WHILE ISRAEL IS NOT NEGOTIATING WITH HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH ONE HAS TO WONDER HOW ISRAEL CAN AGREE TO ANYTHING WITHOUT A COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT THAT IS SUBSCRIBED TO BY THE PA, HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH AND ALL THE ARAB STATES. IF THAT DOES NOT OCCUR SURRENDERING ISRAELI LAND TO THE ARABS WILL NOT MEAN PEACE AND WITHOUT PEACE ONE OUGHT NOT INCREASE THE ABILITY OF YOUR OPPONENT TO FIGHT YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.
ANOTHER ISSUE OF AT LEAST EQUAL IMPORTANCE IS THE CONSTRUCTION BY ISRAEL AND THE ARABS. STRANGE, BUT ARABS CAN BUILD WHILE ISRAEL CANNOT. WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU? FURTHER, SINCE WHEN HAS ISRAELI CONSTRUCTION EVER BEEN A PROBLEM? YOU GUESSED IT. SINCE THIS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MADE IT A PROBLEM. ONE MUST WONDER WHY HE HAS CREATED THIS PROBLEM AND AT THE SAME TIME WANTS TO MAKE PEACE. MY EXPERIENCE IN BEING A FACILITATOR TELLS ME THAT I MUST DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO FACILITATE THE NEGOTIATIONS AND NOT TO ERECT OBSTACLES. HOW ABOUT YOU? THEREFORE, WOULDN'T ONE CONCLUDE THAT THERE IS NO FACILITATOR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE ARABS BUT ONLY AN "OBSTACALATOR"?
WE HEAR LOTS OF THINGS COMING FROM JEWS AND ISRAEL ABOUT MAKING PEACE. WHAT DO WE HEAR FROM THE ARABS ABOUT MAKING PEACE? ISRAEL AND DIASPORA JEWS HAVE MANY PROGRAMS TO FACILITATE PEACE. WHAT PROGRAMS DO ARABS INITIATE AND SUPPORT TO FACILITATE PEACE? ISRAELI AND DIASPORA JEWISH MEDIA IS CONSTANTLY DISCUSSING AND ADVOCATING PEACE. HOW MANY ARAB AND MUSLIM COUNTRIES AND DIASPORA ARAB ORGANIZATIONS AND MEDIA ADVOCATE PEACE?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
PA:DO YOU TRUST THEM?
Terrorists who killed 6 lauded as "heroes" in clip shown seven times in three days on PA TV
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=3448
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
"The heroes of the Kfar Yuval operation", PA TV (Fatah), Oct. 10-12, 2010
"The heroes of the Misgav Am operation", PA TV (Fatah), Oct. 10-12, 2010
A clip broadcast seven times in three days on PA TV labeled Palestinian terrorists as "heroes" for having murdered six Israelis in two terror attacks. PA TV showed the clip to coincide with the anniversary celebrations of the Palestinian Arab Front (formerly Arab Liberation Front), the organization that carried out the attacks in 1975 and 1980.
The TV clip glorified the terror attacks by showing two pictures of the terrorists who committed the attacks, with captions that read, "The heroes of the Kfar Yuval operation" and, "The heroes of the Misgav Am operation."
The attack on Kfar Yuval
On June 15, 1975, terrorists from the Arab Liberation Front penetrated the Israeli village Kfar Yuval near the Lebanese border. Four terrorists seized control of one of the homes and held its inhabitants hostage. Three Israelis were killed.
The attack on Misgav Am
On April 7, 1980, five terrorists from the Arab Liberation Front took control of the children's house in Kibbutz Misgav Am in northern Israel, holding the children hostage. They killed two adults and one child before they were subdued by the Israeli army.
Background to clip:
The Arab Liberation Front was founded in Iraq in 1969, and carried out terrorist attacks in Israel in the 1970s and '80s. After the Oslo Accords, there was a split in the organization. It changed its name to the Palestinian Arab Front, which still has offices in Ramallah and Gaza.
To celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the founding of the Arab Liberation Front and the 17th anniversary of its name change to the Palestinian Arab Front, the organization held ceremonies in October this year in Tulkarem in the Palestinian Authority and in Gaza
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=3448
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
"The heroes of the Kfar Yuval operation", PA TV (Fatah), Oct. 10-12, 2010
"The heroes of the Misgav Am operation", PA TV (Fatah), Oct. 10-12, 2010
A clip broadcast seven times in three days on PA TV labeled Palestinian terrorists as "heroes" for having murdered six Israelis in two terror attacks. PA TV showed the clip to coincide with the anniversary celebrations of the Palestinian Arab Front (formerly Arab Liberation Front), the organization that carried out the attacks in 1975 and 1980.
The TV clip glorified the terror attacks by showing two pictures of the terrorists who committed the attacks, with captions that read, "The heroes of the Kfar Yuval operation" and, "The heroes of the Misgav Am operation."
The attack on Kfar Yuval
On June 15, 1975, terrorists from the Arab Liberation Front penetrated the Israeli village Kfar Yuval near the Lebanese border. Four terrorists seized control of one of the homes and held its inhabitants hostage. Three Israelis were killed.
The attack on Misgav Am
On April 7, 1980, five terrorists from the Arab Liberation Front took control of the children's house in Kibbutz Misgav Am in northern Israel, holding the children hostage. They killed two adults and one child before they were subdued by the Israeli army.
Background to clip:
The Arab Liberation Front was founded in Iraq in 1969, and carried out terrorist attacks in Israel in the 1970s and '80s. After the Oslo Accords, there was a split in the organization. It changed its name to the Palestinian Arab Front, which still has offices in Ramallah and Gaza.
To celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the founding of the Arab Liberation Front and the 17th anniversary of its name change to the Palestinian Arab Front, the organization held ceremonies in October this year in Tulkarem in the Palestinian Authority and in Gaza
Monday, October 25, 2010
J STREET ASSERTIONS
J Street Founder: Israel's Creation 'An Act That Was Wrong'
Daniel Halper - The Weekly Standard, October 6th, 2010
Never mind for a moment that J Street lied about accepting George Soros's money, that the so-called pro-Israel group is accepting cash from a mysterious foreign national, and that J Street helped facilitate Richard Goldstone's visit to Capitol Hill — though all three troubling facts have rightly been in the news a lot lately.
Here's a shameful — and wrong — history lesson from one of J Street's co-founders, Daniel Levy, and it should dispel any remaining claim that J Street is in fact a pro-Israel group:
One can be a utilitarian two-stater, in other words think that the practical pragmatic way forward is two states. This is my understanding of the current Hamas position. One can be an ideological two-stater, someone who believes in exclusively the Palestinian self-determination and in Zionism; I don’t believe that it’s impossible to have a progressive Zionism. Or one can be a one-stater. But in either of those outcomes we’re going to live next door to each other or in a one state disposition. And that means wrapping one’s head around the humanity of both sides. I believe the way Jewish history was in 1948 excused – for me, it was good enough for me – an act that was wrong. I don’t expect Palestinians to think that. I have no reason – there’s no reason a Palestinian should think there was justice in the creation of Israel.
Translation for this: The founding of the Jewish state in the land of Israel was unjust. Quite plainly, there is no other way to read this bit.
According to the source for this quotation, Mere Rhetoric, Levy also went on to excuse terrorism against innocent Israelis by saying, “it's 'natural' for Gazans to want to attack Israelis.”
So, what's Levy's role in J Street? He's a co-founder, but he's also listed on a recent tax return as being a member of its board. Political groups reflect the views of the people who founded them and the folks that sit on their boards. There is absolutely no reason to believe that J Street, through its actions, does not reflect the views that Levy holds.
Anti-Israel folks and groups abound. Curiously, though, very few of these pretend to be pro-Israel.
//////////////////////////////////////////
Don't let them silence your voice
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 1:29 PM
From:
"Isaac Luria, J Street"
When J Street held its first national conference last October, right-wing political operatives launched a coordinated campaign to scare members of Congress out of attending.
Their campaign backfired as more than 1500 people turned out at the conference, 20 organizations participated, 148 members of Congress served on our Host Committee, and over 150 media from over 19 countries covered the event. [1]
Our movement made a powerful statement that the voice of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans would be silent no more and that neoconservative smear campaigns would not win the day.
