Six years have gone by since Osama bin Laden allegedly masterminded attacks on The World Trade Center and Pentagon. Although The FBI lists Usama bin Laden (their spelling) as a Most Wanted Terrorist, he seems to have gotten away with it.

What Have We Done?

Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, answered this question yesterday. In a Press Release titled: Honoring the Victims of 9/11 with a Commitment to Secure America. Thompson said:

“Congress acted swiftly to respond and federalized aviation security, realigned the Federal government to meet the challenges of a post—9/11 world and ordered the formation of the 9/11 Commission to conduct an independent review of the attacks and develop recommendations to make America more secure.

By January 2007, when I became chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, many of the 9/11 recommendations had been implemented. However, some of the most difficult challenges remained unaddressed. I am proud to say that the first order of business for the 110^th Congress was consideration of H.R. 1 —a bill to fulfill the 9/11 Commission recommendations and address other emerging threats.”

Emerging Threats

On December 8, 2004, after The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 was enacted, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said:

“We do not know where the next Afghanistan will spring up”

Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) is betting on Iran.

Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee today, during a hearing on the situation in Iraq and progress made by the Government of Iraq, Lieberman blamed the deaths of “hundreds of American troops” on Iran, and asked General David Petraeus, Commander of American troops in Iraq:

“Is it time to give you authority, in pursuit of your mission in Iraq, to pursue those Iranian Quds Force operations in Iranian territory, in order to protect America’s troops in Iraq?”

Petraeus replied:

“I think that really the Multinational Force Iraq should just focus on Iraq and that any kinds of operations outside the borders of Iraq would rightly be overseen by the Central Command.”

Of course, Lieberman missed the point.
Hundreds of troops didn’t die from the Quds, those troops shouldn’t have been there at all. Sending more troops to the region would just compound the error a little further, and make the casualty list a little longer.

Politicians have weakened our defenses, by sending our troops overseas, to die in meaningless wars, when Americans need security at home.

While the boys were playing…

The Allentown Morning Call reported that New Jersey State Police caught, and then released, a suspected terrorist today.

Truckers along (Interstate) Route 80, near the borders of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, reported a possible Arab photographing the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge, which connects New Jersey to Pennsylvania.

Imrah H. Ahmed, 25, told police that he had stopped to admire the scenery, and also so his wife could feed their baby. After police found Ahmed’s name on a list of suspected terrorists, they searched his car, found no camera, and sent him on his way.

Captain Al Della Fave, of the New Jersey State Police Office of Public Information, said:

“We conferred and there was no further reason for detention”

Does that make you feel safe?