In one particularly interesting section, he writes:

“The 1970s Saw Greater Terrorist Violence
While radicalization and recruitment to jihadist terrorism are cause for continuing concern,
the current threat must be kept in perspective. The volume of domestic terrorist activity was
much greater in the 1970s than it is today. That decade saw 60 to 70 terrorist incidents, most
of them bombings, on U.S. soil every year—a level of terrorist activity 15 to 20 times that
seen in most of the years since 9/11, even counting foiled plots as incidents. And in the nine year
period from 1970 to 1978, 72 people died in terrorist incidents, more than five times the
number killed by jihadist terrorists in the United States in the almost nine years since 9/11.
America’s perception of the terrorist threat today differs greatly from what it was 35 years
ago. It is not the little bombs of the 1970s but fear of another event on the scale of 9/11 or of
scenarios involving terrorist use of biological or nuclear weapons that drives current concerns.
In response, the country has conceded to the authorities broader powers to prevent terrorism.
However, one danger of this response is that revelations of abuse or of heavy-handed tactics
could easily discredit intelligence operations, provoke public anger, and erode the most effective
barrier of all to radicalization: the cooperation of the community.”

If anything, many of the recommended activities could be seen as heavy handed and feed the “war against Islam” narrative that Al Qaeda utilizes.

I am getting ready to report to the FEMA Security Office a violation of security by the person wearing the Burqa. Do you want my memo to go through you or directly? I choice I always gave the GC’s since for almost 20 years I apparently was the percieved rival of the GC’s for the affections, attention, and hatreds of those dealing with the GC’s office. Perhaps because I most often flashed a green light to ops as opposed to a redlight. By the way FEMA Directors were delegated vast discretion in various statutes and Executive Orders but hey some see forests and some see trees.
Anyhow I told the GC that if nothing had happened by the end of the week I was going to hand carry my memo through the system. The employee resigned before the end of the week. Too bad because otherwise an excellent employee. Was this political incorrect of me? I don’t think so but then I had made a huge issue of building security in the 80′s and 90′s and nothing was done. Also a HAZMATS train ran almost daily with large chlorine supplies right next to FEMA HQ. And the FBI had flunked FEMA many times on both building location and security and COMSEC issues. Well I did my best. But the Burqa blew my lid since I believe as Mr. Comiskey states Women’s Issues are huge in anti-terrorism. But remember always only in American history and life have the best, brightest and most competent of the female of the species succeeded and that success is not yet complete. Perhaps when women consitute 80% of College Grads instead of 55% and when they constitute 90% of master degree recipients instead of 65% someone will notice. All I know is that I personally know 7 women who did not pass their orals because their “Masters” had been sleeping with them and they did not want their “girlfriends” to have the independence of having a doctoral degree. Hey the demise of the all Women’s college might be almost complete except in anothe 100 years perhaps the males will need the protectio of single sex ed.

USA Today July 14, 2010: France’s lower house passes burqa law:

Legislator Berengere Poletti said face-covering veils “are a prison for women, they are the sign of their submission to their husbands, brothers, or fathers”

Poletti’s words are strong and in consonance with the French ideal of women’s equality and France’s secular tradition. I applaud that notion and argue that the democratic elements of Islam and an emergence of global women power to include Islam are key to counter terrorism and particularly counter radicalization.

NSS 2010 cites the role of women no less than 19 times. Noteworthy are the following words:

Women should have access to the same opportunities and be able to make the same choices as men. Experience shows that countries are more peaceful when women are accorded full and equal rights as men.

Women represent roughly 50% of the Islamic population –The WH and John Brennan might consider that in their strategic focus. The UN too!

The overall effort to combat radicalization must be a global effort and it must play both hard and soft ball at the same time –not an easy task. Counter terrorism is a package with some nasty collateral damage without remedy. We must all come to terms with this.

Let us not talk so much about women. Let us empower them –my money is on Oprah and Oprah-like advocacy. I understand that Obama (O) enjoys a special relationship with Oprah (O). Might that be a counter terrorism paradigm –O &O –a government-citizen partnership and particularly moms, wives, sisters, and daughters to do the work that men cannot and should not do alone. I hope O & O are listening!