Saturday, March 31, 2012

Tricare cost increase gets cold reception in Senate - HUMAN EVENTS

Tricare cost increase gets cold reception in Senate - HUMAN EVENTS

DHS Clueless About Unauthorized Foreigners In U.S.

From USJF:



DHS Clueless About Unauthorized Foreigners In U.S.

March 30, 2012 @  → One Comment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) only takes action against a “small portion” of foreigners who overstay their visa—like several of the 9/11 terrorists—and allows hundreds of thousands to enter the United States without proper authorization under a provision that already relaxes scrutiny for dozens of countries.
It gets better. When congressional investigators demanded answers from the agency, officials said they had not yet completed a review of the cases to determine the extent of the risk. Your government at work! It’s as if nothing has been learned from the 2001 terrorist attacks, when security was so lax that Middle Eastern extremists slipped right through to plan their plot from inside the country.
Outlined in an investigative congressional report, these lapses are of special concern. The first involves foreigners who enter the U.S. from 36 countries that have special visa waiver agreements with Uncle Sam. They still need authorization, though the system is more lax than a typical visa process. Foreigners must comply with a special DHS Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) that requires them to submit biographical information and answer eligibility questions before traveling.
While most of the visitors comply with the requirements, an estimated 2% don’t, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. That translates into 364,000 travelers a year, investigators found. Additionally, only half of the countries that have visa waiver agreements with the U.S. are fully compliant. The GAO points out in this latest report that it has published five others addressing the same subject yet little has been done to improve security.
It’s almost as if the monstrous agency created after the 2001 terrorist attacks to protect the nation is blowing off Congress. This theory appears to be supported by the DHS’s handling of visa over stayers. If you recall, several of the 9/11 hijackers entered the U.S. with valid visas but simply never left. This should be an area of deep concern for the DHS, though it doesn’t appear to be.

19 JIHADISTS ARRESTED IN FRENCH RAIDS SARKOZY: "IT'S IN CONNECTION WITH A FORM OF RADICAL ISLAM"

From Atlas Shrugs:


Friday, March 30, 2012

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TROOPS VS TRAITORS, TRANSVESTITES, TALIBAN: BRING. THEM. HOME.

From Atlas Shrugs:


Friday, March 30, 2012

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Muslims try to leave flowers on jihad mass-murderer Muhammad Merah's doorstep

From Jihad Watch:



Muslims try to leave flowers on jihad mass-murderer Muhammad Merah's doorstep

To restore their community's "dignity," doncha know.
And yet no one ever, ever calls out the apologists for murder and terror and the claimants of Muslim victimhood for their sanctioning of evil.
Video courtesy Blazing Cat Fur, via Pamela Geller.

Jihadist in Afghan police murders nine other officers

From Jihad Watch:


Jihadist in Afghan police murders nine other officers
There is simply no way to screen these guys out. Islam teaches jihad against infidels and counts as enemies those who collaborate with the infidel as well. This whole mission in Afghanistan is a fool's errand, and these kinds of incidents are going to keep happening. "Afghan police officer kills 9 comrades," from CNN, March 30 (thanks to Block Ness):

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- An Afghan police officer shot and killed nine other officers in southeast Afghanistan on Thursday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred in Paktika province, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. Two police officers were arrested, and another, believed to be part of the attack, fled, the spokesman said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said in a statement that the officer who fired the shots was actually a Taliban fighter.

The shooter was a member of the Afghan Local Police force, International Security Assistance Force spokesman Maj. Joe Buccino said in a statement.

Buccino described the officer as a "rogue" and said the attack was not preceded by any signs of trouble....

This year, a third, or 16, of the 46 American service members killed in Afghanistan have died at the hands of Afghan security forces, including Monday when a man alleged to be a local Afghan police officer killed an American service member in eastern Afghanistan.

Gen. John Allen, the commander of the NATO-led force, said officials are working on a new procedure to check the background of Afghans who sign up to join the security services....

I'm sure it will work great.

Posted by Robert on March 30, 2012 2:48 PM |

Israel: Jihad terror attack inspired by al-Jazeera

From Jihad Watch:


Israel: Jihad terror attack inspired by al-Jazeera
The Jihad News Network's hateful propaganda has its effect. "'Terror attack inspired by Al-Jazeera,'" by Aviad Glickman for Ynet News, March 29 (thanks to all who sent this in):

The Jerusalem District Prosecution indicted 18-year-old Mohammed Shuman, from Beit Hanina, for the attempted murder of an Israeli soldier in Jerusalem in early March.
Shuman stabbed 19-year-old Yehudit Aharon in her chest and hand on Jerusalem's Light Rail.

Shuman fled the scene and was later arrested at the Qalandiya checkpoint. He admitted to the stabbing.

According to the indictment, Shuman left his home that day en route to school, where he was supposed to take a religious class test, carrying a pocket knife.

