Homeland Security Watch

Comment by William R. Cumming

September 13, 2010 @ 12:29 am

Well these guys should know! But if there conclusions are correct then perhaps its time to determine precisely what trends, technologies, and techniques in American society both aid and detract from these developments. We do know that the sinews of preparedness are often weakened by accident, or misfeasance, nonfeasance, or even malfeasance. Is it money or skills or education or training or what they makes the domestic terrorist such a likelihood to be a substantial problem? Is this peculiar to US for reasons not yet documented or is this a world wide phenomenom as rising populations increasingly find their futures foreclosed not by their own decisisons but by the economic structure of society? AJP Taylor, the British historian after a lifetime of study concluded that revolutions occur during periods of rising expectations not declining expectations. Is there a corollary here? Why does the academic, think tank, and governmental world produce so little of real value on what can clearly now be labeled a major theme of the 21st Century. Is the decline of the cohesion of nation-states propelled by the midnight cash and transaction flows of bytes and bits in reality the driver as money and technology refueses to be capatured and controlled in any regulated manner mostly on the basis that the Free Market must be the end goal always. What is the best open source study of the financing globally of terrorism? I know questions questions. More than the ability to answer by wisemen and women from those a fool may ask. Let’s try and figure out though where the real brain power and effort on terrorism is being sourced, and also the opposition to those sources. Why is Treasury for example so underfunded and staffed for tracking terrorist financing and has so little help from a DHS that continues to think this mission is its own. Hey perhaps an HSPD or Executive Order might help or even more legislation.
And a question, how much terrorist financing of domestic elections is occurring? What has the FEC done about terrorism? Could the fight against terrorism drive the 2012 elections like the past several, although sometimes counterintuitively?

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 3:45 am

All-gone…No funds no luck. Good-bye good luck if you can hack it and there are lots of hacks on payrolls doing nothing and getting early retirements out of it. Once a technique has been discovered by the enemy it should be discarded without waste of time, so we are always in need of new techniques and plastique. Antique thinking isn’t going to get the job done and they are counting on a swollen bureaucracy to create better security. Swell.

They must be reading Mein Koran, getting State Dept. funds to share information. Wildly flimsy and paying off old scores with Uncle Sams dough, calling it tolerance. The sick still need tended to and they have bureaucracy for that. Be patient and keep ice on it.

Some special chemical that cost the government 18 bucks a bottle was used to kill clunkers for cash. Poured it in guys Ford V-8. Could of pulled the drain plug and ran the engines without oil to do the job. Wouldn’t fit in with the fraud posing as security. Some die faster than others.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 4:36 am

Federal scrap age.

Verify
A study published after the program by researchers at the University of Delaware concluded that for each vehicle trade, the program had a net cost of approximately $2,000, with total costs outweighing all benefits by $1.4 billion.

Blinder argued that a cash for clunkers program would have a tripartite purpose of helping the environment, stimulating the economy, and reducing…Common Sense.

Back to school: “Students at a new green themed school named for noted conservationists Rachel Carson and Al Gore don’t have to go far for a lesson in environmental contamination: Their $75 million campus was laden with toxic soil.”

Local cops are carrying BB guns far and away and we have speed humps to slow down the fire apparatus. Guy got a school fraud scam, so millions will be lost. I hear a shout from the bottom of the pit. He wants to tell me about his so far brief operational career. Heard it all before, don’t care to listen. It can get sporty and the airshow was another smashing success. The kids were all smiles, so thanks a million Tactical Wing. I baptized a bomb, so nos sense arguing with them. Drop it!

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 5:49 am

Bar’s Leaks Introduces a Clunker Killer: New DiFM Rendering Chemical Sodium Silicate Disables Cash for Clunkers Program …I’ll stick with bourbon at my bar and no leaks. Call me crazy! Still changing the oil in the clunker and the Gulf needs a water change. Fish need fed and then I’ll know that’s done. Suicide ain’t victory ladies and gentlemen. The enemy doesn’t know that. They don’t know a lot from a little. You build on a lot.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 6:53 am

Blinder than bats, hire more bureaucrats. We have plenty of ammo and scrap metal. So deal with it or don’t. Fate is bolder than you might imagine. If you are fighting monsters, don’t become a monster. Our radar is better than yours. You got a bigger crisis. Cache is in the haystack, needles are in voters so the junkies have a big voice in Washington. I hit a few too many potholes and shocks need replaced. Send shocks and wave good-bye.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 7:23 am

Guy says wash windshield with VO-5 shampoo to prevent fogging. I need a shot of VO. WD-40 your canopy hinges. Don’t come unhinged, the dangerous part is always ahead.

