Connections

All throughout the 9/11 Commission's hearings, the American public was incessantly told how important it is to connect the dots in deciphering intelligence reports concerning national security. We were told the previous administration, Clinton and company, did not connect the dots. We were told the newly inaugurated Bush administration did not connect the dots. It was a recurring theme.

After the attacks on our shore on 9/11, intelligence reports took on a whole new importance. The country was united in the effort to hold those responsible who killed our fellow citizens and visitors. The Patroit Act was passed as a tool for those protecting this country to keep us safe from future attacks. We are told a future attack is not "if" but "when".

The popular mode of attack of the deranged Bush haters now is to belittle the administration for using the tools available to protect our country from incoming threats. FISA was enacted under Jimmy Carter's administration and was never meant to be the only standard in today's times. Under the Clinton administration, Jamie Gorelick, the assistant Attorney General under Janet Reno and a member of the 9/11 Commission, argued that the administration was entitled to do warrantless searches if the situation called for it. The usual case brought as an example of this is the Aldrich Ames case where his home was searched without a warrant with the blessing of the Reno Justice Department. No outrage then.

So, under the auspices of the public's right to know, the New York Times published an article about the wiretapping of people in foreign lands speaking to people in this country. Not necessarily even American citizens, just people in this country on a telephone. No abuses can be pointed to from any of the critics but organizations such as the ACLU, Greenpeace, and journalists have filed a lawsuit against the Bush administration claiming they were unduly monitored. Again, no one has been able to point to any abuse of freedom but who needs anything other than anger for the administration to do anything in this political climate?

Instead of being outraged that treasonist acts, like what occurred at the New York Times, is happening, the administration comes under fire. Much like the hand wringing over the renewal of the Patriot Act, those claiming loss of civil rights without any proof to substantiate this claim forge on. No civil rights have been lost from any citizen. Not even racial profiling at the airport screening stations is allowed and our country has not been attacked on our soil.

Recently reported on ABC News was a story about the FBI monitoring bulk purchases of cell phone like the ones typically used in terrorist attacks. These cell phones are the disposable kind that can be purchased without the customer giving out any personal information. Use and toss away. In Midland, Texas 6 men of Middle Eastern origin were attempting to purchase a large quantity of these cell phones and at least one of the suspects was identified as being from Iraq and another from Pakistan. Police were able to identify the men as linked to a terror cell. Was this a coincidence that the attempted purchase occurred just days after the New York Times article was published with details of wiretapping? Of course the bad guys would change patterns of operation and switch to non-traceable disposable cell phones.

We are at war. The bad guys still want to kill as many of us as possible and destroy our country. We know who they are, for the most part, and we know where they come from.

Connect the dots.


"Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can". - John Wesley