Free Republic

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) trials of laser missile-dazzler defences on airliners have passed another milestone, with armaments maker BAE Systems announcing that its "JetEye" gear has made its first scheduled passenger flight. The JetEye-equipped plane, a Boeing 767 operated by American Airlines, made a routine trip from New York to Los Angeles. "BAE Systems worked closely with DHS and the airline industry to develop an effective response to potential terrorist threats," said Burt Keirstead, JetEye program director for BAE Systems in New Hampshire. "It took a combination of ingenuity and perseverance to get to this point, and everyone...

In a recent email discussion with Winfield Myers, Director of Democracy Project, I mentioned that rather than searching for topics, issues seem to find me. Recently the issue of immigration reform has been pursuing me, and it dovetails with the critical issue of the failure of American schools to prepare our students to compete in an international marketplace. The issue came up as a result of my firsthand empathy with the dilemma of a talented young colleague on a temporary visitor’s visa. He would love to build his future in America, but sadly for him and our company, the door...

The Department of Homeland Security has solicited a proposal from a Canadian security company to develop a stun bracelet. In order to enhance the security of air travel and to help manage illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security has solicited a proposal from a Canadian security company to develop a passenger stun bracelet.

Just when you thought you’ve heard it all... A senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser®. According to this promotional video found at the Lamperd Less Lethal website, the bracelet would be worn by all airline passengers. This bracelet would: • take the place of an airline boarding pass • contain personal information about the traveler • be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage • shock the wearer...

It's official: Thanks to overwhelming grassroots action, and the heroic efforts of Senators Dodd and Feingold, the Senate's vote on whether to grant phone companies immunity from the law for assisting in the President's illegal wiretapping program has been delayed until after July 4th Recess! This is an unexpected reprieve for civil liberties and the rule of law. As recently as last night, the mainstream press was reporting that the immunity bill would see swift and uncontested approval. Senate Leaders emphasized that passing an immunity bill this week was one of their highest priorities. And yet, in the end, the...

Boy, the spine sure has melted out of those Democrats! Was it really only just last week Presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to fight the telecom amnesty element of the new FISA legislation that gave Bush everything he wanted and more to protect America from terrorist attack? When promoting how the House Dems caved on the FISA legislation, Obama made a promise I knew then was as fake as all his positions on key issues of the day: “Under this compromise legislation, an important tool in the fight against terrorism will continue, but the President’s illegal program of warrantless surveillance...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone. This week over at CovertRadioShow.Com Brett visits with Aaron Mannes from the University of Maryland and the Terror Wonk Blog about the seeming collapse of FARC and what it means. Brett then visits with Cloud Morris, an attorney who examines privacy matters in the GWOT. Cloud is concerned about the new Cyber-initiative proposal from the FBI.

WATERLOO — Normal operations on the National Cattle Congress fairgrounds have been suspended for most of May as the federal government has leased out virtually the entire facility for a training exercise, NCC general manager Doug Miller said Saturday. Miller said he could release few details. But activity on the NCC fairgrounds was apparent Saturday, as contractors installed massive generators adjacent to many buildings on the NCC fairgrounds and windows of many of the buildings were covered up, blocking views of any work going on inside. A number of large mobile home-size trailers also have taken up residence on the...

Washington, D.C. – In commending the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to terminate its Project 28 virtual fence initiative, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) once again called for the construction of physical, reinforced fencing in place of technology-only alternatives. The decision to abandon Project 28 in the Tucson sector of Arizona was the result of multiple system failures, significant cost over-runs and project delays. “The decision to terminate the Project 28 initiative underscores the fact that technology alone is an unreliable and ineffective border enforcement tool,” said Congressman Hunter. “I hope that DHS has learned from this experience and will begin...

Industry official says ticket counter can't substitute for the Border Patrol WASHINGTON — The Bush administration announced plans on Tuesday to require the nation's airlines and cruise ship operators to collect digital fingerprints of all foreign visitors on departure, contending that as many as 1 million remain unaccounted for in the U.S. each year. The trade association for the country's hard-pressed airlines balked at the proposed rules announced by the Homeland Security Department, declaring that border protection is a function of government — not industry. Congress has been pushing the administration to close a security gap and implement the identification...

How many federal employees does it take to waste our tax dollars and push an agenda? The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, is familiar to anyone who flies. They’re the people that make you take off your shoes, your belt, conduct body cavity searches and make grandma get out of the wheel chair because she might be a terrorist. Aside from being worthless and unionized (so they can’t be fired easily, thanks Dems), they are also pushing a PC agenda, at least in Atlanta. One of our contributors flew to Atlanta today and sent back the pictures below of an...

“Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Quran is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the service of Allah is our highest hope”. Credo of the Muslim Brotherhood Political Correctness Run Amok To most in government, revelations such as these were worrisome but dismissed as anomalies. There was little speculation in government that there might be a larger, organized, well-oiled conspiracy. Those who sought to probe further often found their efforts constrained, undermined or thwarted by a culture of “risk avoidance” and “political correctness” that in recent years has run amok. It is the nature of...

By Ann Shibler Published: 2008-04-07 New "anti-terrorism" rules ordered up by DHS for those who fish the Great Lakes are causing a wave of dissent. While still leaving our southern border wide open, the northern border will be protected by stricter security rules heavily enforced by the DHS, particularly for those tall-tale-telling anglers. Follow this link to the original source: "Going fishing? Pack your passport" COMMENTARY: Starting with the 2008 charter fishing season on the Great Lakes, and particularly impacting Lake Erie because of its geography and popularity among anglers, fishermen will now have to have their passports or two...

WASHINGTON - The number of people who legally immigrated to the U.S. dropped 17 percent last year, largely because of administrative problems, according to a Homeland Security Department report. A total of 1.05 million people became legal permanent residents in 2007, falling from 1.27 million a year earlier, according to the report by the department's Office of Immigration Statistics. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been under fire after processing times grew because immigrants flooded the agency with applications filed last year in advance of a dramatic increases in filing fees. The delays will keep some people from becoming citizens in...

To the long list of things the Bush administration is willing to trash in its rush to appease immigration hard-liners, you can now add dozens of important environmental laws and hundreds of thousands of acres of fragile habitat on the southern border. On Tuesday, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, waived the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and other environmental protections to allow the government to finish building 700 or so miles of border fence by year’s end without undertaking legally mandated reviews of the consequences for threatened wildlife and their habitats. Will this stop or slow...

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- State police say a sniper wounded two people and hit at least four cars on Interstate 64 near Afton Mountain this morning. The injuries were not life-threatening and the victims were treated and released from Augusta Medical Center. More than 20 miles of I-64 was closed between Charlottesville and Waynesboro from shortly after midnight until about 6:20 a.m. State troopers, Charlottesville police and Albemarle County deputies are searching wooded areas along the interstate, but no suspect has been found.

Two injured after shooting in dorm parking lot in Tyler © 2008 The Associated Press TYLER, Texas — Two people were injured early Thursday morning after being shot in a parking lot outside a Texas College dorm in Tyler, police say. Tyler Police Lt. Derreck Wagoner tells Tyler television station KLTV that one person was shot in the abdomen and the other was shot in the hand. Wagoner says the abdomen wound victim is hospitalized in serious

March 26, 2008 The FBI is now involved in the theft of a car after it was found in Los Lunas with an explosive device and Iraqi currency inside.FBI agents say that they have ruled out terrorism. The car was reported stolen last week. After the theft, the car’s owner was fueling his motorcycle when he spotted his stolen car. “While he was refueling his motorcycle, low and behold, the vehicle that he had reported stolen that belongs to him happened to pull into the gas station area also,” said Los Lunas Police Captain Charles Nuanes. The car’s owner pulled...

KENNER, La. — The cake had been served and the children were jumping up and down in a big, inflatable castle when the birthday party turned to bedlam. Clarence McGraw's jaw dropped as he saw the visitors coming, guns drawn. The screaming began. Children ran everywhere in the courtyard of the low-income apartment complex; adults fell to the ground. Bullets flew. The killers wounded three youngsters, but for reasons police can't explain, it was 19-year-old McGraw they were after.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 AP March 26: A firefighter inspects the scene where explosions blew the manhole covers off an underground electrical vault in Los Angeles. March 26: A firefighter inspects the scene where explosions blew the manhole covers off an underground electrical vault in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES — A hospital spokeswoman says a Los Angeles firefighter has died of injuries from a series of explosions that blew the manhole covers off the top of an underground vault. Deborah Ettinger says the firefighter was pronounced dead after being taken to Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center Wednesday afternoon. Another firefighter...

The appearance of nuclear weapons materials on the black market is a growing global concern, and it is crucial that the United States reinforce its team of nuclear forensics experts and modernize its forensics tools to prepare for or respond to a possible nuclear terrorist attack. Large quantities of nuclear materials are inadequately secured in several countries, including Russia and Pakistan. Since 1993, there have been more than 1,300 incidents of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, including plutonium and highly enriched uranium, both of which can be used to develop an atomic bomb. And these are only the incidents we...

