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Congressman and Chairman of the House’s Homeland Security Committee: Terrorist Threat Worse Now than Before 9/11
The Washington Times notes:
U.S. Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican and Chairman of the House’s Homeland Security Committee, said Tuesday that al Qaeda is a greater threat now than it was before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“That is the consensus of most intelligence experts,” he said on CNN’s “Starting Point.”
If King is right, then it shows that America’s anti-terrorism policies since 9/11 have been a dismal failure1.
Why?
D’oh! We’re Supporting Terrorists
Initially – in the name of fighting our enemies – the U.S. has directly been supporting Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups for the last decade. See this, this, this, this and this.
If Al Qaeda is a greater threat now than before 9/11, maybe it’s because – oh, I don’t know – we’re supporting them?
Our Program of Torture Created Terrorists
In addition, torture creates new terrorists:
- One of the top military interrogators said that torture by Americans of innocent Iraqis is the main reason that foreign fighters started fighting against Americans in Iraq in the first place (and see this).
- Former counter-terrorism czar Richard A. Clarke says that America’s indefinite detention without trial and abuse of prisoners is a leading Al Qaeda recruiting tool
- A former FBI interrogator — who interrogated Al Qaeda suspects — says categorically that torture actually turns people into terrorists
- A 30-year veteran of CIA’s operations directorate who rose to the most senior managerial ranks, says:
Torture creates more terrorists and fosters more acts of terror than it could possibly neutralize.
- A former US Air Force interrogator said that torture just creates more terrorists
- A former U.S. interrogator and counterintelligence agent, and Afghanistan veteran said, “Torture puts our troops in danger, torture makes our troops less safe, torture creates terrorists. It’s used so widely as a propaganda tool now in Afghanistan. All too often, detainees have pamphlets on them, depicting what happened at Guantanamo.”
- The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously stated:
“The administration’s policies concerning [torture] and the resulting controversies … strengthened the hand of our enemies.”
- Two professors of political science have demonstrated that torture increases, rather than decreases, terrorism
- General Petraeus said that torture hurts our national security
- And the reporter who broke Iran-Contra and other stories says that torture actually helped Al Qaeda, by giving false leads to the U.S. which diverted its military, intelligence and economic resources into wild goose chases
So the widespread program of torture under the Bush administration didn’t help.
Our Wars In the Middle East Have Created More Terrorists
Moreover, security experts – including both conservatives and liberals – agree that waging war in the Middle East weakens national security and increases terrorism. See this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this.
Ooops.
Killing innocent civilians is one of the main things which increases terrorism. As one of the top counter-terrorism experts (the former number 2 counter-terrorism expert at the State Department) told me, starting wars against states which do not pose an imminent threat to America’s national security increases the threat of terrorism because:
One of the principal causes of terrorism is injuries to people and families.
(Indeed, Al Qaeda wasn’t even in Iraq until the U.S. invaded that country.)
And top CIA officers say that drone strikes increase terrorism (and see this).
Furthermore, James K. Feldman – former professor of decision analysis and economics at the Air Force Institute of Technology and the School of Advanced Airpower Studies – and other experts say that foreign occupation is the main cause of terrorism
University of Chicago professor Robert A. Pape – who specializes in international security affairs – points out:
Extensive research into the causes of suicide terrorism proves Islam isn’t to blame — the root of the problem is foreign military occupations.
***
Each month, there are more suicide terrorists trying to kill Americans and their allies in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other Muslim countries than in all the years before 2001 combined.
***
New research provides strong evidence that suicide terrorism such as that of 9/11 is particularly sensitive to foreign military occupation, and not Islamic fundamentalism or any ideology independent of this crucial circumstance. Although this pattern began to emerge in the 1980s and 1990s, a wealth of new data presents a powerful picture.
More than 95 percent of all suicide attacks are in response to foreign occupation, according to extensive research [co-authored by James K. Feldman - former professor of decision analysis and economics at the Air Force Institute of Technology and the School of Advanced Airpower Studies] that we conducted at the University of Chicago’s Project on Security and Terrorism, where we examined every one of the over 2,200 suicide attacks across the world from 1980 to the present day. As the United States has occupied Afghanistan and Iraq, which have a combined population of about 60 million, total suicide attacks worldwide have risen dramatically — from about 300 from 1980 to 2003, to 1,800 from 2004 to 2009. Further, over 90 percent of suicide attacks worldwide are now anti-American. The vast majority of suicide terrorists hail from the local region threatened by foreign troops, which is why 90 percent of suicide attackers in Afghanistan are Afghans.
Israelis have their own narrative about terrorism, which holds that Arab fanatics seek to destroy the Jewish state because of what it is, not what it does. But since Israel withdrew its army from Lebanon in May 2000, there has not been a single Lebanese suicide attack. Similarly, since Israel withdrew from Gaza and large parts of the West Bank, Palestinian suicide attacks are down over 90 percent.
