Homeland Security
(2002-2004)
More recent links on this
topic: Homeland Security - 2005-2007
See also
Homeland Security
and the transformation of America
The war against terrorism
| National
and UN Security Councils
Home
December 2004
Tenet calls for Internet security
:
"Former CIA Director George J. Tenet yesterday called for new security measures
to guard against attacks on the United States that use the Internet, which
he called 'a potential Achilles' heel.' 'I know that
these actions will be controversial
in this age when we still think the Internet
is a free and open society with no control or accountability,' he
told an information-technology security conference in Washington, 'but ultimately
the Wild West must give way to governance and control.'...
"Access to networks like the World
Wide Web might need to be limited
to those who can show they take security seriously... Products need to be
delivered to government and private-sector customers 'with a new level of
security and risk management already built in.'
[Emphasis
added]
"The national press... were excluded from yesterday's
event, at Mr. Tenet's request."
What part of 'enforcement' don't
they understand?
"The obtuseness of the
open-borders lobby never ceases to amaze. Here we are, three years after
the 9/11 hijackers easily exploited lax borders, and the OBL continues to
argue that cracking down on illegal immigration and tightening terrorist-friendly
loopholes are 'anti-immigrant.'...
"Political correctness is the handmaiden of terrorism. By smearing the overwhelming
majority of Americans who support real borders as racists and xenophobes,
the OBL obscures its deadly agenda: sabotaging our existing immigration
laws and blocking any new efforts to punish those who abuse the system."
See
Merging the Americas in a
New Global Order
September
Army's war game recruits kids
:
"'America's Army' is one of the U.S. Army's most popular and effective recruiting
tools -- conceived, designed and distributed free to reach the 13- to 21-year-old
crowd.... Since the game's release, players have completed 600 million missions
during 60 million playing hours.... The target for this year is to sign
up 77,000 young men and women for active duty.
"Video
games are the new frontier for marketing and advertising. games have become
the way to sell ideas, too, particularly to kids who are still trying to
figure out who they are and what they believe. The Islamic group Hezbollah
produced a game called 'Special Force,' which hit stores in the Middle East
last year.... There's another lovely game called 'Ethnic Cleansing'....
"The Army
was smart enough to recognize this marketing trend and use it effectively.
But there are several troubling issues: Should the government be in the
business of producing violent video games when research indicates a correlation
to heightened aggression?... And what are the ethics of using video games
to feed propaganda to 13- and 14-year-olds, especially propaganda with such
complex moral and life-and- death implications?... In the real Army,
you cannot press the escape button on your keyboard and come back to life."
See
Toying with Death
Homeschoolers portrayed as terrorists:
"In an federally funded exercise to prepare emergency responders for a terrorist
attack, a Michigan county concocted a scenario in which public-school children
were threatened by a fictitious radical group that believes everyone should
be homeschooled. The made-up group was called Wackos Against Schools and
Education....
"...the
general idea for the type of group came from the website of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which suggests group names such as
'Wackos Against Recreation' and other such 'causes.'... The exercise was
funded by homeland security grants to area school districts and Muskegon
county."
See
Enemy of The People?
August
Arab terrorists 'are getting
into the US over Mexican border': "...lax immigration rules,
designed to cope with the huge numbers of illegal entrants from Mexico,
have become a significant loophole in the war on terror. .... 77 males 'of
Middle Eastern descent' were apprehended in June in two separate incidents.
All were trekking through the Chiricahua mountains and are believed to have
been part of a larger group of illegal immigrants. Many were released pending
immigration hearings. ...
"'These
guys didn't speak Spanish,' said one field agent, 'and they were speaking
to each other in Arabic. It's ridiculous that we don't take this more seriously.
We're told not to say a thing to the media.'... Local ranchers have also
reported a rise in the sightings of large groups of young males....
"'My
concern is, are we serious about terrorism?' said Sheriff Jernigan. 'Or
about homeland security? Because we're turning loose non-Mexicans by the
thousands. Entering this country illegally is a crime, and we're turning
our heads and ignoring it.'"
July
Terror in the Skies, Again?
(We had some questions
about this link, so we deleted it from the What's New page. Yet we are leaving
here in the archive for research purposes.)
"...Once
on the plane, we took our seats in coach. The man with the yellow shirt
and the McDonald's bag sat across the aisle from us (in seat 17E). The pleasant
man with the goatee sat a few rows back and across the aisle from us. The
rest of the men were seated throughout the plane, and several made their
way to the back.
"Political correctness has become a major road block
for airline safety. From what I've now learned from the many emails and
phone calls that I have had with airline industry personnel, it is political
correctness that will eventually cause us to stand there wondering, 'How
did we let 9/11 happen again?'"
March
FBI adds to wiretap wish list:
"The FBI's request to the Federal Communications Commission aims to give
police ready access to any form of Internet-based communications.... The
introduction of new services that did not support a back door for police
would be outlawed, and companies would be given 15 months to make sure that
existing services comply."
See
Homeland
Security and the transformation of America
January 2004
Thousands of Pilots Won't Fly
Armed, Blame TSA: "The federal agency charged with providing
security for U.S. airlines, and the airlines themselves are intentionally
sabotaging the congressionally-mandated program to train and certify pilots
who volunteer to carry guns in the cockpit.... Unless the pilot is behind
the locked cockpit door, TSA requires that the weapon be holstered, locked
inside a hard-sided gun case and stored inside 'a bag that is non-descript.'
