Yesterday, the FBI thwarted a plot by an Illinois man to acquire 4 grenades and a handgun, and detonate the grenades on December 22nd in the CherryVale shopping mall in Rockford, Illinois. The 22 year old suspect, Talib Abu Salam Ibn Shareef, claimed he wanted to conduct “violent jihad” during what he believed would be the busiest evening for Christmas shopping, as the 22nd would be the Friday of Christmas weekend. The date and target site were selected with the desire to inflict maximum casualties among shoppers. Shareef reportedly met with an undercover FBI agent in the mall parking lot and attempted to trade 2 stereo speakers for 4 grenades (which were of course inert) and a handgun.
It seems this self-proclaimed terrorist has not been monitoring the news lately, because he seems to have missed the Iraq Study Group (ISG) report, which should have pacified any terrorist who still believed our nation had the stomach to fight terrorists. Since the Iraq study group came to the laughable conclusion that we are creating terrorism by our presence in Iraq, and that if we leave Iraq, terrorists will stop plotting to kill Americans, their recommendation to tuck tail and flee Iraq in shame should have doused the flame of radical Islam roaring in Shareef. Apparently radical Islam did not get the congratulatory memo from the ISG granting victory to the terrorists, since they are still fomenting terrorist acts against America despite our obvious move toward a withdrawal. Will leaving Iraq end the radical Islamic desire to kill Americans? Of course not. Shareef is living proof of this fact.
The ISG also declared that settling the eternal war between Israel and its neighbors will end terrorism. Oh! I thought ending terrorism required something challenging, but if all it takes is ending the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, then we should have that wrapped up before Christmas, right James Baker? To the members of the ISG, if our tremendous military could not eliminate the “insurgents,” why should anyone believe the Iraqi military and police forces will succeed in protecting and preserving this newly established democratically elected government? We rushed to push Sadaam out of Kuwait because he was supplanting an existing government, not even a democracy. Now in Iraq, millions braved suicide bombers and IEDs and snipers to vote and establish a democracy, and you recommend leaving this fledgling government to protect itself because things are tough there? Sadly, the ISG proved that countless years of experience (who knew Sandra Day O’Connor was a military and counter-terrorism expert?) do not automatically produce wisdom to match.
What is surprising is that despite all of the political thriller books, television programs, and movies depicting small cells of terrorists in the USA carrying out acts like the one planned by Shareef, none have occurred. Yet. Israel has borne the brunt of shopping mall and restaurant bombings, largely due to its proximity to its enemies. We have been fortunate to avoid such widespread, small-scale attacks. Yet during our period of good fortune, our enemies have made deep inroads into American culture and have become experts in using our personal liberties to conceal their true intentions. The question no one wants to think about, the nightmare for the intelligence and law enforcement communities is “how many Talib Shareefs are there among us?” The chilling follow-up question is “can we catch them all before they strike?” As anyone in the intelligence or law enforcement field will admit, the answer is no. We cannot be right 100% of the time, and the resources are simply not sufficient (nor is the public willing) to secure all potential targets. One need only look at the public paranoia (encouraged by the MSM) over surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act to know we will eventually be defeated from within, not from without. No global power will land on our shores and conquer us. We will fold from within, as we have been doing since Vietnam and continue to do at an ever increasing rate in the War on Terror.
This raises a critical issue that receives insufficient attention. Since terrorism is a product of ideology, can we really wage war on it? Our military and intelligence personnel have discovered that killing “insurgents” does not serve as a sufficient deterrent when fighting an enemy that views martyrdom and suicide bombing as a path to eternal glory. They will never openly confront our far superior military on any battlefield, but will continue to strike with small scale but lethal tactics until they frustrate their mighty opponent in Iraq and convince the American public (with ample and gleeful assistance from the MSM) that the fight is not worth it (which has already been accomplished). Perhaps we have all forgotten that whether or not the Iraq Conflict is a cornerstone in the larger War on Terror, the name of the military operation there was, and remains, Operation Iraqi Freedom. The name is not “Operation Iraqi Freedom Unless it Becomes Difficult or Grave.” Iraqi Freedom. How long is too long to fight to preserve freedom?