***
The first step is recognizing that occupations in the Muslim world don’t make Americans any safer — in fact, they are at the heart of the problem.
1 King is a blowhard who basically thinks that all Muslims are terrorists … and who supported the Irish Republican Army for decades.
Related stories:
U.S. Troops Patrolling Poppy Fields In Afghanistan (Photos)
Are We In the Middle of a Cyber False Flag Attack Being Launched to Justify War Against Iran?
»
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New Meat & nmewn, under no circumstances am I voting for Romney.
He wasn't my first choice, I don't like it anymore than a lot of people. I could see it coming from a mile away over a year ago and told Trav (when he was posting) it would be Mitt.
In this country you're still free to vote for the elector of your choice...thats how it works.
But this bumbling, mumbling fool Obama has gotta go. Its pretty clear whether you're on the right, libertarian or center left he is a menace to everything we hold dear.
He is acting as though he is a dictator whether through the legislative process (ramming through ObamaCare, favoritism/cronyism and the lie that was shovel ready stimulus)...or the regulatory process (CO2 and attacking the separation of church & state)...or law enforcement (Fast & Furious, not prosecuting the two Black Panthers from Philly, framing whistle blowers on trumped up charges).
He is a menace who continues to screw up everything he touches...whether on purpose or through his own incompetence makes no real difference to me.
But I believe its on purpose, it has to be, no one is this incompetent.
You're correct of course. The problem IS the population on a host of levels in my opinion.
(And...AGAIN...I voted Paul in the primary.)
1) The voting public has no idea how or where the fiat comes. There is no convincing them in the short time span (focus) of a general election when they're just walking away from Honey Boo Boo...whatever the fuck that is. He would have been made a fool of even though he is correct.
2) My opinion of the common voter also involves "aesthetics". Obama is slightly taller and younger by a wide margin. They are not ready for the aged wisdom over these visuals. Vain, self absorbed twits that many of them are.
Also, I'm not fooled by the Johnny-Come-Lately's to Libertarian thinking common to GW threads. These are some of the same people who were all for the ObamaCare tax on college kids (and everyone else)...crony capitalism through "green energy"...and (my personal bugga boo) "ïnvestment" in education just for the sake a debt financed college degree...in what & for what?...to keep tenured professors in luxury...or them learning archeology or high tech where the patents will go to corps or the idea/product stolen by China...its absurd.
Just naming a few there.
When its over (and Mitt wins going away, as he will) I'm up for a serious conversation on a third party.
This is how our government appears to think:
"Terrorists" commit acts of terrorism. Therefore, we must delcare war on "terrorism" and spend hundreds of billions of dollars fighting terrorism. Instead of defeating the "terrorists" and winning the war against "terrorism" we get more terrorists and terrorism (as admitted by the goverment).
So, the government admits it has failed to defeat the terrorists it created in the first place. What is the government's solution?
MOAR WAR AND MOAR MONEY!
Clearly, according the government, the reason they havent won yet is because they havent spent enough of my fucking money on the problem they created.
So they will do more of the same only turning it up to 11 this time and they will still fail because that is what they want to do.
Feel free to substitute the word "terror, terrorist or terrorism" with the word "poverty or drugs" and youll start to understand where this is all going.
Replace the word 'Terrorist' with the phrase 'False flag', because that's what 911 was.
It doesn't seeem that George really believes that statement. ^
Anyone who doesn't concede that 911 was an inside job is either stupid, a liar, or insane. My definition of insanity is the unwillingness or unability distinguish fantasy from reality.
It is indeed the necessary litmus test.
Praise Jesus, yes!
False flag, false flag. On a tv channel near you.
Do something to stop it. http://www.911journeyfortruth.org/
GW, you're missing the biggest issue namely, susceptibility! We haven't turned more people into terrorists, we've shown would be terrorists just how easy we are to attack!
Oh yeah? Well I'm easy to fuking STAB too. So ban all sharp objects and metal detect everyone as soon as they leave the house... And make sure you check around the breasts and up the ass.
Shut up you common citizen household fuck.
Get rid of the financial terrorists and the rest will follow. I don't believe we had terrorists until we had Bush for a president. Now the US citizens are the enemy because they are going against the financial terrorist banksters.
Yup, it's too damn bad that guy at Veritas Capital, Robert McKeon, decided to strangle himself just when things were beginning to get good.
Sorry to repeat myself, but perhaps a recap is in order:
Things that make you go hhhmmmmmmmmmm…..?
‘He said he wanted to expose something at work’
In his $5 million mansion, Robert McKeon, head of private equity firm, Veritas Capital, commits suicide by strangling himself.
