January 2007

Suspicious Package Alert part of Marketing Campaign?

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

'Suspicious Packages' That Paralyzed Boston Part of Cartoon Network Marketing Campaign

BOSTON, MA: A suspicious package alert that shut down downtown Boston Wednesday afternoon was actually part of an elaborate marketing campaign by the Cartoon Network to spark interest in its "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" show.

After state and local officials said they were launching an investigation into a series of "suspicious packages" found around the city, the Cartoon Network released a statement saying the packages were magnetic lights that pose no danger.

"They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force," the statement said.

"They have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger."

Some of the images left on the devices were in the form of characters called "Mooninites" from "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," which is a show on the "Adult Swim" block of adult programming shown on the Cartoon Network. The show is an animated comedy about three detectives in the shape of human-sized food products that live together in a rental house in New Jersey. -- Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,249110,00.html

* After learning of the above announcement, ERRI counter-terrorism analysts said: "Decidedly...NOT FUNNY." "We don't know who dreamed this one up, or what they were thinking...but somebody should pay for all the disruption and fear they caused the people of Boston," another analyst added.

Multiple "Suspicious Devices"Reported in Boston

31 Jan 2007 - 15:15 EST

Multiple "Suspicious Devices" Found in Boston, MA

From The ERRI/EmergencyNet News Global Watchdesk

BOSTON, MA: According to emergency service sources, at least four "suspicious devices" have been found at different locations in Boston, MA. These latest reports follow an earlier incident near I-93 that involved what is being called a "hoax device." During that earlier incident, what appeared to be a "electronic circuit board" was involved. There did not, however, appear to be any explosives attached. Nonetheless, it was expoded in place by Boston Bomb Squad personnel. Since then, at least four other "devices" have also been found in the Boston area.

Police, Fire, EMS, and Bomb Squad officers have responded to each of the locations, and at least two more of them have been determined to also be "hoax devices." Investigation by local, state, and federal agencies continues at the time of this report. No claim of responsibility has been made, nor were any warnings about the "devices" issued prior to the incidents. There is no known motive for the incidents at this time. Though stressed, Boston police said that they have all the incidents "under control" and that additional officers have been called in to assist in the investigation. There is also a report that the Charles River has been closed to traffic by the U.S.C.G. until the nature of the events in Boston can be ascertained.

Unconfirmed reports are suggesting that the "devices" may be linked to a "school website" and could be some sort of prank involving students, though that has NOT been confirmed by Boston authorities. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events in Boston and elsewhere, in the event that the Boston incidents are some kind of diversion. Watch EmergencyNet News for more details, as circumstances may dictate.....

Firefighter and EMT Reported Killed in W.V. Blast

30 Jan 2007 -- 15:30 PM EST

Explosion Reported in Gas Station/Convenience Mart

From the ERRI/EmergencyNet News Global Watchdesk

W. VIRGINIA: EmergencyNet News is receiving information from first responders in W. Virginia that a paramedic and firefighter have been killed in an explosion at a gas station near Ghent, WV. Two other people have also been killed and at least seven other people badly injured...some critically.

Although many details remain unconfirmed, it is believed that the explosion at the "Flat Top Little General Store" may have been caused by some sort of "gas leak." It is said that the deceased firefighter and paramedic were responding to the incident in response to a reported leak, when the blast occurred. The incident is thought to have happened at about 10:45 a.m EST.

At a news conference in the past few minutes, a fire official said that an ambulance and fire truck were "damaged in the blast." Notification of the next of kin of those killed or injured is said to be underway at this time. The State Fire Marshall, BATF, State Police, and local officials are all at the scene of the blast investigating the cause of the blast. Ghent is located about 60 miles southeast of Charleston.

U.S. House Homeland Security Agenda

Posted here 30 Jan 2007

Thompson Lays Out Homeland Security Agenda

Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, delivered a roll out address at the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute. The address, entitled "The Real Deal for Homeland Security?, laid out his agenda for the 110th Congress.

?As Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I know all too well that if we are going to make our nation safer, we need a partnership. Homeland security is neither a Democratic nor a Republican issue. It is an American issue. I plan to work closely with the Committee?s Ranking Member ? Peter King of New York ? to ensure that it stays that way. Now, I might need a little help sometimes translating his Long Island talk into Mississippi speak and vice versa but in the end, I think we would agree that we both believe in DHS?s mission and the need to get the agency up to speed. The homeland security challenges for us this Congress are many. But, above all, we must absolutely assure that our nation has planned, is prepared, and can protect our nation if an emergency occurs.

During President Roosevelt?s inaugural address to the Nation on March 4, 1933, he quoted Proverbs 29:18 and said "where there is no vision, the people perish." Just as he sought to address a failing American economy through the New Deal, today I will provide you with an agenda that I hope will help us plan, prepare, and protect ? The Real Deal for Homeland Security....