Now, with Israeli-Palestinian talks on a knife's edge, the same cast of characters is at it again. Far-right publications, Tea Party political candidates, and even the #2 Republican in the U.S. House Eric Cantor are attacking J Street in a concerted effort to silence our voice and undermine serious efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution. [2]
With your help, their campaign will backfire again - and our second conference this coming February will be an even bigger success.
We stand at a real crossroads of history in the effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Within the reach of the leaders of Israel, the Palestinians and the United States is a negotiated solution to the decades-old conflict and a real chance of achieving two states for two peoples and peace and security for the broader region.
The far-right is desperately afraid of the talks and the concessions necessary to achieve peace - and they're really worried that we're creating the political space that will make it possible.
A huge turn-out at our second national conference in February of 2011 will demonstrate the depth of support that exists across America for strong leadership to end this conflict now. With your support, we can turn back the neoconservative attacks and pave the way for real leadership to end this conflict now.
Click here to make history again in 2011 and be part of the largest-ever gathering of pro-Israel, pro-peace activists.
We're calling this year's conference "Giving Voice to Your Values" and if there were ever a time to stand up for your values on this issue, this is it.
Together with hundreds and thousands of activists and in partnership with dozens of organizations, we'll take a strong stand for diversity and tolerance, peace and compromise, compassion and justice for Israel and the Palestinians.
Join us as we strategize, learn, challenge, question, advocate and mobilize. Learn how to connect what you're doing in your community with what is going on in the halls of power here and the streets of the region.
Turning out in force and demonstrating that we will not be silenced is the perfect answer to those who attack us. Together, we will make it clear that the dynamics of American politics on Israel are changing.
Isaac Luria
V.P., Communications and New Media
J Street
October 6, 2010
[1] "J Street Conference 2009: Media Coverage," by J Street.
[2] "Jewish Group Falls from Favor with the White House," by Eli Lake. Washington Times, September 27, 2010.
----------
J Street is the political home of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.
///////////////////////////////////////
DERSHOWITZ & J STREET DEBATE
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2010/10/dershowitz-v-ben-ami.html
Daniel Halper - The Weekly Standard, October 6th, 2010
Never mind for a moment that J Street lied about accepting George Soros's money, that the so-called pro-Israel group is accepting cash from a mysterious foreign national, and that J Street helped facilitate Richard Goldstone's visit to Capitol Hill — though all three troubling facts have rightly been in the news a lot lately.
Here's a shameful — and wrong — history lesson from one of J Street's co-founders, Daniel Levy, and it should dispel any remaining claim that J Street is in fact a pro-Israel group:
One can be a utilitarian two-stater, in other words think that the practical pragmatic way forward is two states. This is my understanding of the current Hamas position. One can be an ideological two-stater, someone who believes in exclusively the Palestinian self-determination and in Zionism; I don’t believe that it’s impossible to have a progressive Zionism. Or one can be a one-stater. But in either of those outcomes we’re going to live next door to each other or in a one state disposition. And that means wrapping one’s head around the humanity of both sides. I believe the way Jewish history was in 1948 excused – for me, it was good enough for me – an act that was wrong. I don’t expect Palestinians to think that. I have no reason – there’s no reason a Palestinian should think there was justice in the creation of Israel.
Translation for this: The founding of the Jewish state in the land of Israel was unjust. Quite plainly, there is no other way to read this bit.
According to the source for this quotation, Mere Rhetoric, Levy also went on to excuse terrorism against innocent Israelis by saying, “it's 'natural' for Gazans to want to attack Israelis.”
So, what's Levy's role in J Street? He's a co-founder, but he's also listed on a recent tax return as being a member of its board. Political groups reflect the views of the people who founded them and the folks that sit on their boards. There is absolutely no reason to believe that J Street, through its actions, does not reflect the views that Levy holds.
Anti-Israel folks and groups abound. Curiously, though, very few of these pretend to be pro-Israel.
