Terrorism - Republicans' favorite word
Azrael, translation: AG Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:52
So, how many years have gone by since 9/11? George W. Bush allowed CIA a free rein, created lots of agencies, intelligence nets detecting spy, he permitted to eavesdrop or arrest of anybody, whose age, religion or origin could be associated with terrorism.
Events of the last two years have confirmed, that those agencies do not cooperate with each other. Corruption, number of agencies collecting data and lack of communication between them, CIA and FBI, if some plane passenger didn't have intervened, could've led to tragedy. But it's not only a case of Nigerian trying to detonate a bomb in a plane to Detroit. Seven of CIA agents and one from Jordan have died, because before the meeting organized by Khalil Mohammed enlisted from Al Qaeda by Jordanians, nobody had checked him. Mohammed turned out to be faithful Al Qaeda warrior.
Last week, at Newark airport, he'd planned total chaos, when unidentified man had managed to storm the departure terminal without any control. All of departures had been canceled, passengers, even those, who had already passed through control, had had to pass it again. Running safety system failed and lack of communication between particular agencies made an ideal conditions for terrorists.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, boarded the plane from Amsterdam to Detroit with explosives hidden in underwear. His own father, respected banker, being let down with radical ideas of his son, who had been staying in Yemen within people suspected to be terrorists, had warned US embassy, that it's worth paying attention to him. During check-in personnel has to check visa - Umar had a valid visa. No one from embassy has done anything to take his visa back. Who's to be blamed? Many. But, in Republicans opinion, best is to blame Obama.
Again, Republicans have used a term 'war against terrorism' so that they can emphasize inefficiency of current government. But the don't leave off on it. According to them, a war against Yemen should be started, because Yemen is a future-afghanistan. Yemen, since many years, has been a shelter for terrorists and everybody knew that. Yemen's been danger not since today. This is Yemen, where terrorists, who have escaped from Iraq or Afghanistan, hide. Yemen is one of the poorest islamic countries, where chaos, corruption and government's silent permission for supporting Al Qaeda reigns. 23 of terrorists have escaped in 2006 from Yemen's jail. One of the evaders, Nasser al Wuhayshi, became a leader of Al Qaeda in Yemen.
Situation in the country can be compared with a situation in Pakistan. The Americans lay out money and terrorists find asylum in there. Republicans appeal for controlling Yemen and reinforcing a presence of Americans to control the situation. They think, they've got the right to go to any country and enforce their law. Americans demand increased control in Europe. Traveling to Europe at least once a year, I'm able to say something about it. If it comes to control while traveling to Europe - there's no. At the airport, O'Hare, Chicago at least, passengers traveling to Europe pass freely. You need to take off your shoes, pass through metal detector and that's all. Poorly-paid staff, bored with their job, do not pay special attention. But going to the USA - situation is completely different. Traveling from Poland, Germany, Denmark or GB, I can say - control is intensified. Flights to USA are treated specially. Passengers, after passing through control, go to appointed, closed room. Soldiers check precisely everything, you pass through metal detector, your luggage - through X-ray - and then, everybody is checked one again.
Control in London is specially precise. They do it few times, even just before boarding the plane. In Europe, soldiers are responsible for safety, dogs check luggage and whole situation is treated seriously. The truth is, that nobody have expected, that the Nigerian would hide explosives in underwear. You can't take water, cream or medicine if you don't have prescription in your hand luggage. One can take few specified items, that have to be fit in small plastic bag. It may come to situation, that we cannot take blankets or pillows or anything to the plane. USA have required, that all passengers traveling from all 14 countries being suspected of terrorism had to pass through X-ray machine. And it will create many problems. A lot of mistakes have been made. Mistakes that could have been avoided if people responsible for detecting problems didn't play in creating lies and situations, that instead of eliminate dangerous situations, often creates aversion to everything, what represents the USA.
