One of Ours

...But somebody did make these rules. Someone built this wall.

The basic architecture for the wall in the 1995 Guidelines was contained in a classified memorandum entitled "Instructions on Separation of Certain Foreign Counterintelligence and Criminal Investigations." The memorandum ordered FBI Director Louis Freeh and others, quote: "We believe that it is prudent to establish a set of instructions that will more clearly separate the counterintelligence investigation from the more limited, but continued, criminal investigations. These procedures, which go beyond what is legally required, will prevent any risk of creating an unwarranted appearance that FISA is being used to avoid procedural safeguards which would apply in a criminal investigation."

This memorandum established a wall separating the criminal and intelligence investigations following the 1993 World Trade Center attack, the largest international terrorism attack on American soil prior to September 11. Although you understand the debilitating impact of the wall, I cannot imagine that the Commission knew about this memorandum, so I have declassified it for you and the public to review. Full disclosure compels me to inform you that its author is a member of this Commission...

...CNI, the Spanish intelligence service, has reconstructed the videotape that the seven 3/11 terrorists who blew themselves up in the Leganes apartment made, in Arabic, on March 27. The Leganes suicide explosion happened on April 4. Here is the CNI's transcript of the videotape, found in the ruins of the apartment...

"...After determining that the situation has not changed and after your new governor announced the beginning of his mandate with more fighting against Muslims and the sending of more crusader troops to Afghanistan, the Companies of Death and Ansar Al Qaeda have resolved to continue the path of blessed jihad and resistence, until everything (unintelligible) in the name of the struggle against terrorism. Therefore the brigade located in Al-Andalus has decided not to leave here until your troops leave their Muslim bases immediately and unconditionally. If you do not do so within a week from today, we will continue our jihad until martyrdom...

...Know that you will not enjoy safety and know that Bush and his Administration will not bring you anything more than destruction. We will kill you in any place at any time.

There is no difference between civilians and soldiers: our innocents die by the thousands in Afghanistan and Iraq; is your blood more valuable than ours? We will bloody your people, we will kill you, we will carry the war to your houses, and you will not be able to sleep...

...You know the Spanish crusade against the Muslims, and it has not been so long since the expulsion from Al-Andalus and the courts of the Inquisition..."

...I don't normally believe terrorists, but when they kill almost 200 people and then claim they'll do it again, and then blow themselves up, I tend to believe them. That convinces me...

After just two weeks of broadcasting, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, was pulled off the air this morning in Chicago and Los Angeles, the network's second- and third-largest markets, in a dispute over payments for airtime.

Arthur Liu, owner of Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, which owns Air America affiliates WNTD-950 AM in Chicago and KBLA-1580 AM in Los Angeles, said Air America bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million...

...A Chicago source familiar with the situation said a Multicultural representative showed up at WNTD's offices this morning, kicked out Air America's lone staffer overseeing the network's feed to the station from New York, switched over to a Spanish-language feed, and changed the locks on the doors.

Liu said the same thing happened at KBLA in Los Angeles.

Few were happier than Ayatollah Imad al-Deen Awadi when Saddam Hussein was deposed. “This was a man so bad that people said they’d rather be ruled by Satan - the king of hell himself,” says the cleric, who spent 10 years in Mr. Hussein’s prisons.
But now Ayatollah Awadi worries that vicious fighting between US Marines and local insurgents in the Sunni triangle city of Fallujah is likely to spread across the country. “This is no longer about Fallujah,” he says. “If they aren’t ready for peace, it will spread and be just as hot in Ramadi, Abu Ghraib, the southern provinces, the whole country, really.”...

AN Iraqi has died of his wounds after US troops beat him with truncheons because he refused to remove a picture of wanted Shiite Muslim leader Moqtada Sadr from his car, [Iraqi] police said today...

There has probably never been a US presidential election as eagerly anticipated outside America as this year's run-off between George Bush and John Kerry. In Britain, as in the rest of Europe, the prospect of victory for the challenger carries with it the hope that the acrimony and divisions of the last three years might give way to a new era of transatlantic understanding and cooperation...

