The Inside Straight

Goose Creek and Washington Refinery Fire : Any Linkage ?

On Saturday.August 4th, two "middle-eastern-looking" men were pulled over near Goose Creek, SC for an alleged motor vehicle infraction. A search of their vehicle is said to have produced a bag containing explosives hidden in the trunk.

Goose Creek is home to a Naval station where nuclear subs are serviced.(This servicing includes the loading and offloading of nuclear weapons and components - enough to make it a "highly sensitive" facility.)

It is also the home of a Navy brig, where terror suspects have been housed; so it is not surprising the FBI was called in, and is investigating the matter.

One of the media reports suggested the two detainees were already under investigation for "an incident in another jurisdiction".

I don't want to cause undue alarm, but can't help wondering if the "incident" so obliquely referred to might have been a major refinery fire in Washington State ?

Last week, there was a refinery fire in Whitley, Washington that caused considerable damage. Reports indicate surveillance cameras spotted two "suspicious males" at the scene immediately before the fire. A second refinery also spotted two suspicious men ,and launched an investigation .

The FBI is reportedly investigating both Washington State incidents , and, of course, Saturday's Goose Creek events. This does not mean there is a linkage ; but increased vigilance would seem well warranted !

Interesting Web Resource: Possible Terror Incidents Map

There are some who insist all talk of terrorism is just a way of distracting the citizenry from the operations of their government.

The Global Incident Map says otherwise.

Judging by this website, at almost any given moment, there are incidents all over the globe, which range from "suspicious" to "obvious terrorism in progress".

There is a big difference between being reasonably wary of one's government, and being so blinded by partisan scorn and hatred one refuses to see danger at all !

6 Former Yugoslav Citizens Charged With Plot to Attack Fort Dix, NJ

Via Associated Press:

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Six nationals of the former Yugoslavia were arrested on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," federal authorities said Tuesday.

The six were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Camden later Tuesday to face charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. servicemen, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.

The men apparently attempted to buy AK-47 s from an arms dealer, who tipped off the FBI.

The US Attorney's office has sceduled a press conference for 2:30PM today; at which-presumably-further details will be revealed.

The New Reality

I'm still trying to get back to the "real world" after weeks of  emotional paralysis :made up of equal parts of  grief,helpless anger,guilt, and good old-fashioned depression - so I'm going to keep this short.

There are a lot of things to look at: another Iranian hostage crisis, the sudden popularity of politicians one would hestitate to nominate for dogcatcher; the Illegal immigration problem-(and the raging hatred being fanned by activists on both sides of the issue) ; the efforts to extricate US troops from Iraq at any cost ; the efforts-now hallowed by long-standing precedent- to trash the present Administration at any cost . The list goes on. And on - and on !

We live (as many have lived before) in a difficult and dangerous age . Ours is an age in which 21st Century technology collides (and sometimes colludes) with ideologies rooted in the Dark Ages.

I speak here of "Radical Islam" - a movement that is more radical than Islamic. It is,in fact an almost-Satanic heresy against one of the world's great religions: a religion the West reached accomodation with centuries ago. Radical Islam-while it talks much of Islamic doctrine-is a movement that uses that doctrine in a raw quest for absolute power (much as some of its practitioners once used Communism and Socialism in the same quest during the latter part of the 20th Century.)

One cannot reach an accomodation with Radical Islam. We have been forced -against our will- to confront it,and to displace or destroy it. Formidable as we are , we are still regarded by the Islamists as prey ;and,between predator and prey there can be no accomodation.

It would be easy to throw up our hands in despair - as some have done - and to surrender our very souls to the new Barbarians ; but , for the sake of our children and their childrens' children ,surrender is not an option.

This is the new reality in a nutshell : political gobbledygook and racial turmoil notwithstanding.

Ignore it at your peril.

Wannabee Mall Bomber Made a "Martyrdom Video"

The case of Derrick Shareef has already drawn wide attention : especially from those who claim there is no such thing as Islamic terrorism !

Derrick - who goes by the Muslim name of Talib Abu Salam Ibn Shareef - and who sounds a few cards short of a full deck - is the Black Muslim son of a Black Muslim father, and had planned to attack a shopping mall near Rockford, Illinois with hand grenades and a pistol .

Well organized chap that he is, he had brought two new speakers to the meet, and had planned to trade them for 4 hand grenades and a pistol -but obviously did not know he was trying to obtain his weaponry from an undercover officer.

His rambling statements - caught on tape - indicate he planned to strike on December 22nd, when the store would be most crowded. He planned to put hand grenades into trash collection bins, so there would be plenty of extra shrapnel - and may not have believed he would survive the attack- as he made a "martyrdom video" to prove his intentions.