//////////////////////////////////////////
Don't let them silence your voice
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 1:29 PM
From:
"Isaac Luria, J Street"
When J Street held its first national conference last October, right-wing political operatives launched a coordinated campaign to scare members of Congress out of attending.
Their campaign backfired as more than 1500 people turned out at the conference, 20 organizations participated, 148 members of Congress served on our Host Committee, and over 150 media from over 19 countries covered the event. [1]
Our movement made a powerful statement that the voice of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans would be silent no more and that neoconservative smear campaigns would not win the day.
Now, with Israeli-Palestinian talks on a knife's edge, the same cast of characters is at it again. Far-right publications, Tea Party political candidates, and even the #2 Republican in the U.S. House Eric Cantor are attacking J Street in a concerted effort to silence our voice and undermine serious efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution. [2]
With your help, their campaign will backfire again - and our second conference this coming February will be an even bigger success.
We stand at a real crossroads of history in the effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Within the reach of the leaders of Israel, the Palestinians and the United States is a negotiated solution to the decades-old conflict and a real chance of achieving two states for two peoples and peace and security for the broader region.
The far-right is desperately afraid of the talks and the concessions necessary to achieve peace - and they're really worried that we're creating the political space that will make it possible.
A huge turn-out at our second national conference in February of 2011 will demonstrate the depth of support that exists across America for strong leadership to end this conflict now. With your support, we can turn back the neoconservative attacks and pave the way for real leadership to end this conflict now.
Click here to make history again in 2011 and be part of the largest-ever gathering of pro-Israel, pro-peace activists.
We're calling this year's conference "Giving Voice to Your Values" and if there were ever a time to stand up for your values on this issue, this is it.
Together with hundreds and thousands of activists and in partnership with dozens of organizations, we'll take a strong stand for diversity and tolerance, peace and compromise, compassion and justice for Israel and the Palestinians.
Join us as we strategize, learn, challenge, question, advocate and mobilize. Learn how to connect what you're doing in your community with what is going on in the halls of power here and the streets of the region.
Turning out in force and demonstrating that we will not be silenced is the perfect answer to those who attack us. Together, we will make it clear that the dynamics of American politics on Israel are changing.
Isaac Luria
V.P., Communications and New Media
J Street
October 6, 2010
[1] "J Street Conference 2009: Media Coverage," by J Street.
[2] "Jewish Group Falls from Favor with the White House," by Eli Lake. Washington Times, September 27, 2010.
----------
J Street is the political home of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.
///////////////////////////////////////
DERSHOWITZ & J STREET DEBATE
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2010/10/dershowitz-v-ben-ami.html
GOODBY LIGHTBULBS, HELLO CHINA
Federal Light Bulb Ban Creating Jobs in China
A federal law banning ordinary incandescent light bulbs has already had a negative effect on the American economy — GE has closed its last major bulb producing factory in the United States, creating job opportunities in China.
Legislation enacted in 2007 orders the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs beginning with the 100-watt bulb in 2012 and ending with the 40-watt light in 2014. These bulbs cannot meet efficiency requirements dictated by law. Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are the least expensive alternative. But the manufacture of CFLs is “labor intensive and too expensive to be done at U.S. wage rates,” according to a report from The Heartland Institute, which estimates that domestically produced CFLs would be 50 percent more expensive than bulbs manufactured in China. So instead of retrofitting its plant in Winchester, Va., to produce CFLs, GE closed the plant in September and laid off 200 workers.
CFLs are already being manufactured in China, and increasing American demand will no doubt create new jobs there. As the Insider Report disclosed earlier, while CFLs use about 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last far longer, they cost significantly more, take longer to turn on, can flicker, and contain small amounts of highly toxic mercury, which creates problems for users when they break or need to be disposed of after they burn out.
“Environmental activists and their allies in Washington were either too ignorant of basic economics to see these job losses coming, or they were simply too callous to really care,” said Heartland Institute science director Jay Lehr.
“Either way, compact fluorescent light bulbs in the real world fail to live up to environmental promises, unnecessarily subject American households to toxic mercury, produce poor-quality light, and are sending American workers to the unemployment line.”
