Imagine this scenario: You have an adult son who has become very secretive, hangs out with a gang, and frequents a location linked to a radical group. You haven’t seen him in months. So you call the police and tell them everything, begging them to find your son and return him home before something terrible happens to him or those he comes in contact with. The cops thank you for calling, hang up the phone, and order in a pizza. Eventually they call the district attorney’s office who says, “No anchovies for us.”
I don’t think it’s overreacting to say this is pretty much what just happened with the 23-year-old terrorist who tried to blow up a Northwest jetliner from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. His father, a prominent Nigerian banker, called every authority he could think of to warn them about his son’s frequent visits to Yemen and increasingly extremist behavior. Word trickled across our Homeland Security network and sure enough, the son was found to be on a “generic” list of possible terrorists. Instead of moving him to the “DO NOT FLY” list months ago when his father started making phone calls, our Intelligence leaders opted to sit on this warning until it exploded.
Perhaps the banker’s son didn’t act suspicious enough in Amsterdam before boarding. Yes, he paid cash for his ticket. True, he had no luggage. And right again, his passport showed recent trips to known terrorist hubs. If only he’d asked the flight attendants to show him how to get ON the plane without asking how to get OFF. That would have been the tip-off.
In contrast, our media seems determined to alert the world to how badly our system screwed up and how vulnerable we are. But they can’t do it alone so our government officials have to help. On a news program the day after Christmas, I watched Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano attempt to dodge the issue of our Intelligence breakdown while the anchor kept hounding, “But shouldn’t the public know what went wrong? Are we living with a false sense of security that our government is protecting us? Doesn’t this show that the system didn’t work?” Finally Napolitano said, “Yes, the system failed us.”
Okay, pit bull anchorperson, happy now? In this world of bionic communication, do you not think Al Qaeda watches TV? You think maybe they skip the news and go straight to Lost? All we need next is for Homeland Security to go on Larry King and say EXACTLY how it’s all going to be fixed. Why don’t we just drop fliers over Yemen that say, “We’re morons! Our leaders answer to people who get paid to interview them in makeup! You win!”
Maybe we should take a page from Israel’s book. Pre-boarding security for an El Al flight involves observational profiling. This means screening passengers with regard to their body language, gestures, attitude, and repeated visits to destinations evidenced in their passports. Because of this nobody gets to blow up El Al flights. Which is great for Israel since they’re a country that seems to piss a lot of people off just by existing. A position the U.S. is swiftly moving toward if we’re not already there.
Not to mention the fact that if something did go wrong, Israeli reporters wouldn’t be on TV grilling the Prime Minister about where the failure occurred. Israel knows its enemies are always watching. Making officials discuss security in a televised setting would be, you know, telling.
Am I taking a chance writing all this publicly for the terrorists to see? Aren’t I doing exactly what I say Al Qaeda counts on? I doubt it. I’ve been on the Taliban’s Facebook page, and they don’t read me.
Daughter’s Foto of The Lights of Tiberius wishes you a safe and Happy New Year