By Judi McLeod Tuesday, March 25, 2008 In an effort to provide them a fair trial, the Canadian government is seeking a limited publication ban on the identities of the adults charged with belonging to the so-called “Toronto 18” group. The identity of the youth charged with belonging to a homegrown terror cell is already protected under the Young Criminal Justice Act. The trial for the youth gets underway in a Brampton court today. Almost unheard of since they were nabbed in a foiled undercover operation to kidnap and behead members of Parliament, among other things on June 2, 2006,...

CAIR Exposed: Part 1 As IAP Offshoot, CAIR Followed Pro-Hamas Agenda From the Start by Steven Emerson IPT News March 24, 2008FEATURE STORY   From the Hamas ties of its founders in 1994 to its solicitous stance toward accused terrorists today, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has demonstrated that its actual mission is far removed from the civil rights advocacy it claims to pursue. Still standing as perhaps the clearest evidence of CAIR's insidious role, two key leaders of the group attended a 1993 meeting in Philadelphia called by Hamas members and supporters to devise a strategy for torpedoing...

SAN FRANCISCO - The Homeland Security Department is appealing a judge's ruling against its proposal to force employers to fire workers whose names don't match their Social Security numbers, and promises to try to make the policy a law. A federal judge in San Francisco blocked the "no-match rule" in October, saying it would likely impose hardships on businesses and their workers. Employers would incur new costs to comply with the regulation that the government hasn't evaluated, and innocent workers unable to correct mistakes in their records in time would lose their jobs, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote. In...

Sunday, March 23, 2008 The 30-year-old mother of three jumped from her disabled SUV following a chase, holding a gun to her head to keep police back. Officers fired a stun gun but the nonlethal weapon was foiled by her heavy coat. When she pointed her handgun at the two nearest deputies, officers switched to assault rifles, hitting Sarah Marie Stanfield of Boise eight times with bullets designed to break apart on impact to increase internal damage. She died last fall of multiple gunshot wounds. Some jurisdictions across the U.S. have been arming rank-and-file officers with high-powered assault rifles for...

From Terry Frieden CNN WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Michael Mukasey has been taken aback by the scope and variety of potential terrorism threats facing the United States, he told reporters Friday at an informal meeting in his office. Attorney General Michael Mukasey receives terrorism updates during national security briefings. "I'm surprised by how surprised I am," said Mukasey, who as a federal judge presided over terrorism-related trials in New York. "It's surprising how varied [the threat] is, how many directions it comes from, how geographically spread out it is," he said. Mukasey issued no warnings, made no pronouncements and...

WASHINGTON — In the days immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, members of President Bush’s war cabinet declared that it would be impossible to deter the most fervent extremists from carrying out even more deadly terrorist missions with biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. Since then, however, administration, military and intelligence officials assigned to counterterrorism have begun to change their view. After piecing together a more nuanced portrait of terrorist organizations, they say there is reason to believe that a combination of efforts could in fact establish something akin to the posture of deterrence, the strategy that helped protect...

By Rowan Scarborough, Insight An American Muslim group identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in a criminal terrorism case is being used by the FBI to train its agents about Islam. The FBI declined to respond to Insight’s questions about this seeming disconnect, as one of the pre-eminent anti-terrorist research centers in America is set to release an extensive report on the same prominent U.S. Muslim group, accusing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of being a foe, rather than an ally, in the war on terror. The 10-part report on CAIR from The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), led by...

The argument was so obvious it hardly needed repeating: We would all be safer if we had a better ID card. A good, hard-to-forge national ID is a no-brainer (or so the argument goes), and it's ridiculous that a modern country such as the United States doesn't have one. One result of this line of thinking is the planned Real ID Act, which forces all states to conform to common and more stringent rules for issuing driver's licenses. But security is always a tradeoff; it must be balanced with the cost. We all do this intuitively. Few of us walk...

A Chilling Word of Warning from a U.S. Congressman By Gerald Shaw FrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, March 21, 2008 Millions of Americans sit comfortably in front of TV screens each day, engrossed in rousing entertainment, sports madness or reality shows -- without the slightest idea they are perilously unprotected from another horrifying terrorist attack. They can thank the Democratic House of Representatives for failing to pass a sufficient update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). “Every day that goes by is one less day of protection,” said U.S. Representative Tom Feeney (R-FL). “The terrorists know this. They watch...