And Sam Kazman, general counsel for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said: “If the new energy-saving technologies being pushed by government are really that good, then we don’t need government to mandate them. And if they are being mandated, that’s a sure sign that they’re not very good.”
Three Republican members of Congress — Joe Barton, Marsha Blackburn and Michael Burgess — have introduced a bill that would repeal the ban on the incandescent bulb.
The three said in an article on The Daily Caller: “The unanticipated consequence of the ’07 act — layoffs in the middle of a desperate recession — is what sometimes happens when politicians think they know better than consumers and workers.”
Iran can now export weapons to over 50 countries' from Israel Matzav
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2010/10/iran-can-now-export-weapons-to-over-50.html
Time to give Iran a deadline
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who also has a doctorate in Philosophy, warned on Thursday that sanctions alone will not stop Iran, and called on the United States to issue an ultimatum to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program.
“There is tremendous progress regard to sanctions and we praised the American administration for its success in passing tough sanctions, which Iran is starting to feel,” he told reporters while on a visit to Washington. But it may be that sanctions alone won’t be sufficient and the US and other countries will have to set a clear warning and deadline, a strong and harsh ultimatum.”
He declined to specify what such a threat would consist of, though he said an embargo and other steps short of military attack could be considered.
Good luck with that. The only people this administration seems to know how to pressure is the Jooos. posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:10 PM
Time to give Iran a deadline
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who also has a doctorate in Philosophy, warned on Thursday that sanctions alone will not stop Iran, and called on the United States to issue an ultimatum to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program.
“There is tremendous progress regard to sanctions and we praised the American administration for its success in passing tough sanctions, which Iran is starting to feel,” he told reporters while on a visit to Washington. But it may be that sanctions alone won’t be sufficient and the US and other countries will have to set a clear warning and deadline, a strong and harsh ultimatum.”
He declined to specify what such a threat would consist of, though he said an embargo and other steps short of military attack could be considered.
Good luck with that. The only people this administration seems to know how to pressure is the Jooos. posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:10 PM
TERRORISTS: IMPORTANT PROCEDURES
Suspicious Behavior Could Indicate Terror Plotting
by Anthony L. Kimery
http://hstoday.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3932&Itemid=128
Monday, 23 June 2008
' ... being able to distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary'
Coinciding with concerns among some intelligence services that suspected Hezbollah "sleeper cells" in Canada have been activated, Canadian law enforcement authorities increasingly are training for spotting potentially suspicious activity and behavior that may indicate terrorists are conducting surveillance or other goings-on in preparation for targeting a specific structure or location for attack.
Several years ago, Robert David Steele, an outspoken veteran intelligence officer, told HSToday.us that “50 percent of the ‘dots’ that prevent the next 9/11 will come from bottom-up [local] level observation” and unconventional intelligence from “private sector parties.”
Since 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and law enforcement in the Washington, DC capital region have actively urged citizens to report “suspicious activity.” Mobile electronic signs urging people to report suspicious activity are routinely placed at strategic locations throughout the metro area for periods of time. The last one of these portable warnings I saw was at the convergence of Key Bridge and George Washington Memorial Parkway on the Virginia-side of the Potomac River just across from Georgetown.
Lynda Howes, a civilian member of the emergency event and management unit of the Calgary (Canada) Police Service, told attendees of the “Tri-lateral Security Conference” in Calgary last week that law enforcement must learn how terrorists operating in order to prevent attacks. She said counterterrorism is only manageable if it is tackled at the grass roots level. She explained that it’s vital that everyone - including the public, the police, government and private industry – recognizes the potential indicators of terrorism and what actions to take if, and when, they are encountered. Howes said terrorists must recruit members, research their targets, procure resources, receive, transfer and conceal money, and provide transportation and communication.
And "each one of those phases represents an activity” that can be identified if a person is trained to know what to be on the look-out for. “Those activities are associated with a behavior. Once we have that behavior, those are things you and I will be witnessing every single day and are things we can pick up on as potential indicators.”
In late 2002, The Air Force's Office of Special Investigations launched “Eagle Eyes,” a program to "deter terrorism by recognizing and reporting pre-attack activities," according an OSI memo.
