltrate South America as a portal to the US.
This underlines again the urgency to secure our borders and our customs on all fronts. Merida may seem to be in the middle of the jungle but it is very close to the US via the Port of Progresso 30 minutes away. And the port of Progresso has been known to be an increasing line of drug export by the cartels over the past 4 years. Put in this context, the presence of a Al-Queada cell in Merida is not so surprising after all and yet reinforcing the evidence of Al-Queda/Drug cartels cooperation.
(Posted by) Paloma
September 11, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Speaking of the Port of Progresso, in the past few days, has anyone seen the clip indicating that the DEA is finding it extremely difficult now to intercept drug shipments that are being brought in the country by SUBMARINES?
White House declines Netanyahu request to meet with Obama
Obama DECLINES to meet with Bibi At the U.N.
From a new post in Israeli paper - Haaretz: (WH has not denied yet - working on statement apparently)
"The White House declined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request on Tuesday to meet U.S. President Barack Obama during a UN conference in New York at the end of the month.
An official in Jerusalem said that the prime minister's office sent the White House a message stating that although Netanyahu will spend only two and a half days on U.S. soil, he is interested in meeting Obama and is willing to travel to the U.S. capital specifically for that purpose. The official added that the White House rejected the request and said that at this time Obama's schedule does not allow for a meeting.
The White House's response marks a new low in relations between Netanyahu and Obama, underscored by the fact that this is the first time Netanyahu will visit the U.S. as prime minister without meeting the president."