The policy leaves pilots defenseless during the time when law enforcement
and security experts agree that the cockpit is most vulnerable."
Illegal criminal aliens abound
in U.S.: "About 80,000 illegal criminal aliens, including convicted
murderers, rapists, drug dealers and child molesters who served prison time
and were released, are loose on the streets of America, hiding from federal
immigration authorities."
This "crisis" will surely raise
public approval for stricter surveillance.
Flight Sim enquiry raises terror
alert
:
"A mother's enquiry about buying Microsoft Flight Simulator for her ten-year-old
son prompted a night-time visit to her home from a state trooper. ... So
alarmed was the Staples clerk at the prospect of the ten year old learning
to fly, that he informed the police.... A few days later, Olearcek was alarmed
to discover a state trooper flashing a torch into to her home through a
sliding glass door at 8:30 pm on a rainy night."
Will Americans support another
amnesty? Tom Ridge's "shocking words were a broadside on current
law: 'We have to come to grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegal
aliens, afford them some kind of legal status some way.' He pointedly did
not say we have to come to grips with 8 to 12 million people who have violated
our laws by entering our country illegally, and further violated our laws
by using fraudulent documents to get jobs and remain here...
"Ridge says
that illegal aliens in the United States should be given 'some kind of legal
status' because most are not a threat to national security. That's an irrelevancy.
Most passengers who boarded those four fatal planes on Sept. 11, 2001, were
not hijackers, but 19 of them were, and Ridge has no plan to separate the
terrorists from the 300,000 or more who cross our borders illegally every
year."
To
understand why this is happening -- and why the last 3 administrations
have ignored these open borders -- read
Re-zoning the World: Merging
the Americas in a New Global Order.
Apparently this merger
is more important than
Homeland Security.
December 2003
Spanish anti-terror ads put
angels in a new light: "Starting today, a guardian angel will
be used in television, radio, print, outdoor and Internet ads and public
service announcements to emphasize the importance of preparing for potential
terrorist attacks to the nation's 37 million Hispanics.... The grandfather-like
angel has white wings. In print ads, he also wears a lilac guayabera, a
shirt popular among Cubans. 'Just like any good guardian angel, we want
this one to be everywhere,' Ridge said."
This mockery of the Biblical
angel shows how new usage changes the meaning of Christian truths.
October
Clark Calling for Civilian Reserve
Corps: "Democrat
Wesley Clark says if elected president, he would create a corps of civilians
who could be called up for service in national emergencies....
"...
the program would cost
about $100 million a year and would be within the Department of Homeland
Security.
"The reserves 'will reinvigorate America's ethic
of service, tap the vast reservoir of skill, generosity and energy that
is the American people and call millions more Americans to duty."
Among other benefits to the government, this
program fits the demand for "social capital."
See
Solidarity
and
Rapid Reaction
September
What does the government know about you?
“'As the government gains access to more and more aspects of a private citizen’s
life in the name of preventing terrorism... more files will be gathered
on the innocent.' Though the Freedom of Information Act usually guarantees
citizens full disclosure of their government surveillance..."
[Not always! See
A Terrorist?
Me?]
"Caldwell says there are more than 1000 government
agencies and offices collecting information on citizens and businesses....
"There are more and more HORROR stories coming to light.... Here are just
a few of those people who wake up too late and determine that the government
has files about them, which were INCORRECT, and/or INACCURATE, and which
they DID NOT HAVE CORRECTED until it was too late...."
"In the U.S., paying cash for nearly anything can cause an SAR to be filed.
This can be for as little as $500 for an airline ticket, or making a deposit
or a withdrawal at your bank. It's the government's mindset that only CRIMINALS
carry cash, that 'good' citizens use credit cards, bank checks and traveler
checks."
President argues for expansion
of police powers:
"President Bush called Wednesday for expanded police powers to fight terrorism,
urging Congress to pass legislation that would deny bail to terrorism
suspects.... Declaring he wants to 'untie the hands of our law
enforcement officials,' Bush also endorsed a proposal that would bypass
traditional protections on the use of subpoenas so prosecutors could
more easily seize records and other evidence in terrorism cases....
"Over the summer, the
Republican-led House voted overwhelmingly to roll back a part of the law
that allows covert searches. At least 150 communities and three states have
passed resolutions denouncing the law as eroding civil liberties."
There was a time when U.S.
citizens were considered innocent until proven guilty. Now anyone is potentially
guilty until proven innocent. And without the old constitutional safeguards,
it is harder to prove your innocence.
See
The Enemy of The People?
Fliers to Be Rated for Risk
Level - New System Will Scrutinize Each Passenger, Assign Color Code:
"In the most aggressive -- and, some say, invasive -- step yet to protect
air travelers, the federal government and the airlines will phase in a computer
system next year to measure the risk posed by every passenger on every flight
in the United States.... Passengers will be assigned a color code -- green,
yellow or red -- based in part on their city of departure, destination,
traveling companions and date of ticket purchase....The new system, called
Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System II (CAPPS II), has sparked
so much controversy...."
A Terrorist? Me?