"Every terrorist act is preceded by observable planning activities," according to the OSI memo. "When troops and citizens know what to look for and how to report suspicious activity, terrorist acts can be prevented."
Department of Defense personnel have routinely been advised to report suspicious reconnoitering of military facilities, people asking detailed information about specific sites, and any other activity which could indicate a "dry run” attack. DHS says “knowing what to look for and being able to distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary are the key elements to successful surveillance detection.” “A persistent stream of reported suspicious incidents requires an understanding of the purpose of terrorist surveillance, to know what terrorists look for, and how they conduct surveillance operations,” DHS’s advice states.
DHS states “terrorists conduct surveillance to determine a target's suitability for attack by assessing the capabilities of existing security and discerning weaknesses in the facility. After identifying weaknesses, they plan their attack at the point of greatest vulnerability.”
“Because terrorists must conduct surveillance-often over a period of weeks, months, or years-detection of their activities is possible,” DHS continued, noting, “regardless of their level of expertise, terrorists invariably make mistakes. The emphasis of surveillance detection is to key in on indicators of terrorist surveillance activities."
DHS states “successful surveillance detection efforts require immediate reporting of incidents similar to the following:
* Multiple sightings of the same suspicious person, vehicle, or activity, separated by time, distance, or direction;
* Individuals who stay at bus or train stops for extended periods while buses and trains come and go;
* Individuals who carry on long conversations on pay or cellular telephones;
* Individuals who order food at a restaurant and leave before the food arrives or who order without eating;
* Joggers who stand and stretch for an inordinate amount of time;
* Individuals sitting in a parked car for an extended period of time;
* Individuals who don't fit into the surrounding environment because they are wearing improper attire for the location or season;
* Individuals drawing pictures or taking notes in an area not normally of interest to a tourist or showing unusual interest in or photographing security cameras, guard locations, or watching security reaction drills and procedures; and
* Individuals who exhibit suspicious behavior, such as staring or quickly looking away from individuals or vehicles as they enter or leave facilities or parking areas
Other activity which should cause a heightened sense of suspicion include:
* Suspicious or unusual interest;
* Surveillance (suspicious in nature);
* Inappropriate photographs or videos;
* Note-taking;
* Drawing of diagrams;
* Annotating maps; and
* Using binoculars or night vision devices
“Terrorists may also employ aggressive surveillance techniques, such as making false phone threats, approaching security checkpoints to ask for directions, or ‘innocently’ attempting to smuggle nonlethal contraband through checkpoints,” DHS’s advice states. “The terrorists intend to determine firsthand the effectiveness of search procedures and to gauge the alertness and reaction of security personnel.”
Karen Morley, senior director of TerraGo Technologies, Atlanta, Ga., who began her career in the geospatial industry in the US Air Force as a target intelligence specialist, told HSToday.us that terrorists need to conduct careful surveillance of a potential target in order to be confident that they can pull off a successful attack.
In 2004, RAND developed the book, “Mapping the Risks: Assessing Homeland Security Implications of Publicly Available Geospatial Information,” for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, determined that “potential attackers, such as terrorist groups or hostile governments, are more likely to [utilize] reliable and timely information … such as through direct access or observation. In addition, many types of attacks, such as those by ground parties, are likely to require detailed information for attack planning purposes (depending on the target type and mode of attack). This type of information, which mostly comes from such nongeospatial sources as engineering textbooks or human expertise on the operations of a particular type of industrial complex, is essential for attackers to have a high confidence in their plan.”
But according to John Bumgarner, an 18-year veteran of special operations who has worked with most of the three-letter intelligence agencies at one time or another and is now research director for security technology at the US Cyber Consequences Unit, a non-profit research institute, because of training like that promoted by Howes it has become more and more difficult for terrorists to physically recon targets, especially in the US.
