Your October Surprise Gets Here Early

Yes, right on schedule--and it's only the end of July, dammit. Had we known a bullshit terror alert was coming, we would have cleaned the place up a bit and put on a tie. The Department of Homeland security is going to start scaring the shit out of people to help John McCain's chances at winning the Presidency. Too bad it isn't going to work.

Government officials have been quietly stepping up counterterror efforts out of a growing concern that al Qaeda or similar organizations might try to capitalize on the spate of extremely high-profile events in the coming months, sources tell ABC News.

Security experts point to next month's Olympics as evidence that high-profile events attract threats of terrorism, like the one issued this past weekend by a Chinese Muslim minority group that warned of its intent to attack the Games.

Anti-terror officials in the U.S. cite this summer and fall's lineup of two major political parties' conventions, November's general election and months of transition into a new presidential administration as cause for heightened awareness and action.

The Olympics are in China, of course--that's why terrorists would want to attack the American mainland.

The political conventions are mostly just for show, of course--no one watches the coverage anymore and not many Republicans, at least, are planning to go.

But that isn't going to stop the Department of Homeland Security from ratcheting up the threat meter. Politics vs protecting the American people: which side do you think Michael Chertoff is going to come down on?

Careful with your comments, the next thing you know, they'll start shutting down blogs to keep Americans safe...

Something to think about...



UPDATE: And just so you know how serious your fucking government is about fighting terrorism, here's a great illustration of just how they've been handling the safety and security of the American people:

In April, NPR reported that the Justice Department Inspector General was investigating whether former DOJ White House liaison Monica Goodling dismissed a career DOJ attorney “because of rumors that she is a lesbian.”

Today’s Office of Professional Responsibility report confirms that Goodling, a graduate of Pat Robertson’s Regent University, did discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. In the case described by the report, Goodling stalled an assistant U.S. attorney’s advancement because of rumors of a gay relationship with her superior, a U.S. attorney.

As the report notes, the assistant U.S. attorney (AUSA) received “outstanding” performance reviews, the highest possible rating, and was subsequently granted a work extension in 2006. Goodling, however, opposed it. Deputy Director John Nowacki, who supported the extension, described a meeting with Goodling:

Goodling brought up the issue of the attorney’s “relationship in progress” with her U.S. Attorney “and made it clear just that she thought that was inappropriate.

”

Thanks again, Monica Goodling. You've made your country proud.

Ignoring the Home Grown Hate Groups

I was browsing over at Orcinus, and I came across an incident that we missed back in June--the arrest of several members of a home grown terrorist hate group outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

If there is a President Obama come next Jan. 20, normal folks better brace for what the right-wing crazies have in mind. Because it's becoming clear that they are winding themselves up now for a fresh spate of violence if Obama wins.

You can find the signs in the things they're saying now, both on Internet forums and in the things they say when they think no one is listening. For instance, read some of the details emerging from that militia bust in Pennsylvania that the media have been studiously ignoring.

And he's right--what I've seen so far is enough to give me pause:

A fourth person is under arrest in what KDKA has learned was an undercover investigation into a ring of domestic terrorists.

Bradley Kahle, of Troutville, Clearfield County, is charged with firearms violations and possession of illegal explosives.

Kahle joins Marvin Hall of Rimersburg, Perry Landis of the Clarion area, Morgan Jones of Lucinda, who were arrested and charged with federal firearm and explosives violations. Until now, their intent has been a mystery.

But Kahle's indictment papers may have shed some light. In them, Kahle tells federal undercover agents of making so-called bean can grenades - empty cans hollowed out and filled with explosives and nails which he said could be used to kill police if they raided his home.

"Hey, eight or 10 good bean bombs, five or 600 rounds of ammo and some good equipment, I could be a tough take," he said according to documents.

On another occasion, Kahle tells the operatives, "If Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama get elected, hopefully they will get assassinated. If not they will disarm the country and we will have a civil war."

And yet on another occasion, Kahle tells the agents that the shooting of judges, magistrates and chiefs of police will start the doomsday process or "words to that effect."

Whether this was just a boast or part of a real plan is unclear. But a neighbor of one of the suspects say he's harmless.

You know, no one with bombs and an AK47 is harmless, no matter what some idiot neighbor has to say.

A guy with circus balloons, Spiderman jammies, and a collection of Rick Astley records is still pretty fucking weird, but only mildly harmless. But don't worry--the Department of Homeland Security has been on the case for a while now:

Homeland Security focuses on "possible terror threats from radical environmental and animal rights activists" but omits threats posed by right-wing extremists" according to a DHS report "first disclosed" the last week in March 2005 on the website of the Congressional Quarterly.

The report states that between 2005 and 2011 DHS "expects to contend primarily with adversaries such as al Qaeda and other foreign entities affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement, as well as domestic radical Islamist groups."

The report "does not mention domestic extremist groups" or white supremacist groups like Aryan Nations and Army of God or anti-abortion activists, "which have previously been identified by federal officials as threats."