August
Local governments harboring
illegals? "Barring
White House leadership on the issue, 'the state patchwork of inconsistent
and incompatible policies will continue to be a primary avenue used by foreign
terrorists to exploit weaknesses in our national immigration system,' Stein
commented.... Cities and communities have adopted policies 'designed to
shield people who are violating federal immigration laws.' They include
instructing police not to question or arrest suspected illegal aliens."
See
Homeland Security and the
Transformation of America
Beijing 'front' companies spying
on U.S.: "China has
established more than 3,000 'front' companies in the U.S. to conduct espionage
and will become the United States' greatest intelligence threat.... Mueller
told Congress earlier this month the Chinese companies are coordinating
espionage efforts against America via thousands of visitors, students and
business people who visit the U.S. annually. He said each of them also have
a task to perform for Beijing."
See
Deceptive alliances
Careful - The FB-eye may be
watching: "Have I just been threatened by the FBI? ... Was I
reading something that morning? ...
"...it
seems like a dark day when an American citizen regards reading as a threat,
and downright pitch-black when the federal government agrees....
"Special
Agent Joe Parris, Atlanta field office spokesman, stressed that specific
FBI investigations are confidential.... 'In this post-911 era, it is the
absolute responsibility of the FBI to follow through on any tips of potential
terrorist activity,' Parris says. 'Are people going to take exception and
be inconvenienced by this at times? Oh, yeah. ... A certain amount of convenience
is going to be offset by an increase in security."
Sounds
like Communist China and its revival of the "neighborhood snoop."
See
Changing China
July
Flu could be next terror weapon,
warn scientists: "A would-be bioterrorist needed only to spray
an aerosol containing the weaponised virus inside a passenger plane to set
off a global infection. They pointed out that in contrast to agents such
as smallpox which are carefully guarded, the 'flu virus was relatively freely
available."
If governments were to
consider it a "terror weapon," I wonder how they might try to "prevent"
such a crisis. With more government control, tracking and surveillance?
See
Homeland Security and the Transformation of America
June
Report stirs fears of privacy
violations: A report
from the Terrorism Information Awareness program contains a major loophole
that allows the government to data mine "everything under the sun" including
medical and credit records, says the top Senate Democrat on privacy issues."
See
Homeland Security and the Transformation
of America
May
Ridge says unmanned drones could
be patrolling borders by end of the year: Predators and other
remote-controlled aircraft can watch over a potential target and fly for
hundreds of miles with cameras, sensors, communications equipment or missiles.
Support has grown for the unmanned aircraft since their success during the
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Pentagon System Hopes to Identify
Walks: "Watch your
step! The Pentagon is developing a radar-based device that can identify
people by the way they walk, for use in a new antiterrorist surveillance
system. ... If the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA,
orders a prototype, the individual 'gait signatures' of people could become
part of the data to be linked together in a vast surveillance system the
Pentagon agency calls Total Information Awareness."
(May 19, 03 -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2694090,00.html)
Dirty bomb victims 'may be shot'
:
"Police could be forced to shoot members of the public to maintain order
in the event of a terrorist 'dirty bomb' or biological attack on Britain....
The Police Federation annual conference in Blackpool was told that so few
officers have been trained to deal with a chemical, biological, nuclear
or radiological strike that they would have to resort to 'very unsavoury
but necessary' crowd control."
Could it happen in America?
See
Homeland Security and the
Transformation of America
A first line of strategic defense
:
"A blown-off finger, a skin burn or a respiratory illness were not normally
reasons for an emergency room doctor to call the FBI. But now, with the
threat of terrorism, they could be..... The Strategic Medical Intelligence
unit, formed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is a pilot
program begun in the FBI's Pittsburgh office....
"Patient privacy will be protected as much as possible, they said. However...
'Privacy and anonymity are often confused by the general public.'.... Law
enforcement gets access to medical records when police need to know, he
said, as already is done in cases of suspected child abuse. That approach...
sometimes raises issues with the constitutional right of being presumed
innocent until proven guilty."
(Pittsburgh Tribune, May 9, 2003)
Big brother is still watching:
"This... is what it was like at home after the United States entered the
war in 1917: Lutheran schools and churches were raided and searched for
pro-German material.... Labor leader Eugene Debs, who supported the war,
was sentenced to 10 years in jail for attacking 'superpatriots.'... The
Saturday Evening Post called on America to get rid of German-Americans
and Irish-Americans, 'the scum of the melting pot.'"
April
Defector Reveals Russia’s Secret
War Plans: "Col. Stanislav Lunev reveals the dark side of Russia’s
soul -- and their continuing efforts to destroy America. The highest-ranking
military spy ever to defect from Russia, Lunev warned the CIA and the FBI
that Russia continues to actively plan for war with the U.S. and the West....
"Col.
Lunev told, and continues to tell, America’s CIA, the FBI, DIA and other
national security agencies that Russia still posed a real threat and that
Russian military and spy officials were still talking, planning and preparing
for war with the United States and the West. He revealed they continue to
organize, support and sponsor terrorist groups world-wide. He alleged Russia
uses organized crime groups to pursue their dangerous agenda."
See a earlier statement
by Col. Lunev
in
Deliver us from evil
and remember
Psalm 27:1-3
Homeland Security Names First
Privacy Czar: "When Congress created
the DHS last year, it required that the new department have a privacy officer
to maintain the privacy protections of U.S. citizens and that the new department's
databases operate within federal privacy guidelines....
