The U.S. Is Still Wide Open To Another Al Qaeda Attack

U.S. Visa System Gives Al Qaeda An Open Door Invitation To Attack Us Again

Six years after 9/11, the U.S. remains unprepared either to prevent an Al Qaeda attack or to deal with the aftermath of such an attack. The Bush Administration and the Congress have been slow to respond to the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which called for tighter immigration policies, and interoperable communications for first responders, among other recommendations. Some recommendations have been completely ignored by Bush & Co. In addition, the U.S. health system is incapable of handling a mass casualty event, especially with the shortage of nurses, hospital beds, trauma centers, and first responders, and poorly prepared emergency rooms.

Now a new intelligence assessment is warning that Al Qaeda has regrouped and is intent on launching more attacks on U.S. soil. Listen Here. Meanwhile, the incompetent U.S. government is asleep at the wheel once again. The Bush & Co. policy of pushing for military action while ignoring domestic security has proven to be a disaster....and has left the country wide open to further attacks. The biggest hole in domestic security that the neocons have ignored is the U.S. Visa System. I have been screaming for years that this hole had to be plugged, and that the U.S. was leaving itself wide open for more attacks. The same vulnerability that the 9/11 hijackers exploited was never fixed. In fact, Bush & Co. relaxed some Visa restrictions, making it easier to enter the country. For example, travellers from Europe are not required to even apply for a Visa. As many of you know, Al Qaeda has a strong presence in Europe and operates relatively freely throughout the EU. It would be quite easy for a group of Al Qaeda operatives from Europe to fly to the U.S. and enter a U.S. port with no problem at all. And the Bush Administration knows about these vulnerabilities and has refused to address them. It is almost as if the Bush folks are leaving the country vulnerable on purpose as a way to take advantage of any future attacks and to keep the country in fear, instead of taking sensible precautions....precautions that any responsible government would take to protect its people. You can't be this incompetent by accident. In fact, the U.S. gets rid of anyone who tries to blow the whistle about lapses in security.

There was also a failure to limit the number of American colleges taking part in the Student Visa program....to a more manageable number. As things stand now, any private trade school that crops up can become a Visa sponsoring organization.... creating a conveyor belt for terrorists to get into the country. This is on top of all of the legitimate Colleges and Universities in the system. A alternative that I suggested some time ago would involve restricting the number of schools in the Visa system and would limit the number of Visa issued, and at the same time, encouraging the establishment of more American colleges and Universities overseas.... reducing the need for foreign students from sensitive parts of the world to actually enter the U.S. to obtain a degree from an American school. Several U.S. Universities already have several campuses overseas. Another option would be to expand online degree options to foreign students.

This is what happens when political appointees are put in key positions, rather than professionals with the proper qualifications. The people in charge of U.S. Homeland Security, such as Michael Chertoff, Julie Myers and Frances Townsend for example, have no experience or expertise whatsoever in Security.... no experience actually working in the field. These people have worn suits and have sat behind desks their whole careers. We basically have several Michael Browns running our security apparatus. It's a complete joke. This is why our security priorities are out of order. It is also why I believe that we are doomed.... and have been left to the mercy of Al Qaeda and anyone else who wants to do us harm. We are going around the world making new enemies, but leaving our borders wide open. It's like being in a neighborhood full of enemies, and picking a fight with the neighbor down the street....and leaving your front and back door open while you are away from home. Or not checking your doors before you go to bed at night. I think most Americans check their doors to make sure they are locked and might even set an alarm before they go to bed at night. But as a country.... we have done the opposite.

What about the War On Terror? That whole thing is a hoax. There is no War On Terror. I know from firsthand experience that the U.S. government is not hiring for key areas... Hiring is being done by the ones, twos, threes, and by the tens, for several security related positions. This is why I have not been able to get a foot in the door, despite being qualified for entry level work. I have been dying to serve the country in a DHS position. If there was a real War On Terror, hiring would be taking place by the hundreds and in some cases by the thousands.

The "War On Terror" is more of an empty political slogan....something that sounds good and something that is easy to brand. But there is no substance behind the words. Unless the "War On Terror" simply refers to foreign military intervention and ignores domestic security (which most Americans should know by now has not worked).

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Related Links

U.S. Still Vulnerable To Attack- Clark Kent Ervin Interview

Homeland Insecurity Continues

Ft. Dix Terror Plot

Egyptian Students Fail To Report

Millions of Foreign Visitors Overstay Visas

Taliban Official Attending Yale University

Homeland Security Still Not Prepared

Homeland Security Official Reports Lapses in Immigration System

Bush & Co. Pushing For War With Iran

Bush Administration Is Determined to Launch a War With Iran Before Term Ends.

The Effort Appears to Be Led By Neo-Con Dick Cheney. A Man Who Ironically Never Served (avoided service) his Country in Battle is Itching to Send Americas Sons and Daughters To War.


From the Guardian

The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned.

The shift follows an internal review involving the White House, the Pentagon and the state department over the last month. Although the Bush administration is in deep trouble over Iraq, it remains focused on Iran. A well-placed source in Washington said: "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo."

The White House claims that Iran, whose influence in the Middle East has increased significantly over the last six years, is intent on building a nuclear weapon and is arming insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The recent PR blitz by Bush & Co. to blame Iran for the disaster in Iraq has been part of a campaign to prepare the American Public for a new war. This report appears to confirm that this is the policy of the Bush administration, even amid signs that negotiations are having some positive impact.

More from the report….

The Washington source said Mr Bush and Mr Cheney did not trust any potential successors in the White House, Republican or Democratic, to deal with Iran decisively. They are also reluctant for Israel to carry out any strikes because the US would get the blame in the region anyway.

"The red line is not in Iran. The red line is in Israel. If Israel is adamant it will attack, the US will have to take decisive action," Mr Cronin said. "The choices are: tell Israel no, let Israel do the job, or do the job yourself."

Once again, the White House is putting the interests of Israel above the interests of the American people. One of the driving forces behind the foolish U.S. approach towards Iran appears to be the security of Israel. But are Americans willing to create a disaster with a magnitude several times worse than Iraq just to calm the nerves of Israelis? I don’t think the American public would vote for this if they actually lived in a Democracy and had a choice.

No decision on military action is expected until next year. In the meantime, the state department will continue to pursue the diplomatic route.

I am not so sure that I would buy into the idea that Bush & Co. would start another war in 2008. I have always thought that if we reached 2008 without anything happening that a war with Iran would be less likely during Bush’s term. Unless Iran does something dramatic to provoke a U.S. attack, then I don’t see this changing. It would do more harm than good for the Republicans. Although Bush and Cheney no longer have anything to work for in terms of a legacy and are not running for re-election, I can’t imagine that they would be willing to do such extreme harm to their Party in an election year.

Unless Americans see an imminent threat from Iran, I don’t believe that they would support another war. But then again, Bush & Co. are experts at fooling the American people to support just about anything. If the neo-cons used their influence over Americas corporate media, they would not have much trouble selling a new war, even in the aftermath of the war in Iraq. Telling the American public that Iran is responsible for the disaster in Iraq is a good place for the brainwashing to start…. It remains to be seen if the American public will swallow this PR campaign hook, line and sinker like they did leading up to the war in Iraq.

(Source)

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Democracy Now has more on this story.

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