Mixed Feelings on the FISA Bill

The Telecom Surveillance Bill, which passed with a wide margin today, has mixed implications for the American people. The element of the bill which would give immunity to the telecommunications companies who had helped the government in its surveillance of suspected terrorists should have only been applied to the cases before the evidence of the practice became public. The telecommunications companies were told by federal authorities that the wireless tapping was acceptable and necessary to protect America from future terrorist attacks and undoubtedly there was intelligence gathered that did in fact protect our nation from further harm.

However, the protection from civil lawsuits going forward should have been stripped from this bill. That may sound like it runs counter from the information in the preceding paragraph, but there is a distinction that needs to me made. Originally, when the program was run in secrecy, corporations were told that they would not face civil or criminal repercussions for their assistance with the program. If that is what they were told and had operated under that philosophy, with assurances from the White House, then they should have been granted immunity as this bill did provide. However, going forward, the implications can be grave.

Monitoring suspected terrorists’ communications is essential to national defense; there is no arguing that point. However, the text of the bill does not limit the scope to suspected terrorists, rather, that the government simply needs to have reasonable belief that one party is overseas. One can easily see how this could lead to far reaching abuses and lead to a domestic spying program to be utilized for political purposes as opposed to national defense reasons. Whether or not you trust the current Administration should not factor into the evaluation when determining the validity of granted future immunity to the companies involved. Subsequent administrations and political operatives who one day will run the nation will also have authorization to utilize this program.

The bill, does however, provide for an emergency tap to be utilized and then give the government up to one week to get a court order in order to use the information. This is a very careful dance on civil liberties. Shielding the telecoms from lawsuits from violations of this law going forward presents and opportunity for them to do corporate spying as well, as rest assured, they will be monitoring communications as well. It also makes them somewhat “bullet-proof” and will provide a temptation for them and the government to commit violations of the provisions within the bill.

Will that happen? The likelihood not severe, but it is a possibility and one that should be in the front of people’s minds when discussing these issues and formulating opinions. In the digital age, striking a balance between national defense and protecting civil liberties is a difficult task. This is especially true when battling an enemy which has time and again shown no regard for civil liberties, freedom, democracy, or human life. It is paramount that we protect ourselves. Giving blanket protection to the telecom industries and the political parties charged with safekeeping the program and our personal data and communications going forward may well prove to be a costly mistake. Time and close observation of the program will the only means of evaluating this bill. America will win the War on Terror, but this bill will remain long after we have achieved victory.

Another al-Qaeda Leader in Iraq Taken Out

Along with one of his high-ranking associates. Hey Dems, still want to argue the Surge isn't working? Abu Yasir al-Saudi was the leader of the terrorist scum in Mosul, which has become a major flash point for the war, and was responsible for many atrocities against both US forces and Iraqi civilians:

Al-Saudi was the man who headed up the Al
Qaeda network in southeast Mosul, an insurgent hotbed where U.S. forces
wage daily battles against the group.

"Mosul is
the center of Al Qaeda's terrorist activities today. Mosul is a
critical crossroads for Al Qaeda in Iraq. Baghdad has always been Al
Qaeda's operational center of gravity, but Mosul remains their
strategic center of gravity as it provides access to the flow of
foreign fighters," Smith said.

Pay key attention to the last part of Rear Adm. Smith's comments. Syria has long been known as a path way for non-Iraqis, who are and have been the main portion of al-Qaeda in Iraq's fighters, to enter into Iraq to victimize civilians and attack our troops. The same can be said for Iran, who is training and arming terrorists from the other side of the nation. Which brings me to a greater point that needs to made. A great portion of the problems with Iraq are due to forces outside of Iraq. We are essentially fighting a proxy war with other terrorist states and "free agent" terrorist who devastating Iraq. The Iraqis themselves are coming together and fighting al-Qaeda, and further proof of internal and true Iraqi reconciliation can be found when you see Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds, all calling for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Kurdish areas. While much debate can be had over the operations that the Turks are carrying out, in terms of Iraqi solidarity, it should not be overlooked that all factions within the nation denounce the activities as an invasion of the sovereignty. Indeed, the PKK needs to dealt with in an equitable fashion, but don't think for one minute that all factions in Iraq coming together with regard to this issue is some minor detail that should be overlooked.

-Caomhin

Good News out of Iraq Today

Wow, it's been a pretty good day for the War on Terror. In addition to the news from the previous post, we see today that public support for the War on Terror has hit a three year high, the Russians have forgiven the Iraqi government a massive amount of debt, and al Qaeda's own internal documentation shows just how throughly the forces of the Surge have dismantled al Qaeda in Iraq. All in all, great signs. Let's look at each individually:

1. Even while Democratic leaders have attempted to lie through their teeth about the effort in Iraq and the War on Terror, things have gotten so much better now that the MSM and Democrats have been forced to cut back on the vast lies they've spewed in the past. Pelosi, Clinton, Reid, Obama, and the bunch are still advocating their cut and run policies, as they have long since tied their political futures towards our defeat in the War on Terror. Much like al Qaeda in Iraq, it's failing. The public is starting to see truly, that things are getting much better and the support is coming back. Credit Gen. Petraeus's counter insurgency model immensely for these developments.