"Last month, the Bush administration revealed the TSA plans to scan government
and commercial databases for potential terrorist threats when a passenger
makes flight reservations....The TSA will then assign a red, yellow or green
score to the passenger based on the agency's risk assessment of the traveler.
The score color will then be encrypted on the passenger's boarding pass."
See
A Terrorist?
Me?
GOP wants to keep anti-terror
powers: "The move is likely to touch off strong objections from
many Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress who believe that the
Patriot Act... has already given the government too much power to spy on
Americans.... Republicans in the Senate in recent days have discussed a
proposal... that would repeal the so-called sunset provisions and make the
expanded powers permanent."
See
Homeland Security and the
transformation of America
Code red - Schools take extra
precautions with disaster planning: "...students at Bluewell
Elementary School are relocated to an undisclosed location in their community
as part of the school's 'code red' drills....
[I]n the event of a chemical or biological attack in the area, students
wouldn't be evacuated outside, but instead would be relocated to a basement
or sealed area of the school."
Terrorists said to seek entry
to U.S. via Mexico: "At least 14 al Qaeda members are said to
be in Mexico....The al Qaeda members are working with Mexican organized
crime groups, such as drug-trafficking organizations, in an attempt to enter
the United States covertly, the officials said."
Psalm 27:1
March
Toy rocket engines under ATF
scrutiny: "A small provision in the Homeland Security Act is
having unintended consequences for boys and their toys. Under the new law,
anyone who wants to buy a motor rocket first must obtain a permit from the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and is subject
to a background check." See
Homeland Security and the
transformation of America
EU should encompass homeland
security, says EU military chief: "'In my opinion, it is time
for the European Union to focus also on the protection of its own citizens
and to create something comparable to the homeland defense in Northern America,'
says general Gustav Hägglund, chairman of the EU’s Military Committee....
New structures have been built, and 15 different concepts elaborated such
as the use of force, strategic transport and military rapid response."
See
Rapid
Reaction Against UN Foes
37 Alleged Illegal Immigrants
Arrested: "The illegal immigrants were working at two areas on
base.... The base is also headquarters of the 20th Air Force, which is in
charge of 150 Minuteman III missiles."
February 2003
No homeland defense against
idiocy: "...Nearly 100 dead at a Rhode Island nightclub because
an infantile band played with matches. Over 20 dead after a stampede in
an overcrowded Chicago nightclub. Over 130 dead after a subway conductor
in South Korea fled a burning train without opening its doors. ....Just
as charity begins at home, so homeland security begins with doing more to
minimize everyday risks."
It does? Please,
let us not prompt the government to control more of our personal lives.
We need to grow up; we do not need to grow more dependent.
See
Chart: Total transformation
USA Freedom Corps, Principles
and Reforms for a Citizen Service Act: "The Administration will
work closely with the Congress to reform and enhance national and community
service programs for five years...: 1.
Support and encourage greater
engagement of citizens in volunteering...."
This involves
service
learning.
To see what that means, read
Serving a Greater Whole
2. President
Bush is proposing to give state, local and community officials more authority
and flexibility to provide service opportunities to the citizens they represent
by: ... Permitting AmeriCorps members to work with community organizations
on capacity-building activities...."
See
Capacity Building and Public-Private
Partnerships
-- an excerpt from
the United Nation Development Program.
Pentagon Moves to Revive Funding
for Data Mining Program: "Responding to a Senate effort to block
all funding for its controversial Total Information Awareness Program (TIA),
the Pentagon now says it will establish two oversight boards to ensure that
the program doesn't violate the privacy rights of Americans."
See
Surveillance
'Supersnoop' scheme blocked
pending review: "Key
lawmakers have agreed to block funding for the Pentagon's Total Information
Awareness project until Congress can review the technology's effect on privacy
and civil liberties."
2 Corinthians 2:14
Patriot Act, the sequel:
"Someone in the Justice Department clearly wants to preserve our most cherished
civil liberties. Last week, that individual leaked a bill secretly drafted
by Attorney General John Ashcroft's staff to the Center for Public Integrity.
'The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003,' is a chilling sequel to
the USA Patriot Act, passed shortly after Sept.11, 2001....
"The draft legislation would reduce judicial oversight of surveillance,
authorize secret arrests, create new death penalties...."
The concern is deepened by
FBI guidelines (its "Joint Terrorism Task Force," Megiddo...) that alert
community spies to "Right-Wing Extremists... defenders of the US Constitution
against federal government and the UN (Super Patriots)."
See
The Enemy of the People
repeat
The DARPA Information Awareness
Office: "The key to fighting terrorism is information. Elements
of the solution include gathering a
much
broader array of data than we do currently, discovering information from
elements of the data, creating models of hypotheses, and analyzing these
models in a collaborative environment...."
Complaints led to the removal
of the TIA symbol: the masonic,
all-seeing eye in the pyramid. Representing the new world
order, it covered the planet with its enlightening rays.
See a part of it at
Symbols and their meaning
Warning met with cynicism and
helplessness: "Yellow
to orange, with only red on the color-coded system before we run out of
colors.... 'It's all kind of silly,' said Mario Merino, 55, who manages
a San Jose fire-protection business. 'They expect us to go about our normal
business, but stay at a heightened state of alert. It's an oxymoron. You
end up with only a sense of powerlessness.'
"For color-code critics,
including Dora Garcia, 70, of San Jose,
a non-specific threat is nearly as unnerving as a real one.