Strangling himself???????
Awhile later, the news reports or claims that Albert Peterson, a wealthy defense contractor, formerly with Northrop Grumman, and presently employed as a Senior Subcontracts Administrator with BAE Systems Information Technology, murdered his wife and children, then turned his gun on himself, committing suicide.
A terrible tragedy, and the news reports further claimed Mr. Peterson was supposed to have committed those horrific acts because he was afraid President Obama would be reelected!
Because he was afraid President Obama would be reelected?????????????
One enterprising journalist actually did report that the now-deceased Mrs. Peterson had mentioned to a co-worker at defense contractor, Blackbird Technologies, where she worked, that her husband was troubled by something he had learned at BAE which he was seriously concerned about. Albert Peterson had been involved with a BAE unit which a few years previously had been owned by Veritas Capital, then later sold to BAE.
It should be noted that Robert McKeon’s Veritas Capital had made some extremely fortuitous investments in the defense industry shortly prior to 9/11/01.
Some months prior to 9/11, Veritas Capital had also purchased Raytheon Aerospace, a subsidiary of Raytheon.
Aboard several of those four ill-fated airliners on 9/11/01 were developers of remote piloting hardware/software from Veritas Capital’s Raytheon Aerospace, and several similar subcontractors (from BAE, I believe).
Sounds more like a brutal cleanup crew was active --- cleansing a possible leak of a probably innocent man and his family, and the private equity principal of a highly profitable operation eleven years earlier.
(While it may be the only actual coincidence here, it should also be noted that several years ago --- or the last time we checked --- the majority shareholders in Northrop Grumman were James Baker and the Bush family.)
Things that make you go hhhmmmmmmmmmm…..?
[With a criminal congress populated with the likes of Darryl Issa, with his arrest record, insurance fraud and arson background, and John Boehner, who washed out of Navy boot camp, then falsely claimed military service during Vietnam when he first ran for the House, we are assured of no real investigation ever taking place.]
Financial Fraud Roll Call:
$2.3 trillion unaccounted for from DoD (announced on 9/10/01 by Pentagon’s comptroller)
$8.7 billion (plus ?) missing during Iraqi war operations
$16.7 billion (plus ?) missing during Afghanistani war operations
Over $1 billion unaccounted for from “Fusion Center” budget: domestic intelligence collection operation instituted by DHS in conjunction with private sector
http://fcic-static.law.stanford.edu/cdn_media/fcic-reports/fcic_final_re...
You rock, Sarge! This one's for you. Rock on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kX8lqXAONg
If anyone can name the bearded keyboard player, he or she wins a purple jellybean.
Oh that bush family, is there an aspect they don't touch? CIA, building security, energy, oil, banking, grandpas shenanigans. I used to be really angry with them until it became painfully clear that if I can sort this stuff out, then well, how many of my other elected officials have colluded, failed to act, looked the other way, stood down against principles, lied, took payoffs, are too stupid for their position....
Did you hear about the big fat black welfare queen everyone saw at the grocery store getting beer & steaks with her govt check?
This welfare shit is ruining our cuntry, I tell you! It has to stop!
Daaaamn son, now that's the kind of sleuthing that matters. Thanks for the hhhmmmmms. ;)
Dude, it's just cut and paster from the Soros/Progressive propaganda sites (Huffpoo, Democracynow, etc propagated thru the interent) wake up.
If we did not create, or cause the creation of, more terrorists then eventually we might kill all the terrorists there are and THAT would end the terror-ponzi.
The Amerikans wonder why the world hates them? Just step outside the borders and you find out why.... they think they are the only country that is fit to police the whole world, a country that thinks it is entitled to wage unlawful wars, detain people indefinitely without trial, kill people without trial....
The US should look unto itself to see who the real terrorist is!
are you french racer or maybe english?? - whatever fuck off look throughout history douchebag amerika is not alone
robslob you too appologize with obama like we are the only country ever to over extend ourselves in an imperialistic way - oops. China is up next you two can jump on that hate bandwagon too
"look throughout history douchebag amerika is not alone"
You said it not me
clever you mustve gone to callidj, hope ur not in dett(debt)
Is that supposed to be an excuse for stupidity? A justification to carry on?
apparently
You buy into the GUILTY amerikan and the unseen enemy the 'terrorist ' wins dont feel guilty for being French, English, American or anything else. NOBODY has the right to terrorize soft targets - people minding their own biz for any reason whatsoever!!!