2. Some people will dismiss the Russians forgiveness of billions of dollars worth of debt, but it should not be overlooked. In fact, this is even further proof of political reconciliation developing within Iraq's borders. Why? Do you really think that the Russians would be wiping Iraq's debt off the books in order for Russian companies to begin business dealing within Iraq if they thought for one moment that the investments would not pay off? Reconciliation in Iraq is pushing forward, especially after the deal that was reached with former Baathists to allow some of them back in the government. Iraq is making a turn around, albeit a bit slowly, that should be recognized even more so now that foreign investments are starting to trickle into the nation.

3. It's pretty self explanatory when documents are seized that proves that al Qaeda in Iraq themselves are noting how much of beating they are taking from US and Iraqi forces. The only thing I'd like to add to this is the fact that if anything, these documents likely downplay how much of a pounding they are taking. They are being routed.

Again, this has been a great day in the War on Terror and I'm sure we will see many, many more days like this in the very near future. So long as we remain on the offensive, we will win. What we cannot allow is for American politics and those on the Left with high political ambitions to allow our nation to fail to win what is an extremely winnable War while we have our opponents pinned to the ropes.

-Caomhin

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Karzai Blasts Bin Laden

Read the whole article over at Fox News, it's definitely worth reading. For all the anti-troop rhetoric the Left spews and the overt hostility toward our troops and the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan that were democratically elected, you hear nothing from them commending President Karazi for blasting bin Laden over "his" latest message (depending on whether you really think the waste of oxygen is alive). President Karzai definitely has Afghanistan on the right track and is using the correct terminology and phrasing to illustrate just how evil bin Laden and his terrorist organization are. Sure we have our flare ups with President Karzai and disagree on some issues, but for the Leftists to point to that as some way of vilifying him in order to take shots at Bush is simply insane and a dangerous political game to play. President Karzai correctly asserts that bin Laden and his organization are responsible for atrocious numbers of innocent civilian deaths since the end of the Cold War and denounces him as "ridiculous." The article is definitely worth a read, and I give President Karzai kudos for having the intestinal fortitude as a Muslim leader to speak out against the evils of the al-Qaeda network when many other Muslim leaders have not called this spade a spade as of yet.

-Caomhin

Slovak Authorities Stop the Sale of Uranium For Use in Dirty Bomb

At the time of this posting, CNN and CBS do not even mention the story on the front page, ABC has it on a small link on the left hand side, surprisingly MSNBC has a rather large text link, but at least Fox has it prominent on their website. God forbid the lefties make a solid mention of this story that at the minimum is very disturbing and at worst cause for major, major alarm. Here's a link the story and here's an excerpt:

"Police were watching the sellers as well as the buyers," Kopcik said. He refused to give more information on the buyers however. The radioactive material was due to be sold for 3,500 dollars a gramme, he added, giving a total price of about 1.6 million dollars (one million euros).

It is the latest in a series of cases involving the sale of radioactive material in Slovakia and the neighbouring Czech Republic.

In 2004, two former Slovak army officers were found guilty by a Czech court of attempting to sell uranium. The two were arrested at a hotel outside Brno in November 2003 after they tried to sell three kilogrammes (6.5 pounds) of the substance.

Refused to give more information on they buyers? That would be extremely relevant, would it not? Remember the Czech's report and their adamant stance that Mohammad Atta was in the Czech Republic prior to the 9/11 attacks? They also said they had evidence that could prove an Iraqi Intelligence officer met with Atta in Prague. The left worked hard to discredit this story even intentionally printing fabrications about what President Havel has said. Read this article for a refresher. The Czech Republic and Slovokia have been taking an active role in the war on terror from the outset, very away of the problem radical Islam has posed. Keep in mind also that the EU has a history of trying to be politically correct to fault, even going so far as trying to hide from the rest of the world that radical Islamists are the ones rioting in the streets of France, firing at police, and being a destructive hoard in general. The importance of this of course, is to show the track record that the EU has of trying to use terms other than Islamic radicals, even the Heathrow attack this year was described by the British as "Asians." The Czechs have been pro-active in helping us in the War on Terror as have the Slovaks. So I'll go out on a limb here:

Sellers: Former military or science officials from former Soviet Bloc nations.

Buyers: Current members of Islam

Any takers? So here's the suppression that will take place, the leftist media won't have the stones to put this out there that radical Islamists came damn close to acquiring materials for a dirty bomb, or else they validate what President Bush has been telling us for so long. They also risk violating their own self policing of being politically correct. They also fail to recognize that is entirely feasible these two attempted acquisitions were not the only ones and that they have secured plutonium or uranium already. Evidence be damned, the Leftists need to paint the world the way they see it, even if innocents are killed and laws are violated to do so.

-Caomhin