http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wot/ en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:26:36 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416112/posts In post-Bush blame assignment operations. Obama-era lefties show a marked lack of cohesion and consistency on whether trying to ignite your explosive-laden underwear on a plane is a big deal or not, whether heads need to roll or not, and in which part of the fish the rots starts. News first. ABC: top Yemeni AQ bombmaker’s work. It was bigger than the shoe bomb. But this underwear bomb’s detonator failed. Apparently, this means they’ll need to see us with our pants off, one way or another. ABC again. The Times of London has more on the other way of detecting... Jules Crittenden http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416112/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:26:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416012/posts CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO -- Senior Mexican officials have begun a sweeping review of the military's two-year occupation of this dangerous border city, concluding that the U.S.-backed deployment of thousands of soldiers against drug traffickers has failed to control the violence and crime, according to officials in both countries. The multi-agency review, which has not been made public, represents a "serious reassessment" of President Felipe Calderón's anti-narcotics strategy and reflects growing alarm that Juarez, across from El Paso, has descended into lawlessness, U.S. officials familiar with the process said. The war on Mexico's powerful drug cartels has been the defining policy... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416012/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:18:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416073/posts Goes to show Ms.Nepolitano had no idea what was going on. These two bites, from NBC and ABC are as much an indictment of the tenacity of the media as it is of the arrogance of this administration. The appearance on Meet The Press, I think, is the best of the three sound bites this morning, because she continues to step in it on multiple occasions. The Director of Homeland Security taking credit for the fast thinking and brave acting of the passengers and crew. First she claims the system that let this suspected terrorist not only on the plane... http://www.radioviceonline.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416073/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:27:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416016/posts WASHINGTON — In the midst of two unfinished major wars, the United States has quietly opened a third, largely covert front against Al Qaeda in Yemen. A year ago, the Central Intelligence Agency sent many field operatives with counterterrorism experience to the country, according a former top agency official. At the same time, some the most secretive Special Operations commandos have begun training Yemeni security forces in counterterrorism tactics, senior military officers said. The Pentagon is spending more than $70 million over the next 18 months, and using teams of Special Forces, to train and equip Yemeni military, Interior Ministry... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416016/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:27:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416017/posts Janet Napolitano says the system worked. No, we were brave and lucky. A U.S. government that has barred the phrase "war on terror" has nonetheless acknowledged that a failed Christmas day bomb attack on an airliner was a terrorist attempt. Can we all now drop the pretense that we stopped fighting a war once Dick Cheney and George W. Bush left the White House? The attempt by 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab follows the alleged murders in Ft. Hood, Texas by Islamist-inspired Major Nidal Hasan in November. Brian Jenkins, who studies terrorism for the Rand Corporation, says there were more... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416017/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:27:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415973/posts Must see fresh videos of Iraninan Revolution in progress. http://www.youtube.com/user/2009IranRevolution You Tube 2009 Iran Revolution's Channel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415973/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:12:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415987/posts Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) said Sunday that it is fair to blame the Obama administration for the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit on Christmas Day. Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Select Intelligence Committee said that the administration has not taken the threat of terrorist threats on the U.S. seriously. Asked by Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace if it is fair to blame the Obama administration for the attacks, the Michigan Republican replied ""Yeah, I think it really is." Hoekstra said that increased domestic threats have made themselves more evidence this year, with... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415987/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:53:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2415983/posts Well we got off easy this week at Sonoran Weekly Review. Our good buddy Angry White Dude did all the work for us, and well we agree so here it is: AWD / SWR understands the importance Hussein Hopenchange places on diversity in his administration. He has every kooky group just about covered. He checked “Incompetent Lesbian” off the list when he selected Janet Napolitano. She has been a disaster zone as Secretary of Homeland Security. Of course, she had no training or job experience that would qualify her for that position. The only thing I believe she is qualified... http://sonoranweeklyreview.com/?p=1846 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2415983/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:36:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415951/posts ..."In effect," a senior U.S. Army intelligence official told me, "we've got terrorist supporters calling the shots on our policies toward Muslims from the highest levels." Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415951/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:17:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2415913/posts By now everyone knows about the attempt by a Jihadist from Nigeria to set off a bomb in an airliner above Detroit. But what many of us may not have been aware of is the fact that our nation’s transportation security systems worked just fine to prevent the terrorist from completing his Islamikaze mission. Or so says already-disgraced Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano This is just the latest in a series of incredibly stupid policies and mistakes made by this woman since she took office. Terror Trends Bulletin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2415913/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:47:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415908/posts WASHINGTON: A Nigerian man was reportedly arrested by authorities at the Detroit airport from a North West airplane from Amsterdam on Sunday afternoon following complaints from fellow passengers that he became verbally disruptive and barricaded himself in the bathroom. Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415908/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:38:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415877/posts Man on Flight to Detroit Claims al Qaeda Ties; Father Warned U.S. Officials WASHINGTON -- The U.S. has "no indication" that an attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight was part of a larger plot by a terrorist group, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said. "Right now we have no indication that it is part of anything larger, but obviously the investigation continues," she said on CNN's "State of the Union" program on Sunday. A 23-year-old Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was charged on Saturday with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest airliner on Christmas Day. Passengers said the... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415877/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:16:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415825/posts (snippet) In the December 21 video posted on extremist websites affiliated with al Qaida, a bearded man in head-dress, identified as Mohammed al-Kalwi, says: "We are carrying a bomb to hit the enemies of God. O soldiers, you should learn that we do not want to fight you, nor do we have an issue with you. We only have an issue with America and its agents, and beware of standing in the ranks of America." UK Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415825/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:40:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415732/posts The war in Yemen intensifies daily as Saudi forces batter northern Yemen villages along the border. Yesterday more than 700 missiles, artillery bombardments, tank raids and mortar attacks targeted those villages, Houthi fighters website reports. Hamsayeh.Net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415732/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:06:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415789/posts The horrendous sight of another Western airline crashing over the US on Christmas Day 2009 was averted by a fluke and the resourcefulness of passengers and cabin crew - not by the anti-terror agencies' high-tech gadgets, vast budgets and airport security measures. Six months ago, Umar Faroul Abdulmuttallab's father warned the US Embassy in Lagos of his 23-year old son's alarming extremist Muslim activities. Yet he was granted a US visa. On Dec. 25, he sailed through Schiphol international airport with 80 grams of PETN (pentaervthritol) high explosive and liquid detonators in his underpants after landing from Lagos and caught... Debka http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415789/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:28:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415780/posts Despite mounting evidence of a sophisticated international plot to bring down a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, the man charged in the thwarted attack — who was on U.S. officials' radar for years — was never considered a sufficient threat to keep from flying. The alleged Christmas Day terrorist had been in one of the U.S. government's largest terror databases since November, when his father brought him to the attention of embassy officials in Nigeria. But Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab came to the attention of intelligence officials months before that, according to a U.S. government official involved in the investigation. The... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415780/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:11:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415550/posts ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Taliban insurgents had planned to use five Americans, now detained in Pakistan, who had contacted the militants via the Internet, to carry out attacks in the U.S.-allied country, a police official said on Saturday. Usman Anwar, police chief in Sargodha, where the men were arrested this month, said emails had revealed plans for the young men from Virginia to travel to a Pakistani nuclear power plant. "We believe that they were supposed to be used inside Pakistan," Anwar told Reuters by telephone. "In their last email to the Taliban, we found they mentioned the Chashma Nuclear Plant... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415550/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:26:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415522/posts This unfolding story of the man who attempted (nearly successfully) yesterday to blow up Northwest Airlines 253 in mid-air is nerve wracking on several levels. First, the fact that the leg-bomber and/or his accomplic(es) managed to smuggle liquid and powder bomb components onto this trans-Atlantic flight, assemble them in flight, and ignite the mixture is cause for grave consternation for every law enforcement agency with any role to play in preventing this kind of thing. If this jihad-addled yahoo got this close to killing 289 innocent people, my hunch is that there are other such yahoos out there all ginned... Patrick Madrid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2415522/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:01:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415508/posts MIR ALI, Pakistan – A suspected U.S. missile strike killed three people Saturday in a northwest Pakistani tribal region where militants focused on fighting the West in Afghanistan are concentrated, two Pakistani intelligence officials said. The missile strike was apparently the latest in a lengthy campaign of such attacks by the U.S., which rarely discusses the covert program but has in the past said it has taken out several top al-Qaida operatives. Pakistan publicly opposes the strikes but is believed to secretly aid them. Saturday's strike occurred in the Babar Raghzai area of North Waziristan and also wounded two people,... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415508/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:38:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415472/posts Man on Flight to Detroit Claims al Qaeda Ties; Obama Tightens Security WASHINGTON -- U.S. prosecutors charged a 23-year-old Nigerian man with attempting to carry out a Christmas Day terrorist bombing on a Northwest Airlines flight on its approach to Detroit. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was charged in a federal criminal complaint with placing a destructive device on Flight 253. Federal Bureau of Investigation analysts, in preliminary tests, determined the device contained PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, a highly explosive compound, the Justice Department said. In addition, FBI agents recovered what appear to be the remnants of the syringe from the... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415472/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:52:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415456/posts DETROIT — A prominent Nigerian banker said Saturday he feared his son was the man authorities say tried to blow up a plane as it prepared to land in Detroit before nearby passengers — who saw a glow and heard what sounded like firecrackers — tackled him. The suspect tried ignite the explosive device onboard a Northwest Airlines plane from Amsterdam just before it landed in Detroit on Friday, officials said. Travelers who say they smelled smoke and heard a popping noise said at least one man climbed over a seat and jumped on the man. Boston Herlad http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415456/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:20:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415449/posts HEADLINE ONLY. Article will be posted when available. The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415449/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:07:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415400/posts (snipped) Hoekstra says that Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab may have a common link with the Fort Hood shooter that shot 13 people in November. AFP, Dec. 26: There was a suggestion of links between Abdulmutallab and radical US-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi, who had contacts with the US army psychiatrist accused of gunning down 13 people at a Texas military base last month. "He may have been in contact with the American imam al-Aulaqi," Peter Hoekstra, the most senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee and a member of Congress for Michigan, told AFP. mlive http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415400/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:54:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415231/posts An al Qaeda terrorist tried to blow up a plane packed with Christmas travelers yesterday as it was about to land in Detroit -- but was thwarted by heroic passengers who tackled the madman, authorities said. The 23-year-old Nigerian suffered serious burns, and at least two other passengers were injured in the terrifying violence aboard the Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam. "This could have been catastrophic," Rep. Peter King (R-LI) told Fox News. "We were lucky." President Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, ordered his national security team to ensure that "all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415231/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:36:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415377/posts ISLAMABAD (AP) ― Police are trying to determine whether five Americans detained in Pakistan had planned to attack a complex that houses nuclear power facilities, authorities said Saturday. The young Muslim men, who are from the Washington, D.C., area, were picked up in Pakistan earlier this month in a case that has spurred fears that Westerners are traveling to the South Asian country to join militant groups. Pakistani police and government officials have made a series of escalating and, at times, seemingly contradictory allegations about the men's intentions, while U.S. officials have been far more cautious, though they, too, are... WCBSTV.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415377/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:06:15 GMT