Complicating the matter is the fact that conversion of young Islamic radicals to a Jihad-ready ideology is occurring at an alarming rate in America. The home grown terrorist poses enormous investigative and prosecutorial nightmares in a society based on individual liberties. The FBI and other agencies are relatively proficient at tracking persons with known terrorist ties who visit the US. However, as the Shareef mall grenade plot demonstrates, attacks planned by home grown terrorists usually are discovered only when an informant (a friend, neighbor, or family member) reports them to law enforcement. Many assassins and attackers in the planning stages cannot help but boast of what they intend to do. It is an often irrepressible human urge. Islamic radicals, if they discuss their planned attacks, will not boast to “infidels” but to others of their faith and, they hope, sympathetic brothers and sisters in that faith. This is the key to winning the War on Terror. Muslims need to demonstrate that they truly belong to a religion of peace by policing their communities and yes, informing on those with ties to radical factions espousing violence. Until this happens regularly and as a matter of course in predominantly Muslim communities, the potential for attacks like Shareef’s will only increase.
An eternal debt of gratitude is owed to the friend who contacted the FBI in time to prevent a Christmas tragedy in Illinois.
FBI CSAG Iraq Jihad James Baker War On Terror Iraq Study Group radical Islam
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Many Tom Paines, Few Mr. Smiths Going to Washington
Last month’s election results, as important as they surely will be for the future direction of the Iraq Conflict and the War on Terror, are less troubling than the increasingly noticeable paucity of honorable, selfless, and humble candidates for public office. Federal elections have devolved into a deplorable version of “Star Search” in which the only qualifications a potential office holder needs are name recognition (the more controversial the better) and access to wealth.
While I certainly condemn any American who could be registered to vote but is not, and subsequently does not participate in elections (see my previous post http://o-be-wise.blogspot.com/2006/11/iraqis-point-purple-fingers-at.html), the lack of enthusiasm for most candidates of either party in this year’s election was understandable. Credit Obi-Wan Kenobi for coining the phrase “hive of scum and villainy,” which applies more readily to the House and Senate than it did to any creatures on the fictional planet Tatooine. My experiences with and in Washington, DC have only solidified my disdain for the fog of ego that drapes this city like no other on earth. The very air reeks of selfishness and moral drift. Unfortunately, long gone are the days when a character such as Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra’s wonderful film (www.amazon.com/Smith-Goes-Washington-Frank-Capra/dp/B00003L9CJ) could come to Washington for the sole purpose of serving his constituents, and through his integrity convince corrupt politicians to confess their graft and resign from office. For that matter, long gone are the days when politicians could agree that corruption was actually an undesirable trait, both personally and in their colleagues. In today’s Washington, one can wield power for decades despite the following unethical conduct:
1. Accept bribes from parties involved in cases presented to you as a federal judge and be impeached by Congress for that action (Alcee Hastings, D-FL, until this week a strong candidate for Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee).
2. Abandon the scene of a fatal vehicle accident (single car) and make no effort to rescue the passenger (Ted Kennedy, D-MA).
3. “Earn” three Purple Hearts in four months service in Vietnam for “injuries” that required no hospitalization or missed time on duty. Then when confronted about this issue, refuse to allow access to personal military service record despite the fact that a campaign opponent allowed full access to his own record and honorable military service in Vietnam became a cornerstone of the presidential campaign (John Kerry, D-MA).
4. Fail a law school course because of plagiarism, then instead of learning from the mistake, get caught plagiarizing speeches from Robert F. Kennedy. Be forced to withdraw from a presidential bid because of these issues (Joseph Biden, D-DE, Chairman-elect of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee).