'What can we do?' Garcia asked. 'We don't have basements where we could
hide from something like this.'
"...many saw the alert
as a ploy to boost support for war with Iraq. Carla Collins, 33, of San
Jose said she was 'very concerned they're trying to
instill fear
in the general public to justify the war.'"
Creating fear and "a sense
of powerlessness" is key to the changes needed to establish global
Solidarity.
Community Oriented Policing
explains
why.
US prepares to widen surveillance
powers: "The US Justice
department is drafting legislation that would strengthen the already sweeping
powers granted by the USA Patriot Act to help law enforcement officials
to track down suspected terrorists inside the US....The proposed legislation
[the Domestic Security Enchancement Act of 2003], dated January 9, would
end an array of court-ordered restraints that prevent local police forces
from spying on domestic groups or individuals suspected of terrorist activities."
January 2003
How secure are we?
"We are being led to believe that in order for us to be secure in our homes,
communities and businesses we must give up certain inalienable rights....
"The HOMELAND SECURITY
bill was brought before the Senate less then 48 hours before it was voted
on.... The Senators were supposed to study all 484 pages and understand
what effect this legislation could have on American citizens. Senator Robert
Byrd... said, "...Never have I seen such a monstrous pieces of legislation
sent to this body. Our poor staffs were up most of the night studying it.
They know some of the things that are in there, but they don't know all
of them. It is a sham....'
"The following are some
of the liberties that have been lost by the passage of the US Patriot Act
and the Homeland Security Act. The government may now monitor churches
and political meetings without suspecting criminal activity.... The government
may monitor conversations between attorneys and clients. American
citizens accused of crimes may be denied access to an attorney. Americans'
papers and effects maybe seized without probable cause. American
citizens may be jailed and held indefinitely without being charged or being
able to confront their accuser....
"The administration is
also creating the world's largest computer system and database.... the TOTAL
INFORMATION AWARENESS SYSTEM....
"George W. won't be president
forever. Looking down the road a few years, what if a president with the
intellect of a Hitler or a Stalin got into office? The stage has been set,
the props are in place....
"This isn't the first
time a nation has cried out for HOMELAND SECURITY. In 1922 Adolph Hitler,
writing about the creation of the German Gestapo wrote: "An evil exists
that threatens every man, woman and child of this great nation. We must
take steps to insure our domestic security and protect our homeland."
Psalm 27:1-4
Chinese aliens flock to O'Hare:
Undocumented Chinese nationals claiming asylum are flocking in record numbers
to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the nation's busiest, raising
national security concerns, U.S. intelligence and immigration officials
say."
December 2002
Minnesota has mass smallpox
vaccine plan: "Minnesota public health officials plan to vaccinate
the state's 4.9 million people in less than a week if smallpox breaks out
anywhere in the world."
AMA Wants Protection for Doctors
Giving Smallpox Shots: "Amid growing speculation that a smallpox
vaccination program could be started in the next few weeks, the [American
Medical Association]... voted Tuesday to specifically request initiation
of the liability program before starting vaccinations. The Homeland Security
Act, which was approved by Congress and signed by President Bush last month,
includes the liability protections but this coverage doesn't take effect
until January 24, 2003."
September
Deconstructing the Constitution:
"The so-called Homeland Security bill
is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever put forth by any
administration. As Phyllis Schlafly correctly states, 'If passed, it will
mean a giant increase in Big Government without any effect on the front
lines of our security, the FBI and CIA, and little effect on the INS and
the visa-issuing section of the State Department.'"
See
A National Information System
and
Psalm 27:1-4
Military Police Internment/
Resettlement Operations
(Department of the Army Washington, DC): "Table of Contents."
An interesting overview of
the interment camps discovered in many parts of the U.S.
Europe-US terror treaty plan
raises rights fears: "European Union governments are secretly
drawing up a treaty with the US on issues ranging from extradition to undercover
police operations in a move which has huge implications for individual rights
and liberties. Shortly after the September 11 attacks on the US last year,
the EU suggested negotiating an agreement with Washington on joint measures
to combat terrorism. The US replied
that the agreement should go far beyond the fight against terrorism and
cover what it called general 'criminal matters'...."
Psalm 18:1-3
August
Ashcroft: TIPS Plan Won't Have
Central Database: "Ashcroft told senators yesterday that he had
scrapped plans to include a centralized database as part of a controversial
program enlisting millions of Americans as anti-terrorist tipsters.... The
program has been criticized by some lawmakers and civil liberties groups,
who believe Operation TIPS would encourage citizens to spy on each other....
'We don't want to see a 1984, Orwellian-type situation here where neighbors
are reporting on neighbors,' Sen. Orrin G. Hatch said...
"Information reported to TIPS would be passed on to relevant law
enforcement agencies such as the FBI." The FBI Database is linked to the
other Federal databanks and many others."
See
Your friendly community spies
July
'I'm happy to spy for America':
"Recruits will be given lectures on what to look for and how to report suspicious
persons, activities and objects. Each delivery vehicle on an Operation Tips
fleet will be issued a bumper sticker advertising a free phone number to
encourage other members of the public to join in. The plan has divided America,
drawing fierce criticism from liberals and civil liberties movements. Opponents
have calculated that Operation Tips will create one 'spy' for every 24 citizens...."