The State alleged that upon arriving in school, Shuman decided to skip the test, left school ground and boarded the light rail, where he spotted Aharon.

According to the prosecution, Shuman – an avid viewer of Al-Jazeera, Al-Quds and Al-Manar TV stations – was frustrated by what he perceived as the unfair treatment of Palestinians in IDF checkpoints, and especially in Qalandiya, decided to kill the soldier....

Posted by Robert on March 30, 2012 3:00 PM

French police arrest 19 on suspicion of misunderstanding Islam


From Jihad Watch:


French police arrest 19 on suspicion of misunderstanding Islam

6384787.bin.jpgReuters photo caption: "Masked special forces police escort a member of the Islamist community under heavy guard in Coueron, near Nantes, March 30, 2012." Islamist community?

They had rifles and were apparently preparing for more jihad in France. "French police arrests 19 people in a bid to crackdown suspected Islamists," by Charles Sicurani and Nicolas Gaudichet for Agence France-Presse, March 30 (thanks to all who sent this in):
PARIS — French police swooped down on suspected Islamist networks Friday, arresting 19 people as President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed a crackdown would continue after an extremist gunman's killing spree.
The arrests took place in several cities including Toulouse, where Mohamed Merah was shot dead by police last week after a series of cold-blooded shootings in southwestern France that left seven dead.
Sarkozy said the arrests targeted "radical Islam" and that the trauma in France after the shootings in Toulouse and Montauban was somewhat like that felt in the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
"What must be understood is that the trauma of Montauban and Toulouse is profound for our country, a little — I don't want to compare the horrors — a little like the trauma that followed in the United States and in New York after the September 11, 2001 attacks," he told Europe 1 radio....
The operation "is not linked only to Toulouse, it's on all of French territory, is linked with a form of radical Islam and is in full accordance with the law," Sarkozy said....
"We have some extremely precise questions to ask a certain number of people and what happened this morning will continue," said Sarkozy, in the thick of a heated campaign for France's two-round April-May presidential election.
"There will be other operations that will continue and will also allow us to expel from our national territory a certain number of people," he added.
Sarkozy also defended France's decision this week to bar some Muslim preachers from entering the country, saying: "We don't want people who advocate values contrary to the republic to be invited to our territory."
Police sources said the raids were "not directly linked" to the Toulouse shootings but targeted at extremists networks.
Police said Kalashnikov assault rifles and other weapons were seized during the raids.
Among those arrested was Mohammed Achamlane, the head of a suspected extremist group called Forsane Alizza, the sources said, with three Kalashnikovs, a Glock pistol and a grenade were seized from his home....

Iran sending assassins to Turkey to hit Jewish, Israeli and Western targets

From Jihad Watch:



Iran sending assassins to Turkey to hit Jewish, Israeli and Western targets

In the thirteenth century the Ismaili Shi'ite Hashishin (حشّاشين), or Assassins, got their name from their practice of using hashish before setting out on jihad missions to assassinate Sunni leaders. The modern Shi'ites running Iran seem to have found in them an inspiration and model. "Exclusive: Secret Iran 'Terror' Squad Unmasked," by Sam Kiley for Sky News, March 30 (thanks to Kenneth):
Intelligence agencies are searching for members of a secret Iranian network of assassins under orders to attack Jewish, Israeli and Western targets in Turkey.
According to intelligence sources, the organisation behind the attack is known as Unit 400, a secret part of the al Quds Brigade, which falls under the direct command of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader.
"Unit 400 of the Qods Force has been developing in the last few months a standing operating procedure for carrying out an attack in Turkey against western targets as well as Israeli and Jewish. It is our firm assessment that these procedures are in a very advanced stage, and that the intention is to act on the plans very soon," an intelligence source told Sky News.
There is also evidence that Unit 400 has been given instructions to carry out more frequent and more daring 'terror' attacks around the world as a demonstration of 'Iran's asymmetric power' - in the face of the growing threat of Israeli or American air strikes on its alleged nuclear weapons programme, the sources said.
The sources named a senior officer in Unit 400 as being a key Iranian agent who "has been working up plans for potential attacks in European countries".
Israel and the United States have repeatedly said that Iran would not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Israel's Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has also warned that the window for launching military strikes to destroy it is closing fast.
Intelligence services in the West and Middle East, where Iran is treated with deep suspicion for its support of Syria, may have an interest in painting Iran in a poor light and associating it with international terrorism as a means of building the case for military intervention against its alleged weapons programme.
But it is equally likely that intelligence organisations want to warn their political masters of the dangers of backing an attack against Tehran, which has made no secret of its plans to carry out revenge operations.
"Unit 400 is a top-secret "special ops" unit within the elite overseas wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF). It plans and carries out terror attacks on external targets, and provides material support to foreign militia groups, at the direct behest of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This is in accordance with the regime's core strategic considerations about how best to challenge perceived enemies in Israel and the west - through asymmetric warfare - and to cope with mounting international pressure over its nuclear programme," a secret study by a foreign intelligence agency said....