Comment by Dan O'Connor

September 13, 2010 @ 9:47 am

It’s a difficult thing; assessment. If accurate, the assessment formula is a good one; if inaccurate, there is at best unmitigated risk and at worse, catastrophe. The politicization of the threat is a threat as well. Missile gaps, iron curtains, and evil empires aside, the proxy wars and real wars fought over the last 60 years prove, unfortunately, that the perception can be reality and the reality, deadly. Moving past hindsight history and revisionism, one thing’s for certain; the world is complicated, growing more complex, and has bad actors and markets with self interests. Does that mean we have self interests as well that may impact others negatively? Most probably, yes. And in this self interest lies the purported Al Qaeda narrative; to remove American hegemony and so forth.

So are we safer? http://tinyurl.com/332j5c2 I’d say we’re more risk averse. I’d say we’re fiscally imprudent. I’d say we’re overextended, but are we safer? There is such a degree of theatre and bravado to our current posture. What is the measure of safety? Is it resilience or posture? Is it lack of attacks or new weapon systems deployed in the lower Manhattan subway system? Is our domestic surveillance program preventing and/or identifying threats while walking the ever thinning line of civil rights?

Is the radicalization of Americans a crisis or simply a matter of population? With 330M +/- we’re bound to have some loons. Does our penchant for political correctness inhibit a more rapid identification of radicalization?

As Bill said, many, many questions. One of the unintended consequences of intense assessment periods is what to do with all the identified and often unfunded deficiencies. We’ve identified gaps, vulnerabilities, shortfalls, and critical nodes of failure, but we cannot afford to remediate. Our foreign policy and foreign aid packages need to be contracted and our entitlement appetite curbed if we are to attempt to tackle the critical infrastructure shortfalls. Again, to the main theme, has assessing the terrorist threat created a safer Nation? If war is an extension of politics, than politics is an extension of economics. If and when we are attacked again and that attack is perpetuated through a porous border or delivered via an identified gap, what will we do then?

Our safety must move from hardening to resilience based. I hate that the term and idea has become an overused aphorism, but by definition the ability to absorb and bounce back is more important than trying to defend against everything identified and yet to be. We must decentralize and mitigate our vulnerability with nimbleness and variety, not size. In biology, species that become genetically uniform leads to increased vulnerability to insects and disease (novelty).

Our food system, our monetary system, our energy system, our water system, and our response to crisis are, in general terms, very similar to genetically uniform. What kind of blow could these systems take and bounce back from effectively without large systemic disruption? I am sure it’s debatable. While AQ may be unable to pull off grandiose attacks it is still a threat. Perhaps we should spend more time building variety and nimbleness into our systems instead of focusing on about 1/100,000,000 or so radicalized citizens. In this light, context is everything.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 1:30 pm

Guys should know that this lifestyle doesn’t require a lot of money. A little common sense goes a long way. I think they’d be better off with a jail than a bailout and I wish I could help them to build it. I’m going to tinker with the Skylark and have an iced tea. Serve extra cold. Gas valved seized and can’t shut it down. Besieged with computer issues and shut them up. Is there a chemical for that? No hot water on tap and lots of surplus gas pipe. They got a chemical to crack shale and I got a canteen to hold water. Need plastique for gas well job. Back to engine work.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 4:05 pm

A criminologist once observed that a woman who made the best impression was one who poisoned her two children for the insurance money. Impressions can be fatal. Comment and let the readers make up their own minds. Terrorists are impressionable and suicidal. The assessment by the first examiner should never be accepted by the second. I can’t tell you everything. Our methods and tactics change so they are doubtful. Our resolve is always the same. Some people would doubt U.S. resolve. Those people would be mistaken. Doubtful things are uncertain and people get wasted. They started it and we need to finish it, so clean your plates kids. I am a thief and I rob terrorists. Business is great. You get older and the bank jobs get more interesting. With faster get away methods you can do bigger jobs far and away. Whole world is going bust and you guys got a plastic gun and your puds in your hands. Tact without humor is rude gentleman. Any old lady knows as much.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 4:22 pm