Your friendly community spies
With homeland security in mind,
summer camp trains teens: "Ten months after the twin towers fell,
the tragedy of Sept. 11 has spawned... a summer camp.... The job training
they receive, Bursk says, can start a career in the homeland security
business, which is booming."
This Scripture is worth repeating
- again:
Isaiah 3:5-12
U.S. agencies can't agree on
a definition for terrorism: "The U.S.-led war against terrorism
has been stymied by the failure of federal agencies to agree on what exactly
terrorism means....
"The report presented the subcommittee's definition of terrorism.
'Terrorism is the illegitimate, premediated use of politically motivated
violence or the threat of violence by a subnational group against persons
or property with the intent to coerce a government by instilling fear among
the populace'...
"The report said that less than one third of graduates of the CIA's
most recent training course had any proficiency in a foreign language. The
lack of foreign language skills is said to be worse at the FBI. The report
said the FBI has thousands of documents relating to Islamic insurgency groups
gathering dust because nobody can translate them."
This would sound like a comedy
of errors if it wasn't so tragic.
See
An
Enemy of the People?
repeat
"The
Phoenix Federal Bureau of Investigation, the
Maricopa County Sheriff's
Office (Greater Phoenix, Arizona), and the
Maricopa County Attorney are handing out
flyers asking the recipients to help them fight domestic terrorism. ...Called
the Joint Terrorism Task Force, [it asks people:]
'If you encounter any of the following, Call the Joint Terrorism
Task Force.' ... Right-Wing Extremists,
Hate Groups, common Law Movement
Proponents, Left-Wing Terrorists, Single Issue Terrorists ...."
The first category, "Right-Wing
Extremists," includes "'defenders'
of US Constitution against federal government and the UN."
Under "Single Issue Terrorists"
it includes "Lone Individuals."
To see the tri-fold
flyer, click on
Front Page
and
Back Page.
A war on terror or on citizens?
"The government's fear of the American people exceeds the ability of bureaucrats
to control us. ... Why are 12 million Americans, in addition to thousands
of government police agents with unprecedented eavesdropping powers, needed
to ferret out the suspected 5,000 terrorists in the United States? The best
complexion that can be put on this is that the U.S. government has realized
the insanity of the multicultural diversity, open borders, visas to all,
immigrants from everywhere mindset that has turned the United States into
a sanctuary for terrorists and illegal aliens."
Your friendly community spies
Domestic Military Role Under
Review: "...chief Tom Ridge says the threat of terrorism may
force government planners to consider using the military for domestic law
enforcement, now largely prohibited by federal law. President Bush has called
on Congress to thoroughly review the law that bans the Army, Navy, Air Force
and Marines from participating in arrests, searches, seizure of evidence
and other police-type activity on U.S. soil."
Psalm 27:1-4
Postal officials change stance
on Operation TIPS: "In a shift from its position 24 hours earlier,
the U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it had decided to meet with the Justice
Department to discuss Operation TIPS, a government plan to encourage U.S.
postal workers to report suspicious activity as part of the government's
war on terrorism."
Psalm 32:7
Bush Is to Propose Broad New
Powers in Domestic Security:
"The Bush administration's broad new proposal for domestic security, to
be made public on Tuesday, calls for sweeping changes that include the creation
of a top-secret plan to protect the nation's critical infrastructure and
a review of the law that could allow the military to operate more aggressively
within the United States."
June
Security bill bars blowing whistle:
"A provision in the bill seeking to create a Homeland Security Department
will exempt its employees from whistleblower protection, the very law that
helped expose intelligence-gathering missteps before September 11. ....The
act protects government employees from retaliation or losing employment
for speaking out on waste, fraud and abuse....
"
The
department would not be required to release information under the Freedom
of Information Act. This would eliminate the agency's responsibility to
answer questions from the public. Advisory committees that normally include
public input would be immune, and the Cabinet secretary would have veto
power over inspector general audits and investigations. 'We need to know
real facts, and not just spin from the agency,' he says."
May
U.S. weighs July 4 threat:
"Islamic terrorists are planning an attack against a U.S. nuclear power
plant to coincide with the July 4 celebrations, U.S. intelligence sources
say. U.S. officials are taking the threat seriously, though they say it
is not necessarily wholly reliable.... Zubaydah also told U.S. intelligence
officials last month that al Qaeda was planning attacks on banks in the
northeastern United States and that supermarkets and shopping malls are
targets."
Psalm 27:1-4
Bill would push driver's license
with chip
USA Patriot Act powers prompt
second look: "Secret
court subpoenas, examinations of bookstore records, revised immigration
policies and other uses of sweeping new powers have some Senate Democrats
taking a new critical look at the USA Patriot Act, enacted in the aftermath
of Sept. 11.... "What would happen, said Maxwell [AAMVA executive director]
if a policeman had to take your driver's license and it was also your ATM
and credit card?...
"The density of information on the cards makes them a target, a 'honey
pot' for people trying to steal data, said Ari Schwartz, associate director
at the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology. Supposedly
secure chips on smart cards have already been hacked, said Schwartz."
A National Information System
USA Patriot Act powers prompt
second look: "Secret court subpoenas, examinations of bookstore
records, revised immigration policies and other uses of sweeping new powers
have some Senate Democrats taking a new critical look at the USA Patriot
Act, enacted in the aftermath of Sept. 11."
