Maintaining Vigilant Focus

Thanks to my family & friends for the comments on my last blog and for your emails of encouragement. With regard to the count down clock, I have been advised it is an operational security risk indicating when personnel will be moving from the area of operations. Speaking of operational security, I can no longer blog from work either and must come to the MWR tent to compose my blog. Believe me, you'll know by my blog entry the day I am headed home.

A big event in the news lately. The Dept of Homeland Defense has publicized the findings of a draft National Intelligence Estimate. "Among the key findings of the classified estimate, which is still in draft form and must be approved by all 16 U.S. Intelligence agencies:
— Al Qaeda is probably still pursuing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and would use them if its operatives developed sufficient capability.
— The terror group has been able to restore three of the four key tools it would need to launch an attack on U.S. soil: a safe haven in Pakistan's tribal areas, operational lieutenants and senior leaders. It could not immediately be learned what the missing fourth element is.
— The group will bolster its efforts to position operatives inside U.S. borders.

In public statements, U.S. officials have expressed concern about the ease with which people can enter the United States through Europe because of a program that allows most Europeans to enter without visas.

The document also discusses increasing concern about individuals already inside the United States who are adopting an extremist brand of Islam.

National Intelligence Estimates are the most authoritative written judgments that reflect the consensus long-term thinking of senior intelligence analysts."

This report is not to be taken lightly. There is no better defense for America than an alert public willing to call the authorities about suspicious or out-of-the-ordinary activities.

The Liberal Left and ACLU will call this Profiling, but what the heck, it's our country! If you see people of Middle East appearance acting suspiciously, have a mosque in your city, or if you know of Americans who have converted to Islam...keep a watchful eye. The jackasses who carried out the Sept 11 attacks lived quietly in our neighborhoods & enjoyed our freedoms while they deliberatley planned their attacks with a money stream piped in from the Middle East.

Who staged the first World Trade Center attack? Who staged the USS Cole attack? Who blew up two US Embassies in Africa? Who crashed the jets in to the World Trade Center towers? Who are we fighting over here every day after they stream across porous borders? I am afraid the answer is not some red headed freckled face European. No. They were radical Islamists from the Middle East. In Afghanistan and here in Iraq we roll up saudis, yemenis, syrians, iranians, pakistanis, afghanis, morrocans, algerians to mention a few. Are they white and pure as apple pie? Uh, NO.

Bottom line: We all need to maintain our vigilance. The US government takes this very seriously and so should every American. Our own porous borders and inability to account for the numerous people illegally in our country only aids the enemy in their plans to bring destruction to our country. As I have mentioned before, this world is becoming polarized and the radical Islamist absolutely seethes with hatred for America. It is my belief they will attempt an attack or series of attacks to dwarf the consequences of Sept 11, 2001. We can only do our best to identify them before they strike.