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April 7, 2007 | Ever since reading an article in The Daily Telegraph from earlier in the week, I kept thinking how the US Homeland Security Chief might not have a clue about who he is protecting the Homeland from or what motivates potential attackers.
The article, entitled "Briton Could Stage Another September 11", is an interview with Michael Chertoff prior to his arrival in Britain for talks with John Reed, Britain's Home Secretary. The general content of the article reveals that Chertoff & Company seem to feel that Britain is a hotbed of potential Islamic terrorists referred to as "clean skin" terrorists. Not referring to daily bathing habits, clean skin terrorists are defined as a person whose documents are completely legitimate and not forged - British citizens with no criminal record or intelligence traces that could use the visa waiver scheme to enter and attack America. The "visa waiver scheme" is a policy that allows visitors from various (allied) countries to enter the US for up to 90 days without a visa. The shoe bomber was an example of a clean skin attempting to visit the US under a visa waiver. The notion that our Homeland Security folks are trying to get more data, such as fingerprints, before visitors can enter the US has merit. It is certainly intrusive, yet it has merit. Apparently, a data base exists with many fingerprints collected from various terrorist site, training camps and safe houses that could be matched to a name and the person detained for questioning. The above is good stuff, Chertoff actually doing his job. Yet, in the conclusion of the interview, Chertoff says a few disturbing things - makes a few ignorant generalizations - that need be aired. The article states that, "Mr. Chertoff rejected the idea that the Iraq war had made the world more dangerous." It further quotes Chertoff as saying, "Those that are inclined to be radicalised will find a reason to be radicalised no matter what's going on in the world." The above statement reeks of generalized opinion, ignorance and cannot be substantiated. If he had said that, "those inclined to be radicalized are easier to reach by teachers of radical religious extremism" or "those inclined to be radicalized react more quickly to oppression", one might have thought Chertoff had some sense. But, Chertoff made no such qualification and by effectively rejecting that the Iraq War had no effect on global terrorism - one must wonder at how such ignorance occupies the office of Chief of US Homeland Security. Chertoff further concludes that, "Where you find some softness is in some elements of the media or in some elements of the intellectual class who convince themselves that this is our fault, or that there's an easier way to avoid the problem if we can just figure what price we have to pay. That is a plea to the sensibility of exhaustion and history has shown that's a very damaging and very destructive impulse." Chertoff gave no examples of of the "softness" he claims exists. What Chertoff appears to say is that the US carries none of the blame for Islamic radical's hatred for America and their subsequent willingness to attack our country. This almost falls in line with the dunce like statement from our Commander in Chief, "they hate us for our freedom". Chertoff must fail to understand that there are millions of Islamists, Arabs, Kurds, Palestinians, Persians, Turkmen, Pashtun, Tajik and countless other ethnic tribes and groups across the Middle East who have been oppressed by their governments who get their support and weaponry from the US - who have had familiy members killed with weapons "made in the USA" - had their villages destroyed by helicopters or jets made in the USA. To make such generalized statements as Chief of Homeland Security is ignorant and misleading. Such statements are political lies aimed at Americans who are weak enough to be afraid. Such statements cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged. Briton Could Stage Another September 11
4.7.2007 |