April 2002
The Dots That Weren't Connected:
"...in 1998, Time Magazine reported that bin Laden was preparing
to strike Washington and New York. ... In September 1999 a CIA-commissioned
report warned the Clinton White House that a bin Laden 'martyrdom battalion'
was planning to hijack commercial airliners and crash them into the Pentagon,
CIA headquarters and other government buildings.... U.S. officials from
the Democratic side were told that commercial airliners could be hijacked
and employed in suicide strikes. But no initiative from either party was
undertaken to prepare Washington or New York's anti-air defenses or to improve
airport security. As a matter of course, and in the best American tradition,
the lax approach of the Clinton administration was passed along to the Bush
administration....
"...the 1999 report was also available to members of Congress. In
other words, Democrats on Capitol Hill had full access to information about
bin Laden's attack strategy. In fact, the American people had full access
- at bookstores everywhere. Knowledge of the full range of threats to the
United States is out there. It is available to anyone who cares. The reality
is, however, that Americans take their security for granted.... Woe
to any politician who finds himself interested in something that bores the
public. [-which
is influenced by the
Media]
"The
truth is, America is all about business and entertainment. It is about buying
and selling and having fun. America's social system now runs on economic
optimism. Any attempt to tell the truth about the vulnerability of our vast
economic machine is met with blinking incomprehension. Those smart enough
to climb into positions of authority know on what side their bread is buttered....
To make matters worse, there are politically correct obstructionists in
the national security establishment. These are the folks who refuse to take
threats seriously because the business of national security is inherently
xenophobic if not racist....
"In 1999 a military advisor to the House Armed Services Committee
told me that the Democratic members of the committee refused to attend hearings
where former GRU Col. Stanislav Lunev testified about Russian preparations
to plant weapons of mass destruction on U.S. soil. 'What reason did they
give for refusing to attend,' I asked. 'They called it stupid paranoia,'
he replied."
John 2:24-25
New command will protect U.S.:
"The Pentagon in October will debut a new command organization, U.S. Northern
Command, to oversee the defense of the United States and to streamline support
to civilian agencies during natural disasters, top Defense officials announced
Wednesday."
Court Asked To Crack Secrecy
Over National ID Plans:
"A privacy rights group is turning to a federal court in hopes of forcing
the U.S. Office of Homeland Security to divulge information behind proposals
for a national identification system. The Electronic Privacy Information
Center (EPIC) said it planned to file a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court
today after receiving no response to requests under the Freedom of Information
Act for background information on national ID plans. ....
"'The potential privacy
implications of these proposals are far-reaching,' EPIC Executive Director
Marc Rotenberg said in a written statement, adding that Homeland Security
Director Tom Ridge 'has an obligation to the American people to ensure that
these decisions are made in the open.'"
No Place to Hide?
March
Lying to the public is all right,
says Washington's chief lawyer:
"The United States Government's top lawyer has said that officials have
the right to lie to American citizens, telling the US Supreme Court that
misleading statements are sometimes needed to protect foreign policy interests.
"It's easy to imagine an infinite number of situations where the government
might legitimately give out false information," the Solicitor-General, Theodore
Olson, told the court on Monday. "It's an unfortunate reality that the issuance
of incomplete information and even misinformation by government may sometimes
be perceived as necessary to protect vital interests." ...
"Ms Harbury, a lawyer,
has alleged that the US officials lied to her to conceal the involvement
of a Central Intelligence Agency informant in the torture and murder of
her husband."
See
Reinventing the World
Emergency-powers bill gaining
momentum: "...34
states have begun considering the 'Model State Emergency Health Powers Act,'
a bill that critics contend gives state governors unprecedented authority
in the event of a terrorist attack or other threat to the public health.
...An analysis by ALEC says the bill 'strips individuals and families of
their rights and liberties at the expense of government,' while representing
'unnecessary and duplicative legislation given existing state natural-disaster
statutes.'"
Rom 8:37
Fox News Tape Confiscated by
Pentagon Officials:
"Pentagon police on Tuesday detained and handcuffed a Fox News Channel cameraman
and confiscated his videotape.... Gursky, who has security clearance and
credentials to shoot at the Pentagon, said he had finished filming a police
stop of a white pickup truck on a Virginia public highway from what he thought
was public property near the Pentagon, when military personnel stopped him
and asked for his tape. Gursky was told he was on government property without
a permit. He refused to give up the tape, after which officials frisked
him, handcuffed him and said he was being arrested for disobeying a police
officer...."
Isaiah 22:5
Shades of Danger - How new terror
alerts will be color-coded:
"Homeland security is about to get colorful. Next week the White House is
planning to announce a multihued threat-warning system designed to warn
the public and help guard against future terrorist attacks. Starting with
green — the most relaxed status — the system assigns blue, yellow, orange
and red as the danger increases, and offers guidelines for how to respond
to each level. When U.S. intelligence receives reliable information about
a new threat, Director Tom Ridge's Homeland Security Council will huddle
to determine which color fits the situation."
It makes sense. Such daily
terror alerts will surely help governments persuade their citizens to trade
God-given rights for an illusion of security. We would be wise to trust
God with our lives and safety rather than leaders and bureaucrats in pursuit
of the power needed to manage the new world order.