"This may be my last will and testament, the last words I have spoken to those who know me, to those who do not know me. My name is Talib Abu Salam Ibn Shareef. I am 22 years of age. I am from America and this tape is to let you guys know, who disbelieve in Allah, to let the enemies of Islam know, and to let the Muslims alike know that the time for jihad is now....Be strong, oh Mujahaideen. Be strong oh brothers who want to fight for jihad...This is a warning to those who disbelieve, that we are here for you, and I am ready to give my life."

Had he succeeded in his scheme, a lot of people would have been killed or badly injured - and the very same "progressive community" that snickers now at the importance of his arrest would have been screaming about "incompetent , bumbling police" ,and demanding Congressional investigations .

Civil libertarians who bleat in anguish over the mere existence of store security officers would be demanding the shopping malls be flooded with rifle-toting helmeted and armored police officers - if  National Guard troops could not be assigned.

Ah, but poor Derrick did not succeed ...so the Elites can sneer indulgently now , and pass his scheming off as "the acting-out of a troubled youth , who was entrapped by the jack-booted police in an effort to divert attention from Dubya's troubled presidency."

Me ? I think I'll just offer a heart-felt "Thank you !" to the Law Enforcement community - jack boots and all ! 

Air Raid Pearl Harbor ! Some Recollections

Sixty-five years ago- on a cold December 7th morning-I learned that  Japanese planes had bombed a place called Pearl Harbor. I was only seven years old at the time, and , like most kids my age, barely knew where Japan was -or Pearl Harbor, for that matter. We would soon learn !

The next four years were lessons in history -taught while it was being lived; geography,and the always shifting landscape of alliances, mis-alliances ,patriotism , and politics. I mention the latter because our political leaders did face (sometimes rancorous) opposition at home - but it was almost always loyal opposition : a recognition we were all in this thing together; and that we were willing to set purely personal or partisan differences aside to get through the storm of war.

We also learned about simple patriotism: the act of putting one's homeland first (an idea , we are now assured is just...evil !)

We learned war has a personal cost : There were few neighborhoods in America that did not have a star in the window to show a loved one was serving in the Armed Forces. Many had gold stars - to show someone had been killed in action.

Our family was not spared. A second cousin , who was a Roman Catholic Chaplain , was killed when the hospital ship he was on was sunk by a submarine in the Pacific. ( The Japanese sub skipper decided not to waste a torpedo on the big clumsy white ship with the huge Red Cross markings; so he surfaced, and let his crew get in a bit of deck gun practice.)

Another cousin served in North Africa and told us how the Arabs - who were in league with the Nazis,and who did not care much for kafirs anyway - would sneak up on sleeping GIs and cut their throats. Yet another cousin came home with sergeant's stripes and battle ribbons ...and memories that - one night - induced him to kill himself with carbon monoxide in the family garage.

  It's odd to me that, while we mark the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we seem to have absorbed very few of its lessons.

For quite a while after WWII,intelligence and national security were important enough to risk the lives of countless airmen,soldiers, sailors and marines , who kept watch day and night to prevent another Pearl Harbor. Now we have revisionists who tell us everything that went before was " a hoax - designed for the benefit of the Industrial-Military Complex" ; that events like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were just "a tragic misunderstanding" - or, worse still - " a well-deserved comeuppance".

  Am I wrong to wonder what self-serving declarations these "evolved" folks will make when the next Pearl Harbor occurs ?

Book Review : The Looming Tower" by Lawrence Wright

If you read nothing else this year,please go to your library or bookstore and obtain a copy of Lawrence Wright's compelling and scrupulously researched book : The Looming Tower - Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 .

Wright strips away the media-enhanced "personas" of Osama bin Laden , Ayman al Zawahiri ,Mullah Omar, Abu Hafs al Masri , the effeminate Mohammed Atta , and others to reveal what lies beneath - and it's not a pretty picture.

The "Mickey Moore Club" will probably be infuriated to learn that Osama-though possibly diabetic-was in good health, otherwise. Definitely not on dialysis, he is/was an excellent horseman. The "9/11 Truthers" should (but probably won't) be dismayed to learn he was a trained, experienced engineer, and that he calculated the effect of burning jet fuel on structural steel while planning the 9/11 attacks.

You'll learn the people who formed the "grab bag" we call al-Qaeda were not motivated by poverty or the usual excuses. They had become convinced - after Israel resisted a series of multi-national strikes - that God was no longer on the side of the Muslim people, because their religion had become "impure"; and that God wanted all Muslims to return to the pure fundamentalism of the Prophet's day.

Governments - everywhere - were to be overthrown , and replaced by Sharia counsels, administering ancient Islamic tribal law.

In time,these fundamentalists drifted into the heresy (in Muslim terms) of Takfir - which gets around the prohibition against Muslims killing fellow Muslims by declaring anyone who opposes them to be "apostates" : whether the opposition be governments, or innocent men, women, and children. Takfir permits those who enjoy killing to do so with the "religious blessing" of equally psychopathic council members (and would seem to be very much in operation in Iraq today !)   