Public debt is public robbery, so you people are being robbed by school directors and other various forms of political life. Then the cops show up and play point-no point. When you’ve gone as far as you can there is No Point. Then there you are committing virtual suicide all because no company is better than bad company. I’m buying impressionist paintings, so I have my art and you got a whole lot of nothing. I got a job to plan so leave me alone. Send the old lady a couple of million and don’t tell her where it came from. Big Ben is getting seeing eye dogs for cops in Pittsburgh. Georgia can get rough. Stuff goes wrong all the time. They’re treating women like dogs and dogs like dinner. I’m a stealer.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 5:43 pm

Corporate debt is now public robbery. The fed looks like a bust wearing Gucci loafers. It’s expensive living. In the oil field the bailer goes to the bottom. It comes up and it’s full of salty water. An expensive drink, so change the water in the Gulf. If you are working a story within a story have a flower plantation. You can’t bring back slavery as much as you might like to. They’d start ripping the gold fillings out to pay bonuses on Wall Street. We know it’s for profit education and your cohorts in Washington. You can’t help some people and some people can’t help themselves. The piggyback operation always turns into a broomstick operation. The piggybank is empty. They just aren’t hip. Poor things. Still a lot around and losing more by the minute. Yes, as in virtual suicide. I won’t volunteer for that. If you have a fire I’ll help put it out. Burning your own cash and books, that’s your little problem. The kero can is blue, let’s go scorched earth and roast them. This lifestyle doesn’t take much in the way of money. We’re not the ones singing the blues. It don’t come easy. You get to the point where you run out of streets to name the guys after so you need to start naming buildings after them. Now your looking at empty buildings and a mortgaged public because you did things wrong. I passed special school as a genuine escaper. You can’t go back. Keep raising hell and they’ll keep raising the threat level. The kids are at Party Schools and I’m with the Iced Tea Party…Gotta love Long Island! Keep blowing and going.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 6:04 pm

If you decide I need to go, all kinds other stuff is timed to blow. The decider, with half a brain and no principles. With the egg war all sorts of rights need violated to waste the hens time and you are sitting on a whole lot of rotten eggs. We got every two bit Okie and Texas panhandler up here now with an order of chemicals to crack the rock to get the gas. Well poisoners and Heartbreak Ridge. Don’t become the monster fighting the monster. I got my own engine and you got yours and it’s in need of a blowing. He failed in oil, now he’s got gas. They terminated a whole block in Kaliforia. Big dumby is out of country on state business. Will return to terrorize citizens soon. Another romantic and actor. First to fail in the line of duty and act like it’s a smashing success.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 13, 2010 @ 6:17 pm

Note that Hollywood is a total bust like Wall Street. Book ends to a wrecked economy. We are losing the financial battle to fund losing wars. You need to get the other dumb SOB to die for his religion. I’m not dying for mine. Park Place is getting more expensive. Inflation is a threat and we don’t have the kind of money you are looking for. Keep looking I guess. I have a good sense of art values and religion is full of con artists.

We’ll give you Paris, a case of coke and a room for three hikers and call it even.

Comment by William R. Cumming

September 14, 2010 @ 7:07 am

Disagree with History Detective. The only inflation over next decade will be in food. The rest of the economy will continue to deflate a la Japan. FED cannot fix it. Another broken institution due to incompetence, ego, and hubris. Or just call it filled with Economists as basic skill or lack of skill package. We now know based on awarding of NOBELs in Economics that those who thought that “science” was driven by quants know for sure driven by pop psychology. The markets also are not free but deluded.

Comment by Carbon Nano Tubes and Its Promise Vs Greed and Intolerance In the Dysfunctions of Mankind: War Looms Ahead

September 14, 2010 @ 9:20 am

Reality has besieged us for global doom is our destiny as the lack of “public service” by those we have entrusted prostituted themselves to the large corporations and to special interest groups.