The report lists "left-wing domestic groups, such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), as terrorist threats.

Experts on domestic terrorism were "surprised the department did not include right-wing groups on their list of adversaries. ... James O. Ellis III, a senior terror researcher for the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT), said ... that whereas left-wing groups, which have been more active recently, have focused mainly on the destruction of property, right-wing groups have a much deadlier and more violent record and should be on the list. 'The nature of the history of terrorism is that you will see acts in the name of [right-wing] causes in the future.'"

And these are the people to whom we're going to hand over the right to conduct warrantless wiretaps?

It looks like "the Michigan militia" craze is making a comeback. Invest wisely in generators, firearms, and flannel shirt manufacturers. Oh, and you'd better pray we get a Justice Department and a DHS that can actually pay attention to the real hate groups in this country who organize themselves, arm themselves, and kill people when they have the chance.

GAO Releases Report on Border Security

The timing of this report is critical because we are seeing a flurry of stories about the border region of Mexico and the US which suggests that the area is spinning out of control. The Department of Homeland Security is simply not up to the task of setting a long term agenda.
The GAO found that the Secure Border Initiative (SBI) was compliant with the majority of benchmarks, but failed to comply with a requirement that stated:

A description of how activities will further the objectives of SBI, as defined in the SBI strategic plan, and how the plan allocates funding to the highest-priority border security needs.

And that is the entire report in a nutshell--the GAO determined that DHS has no articulated plan that tells the American people how the SBI will achieve anything resembling a long term goal, like you know--securing the border. Without a long term plan, what's the point? How sad is it that the GAO, which has a pretty wide latitude with what it decides, ultimately had to decide that the DHS has no vision of how it will achieve anything?

Back in February, it was revealed that one of the components of the SBI, the virtual fence, was a failure:

The failure of the virtual fence was inevitable, a combination of an unrealistic and heavily politicized policy imperative, untested technology hastily fielded with little input from subject-matter experts, a contractor that understands airplanes a lot better than systems integration, and poor management by the federal government’s least experienced bureaucracy.

The only good news here is that the Department of Homeland Security was not building an airplane. The technology used to build the virtual fence was designed to rise only a few feet off the ground on a series of towers along the southwest and eventually the northern border. Its maiden voyage didn’t kill anyone, but it wasted millions of dollars that DHS can ill afford to lose.

So the question is: What do we do now? Given that the Bush administration will leave office in less than a year, picking up the pieces of this flawed project will largely fall to Congress and the next administration.

Well, I would argue that until we ELIMINATE the structure of the Department of Homeland Security--that is, break it up and put things back largely the way they were--we're never going to see meaningful progress. The DHS is the only agency that has never been under Democratic control and is entirely the creation of Joe Lieberman. In turn, Lieberman has failed to provide even the most basic example of oversight of DHS in the Senate. Years and years of incompetence, paralysis and wasteful spending have created the ultimate example of Republican governance--a terrible agency that can't do anything. Mission accomplished, Republican Party--you've proven that government can't do anything right. So, step aside while we fix the DHS problem.

Once that's done, we have to stop this crap--and you'll be excited to hear that corrupt broke-ass wingnut ex-Congressman J.D. Hayworth has dedicated himself to paying off his debts by hosting a radio show that gets everything wrong:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said three suspects arrested in a Monday morning Phoenix home invasion and homicide were not members of the Mexican Army.

"We have no indication whatsoever that any of the individuals were involved with formal military in Mexico," said Vincent Picard of ICE.

The incident at 8329 W. Cypress St. resulted in the death of the homeowner. Between 50 and 100 rounds were fired at the house.

While on the J.D. Hayworth show Tuesday, a top member of a Phoenix police union announced that the suspects were active members of the Mexican Army hired by drug cartels to perform home invasions and murders.

Phoenix Police Enforcement President Mark Spencer said a police officer told him that one of the men captured said they were completely prepared to ambush Phoenix police, but ran out of ammunition. Click Here to listen to the entire interview.

He added that all of them were dressed in military tactical gear and armed with AR-15 assault rifles. Three other men involved in the invasion escaped.

Way to go there, JD. The environment for any discussion of these issues is toxic, thanks in large part to the efforts of the right wing in this country to demonize people and lie through their teeth. It helps them justify paying billions to companies that fail to do what they've been contracted out to do. In order to cover up the incompetence and greed, the right wing has to whip people up in a frenzy and get them mad at the wrong issue and the wrong people.

In other words, is it January 20, 2009 yet?

The GAO Reminds Us Why The Republicans Can't Be Trusted to Defend America

Are you safer today than you were eight years ago?

When the Government Accountability Office (GAO) decides to look at anything controlled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), you might as well sit back and get out a few highlighters, because what you're going to get is enough to fill as many blog posts as you want to try to do in one day.

In testing ports of entry, undercover investigators carried counterfeit drivers' licenses, birth certificates, employee identification cards, and other documents, presented themselves at ports of entry and sought admittance to the United States dozens of times. They arrived in rental cars, on foot, by boat, and by airplane.