5. Accept bribes from individuals, and then deny the bribery despite $90,000 in cash found in the home freezer and the guilty pleas of those who paid the bribes (William Jefferson, D-LA).
6. Unlawfully obtain and improperly peruse FBI files on 900+ Republicans from the Bush and Reagan administrations. Although other scandals are attributable in some way to this person, this one is the most egregious (Hillary Clinton, D-NY).
7. Be an active member and recruiter of the KKK. Write letters to a U.S. Senator stating “With a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds...” (http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=10792#footnote19). Filibuster the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Make speeches in the Senate in which the idea of a superiority of white intellect is espoused. Despite this blatant racism, be selected as Senate Majority Leader by a party which ironically captures the black vote in every election (Robert Byrd, D-WV).
Of course Republicans have been involved in several scandals and lapses of moral behavior as well, but it seems Republicans have a much better record of purging corruption once discovered and encouraging their colleagues in question to resign. The Democrats, on the other hand, reward politicians who weather these “vast right wing conspiracies.”
My point is not to castigate any one party. A look at the potential candidates for the presidency in 2008 gives little hope that integrity and substance are on the horizon for either party. Nearly every candidate has a skeleton in the proverbial closet, or more commonly, most of them have been career politicians, whether long in office (McCain), long wielding power behind the scenes (Hillary) or long in preparing a political record taking no positions at all (Obama). Giuliani can be tough on crime and terrorism, but is a social liberal. Romney has succeeded as a businessman, 2002 Olympic savior, and Governor (MA), and certainly is charismatic, but he is a member of a rapidly growing but often maliciously misrepresented (by the media and other religions) faith (http://www.lds.org/). He seems the most likely Frank Capra-worthy character in the group, but like Mr. Smith, champion of Boy Rangers and all things wholesome, stands little chance of getting a fair hearing in today’s scandal-thirsty press. We will never see improvement in our nation until we demand improvement in the character and humility of those we select to lead us.
We are getting what we deserve out of our political leaders, national and local, because our expectations have been set too low. George Washington set the perfect example of what we should seek from a president. He had to be persuaded to accept the presidency, and did so with hesitation and only because it was apparent everything he had fought for would crumble without a president of integrity. After serving as president (and yes it is a service, not a celebrity star tour ala Clinton), though he could have stayed in power indefinitely, he humbly stepped aside and yielded up his enormous power precisely because he viewed that power as a danger to the nation and himself. Perhaps we should focus our searches for political candidates on finding those who must be persuaded to hold office rather than those who feel it a birthright or a career stepping stone. Above all we must avoid those who seek office, particularly the presidency, because of the power it represents.
We do not need any more “sound bite” presidents, congressman, senators, or candidates. We need leaders who take positions, advocate rather than pontificate, and work in session longer than they relax in recess. Who will be our Mr. Smith in 2008?
Alcee Hastings Hillary Clinton Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Robert Byrd War On Terror Ted Kennedy voting
While I certainly condemn any American who could be registered to vote but is not, and subsequently does not participate in elections (see my previous post http://o-be-wise.blogspot.com/2006/11/iraqis-point-purple-fingers-at.html), the lack of enthusiasm for most candidates of either party in this year’s election was understandable. Credit Obi-Wan Kenobi for coining the phrase “hive of scum and villainy,” which applies more readily to the House and Senate than it did to any creatures on the fictional planet Tatooine. My experiences with and in Washington, DC have only solidified my disdain for the fog of ego that drapes this city like no other on earth. The very air reeks of selfishness and moral drift. Unfortunately, long gone are the days when a character such as Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra’s wonderful film (www.amazon.com/Smith-Goes-Washington-Frank-Capra/dp/B00003L9CJ) could come to Washington for the sole purpose of serving his constituents, and through his integrity convince corrupt politicians to confess their graft and resign from office. For that matter, long gone are the days when politicians could agree that corruption was actually an undesirable trait, both personally and in their colleagues. In today’s Washington, one can wield power for decades despite the following unethical conduct:
1. Accept bribes from parties involved in cases presented to you as a federal judge and be impeached by Congress for that action (Alcee Hastings, D-FL, until this week a strong candidate for Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee).
