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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Austin Hill :: Townhall.com Columnist
Al Qaeda Might Be Here But Our Borders Are Fabulous!
by Austin Hill
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There might be members of the Al Qaeda terrorist network are here in the United States. But it’s difficult to know for sure.

On Monday October 12, U.S. Secretary Of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano disclosed to the Bloomberg TV network that “it is fair to say there are individuals in the United States who ascribe to al-Qaeda-type beliefs…”

That’s interesting. But what does it mean?

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Are “members of the Al Qaeda terrorist group” here? Or are they people who merely “ascribe to Al Qaeda-type beliefs,” but they aren’t actually members of the Al Qaeda? And if the people that Secretary Napolitano was referring to are not members of Al Queda, and yet they think and believe like Al Qaeda, does this mean that there is a new, separate terrorist group being spawned?

According to Bloomberg, the bulk of Secretary Napolitano’s remarks were about “increased cooperation” between federal policing agencies, and local law enforcement. She also indicated that because of the Obama Administration’s placement of more agents along the U.S. – Mexico border, our nation’s enforcement of immigration laws has improved. “One of the things that has changed is that there has been a lot of enforcement at the Southwest border,” she claimed. “It’s just not the same border.”

Yet in the same interview, Secretary Napolitano off-handedly remarked that people “who ascribe to Al Qaeda-type beliefs” are here. Not a word about how “they” got here – did they enter through Canada or Mexico, did they arrive on a commercial aircraft, did they sneak in on a cargo ship? People “who ascribe to Al Qaeda-type beliefs” are just here.

What, really, is Secretary Napolitano intending to say? And how are we to understand her? Continued...

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About The Author
Austin Hill is a Talk Show Host At Boise, Idaho's 580 KIDO Radio, and a frequent Guest Host on the Fox Newstalk Radio Network. He is the Author of "White House Confidential: The Little Book Of Weird Presidential History," And Co-Author of the forthcoming title "The Virtues Of Capitalism: A Moral Case For Free Markets" (Northfield/Moody Press, 2010).
 
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45caliber
PART TWO:
Anyone knows that decision-making is often delegated by 'leaders' to committees below them, so that if anything goes wrong the leaders can deny actual responsibility and save their careers. As the saying goes, 'All for One...' and ... and, what was the rest of it?? Also, in skullduggery, it is unwise to apprehend a terrorist group too soon as you may not only end up with not enough evidence to convict, but also will not discover the full operation and all of its operatives, alarming and scattering those who escape the net and those terrorists will later regroup, improve their operation from past mistakes, continuing in their glorious goriest quest, and you end up back at square one.

However, most cells seem to endlessly train without actually attacking. As if waiting for orders that never seem to come. Also, as time and years drag by, what was one cell has now converted ten more, and even the experienced original operators move on, go overseas for more training, go on holiday, drop off the map. Cancer spreads, unless, at some appropriate point action is taken to operate on the infection. There is never any perfection and never a perfect moment to wait for. If we had to know all that would be good to know before we cut loose and decided to act, then we would never get outside of our doors, or even out of bed. Americans, once, were pioneers doing their own work. If the American public wants things to be different they will have to step up to the plate and do their own batting. So the cycle of non-action is from the public to their representative politicians, from the politicians back to the voting public. The clothes that need washing go round and round, but no one bothers to stop and open the machine when needed, so all can wear cleaned clothes. When one is helpless in the face of stupidity, one tends to lapse into mumblings and parables, it is one of the first signs of madness, or of despair. Doing nothing IS a decision.

45caliber
PART ONE
There are many terrorist groups with their own selfish agendas, and initially it may be confusing as to which group any specific training camp belongs, to Al-Qaeda (or affiliated with Al Qaeda) OR to a non-Al Qaeda group. However that is easily sorted out at a higher level of investigation, such as on their connections and financial activities. Many genuine (that is, initiated by Usama and his colleagues) Al Qaeda cells were set up years ago and are still running (that is, staying).

Outside of gossip and false alarmist claims of training groups, the government would be aware of many genuine terrorist training groups, as the evidence would be rather difficult to ignore. However, knowing where they train is not the same as acting on that information. That is, by acting I mean intruding on terrorist cell activities and arresting the suspects. Killing every known cell. Knowledge of dangerous people intent on killing American citizens would seem to demand affirmative action by government agents. At least, that would be the public's expectation. A pity, as that is not what happens. Convicting a criminal on the basis of intent to act, rather than after the actual act, is rather difficult under a legal system that protects the criminal. Also, the mindset of intelligence agencies' still is to endlessly compile information for their betters, not to cut off evidence at some point and to act. What action is to be done, and when to do it, is left to the decision makers, to political personnel whose function and duty it is to make such decisions. Or is it the function of political and department leaders to avoid decisions at all costs, unless forced to choose or lose their seat? Analysis of their public language would seem to favor dithering or squirming or counter-accusing.
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