In addition to detailing the backgrounds of some of the more notable conspirators, the author brings to light some of the more egregious errors on the part of the CIA - which repeatedly and obstinately witheld information some of the 9/11 hijackers were on American soil (apparently because it didn't want to lose control of its poorly-handled investigation to the FBI ) ; and the FBI - which repeatedly declined to investigate alarming information , and which - after getting belated information dangerous people were in the country , detailed one agent-just out of the academy-to find them !

Those looking for "ammunition" to use against the Clinton or the Bush administration-or to advance a political crusade- are probably going to come up short : a circumstance I was grateful for. (I've read far too many slanted accounts by political opinion-makers from both sides of the aisle, thank you !)

If, on the other hand, you are genuinely interested in learning what the United States (and much of the Western world) is up against - and is likely to be up against no matter who is elected - take the time to read this book !

The Russian Bear Flexes its Military Muscles

Once upon a time, Russia was our mortal enemy - then - out of the blue - they became our "new friends" : partners in the War on Terror...at least that's what People In The Know said.

In 1992, Congress passed legislation designed to help Russia dismantle its WMD programs , and , from 1993 to 1997, we pledged (and paid out) millions to help the Russians with this staggering task: aid that was greatly appreciated and wisely (?) used by our new friends to rebuild and improve upon their biological warfare program !

"The GAO reported in May 2000 that poor oversight of the CTR program and lax attitudes toward security allowed Moscow to divert aid directly to Russia's ongoing germ-warfare program - a program that is illegal under the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention. The Clinton/Gore administration spent $20 million on biological-research projects in Russia between fiscal 1994 and 1999 and planned to expand it elevenfold to $220 million between fiscal 2000 and 2004."

Fot the last three years , Russia has been complaining about the US Strategic Missile Defense program - apparently because , it it can be deployed sucessfully,it would eliminate the threat posed by...Russian Missiles !

Speaking of Russian missiles, an article in RIA Novosti - one of Russia's leading publications - quotes Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov , who reports Russia plans to buy 17 new ICBMs from its internal suppliers.( Russia has a "mixed" economy in which private capital participates in vital industries under government control.)

Russia now has - according to the Global Security website- approximately 20 nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile facilities ,and it is presumed the new ICBMs now on order will replace older, less reliable missile stocks.

As you can see, the Russians are increasingly "loaded for bear" , and are our friends only when it suits them (translation: when they need our help).

I might add, there's nothing wrong with this attitude - as long as we understand it up front - and make the proper allowances for it .

Going a step further, there is -from what I read in the Russian papers-absolutely no reason we should be sending these folks financial assistance , as they seem quite solvent these days : thanks to sales of natural gas to Eastern Europe...and arms sales to just about anyone who has money.

The Russians are flexing their military muscles , but don't appear to be a threat to us at the moment. Should that situation ever change, the New "Russian Bear" could prove a very dangerous adversary ! 

NY Times Shocker: Iraq Was Not Far From Developing Nukes

I noticed 2 days ago access to the Pre-War Iraqi documents was becoming difficult. Yesterday, the site locked up altogether.

It appears some of the documents-dating back to the early 90s contained explicit instructions (wiring diagrams,detonation sequences, etc.)on how to build a nuclear bomb.(I had noticed documents and photos several months ago that made me uneasy,and decided against publicizing the fact.)

It also appears - as of 2002 - Iraq was about a year away from achieving that goal-inspections and all.They had-as other documents showed clearly-resumed their nuclear program-with the explicit approval of Saddam Hussein.

The New York Times - which has made a near fetish of seeking out and publishing highly classified documents is....shocked ! Just shocked at this possible breach of security !!

In expressing its shock and angst, it has given its blessing to the captured trove (48,000 boxes) of Iraqi Intelligence Service documents - which have, by the way,been proving President Bush was right all along about Iraq.

I think it's time for a new mantra:  Copperheads lie while our troops die !

Myths vs Facts: Dept of Defense Rebuts Bob Woodward and Washington Post. Media Decides Page Scandal " More Important"

The Washington Post did quite a bit to promote Bob Woodward's new book: Page one treatment , and reams of newshype to back it up. It was , after all critical of Donald Rumsfeld (a favorite target) ; and, by extension, of the Administration.

Best of all , the book' s release coincided with rapidly approaching Congressional elections - and the Post has never been shy about wearing its heart on its sleeve.

Subsequently, a massive internet replay of Woodward's book - about on the order of a "Google Bomb" , appeared and the virtual band played "Happy Days Are Here Again".

On Friday, October 6th, the Department of Defense released a fairly devastating point-by-point rebuttal of its critics - but you're pretty much going to have to click the link I've provided if you want to read it - because the media is not interested. No sir, not the least bit !

What has their attention now is the House Page scandal . To them, it's even bigger than the North Korean nuclear threat. There are "ambiguous" aspects of the North Korean situation the media would rather not get into. It might boomerang on the Party and candidates they favor...but "Foleygate" is golden !