...A Democratic president would help to mitigate its influence, but even Clinton felt the need to pander to Republican prejudices in favour of National Missile Defence and against the United Nations. This tendency will persist, to a greater or lesser extent, as long as global power relations remain distorted in America's favour...

...If we wish to regain some measure of control of our own destiny, it is time to face up to the simple truth that we can only do so by combining with those who share our values and interests to pose an explicit challenge to American primacy...

The assault on Fallujah looks pretty imminent now. Helicopters and Warplanes hammering at the positions of known insurgence. I guess, in my eyes, and in the eyes of many other people it's a good thing. Though, i'm sure other people are horrified. War is a dirty business, and is bad. However, freedom is not free and it comes at a very high cost...

...Regarding Al Sadr, probably a negotiated settlement is quite likely. An attack on Najaf is going to be a massive mistake, and would give the man much more importance than he actually has, however I do understand the necessity for exerting military pressure. More important, however is to control Baghdad, we are hearing a lot of talk about bringing the fight to Baghdad. Stringent security measures on the lines that I advocated months ago should be put in place immediately, although quite late by now, but still better late than never.

I have not much time to comment today. Inshallah you will have more posts. So far we are still basically confined to our homes. The danger is still great. Now I see the "Baath Party" is rearing its head again and issuing declarations extolling the glories of the April Intifadha as they call the latest events, and attacking an criticising Al Sistani. This was reported in some of the Internet sites. It seems that their hopes are uplifted and they probably seriously dream of a comeback, through the terrorists methods we are witnessing. In any case the Zarqawi manual is being implemented to the letter. This all important document is worth reading and rereading and can serve us as much as it serves the adversary. He did say that they have to come out in the open and control the day as well as the night as the date of the "Handover" approaches.

...my sister shouted “ hey.. come and hear what Muqtada’s supporters did last week..they are monsters.. they were yelling and running on the streets like rabid dogs and when they reached at our college’s door the IP’s closed it immediately, those dogs were shaking the door and throwing stones at the college, they wanted to break and destroy everything .. Oh God.. my colleague and I were very very terrified.. you hear nothing but screams ..
It was a terrible day.. I hate those dogs .. I hate them… all the students hate them”
See how peaceful demonstrations they have !!...

...I don’t care for those who were killed carrying RPG’s and Ak47’s ..etc, but I feel so sad and sorry for those children and women who died, they have nothing to do with what those insurgents commit.. right?
Actually, such operations turn over the sentiment against the coalition.
I hope the truce will last for a long time.. it’s better to solve problems using discussions and joining opinions instead of military solutions, the peace is very important now.

...But what if Senator John Kerry were to win? What boldface names would populate these pages in a Kerry administration?..

Secretary of State...
former U.N. ambassador RICHARD HOLBROOKE

Defense Secretary...
Nebraska's CHUCK HAGEL, the Democrats' favorite Republican, would jump at it, and Kerry needs Pentagon G.O.P. support, as BILL CLINTON did.

National Security Adviser...
If Kerry considers this a coordination job, it would go to RAND BEERS...More likely, Kerry would choose a major player with defense-reform credentials, like former Senator GARY HART.

C.I.A...
former Senator BOB KERREY.

Treasury..
JIM JOHNSON, the former Walter Mondale aide and Fannie Mae boss, who now oversees Kerry's search for a vice president, will get the nod over banker STEVE RATTNER, a likely deputy, or the Clintonian ROGER ALTMAN, whose confirmation difficulty would steer him to head the National Economic Council.

Justice...
DENNIS ARCHER, the former Detroit mayor and now the first African-American to head the American Bar Association

Homeland Security...
Iowa's governor, TOM VILSACK, if he again delivers for Kerry.

Health and Human Services...
Former Gov. JEANNE SHAHEEN of New Hampshire has the edge...

MARY BETH CAHILL, would be a shoo-in for White House chief of staff.

Labor...
Veterans Affairs Ex-Senator MAX CLELAND, who helped Kerry most when it counted.

U.S. Trade Representative...
Illinois Representative RAHM EMANUEL.

U.N. ambassador...
provide departing Senator JOHN EDWARDS with the foreign experience he would need to seize the nomination

Surgeon General...
Dr. HOWARD DEAN