Somewhere along the line, we forgot to teach our kids the multiplication table and stress science and mathematics versus supplying condoms to elementary school kids while my Chinese and Indian colleague’s sons and daughters are enrolled and earn their Stanford, MIT, Yale and Technion degrees and they and their Fathers and my colleagues engage the newest in technology and much promise for the future in “Carbon Nano Tubes” and so many applications thereof…A world filled with so much promise, yet to one again as in history, falter and cause much conflagration and death as the concentration camps portrayed in bodies stacked upon one another and within the last 70 years…Its scary. No new jobs. No skilled labor as even the emerging Germany, a nation which will again rise and dupe the world and once again wreak havoc, they do not have enough skilled labor to help rekindle in war machine….yet, there is no question Germany will rise once again and the “Brutes of Tehran” need only to look to Germany for these dastardly Iranian clerics will be crushed by the mighty fast deployment Army of Germany….

The Middle East tensions continue to rise as its precious youth and its future is lost once again to politiocs and religius strife as their lack of education like here in America where manufacturing and innovation has been outsourced, the lack of Arab nations to focus on education promises further unemployment and unrest and religion and cultural differences and intolerance for another will certainly lead to War as history once again revists!

This week, I am in the midst of raising an add’l $10million in investment funding for a mere 15% of a US company with patent pending manufacturing process which will commence production mid-Spring 2011 of nano tubes at very competitive pricing and this new technology promises so much to so many, however my bet, the corruption of mankind inherent in his “politics” and his religious” intolerance of others will only lead to heightened demand for our nano tubes to be used by DoD and colleagues in the defense contractor sector in ramping up new production using nano tubes to build new defenses as War breaks out and man’s demise becomes evident by his own doing, his selfishness, a Congress here like other global governments caught up in self-agenda, politics and outright greed!

So what’s new? Man-made governments since Babylon, no matter the form, have all failed.

Scientists, researchers, the brilliance in technological advancement is within our grasp and the disappointment, the selfishness of mankind, its dysfunctional ways, its greed, corruption will most assuredly see our next War within the decade and weapons using “Carbon Nano Tubes” will make the kill much faster and more focused when such technology, such incredible intellect which God has bestowed upon all of us in very unique ways and We choose the course in picking up a stick and clobber the other guy without really thinking about his perspective an another’s dignity!

We do not necessarily have to agree with another and should never impose ourselves upon another, however mankind is so inherent with the lack in tolerance and honoring another with respect and if threatened, then in fact, the right to protect self!

Christopher Tingus
chris.tingus@gmail.com

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 18, 2010 @ 5:38 am

Agree or disagree. In any case garden and victory still carry the day. Maybe you aren’t a garden variety individual. We’re making baby food and green. Got basil? The spice of life. The threat is being bored to death. A lot of scouts out there and few rangers. The water bill keeps increasing as the rain keeps decreasing. Detroit is going back to farming. Lots of acres and little green. Everybody has a beef.

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 18, 2010 @ 5:43 am

Naval Institute Press says protect self ladies. Put ammonia in plastic lemon which can quickly be squirted in attackers eyes. You can always make something else out of it. A plastic lime will work for a new twist. Go Navy!

Comment by HISTORY DETECTIVE

September 18, 2010 @ 6:59 am

Had pepper spray. Propellant leaked, so tossed. Use old salt methods and tactics. My training may be different than yours. Guns ain’t going to help you in certain situations. Your case ends up sealed and forgotten about. Reassess and prevent future attacks as required. They’ll wish they were dead, so suicide attacks could increase. Blind fold them first and put them in a lousy newspaper to be seen later. It’s a lousy business, it’s affordable though. R.S.V.P. regrets not used. If you regret it now, you could really regret it later. Watch what you walk into or fly into. Don’t laugh heartily at your own joke. You can’t cry at your own funeral. Keep out of hot water and keep tea iced. Gas lines bring danger close to home and sometimes you get the electric chair. A 5 cent bullet would do the job. That’s more than you can get for ransom for those in the caves. It’s a war out there, so be prepared for war and ready for peace. When you see the whites of their eyes, squeeze. Keep a comfortable distance.