See
An analysis
of Community Oriented Policing
and
Brave New World
Neighborhood Watch Enlisted
in Terror War: "Through
the Neighborhood Watch program, we will weave a seamless web of prevention
of terrorism that brings together citizens and law enforcement,' Ashcroft
said." At first, it sounded good in China and Nazi Germany, too,
when they recruited "neighborhood snoops" to spy on "unusual" and noncomformist
activities. But laws and leaders change and bureaucracies evolve accordingly.
See
Preparing for Persecution
and the next item:
USA Freedom Corps--Citizen Corps:
"In his State of the Union Address, President Bush announced his plan to
launch the new USA Freedom Corps a comprehensive, integrated citizen service
initiative. The USA Freedom Corps includes three major programs: A new Citizen
Corps to engage citizens directly in improving homeland security: The Citizen
Corps will implement of range of new initiatives to engage ordinary Americans
in specific homeland security efforts in their own communities. Citizen
Corps initiatives include the creation of a Medical Reserve Corps, a Volunteers
in Police Service (VIPS) program and a Terrorist Information and Prevention
System (TIPS) as well as a doubling of the Neighborhood Watch program, and
a tripling of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program."
See
Changing China: Communist
Strategies Enforce Solidarity
February
2002
Marine Corps Warfighting - Purpose
and
Image Library.
A friend sent these
links after reading the story above. The third logo, which preceded September
11, shows a dragon eating the twin towers.
Big Brother is here:
"The Metropolitan Police Department... wants to install a veritable grid
of new cameras all over [Washington DC]... so as to keep an eye (many
eyes, actually) on all the comings and goings of Americans. A special Joint
Operations Command Center has already been set up.... Some $7 million has
already been spent on something called the Synchronized Operations Command
Complex — all of it on the pretext of fighting terrorism. We confess that
the prospect terrifies us.
"That ordinary citizens
who have done absolutely nothing to warrant this level of scrutiny will
nonetheless be the primary objects of the cameras' unblinking eyes seems
not to trouble MPD officials at all. ... Fighting terrorism is crucial,
but terrorizing a city by turning the nation's capital into a prison yard
is not the way to do it."
See
The Enemy Of The People
and
A National Information System
- Executive Order #13011
January 2002
Make Torture An Option:
"Alan Dershowitz, the civil libertarian defender of O.J Simpson, believes
the law should sanction torture so it may be applied in certain cases, such
as terrorist acts.... [But] Torture is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution,
says Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth, who also says it’s
not reliable. ... 'People will say anything under torture,' says Roth, adding
that resorting to torture degrades humanity and the idea of democracy. 'We,
in many important respects, become like the terrorists,' he tells Wallace.
'They will have won. Our democracy will have lost.'”
2 Chron 20:6-12
December 2001
Defending America
(Joseph Farah): "America no longer understands the concept of defense. Defense
is not about projecting military power in foreign lands. That is offense.
Defense means protecting the homeland and its civilian population. It's
time to start thinking about defense again."
Psalm 18:1-3
October 2001
Condit Security Appointment:
"When he heard the news that scandal-scarred
congressman Gary Condit had been picked to serve on the House Subcommittee
on Homeland Security and Terrorism, Rep. Bob Barr couldn't believe
his ears. 'This is somebody's idea of a bad joke,' he told NewsMax.com...
"Once
Rep. Barr realized that Condit's new assignment was no prank, he was concerned
the move showed a blatant disregard for national security concerns at a
time when they should be paramount.... Barr said he has yet to hear from
the House Ethics Committee about his [earlier] complaint against Condit."
This appointment was
announced by Associated Press and Nypost, but both have apparently removed
the story from their archives. Do you wonder why?
[See
The Media]
This strange
appointment was also mentioned in some local and foreign papers. Andy Kjos
read about it when passing through Hong Kong on his way home from Pakistan
on the 21st.
Prov 19:5
To see an official
list of members, go to page 44 of this government website:
http://clerkweb.house.gov/107/scsoal.pdf
September
2002
Hastert Announces Panel on Terrorism
(including Condit): "In
order to best protect our country and address the security needs of the
American people, I’m proud to announce that we are converting the Working
Group on Terrorism and Homeland Security into a full subcommittee, which
will be part of the House Intelligence Committee.... I’m confident that
this fine group of people will
make it their goal to stamp out the terrorist threat to our nation and
keep the American people safe.”
Prov 12:15
C
ondit
Unfit to Serve on
Homeland
Security Subcommittee:
"In this time of national emergency, we can think of few worse to lead Congress's
fight against
terrorism
than Gary
Condit,
who has been implicated in the disappearance of a young intern. His lies
and obstruction of justice make him unfit to hold public office, let alone
a sensitive post on the
Terrorism
and
Homeland
Security Subcommittee. His presence on that committee is a threat to our
nation's security because of, among other things, the potential for blackmail.
Perhaps a grand jury investigation will force
Condit
from this sensitive post,' said Judicial Watch Chairman Larry Klayman."
Bush Creates High Office of Homeland Security:
"He named Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican, as the first head of
the new office.... 'He will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive
national strategy to safeguard our country against terrorism and respond
to any attacks that may come,' Bush said.... 'Today, dozens of federal departments
and agencies, as well as state and local governments, have responsibilities
affecting homeland security. These efforts must be coordinated at the highest
level. So tonight I announce the creation of a Cabinet-level position reporting
directly to me -- the Office of Homeland Security.''
See
Federalism.
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