2. Abandon the scene of a fatal vehicle accident (single car) and make no effort to rescue the passenger (Ted Kennedy, D-MA).
3. “Earn” three Purple Hearts in four months service in Vietnam for “injuries” that required no hospitalization or missed time on duty. Then when confronted about this issue, refuse to allow access to personal military service record despite the fact that a campaign opponent allowed full access to his own record and honorable military service in Vietnam became a cornerstone of the presidential campaign (John Kerry, D-MA).
4. Fail a law school course because of plagiarism, then instead of learning from the mistake, get caught plagiarizing speeches from Robert F. Kennedy. Be forced to withdraw from a presidential bid because of these issues (Joseph Biden, D-DE, Chairman-elect of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee).
5. Accept bribes from individuals, and then deny the bribery despite $90,000 in cash found in the home freezer and the guilty pleas of those who paid the bribes (William Jefferson, D-LA).
6. Unlawfully obtain and improperly peruse FBI files on 900+ Republicans from the Bush and Reagan administrations. Although other scandals are attributable in some way to this person, this one is the most egregious (Hillary Clinton, D-NY).
7. Be an active member and recruiter of the KKK. Write letters to a U.S. Senator stating “With a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds...” (http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=10792#footnote19). Filibuster the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Make speeches in the Senate in which the idea of a superiority of white intellect is espoused. Despite this blatant racism, be selected as Senate Majority Leader by a party which ironically captures the black vote in every election (Robert Byrd, D-WV).
Of course Republicans have been involved in several scandals and lapses of moral behavior as well, but it seems Republicans have a much better record of purging corruption once discovered and encouraging their colleagues in question to resign. The Democrats, on the other hand, reward politicians who weather these “vast right wing conspiracies.”
My point is not to castigate any one party. A look at the potential candidates for the presidency in 2008 gives little hope that integrity and substance are on the horizon for either party. Nearly every candidate has a skeleton in the proverbial closet, or more commonly, most of them have been career politicians, whether long in office (McCain), long wielding power behind the scenes (Hillary) or long in preparing a political record taking no positions at all (Obama). Giuliani can be tough on crime and terrorism, but is a social liberal. Romney has succeeded as a businessman, 2002 Olympic savior, and Governor (MA), and certainly is charismatic, but he is a member of a rapidly growing but often maliciously misrepresented (by the media and other religions) faith (http://www.lds.org/). He seems the most likely Frank Capra-worthy character in the group, but like Mr. Smith, champion of Boy Rangers and all things wholesome, stands little chance of getting a fair hearing in today’s scandal-thirsty press. We will never see improvement in our nation until we demand improvement in the character and humility of those we select to lead us.
We are getting what we deserve out of our political leaders, national and local, because our expectations have been set too low. George Washington set the perfect example of what we should seek from a president. He had to be persuaded to accept the presidency, and did so with hesitation and only because it was apparent everything he had fought for would crumble without a president of integrity. After serving as president (and yes it is a service, not a celebrity star tour ala Clinton), though he could have stayed in power indefinitely, he humbly stepped aside and yielded up his enormous power precisely because he viewed that power as a danger to the nation and himself. Perhaps we should focus our searches for political candidates on finding those who must be persuaded to hold office rather than those who feel it a birthright or a career stepping stone. Above all we must avoid those who seek office, particularly the presidency, because of the power it represents.
We do not need any more “sound bite” presidents, congressman, senators, or candidates. We need leaders who take positions, advocate rather than pontificate, and work in session longer than they relax in recess. Who will be our Mr. Smith in 2008?
Alcee Hastings Hillary Clinton Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Robert Byrd War On Terror Ted Kennedy voting
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