“To actually start planning very detailed reconnaissance of a building, and all the streets that go into it, and all the alleyways and everything else, that could require a lot of physical reconnaissance on the ground - it’s not something that you can actually just easily do anymore,” Bumgarner stressed, especially in the post-9/11 environment where conspicuous photographing, videoing and other apparent physical surveillance can, and has - repeatedly across the nation - caused people to be detained and questioned about their activities. “In other words,” said Bumgarner, “it’s gotten a whole lot harder for a terrorist to conduct the kind of conspicuous physical surveillance of a target that’s necessary for conducting a large-scale or mass casualty attack.” Consequently, more sophisticated terrorists are utilizing easily accessible geospatial information, which was examined in the April HSToday cover report, “Every Eye a Spy.”
by Anthony L. Kimery
http://hstoday.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3932&Itemid=128
Monday, 23 June 2008
' ... being able to distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary'
Coinciding with concerns among some intelligence services that suspected Hezbollah "sleeper cells" in Canada have been activated, Canadian law enforcement authorities increasingly are training for spotting potentially suspicious activity and behavior that may indicate terrorists are conducting surveillance or other goings-on in preparation for targeting a specific structure or location for attack.
Several years ago, Robert David Steele, an outspoken veteran intelligence officer, told HSToday.us that “50 percent of the ‘dots’ that prevent the next 9/11 will come from bottom-up [local] level observation” and unconventional intelligence from “private sector parties.”
Since 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and law enforcement in the Washington, DC capital region have actively urged citizens to report “suspicious activity.” Mobile electronic signs urging people to report suspicious activity are routinely placed at strategic locations throughout the metro area for periods of time. The last one of these portable warnings I saw was at the convergence of Key Bridge and George Washington Memorial Parkway on the Virginia-side of the Potomac River just across from Georgetown.
Lynda Howes, a civilian member of the emergency event and management unit of the Calgary (Canada) Police Service, told attendees of the “Tri-lateral Security Conference” in Calgary last week that law enforcement must learn how terrorists operating in order to prevent attacks. She said counterterrorism is only manageable if it is tackled at the grass roots level. She explained that it’s vital that everyone - including the public, the police, government and private industry – recognizes the potential indicators of terrorism and what actions to take if, and when, they are encountered. Howes said terrorists must recruit members, research their targets, procure resources, receive, transfer and conceal money, and provide transportation and communication.
And "each one of those phases represents an activity” that can be identified if a person is trained to know what to be on the look-out for. “Those activities are associated with a behavior. Once we have that behavior, those are things you and I will be witnessing every single day and are things we can pick up on as potential indicators.”
In late 2002, The Air Force's Office of Special Investigations launched “Eagle Eyes,” a program to "deter terrorism by recognizing and reporting pre-attack activities," according an OSI memo.
"Every terrorist act is preceded by observable planning activities," according to the OSI memo. "When troops and citizens know what to look for and how to report suspicious activity, terrorist acts can be prevented."
Department of Defense personnel have routinely been advised to report suspicious reconnoitering of military facilities, people asking detailed information about specific sites, and any other activity which could indicate a "dry run” attack. DHS says “knowing what to look for and being able to distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary are the key elements to successful surveillance detection.” “A persistent stream of reported suspicious incidents requires an understanding of the purpose of terrorist surveillance, to know what terrorists look for, and how they conduct surveillance operations,” DHS’s advice states.
DHS states “terrorists conduct surveillance to determine a target's suitability for attack by assessing the capabilities of existing security and discerning weaknesses in the facility. After identifying weaknesses, they plan their attack at the point of greatest vulnerability.”
“Because terrorists must conduct surveillance-often over a period of weeks, months, or years-detection of their activities is possible,” DHS continued, noting, “regardless of their level of expertise, terrorists invariably make mistakes. The emphasis of surveillance detection is to key in on indicators of terrorist surveillance activities."