WASHINGTON - Homeland security officials on Friday hinted at a possible face-saving deal to end their standoff with a handful of states over new driver's license rules — a dispute that, left unresolved, could cause big air travel headaches. For weeks, the Homeland Security Department has been headed toward a showdown with some states over a law called Real ID, which would require new security measures for state-issued driver's licenses. Yet a late Good Friday letter from a top DHS official suggested Washington may be backing away from a messy fight. South Carolina, Maine and Montana are the only states...

U.S. Military Being Sent to the Border with Mexico To protect & serve our border by Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter: The Laguna Journal has learned that a special U.S. Military Task Force has been created to protect our southern border with Mexico. Members of this task force is preparing to secure the border by responding with specially trained fast response U.S. Army task force military units. These forces are already in place with the heart of the power being concentrated in El Paso and Southern New Mexico with a far reaching responsibility from East Texas to Southern California. They are...

In the midst of inflation, funding difficulties and halted expansion projects, a budget error on the part of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) may have exacerbated their challenges. "TxDOT does some mysterious accounting," said Rep. Chuck Hopson (D-Jacksonville). "They had close to $1 billion counted in their budget twice." "That was a serious error on our part and we have made changes to try to prevent that type of error from occurring again," said TxDOT Spokesman Chris Lippincott, adding that the amount added twice in their financial statement was unrelated to the $1.2 billion in federal rescissions, which are...

Judge sides with CAIR against Michael Savage (Talk Radio) March 11, 2008 © 2008 WorldNetDaily Michael Savage A Clinton-appointed judge in California is siding with the Council on Islamic-American Relations in a lawsuit by radio talk-show host Michael Savage. Judge Susan Illston has issued a terse one-page ruling in the case in which she "granted" a defense motion for judgment on the pleadings with "leave to amend." Although it was released only today, it was dated Friday, apparently finalized shortly after she held a hearing on the issues at hand. It was posted on Michael Savage's website, under the headline...

Senior executives of the Texas Department of Transportation can expect some heavy grilling from state legislators when the state Legislature convenes next January, state Rep. Jim McReynolds said Friday. Speaking to the monthly First Friday luncheon of The Chamber, Lufkin-Angelina County, McReynolds said many legislators, especially those from rural East Texas, are unhappy with TxDOT leaders over the Trans- Texas Corridor project and how it has incorporated plans for an Interstate 69 through the region. McReynolds said he attended all four of the TxDOT hearings on the TTC held in his district, which included one in Diboll, and "never heard...

I came across this post tonight by an Islamic blogger who, today, tried his best to explain how Islam will dominate the world. If there’s any doubt about what Islam’s plan for the world is, then start here. First he explains why the West won’t embrace Islam: Why would the disbelievers and hypocrites hate for Islam to be implemented? Simply because they do not wish for their corruption, evil, crime, cheating, oppression, dishonesty, fraud, lies, tyranny, freedom, and deception to come to an end, and for justice (Islam) to prevail. Did you catch that? Yes he said the West does...

Teamsters General President Says U.S. Drivers at Risk to Unsafe Trucks From Mexico Washington, D.C. – Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa blasted the Bush administration today for its reckless indifference to the economic struggles of working Americans who are suffering under the North American Free Trade Agreement with more than a million lost jobs and billions of dollars in lost wages. “No matter how many jobs we lose, no matter how many foreclosures, no matter how many people die on the highways, the Bush administration just doesn’t care about the safety and security of American workers,” Hoffa said. Hoffa’s comments...

March 10th 2008 BY PABLO BACHELET pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has launched a preliminary inquiry that could land Venezuela on the U.S. list of nations that support terrorism because of its alleged close links to Colombian rebels, a senior government official has confirmed. The inquiry, by government lawyers, is the first step in a process that could see Venezuela join North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Syria and Iran as countries designated by the State Department as supporters of terrorism. U.S. laws permit some leeway on the scope of sanctions, but experts say that adding Venezuela to the list could...

Jim Kouri, CPP A 24-year-old Wheaton, Illinois resident was arrested for making e-mail threats against the University of Illinois-Chicago campus. Mahtab Shirani was nabbed Tuesday, February 26th, by members of the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), according to John W. Richardson, Chief of the University Police Department. Shirani was charged in a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Chicago with one count of making threats through use of interstate commerce, which is a felony offense. According to the police complaint, an individual subsequently identified as Shirani, who is a student at the University, sent an anonymous e-mail...