Oh, crap!

They attempted to enter in four states on the northern border (Washington, New York, Michigan, and Idaho), three states on the southern border (California, Arizona, and Texas), and two other states requiring international air travel (Florida and Virginia). In nearly every case, government inspectors accepted oral assertions and counterfeit identification provided by GAO investigators as proof of U.S. citizenship and allowed them to enter the country.

Double crap!

In total, undercover investigators made 42 crossings with a 93 percent success rate. On several occasions, while entering by foot from Mexico and by boat from Canada, investigators were not even asked to show identification. For example, at one border crossing in Texas in 2006, an undercover investigator attempted to show a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer his counterfeit driver's license, but the officer said, "That's fine, you can go" without looking at it.

Oh noes!

Here's a classic picture, one that should be hung on the wall of every wingnut in America:


What could possibly be in that duffel bag? A thermonuclear device? Dirty laundry? A bag of cash for someone who wants to build an Embassy in a Middle Eastern country?

I don't have the embed link, but here's the GAO video of these activities:

The GAO chronicles the absolute farce that is our border security. While the wingnuts go on Fox News and screech about a missile that Iran doesn't have that can carry a nuclear weapon Iran doesn't have, the people who run this administration have installed the most inept people in American History as leaders of the worst idea in American history--the Department of Homeland Security.

The next President should immediately disband and deactivate and disperse the Department of Homeland Security. DHS is a an unmitigated failure and a disgrace:

In contrast to our observations on the northern border, our investigators observed a large law enforcement and Army National Guard presence near a state road on the southern border, including unmanned aerial vehicles. On October 17, 2006, two of our investigators left a main U.S. route about a quarter mile from a U.S.–Mexico port of entry. Traveling on a dirt road that parallels the border, our investigators used a GPS system to get as close to the border as possible. Our investigators passed U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Army National Guard units. In addition, our investigators spotted unmanned aerial vehicles and a helicopter flying parallel to the border. At the point where the dirt road ran closest to the U.S.–Mexico border, our investigators spotted additional U.S. Border Patrol vehicles parked in a covered position. About three-fourths of a mile from these vehicles, our investigators pulled off the road. One investigator exited the vehicle and proceeded on foot through several gulches and gullies toward the Mexican border. His intent was to find out whether he would be questioned by law enforcement agents about his activities. He returned to the vehicle after 15 minutes, at which time our investigators returned to the main road. Our investigators did not observe any public traffic on this road for the 1 hour that they were in the area, but none of the law enforcement units attempted to stop our investigators and find out what they were doing. According to CBP, because our investigators did not approach from the direction of Mexico, there would be no expectation for law enforcement units to question these activities.

The GAO also did this:

Took photographs of over half a dozen locations where state roads ended at the U.S.–Canada border

They noted that:

• No visible law enforcement response despite suspicious activity
• No observable electronic monitoring equipment
• CBP stated that our activities would not be grounds for a formal investigation

Then they:
Simulated the cross-border movement of radioactive materials or other contraband into the United States from Canada
And they noted that there was:

• No visible law enforcement response
• No observable electronic monitoring equipment

GAO's investigators also:
Simulated the cross-border movement of radioactive materials or other contraband into the United States from Canada
And recorded that:

• Some surveillance cameras and law enforcement presence noted along the road
• Investigators crossed the border into the United States in a spot that appeared to be unmanned and unmonitored, then returned to Canada

Here's a little more information about that "unmanned" border crossing station:

We also identified several ports of entry with posted daytime hours in one state on the northern border. During the daytime these ports of entry are staffed by CBP officers. During the night, CBP told us that it relies on surveillance systems to monitor, respond to, and attempt to interdict illegal border crossing activity. For example, on November 14, 2006, at about 11:00 p.m., our investigators arrived on the U.S. side of one port of entry that had closed for the night. Investigators observed that surveillance equipment was in operation but that the only visible preventive measure to stop an individual from entering the United States was a barrier across the road that could be driven around. CBP provided us with records that confirmed our observations about the barrier at this port of entry, indicating that on one occasion a cross-border violator drove around this type of barrier to illegally enter the United States. Although the violator was later caught by state law enforcement officers and arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol, we were concerned that these ports of entry were unmanned overnight.

So what we have, after seven and a half years of the Bush Administration being warned repeatedly to do something, is border security on the honor system.

We have, in effect, the Otis the Drunk rule as our policy of defending America:



Remember, terrorists--Andy leaves the jail unlocked and he leaves the key to your cell hanging on the wall. Lock yourself in for the night and sleep it off.

This calls for an organized mass mooning

Skeletor is forging ahead and activating the domestic spying satellite system; civil liberties concerns be damned. Sophisticated overhead sensor data will be used for law enforcement once privacy and civil rights concerns are resolved, he said. Chertoff dismissed Congressional concerns as "unwarranted."

DHS claims that the system will not be used to intercept communications, but nobody believes them, since lying is their default position and they have been listening in on our conversations and spying on us all along, anyway.