Afghan-led Force Captures Haqqani Leader

From: American Forces Press Service
Date: 03/30/2012
Subject: Afghan-led Force Captures Haqqani Leader
You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
03/30/2012 09:46 AM CDT

Afghan-led Force Captures Haqqani Leader

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, March 30, 2012 - An Afghan-led security force captured a Haqqani leader during an operation in the Khost district of Afghanistan's Khost province today, military officials reported.
The leader organized roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the district, officials said. He also supplied insurgents with materials for building explosive devices.
The security force detained one additional suspected insurgent during the operation.
In other Afghanistan operations today:
-- A combined force captured a Taliban leader, detained one other suspected insurgent, and seized material used in the construction of improvised explosives, including multiple bags of fertilizer and a large drum of gasoline, in the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand province. The leader organized roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces in the province.
-- An Afghan-led security force captured a Taliban leader and detained two suspects in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province. The leader coordinated insurgent movements in western Kandahar province for attacks against Afghan and coalition troops.
-- A combined force detained multiple suspects during a search for a Haqqani leader in the Pul-e 'Alam district of Logar province. The leader coordinated the manufacture of roadside bombs and directed attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the district.

Clinton meets with Gulf nations over missile defense

From The Washington Post:


Clinton meets with Gulf nations over missile defense

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia —The Obama administration is moving to strengthen its ties with Persian Gulf nations whose geography and oil resources have already made them key players in U.S. defense and energy security.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday will inaugurate a strategic dialogue with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council that the administration expects will ultimately lead to a coordinated, U.S-supplied regional missile defense system and increased stability in international oil markets.
Clinton arrived here Friday for initial meetings with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the GCC’s most powerful member and closest U.S. partner. The other members are Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Proposed by the administration last fall as a regular gathering, the first U.S.-GCC Strategic Cooperation Forum comes as the organization has become an increasingly powerful player in the turmoil that has shaken the Arab world over the past year.
The GCC was in the forefront of calls for international intervention in Libya. And last year, Gulf states sent troops to Bahrain to quell an upheaval in that Persian Gulf island nation. Additionally, they proposed a transition of power that ultimately led to a change of government in Yemen.
To the consternation of some of their partners in the broader Arab League, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have advocated supplying weapons to the Syrian opposition. Clinton and the Gulf foreign ministers will hold a side meeting here before the formal opening of the forum to try to achieve a common position on Syria before they attend a Sunday meeting in Istanbul on the Syrian crisis.
But the administration has indicated that it will not support a Saudi-led call to establish a protected “safe zone” along the Syria-Turkey border to unify, train and arm the Syrian opposition. Instead, Clinton has called for more diplomatic and economic pressure on the Syrian regime, and for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to act on a U.N-Arab League sponsored plan to stop the violence and move toward a political transition.
Underlying the aggressive posture of the Gulf Arabs, particularly Saudi Arabia, is a desire to quell and resolve Arab upheavals before they cross into the autocratic Gulf monarchies, and competition with Iran for regional power.
A desire for more robust U.S. action toward Iran’s nuclear program is one of the few issues on which the Gulf states and Israel have found common ground. At the very least, the GCC governments want more information on the administration’s strategy as it moves toward another round of diplomatic talks with Tehran.
The Gulf states, like Israel, are within Iranian missile range, and their oil exports pass within miles of Iranian territory through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.
Both Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have U.S. Patriot missile defense systems in place — systems that are being upgraded to the latest generation with recent purchases. Kuwait also has purchased Patriot missiles, and late last year the administration finalized the sale of a Terminal High Altitude Defense System to the Emirates.
“We’re working with each of them to develop the architecture” for a regional system, a senior State Department official said. The administration’s goal, he said, is to put existing U.S. tactical defense cooperation with individual Gulf nations into “a strategic context,” the official said.
Diplomats from the region said they paid close attention to President Obama’s promise to “have Israel’s back” in the event of Iranian aggression and are looking for similar assurances.
The State Department official said that the GCC talks would include enhanced strategic cooperation on other issues, including counterterrorism and maritime security and the threats posed by upheavals in Syria, Yemen and Somalia.
A second State Department official said that in bilateral talks with the Saudis, Clinton on Friday briefed Abdullah and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal on “unfolding plans” for a resumption of long-suspending talks between Iran and the P5+1 group — the United States and the four other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany.
As world oil supplies have tightened with sanctions against both Iran and Syria, and with Iraq and Libya production still struggling, the Saudis have quietly spread the world that they will use their spare capacity and full storage facilities.