It Ain't Over Yet

Remember the movie War Games? Everyone was busy patting themselves on the back for saving the world when Steven Falken noticed that the computer he created hadn't ended the scenario and was going to execute the nuclear destruction of the world on its own. It took the brilliance of a teenager playing tic-tac-toe to convince the computer of the futility of nuclear war.

After we evicted the Taliban from Afghanistan we thought that the terrorists would break up and go away with that governmental protection. Then we invaded Iraq and kicked Saddam out of his dictatorship. A few months later we killed his sons and captured him. Then this year we killed the leading terrorist in Iraq, Al-Zarqawi. The last two weeks have seen over 60 people arrested for plotting to blow up airplanes in the air bound for the USA.

The press is reporting of British and American officials like Michael Chertoff congratulating themselves for thwarting a plan to kill thousands. But something makes me a little uneasy. Don't get me wrong, Pakistani, British, and US intelligence did an outstanding job and are getting some much deserved congratulations. This incident vindicates all of the hard work that they've done that hasn't ended up on the front pages of newspapers from Santa Monica to Moscow. If this was indeed the "big one" that many have been fearing, the value of their work cannot be understated.

However, I sense a continued churning in the background. I believe that we cannot for one instant ease our diligence in the pursuit of destroying all of the terror networks world-wide. I believe that Mr. Chertoff is over sensitive toward not offending the sensibilities of persons and downplays real threats to our national security. For example, the recent disappearance of 11 Egyptian (supposed) students bound for Montana. Mr. Chertoff was very quickly on television assuring the American public that these men were not terrorists and did not pose a threat to our citizens. I hope that he was acting. I pray that actually he was and still is applying all of the resources of the Homeland Security Administration and working with the FBI to apprehend those still at large. Once it is determined whether or not they intended to harm the American people, they should be deported or sent to our resort on the sunny island nation of Cuba.

I hope that as Mr. Chertoff engages in some well-deserved back patting that he's keeping a wary eye on our vulnerabilities. I hope that despite public appearances to the contrary that his department is profiling Muslims to determine if they are a threat or not. I hope that the hper-sensibilities of a chattering class is not setting procedures. I don't think that this is over yet. I hope that I'm wrong.

Clouseau Heads Truancy Investigation

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency officials are now tackling the tough problem of college truancy. It seems that 11 Egyptian men bound for college in Montana, disappeared in New York City and no one has seen them in two weeks. Julie Meyers, the head of ICE has publicly stated that the men are not considered to "pose a criminal or terrorist threat" at this time. But they would like to talk to them. Just to have coffee and donuts because the men aren't a real threat. They're just truants.

Another ICE official theorized that the 11 men are probably visiting relatives or looking for jobs. Right. I'm sure that they've gone straight to the unemployment office so that they could find work. I'm betting that you won't be ordering a Big Mac from these guys anytime soon. The fact the all of the persons were men, between the ages of 17 and 22, Muslim, and that they disappeared in the nation's largest city minutes after arriving are not reasons for concern. That would be profiling. That would be wrong.

Maybe they can find work at an airlines, or a crop dusting service, or in a hospital, or at a water treatment plant. I hear that they are looking for Border Patrol agents, maybe they could find work there.

It appears that the French have loaned inspector Clouseau to ICE and he is scripting the press releases. I for one would love to hear the ICE chief come and say that there are 11 men from an Islamic country who came to this country on student visas and promptly disappeared. Until these men are found it should be assumed that they are terrorists and that they pose a grave threat to the people of the United States. That would be leading. That would be the right thing to do. That would be a miracle.