DHS states “successful surveillance detection efforts require immediate reporting of incidents similar to the following:
* Multiple sightings of the same suspicious person, vehicle, or activity, separated by time, distance, or direction;
* Individuals who stay at bus or train stops for extended periods while buses and trains come and go;
* Individuals who carry on long conversations on pay or cellular telephones;
* Individuals who order food at a restaurant and leave before the food arrives or who order without eating;
* Joggers who stand and stretch for an inordinate amount of time;
* Individuals sitting in a parked car for an extended period of time;
* Individuals who don't fit into the surrounding environment because they are wearing improper attire for the location or season;
* Individuals drawing pictures or taking notes in an area not normally of interest to a tourist or showing unusual interest in or photographing security cameras, guard locations, or watching security reaction drills and procedures; and
* Individuals who exhibit suspicious behavior, such as staring or quickly looking away from individuals or vehicles as they enter or leave facilities or parking areas
Other activity which should cause a heightened sense of suspicion include:
* Suspicious or unusual interest;
* Surveillance (suspicious in nature);
* Inappropriate photographs or videos;
* Note-taking;
* Drawing of diagrams;
* Annotating maps; and
* Using binoculars or night vision devices
“Terrorists may also employ aggressive surveillance techniques, such as making false phone threats, approaching security checkpoints to ask for directions, or ‘innocently’ attempting to smuggle nonlethal contraband through checkpoints,” DHS’s advice states. “The terrorists intend to determine firsthand the effectiveness of search procedures and to gauge the alertness and reaction of security personnel.”
Karen Morley, senior director of TerraGo Technologies, Atlanta, Ga., who began her career in the geospatial industry in the US Air Force as a target intelligence specialist, told HSToday.us that terrorists need to conduct careful surveillance of a potential target in order to be confident that they can pull off a successful attack.
In 2004, RAND developed the book, “Mapping the Risks: Assessing Homeland Security Implications of Publicly Available Geospatial Information,” for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, determined that “potential attackers, such as terrorist groups or hostile governments, are more likely to [utilize] reliable and timely information … such as through direct access or observation. In addition, many types of attacks, such as those by ground parties, are likely to require detailed information for attack planning purposes (depending on the target type and mode of attack). This type of information, which mostly comes from such nongeospatial sources as engineering textbooks or human expertise on the operations of a particular type of industrial complex, is essential for attackers to have a high confidence in their plan.”
But according to John Bumgarner, an 18-year veteran of special operations who has worked with most of the three-letter intelligence agencies at one time or another and is now research director for security technology at the US Cyber Consequences Unit, a non-profit research institute, because of training like that promoted by Howes it has become more and more difficult for terrorists to physically recon targets, especially in the US.
“To actually start planning very detailed reconnaissance of a building, and all the streets that go into it, and all the alleyways and everything else, that could require a lot of physical reconnaissance on the ground - it’s not something that you can actually just easily do anymore,” Bumgarner stressed, especially in the post-9/11 environment where conspicuous photographing, videoing and other apparent physical surveillance can, and has - repeatedly across the nation - caused people to be detained and questioned about their activities. “In other words,” said Bumgarner, “it’s gotten a whole lot harder for a terrorist to conduct the kind of conspicuous physical surveillance of a target that’s necessary for conducting a large-scale or mass casualty attack.” Consequently, more sophisticated terrorists are utilizing easily accessible geospatial information, which was examined in the April HSToday cover report, “Every Eye a Spy.”
NEW RULES IN WASHINGTON
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!
A friend sent this along to me. I can't think of a reason to disagree.
I am sending this to virtually everybody on my e-mail list and that includes conservatives, liberals, and everybody in between. Even though we disagree on a number of issues, I count all of you as friends. My friend and neighbor wants to promote a "Congressional Reform Act of 2010." It would contain eight provisions, all of which would probably be strongly endorsed by those who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
I know many of you will say "this is impossible." Let me remind you, Congress has the lowest approval rating of any entity in Government. Now is the time when Americans will join together to reform Congress - the entity that represents us.
We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American heroes.
**********************************
Congressional Reform Act of 2010
1. Term Limits.
12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete
A friend sent this along to me. I can't think of a reason to disagree.
I am sending this to virtually everybody on my e-mail list and that includes conservatives, liberals, and everybody in between. Even though we disagree on a number of issues, I count all of you as friends. My friend and neighbor wants to promote a "Congressional Reform Act of 2010." It would contain eight provisions, all of which would probably be strongly endorsed by those who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
I know many of you will say "this is impossible." Let me remind you, Congress has the lowest approval rating of any entity in Government. Now is the time when Americans will join together to reform Congress - the entity that represents us.
We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American heroes.
**********************************
Congressional Reform Act of 2010
1. Term Limits.
12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete
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