- For example when the decision was made to read the underwear bomber his Miranda rights, it was made by Eric Holder alone with no input from the Department of Homeland Security, The National Intelligence Council or the Defense Department.
- The British Prime minister told the world that Britain’s MI5 told American intelligence agents more than a year ago that the future Underwear bomber had links to terrorists. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was named in a file of people based in Britain who had made contact with radical Muslim preachers. The file was sent to the US authorities in 2008.
- We learned that there is very little communication within each department, especially within the Department of Homeland Security.
- When the decision was made to read the underwear bomber his Miranda rights, and treat him as a civilian, it was made by Eric Holder alone with no input from the Department of Homeland Security, The National Intelligence Council or the Defense Department
- Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano was shocked by “not just the determination of al Qaeda and al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula, but the tactic of using an individual to foment an attack, as opposed to a large conspiracy or a multi-person conspiracy“. Its almost as if she never read a newspaper.
Yesterday David Heyman, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and added to the concerns about the competency of the DHS. He told the Senate hearing that the Bomber probably would have raised a red flag at the airport when he arrived in the United States.
“In the Abdulmutallab case, had he arrived in Detroit, it is possible we would have–it is likely that we would have noted the derogatory information, gone to the secretary and perhaps made a recommendation to the State Department to refuse the visa,”
Does that make you feel better when you realize that if Abdulmutallab made a better fuse the whole damned plane would wouldn’t have made it to Detroit. Is that our new strategy, Terrorist Roulette, terrorists are allowed on the plane, and if the bomb doesn’t blow up the way it is supposed to—well then we kick them out of the country. Why didn’t I think of that?
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked Heyman about the confusion in the Obama administration as to which agency was responsible for the intelligence lapse and how Abdulmutallab would have been handled under pre-Christmas Day policies and procedures.
Collins, the committee’s ranking member, said the Homeland Security Act of 2002 gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) broad authority to set visa policy, including the power to revoke a visa. “Do you think there is confusion over the role of DHS in this area?” she asked Heyman.take our poll - story continues belowCompleting this poll grants you access to The Lid updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.Heyman denied that there was any confusion. Even under the old system, he said, authorities might have honed in on Abdulmutallab once he disembarked from the plane, and DHS might have advised the State Department not to reissue his visa.
Very good, and they could have sent his body parts home C/O Allah and the 72 ugly virgins.
Committee Chairman Sen. Joe Lieberman expressed disappointment on the Obama administration’s progress in creating a secure visa protocol.“When the Department of Homeland Security was created, Congress included a provision establishing the Visa Security Program, which gave DHS the authority to set visa policy, and to deploy law enforcement officers to consulates in order to oversee the visa-issuing process,” Lieberman said.
“The idea was to ensure that security considerations were given the weight they deserve. Eight years later, I’m sorry to say it seems clear this program has not been a priority for either department,” Lieberman said.
The relationship between our federal government and the citizens is called a social contract. The people agree to pay taxes, follow laws etc., and the government agrees to protect the people’s lives, liberty, and property. Sound familiar? John Locke called those three items our natural rights. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson made it more flowery, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The number one priority of that social contract is guaranteeing our safety.
What Obama and his DHS don’t understand is that without the guarantee of protection from outside forces there is no use for a national government. Local governments can build their own sewers or name their own streets. Obamas number one job is to make sure when we wake up in the morning there is no hole in our roofs from a plane that was blown up over our heads.
That’s it, the basic role of government is making sure that when my children leave the house, some crazy terrorist is not going to attack them. An administration that can’t find a way to make public safety its #1 priority is like an accountant who can’t count to ten; USELESS !