Illegals Flooding Into Southeastern Arizona New Fence Causing Move? American Border Patrol -- March 9 A group of private citizens report that illegal aliens are flooding into Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties following a well-known route in Copper Canyon. As shown in this video, groups stage along the border, waiting for a signal to cross. Sources say the U.S. Border Patrol makes no attempt to stop intruders. Rather, they send out

TAMPA, Fla. - A judge on Thursday ordered that a terrorism-related charge against an Egyptian student accused of transporting explosives will be handled in a separate trial from the explosives counts. Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed and another Egyptian student, Youssef Samir Megahed, were arrested last summer in South Carolina over material found in their trunk. Prosecutors say it was explosive material; the defense says it was homemade fireworks. Mohamed also is charged with a terrorism-related count stemming from a video found on a laptop computer in the car. The video, which Mohamed is accused of producing, shows how to turn...

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Al-Qaida terrorists may be plotting more urgently to attack the United States to maintain their credibility and ability to recruit followers, the U.S. military commander in charge of domestic defense said Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, chief of the U.S. Northern Command, also told reporters he has not seen any direct threats tied to the U.S. presidential elections. But he said it would be rash to think that such threats are not there. "We need only to look at Spain and see that they're certainly willing to try to...

President Bush has marked the fifth anniversary of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and says it's hard to imagine that the country has reached this milestone without another attack against it. The president, in a speech at the department, says the danger to the country has not passed and that U.S. officials have been able to disrupt numerous planned attacks.

Published: March 6, 2008 ‘Comprehensive Immigration Reform’ Back from the Dead?Michael Cutler According to Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK), an immigration bill will likely be passed that is very similar to the one that was defeated by the American public last summer. If our federal government passes an immigration reform package that includes a path to legal status for the 20 million or more illegal aliens, the hard work done by legislators throughout the United States on all levels to address the illegal immigration crisis would become irrelevant. Why? Virtually every illegal alien would be eligible to remain in the United States irrespective...

HOUSTON -- To continue on Crosby-Lynchburg Road, you must take the ferry. But one day, you couldn’t get to the other side without going through the United States Coast Guard. With help from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, every person driving this way was forced to stop. The Coast Guard doesn’t need probable cause to search anyone about to get on the ferry The process took just a few minutes unless you had something to hide. Basically what the Coast Guard is running is a homeland security operation, but what they are finding are people with drugs and outstanding warrants....

Driving down to Austin lately has become a real trip. I-35 is usually packed for most of the 185 miles, and what used to take three or four hours now can take five or six. Flying down can take almost as long, when you figure in airline security delays, more flight delays, and the time it takes getting into and out of crowded airports. But what if it took 45 minutes to travel from the Metroplex to Austin by train or an hour to make a trip to Houston? Advocates of high-speed rail lines are floating these ideas once again...

By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writer TOLEDO, Ohio - Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of three men charged with plotting to recruit and train terrorists to attack U.S. and allied troops overseas. Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim I. Mazloum are accused of conspiring to kill or maim people outside the United States, including military personnel in Iraq. They have all pleaded not guilty. Federal prosecutors say the men, who live in Ohio, attended a Muslim convention in Cleveland during the summer of 2004 where they talked about training in explosives, guns and sniper tactics. The...

The National Executive Committee of the 2.7 million member American Legion has issue a document calling for the strong enforcement of America's borders and laws against illegal immigration. "American Legion members have served in the U.S. Armed Forces throughout the world so that Americans can feel safe at home. ....And, today, they see the threat that open borders present to their homeland." The plan calls for five steps, including securing the border, eliminating job magnets and services to illegals, no amnesty, reducing the number of illegals in the U.S., and screening and tracking foreign visitors. The plan also calls on...

Radical Islam Is Growing in the US: Where’s the American Anger? by Thomas D. Segel It is very difficult to understand why Americans are not enraged at the thought of any radical Islamic movement, particularly in the United States. But, being unconcerned seems to be an understatement, for Islam is rapidly expanding in this country and there is already evidence that from evening prayer to the teachings of Islamic schools the tone is anti-American and anti-Christian. We have already seen the growth of the Muslim faith in Europe. Even in England there are already calls for the country to adopt...

Reported by: Joyce Peterson Email: jpeterson@myeyewitnessnews.com Last Update: 2/26 6:29 am Trucking Company Says It Is Not The Focus of Federal Investigation Documents seized during a raid on two truck driving schools and a Driver’s License Bureau. Memphis, TN - Federal and state agents raided two Mid-South truck driving schools and a Memphis driver's license center on February 25, 2008. Both schools, one on Brooks Road in Memphis, and the other on Veterans Parkway in Millington, are operated by Swift Transportation. The state run license center on Shelby Drive in Whitehaven was also targeted in the investigation. The FBI confirms...