The elite win because the same GUILTY white vs victim (insert any race) paradigm divides the populace -divide and conquer. So go ahead feel guilty for being American Greek English French ... just dont do it near me please - stand up for something and defend it without killing anybody its not hard sheeple
ANY govmt bureaucracy fails when applied to ANY problem so SUPRISE the anti terrorist shit creates more terrorists no shit sherlock - Nobel Peace Prize for you I challenge any of you dipsticks to point out a govmt problem solving program that works anywhwere
War on Poverty, war on drugs, Obamacare.....
You have bought into the elite divide and conquer chickenshit congrats - there is still time to step away from the keyboard go into the real world and make a difference without fighting me your brother while the elite war machine keeps spinning on our dime
whomever -1 the above is a serious retard
Uh guys...I think the terrorists they are referring to this time is us...the American people?
You beat me to it!
Hmmmm....Alan Greenspan, John Paulson, Goldman Sachs and Abacus CDO, Magnetar Capital, Elliott Capital (Elliott Management, etc.), Phibro, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Jon Corzine and MF Global, and the beat goes on........
Good start, if I may continue:
Monsanto, ICG, Brookings Institute, CFR, AEI, the entire Nuke Power industry, fracking, Cheney, Zbig, John McCain, Lindsay Graham, Joe Lieberman, Cerco
So Al Qaida is real again?
I thought the CIA shot that girl in the head for wanting to go to school.
the Taliban did that, not al Qa'ida. The Taliban are real alright.
Rome had the Parthians and the northern barbarians and the Huns, the USA has Iran, Russia and China. Nevermind. 476 AD part deux.
Rome crumbled from within just like USA currently. All the others you named were just for the most part opportunists. Gibbons.
the king is not the sharpest tool in the shed
but the most blunt. "killing innocent
civilians.." is terrorism regardless of what
the vampires call it. we all know it is a campaign
of terror that says acts of violence and homicide are
valid tactics to achieve political or financial goals.
who operates like that? there be the terrorists.
the term "shock and awe", the people who bow and
pray to that are terrorists in the field of rhetoric
working for the terrorists of finance, the final outcome
of usury and it's strange fruit. no beauty, trust, decency, simplicity or truth be found; that is the
way they want it as justice will/would be painful.
.
Shadow of Afghanistan
“Shadow of Afghanistan”
http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/Shadow-of-Afghanistan/627919923310822...
.
Amen.
You do recognize that king is a top Al Ponzi operative as well as a Tier 1 douche weasel?
So the plan for MIC funding is flowing nicely?
Looks like they won't need another Cold War with Russia or China at this pace after all.
'Sigh' De-Evolution is such a trying science. Anyone up for a game of kick the can? Wait.... Ben already has that covered too.
Nothing to do but crawl back to the slime pits........ which as I understand is down in Assumption Paris and growing daily, just in time for the mass exodus.
WB, I left a rather cryptic message with a certain name on your article yesterday.
Here is what I was getting at.
http://www.atlanticagroup.com
This guy is certainly not a player.
Internatonal Trade Representative of Maine? Partner at some unknown Cleveland law firm?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/18/us-usa-sept11-airlines-idUSBRE...Criminal Zionist scumbag. Unfuckingbelievable!
Bernie Madoff should sue his victims for being in jail too. If they hadn't been negligent and let Bernie take care of their money, he wouldn't have stolen it and wouldn't be in jail. There's the matter of Bernie's legal expenses and damages to his reputation too.
We have prepared White Papers and other studies on topics such as:
http://www.atlanticaanalytics.com/
how yummy
Sounds like an operational arm of the ICG
very true... but he is probably correct on that one narrow issue. After all, the CIA pays its al-CIA-duh operatives a lot of money to gin up terror 'threats' around the world... you know, to make sure that the the U.S. can spread freedom and love via drone missle attacks on brown women and children living in poor but resource rich or strategically located areas.
He has his own twisted agenda.
I don't think he gives a shit about collateral damage from drone attacks. I'm sure he relishes the idea.
He wants to step up the "internal security" agenda.
Here is what I know about Pete King:
He is an anti-moslem bigot who thinks all moslems are fundamentalist jihadis.
He is a hypocrite for criticizing "OWS anarchists" while being known as a staunch IRA supporter in the past.
He is a Nassau County Republican with a district infested with NYPD, banksters and staunch supporters of "Zionism" which means he is a clone of Joe Lieberman.
Seems to me there are much better authorities we can draw upon to glean the root causes of "terrorism," for want of a better term. A better description of the phenomena is the deeply embedded state of emotional hatred and primal rage following from the wanton violence inflicted by a rogue unilateralist super power.
As a matter of foreign policy, our government seems to think that enlisting these kinds of people as operatives and surrogates for achieving our own misplaced strategic objectives is an optimal strategy.
Blowback!
dead on. See: history. Like most empires, most citizens think we're the exception to most empires
Peter King makes me look like an optimist. He's a part of the problem, not the solution.