Continues at: http://hsc.house.gov/press/index.asp?ID=157

* Thompson said: Another step I have taken to assure that oversight is done properly is to realign the [Homeland Security's] Committee?s subcommittees. Each subcommittee needs focus and the ability to dig down into the issues that plague the Department. The revised structure, along with some outstanding chairs, should make sure that happens. The six subcommittees are as follows:

-- Border, Maritime & Global Counterterrorism, led by Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez;

-- Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment led by Congresswoman Jane Harman;

-- Transportation Security & Infrastructure Protection led by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee;

-- Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science & Technology led by Congressman Jim Langevin;

-- Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response, led by Congressman Henry Cuellar; and

-- Management, Investigation & Oversight led by Congressman Chris Carney

Contact Info:

U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Homeland Security
176 Ford House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Dena Graziano or Todd Levett at (202) 226-2616.

France to Deploy 175,000 "Smoking Police"

Updated: 10:43, Tuesday January 30, 2007

Smokers: Puff At Your Peril

PARIS, FRANCE: France is to deploy 175,000 "cigarette police" to patrol the country's public places in a crackdown on smoking. From Thursday it will be illegal for people to light up in enclosed public spaces. Anyone breaching the ban will receive a 'smoking ticket' and a £48 ($93.24) fine from the 'smoke police'.

But in a fiercely pro-smoking country, politicians have warned that enforcing the ban may prove difficult. Smoking in bars and restaurants was officially banned in 1991. But the bar is openly flouted - smokers have been given an 11-month stay of execution before the ban is enforced more rigourously. (continues)

-- Source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1249418,00.html?f=rss

Healing the Wounded

Updated: 12:38 p.m. CT Jan 26, 2007

Healing the Wounded

The military has rewritten the book on wartime surgery to combat the wave of injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Web exclusive
By Sarah Childress
Newsweek

Jan. 26, 2007 - Medicine has always advanced on the battlefield; it was Hippocrates who said that ?war is the only proper school for surgeons." But the unprecedented scope of injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan has led the military's medical corps literally to rewrite the book on war surgery. At least 24,000 U.S. soldiers have been wounded since the Iraq war began, and another thousand in Afghanistan. With 20,000 more soldiers en route to the battlefield in Iraq, top military surgeons gathered this week in D.C. to discuss new strategies and technologies to help wounded warriors....Article continues at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16828168/site/newsweek/

[EmergencyNet Editors note: We believe that this is an important article that points to patient care that can have future ramifications for civilian emergency service agencies, as well as better serving the men and women of our military services as they now go "in harms way." The use of coagulation agents and advances in surgical treatment will probably be refined and filter down to aid in the medical care of people in your hometown some time in the future. As was the case during the Viet Nam war, and as noted by Hippocrates above, many advances in trauma care usually occur during conflicts. In fact, many attribute the current U.S. EMT/Paramedic programs, in place in most localities, to an evolution of what combat medics did in Viet Nam.

While we recommend this article for the general public to gain a better understanding of combat trauma care, we must take umbrage with some of the facts near the end of the article. The author, Ms. Childress, is apparently mistaken in regard to the identity of Michael Mazurek. As any combat Marine can attest, there is no such thing as a "Marine orthopedic surgeon." All medics (corpsman) and doctors serving members of the U.S.M.C. are proud members of the U.S. Navy, though they may be attached to Marine corp units for duty. As is the case all too often, most members of the popular press have not served in our nation's military and therefore are not familiar with the intricacies of how our armed services really operate.

Two in U.S. embassy car shot dead in Nairobi

Sat Jan 27, 2007 14:38pm EST

Two in U.S. embassy car shot dead in Nairobi

NAIROBI, KENYA (Reuters) - Carjackers with AK-47s shot dead two women in a U.S. embassy vehicle in Nairobi's western outskirts on Saturday, and police killed two of the fleeing gunmen during a shootout in the nearby bush. Police spokesman Gideon Kibunjah said two policemen were also shot and wounded as they chased the gunmen after the midday car-jacking on the main highway in the Kenyan capital.

There was a person who was driving and an elderly lady who took too long to get out of the vehicle and the gangsters shot them and threw them out," Kibunjah said. "The two were confirmed dead on arrival at the hospital." This is the fourth criminal attack in less than a year in Kenya on diplomats or their families and the second involving the U.S. diplomatic community. Article continues here.

Other than possible "car-jacking" for profit, there is no known motive for the murders at the time of this report. The perpetrators were not immediately identified by authorities. Investigation into the incident is continuing...

Breaking: Homemade Bombs And Threatening Notes Found

UPDATED: 16:19 pm EST January 25, 2007

Homemade Bombs And Threatening Notes Found

Self Radicalizing?

Posted here: 26 Jan 2007

KISSIMMEE, FL: Notes threatening that Kissimmee, FL., would be bombed by al-Qaeda recently found scattered through the city led to the discovery of homemade bombs inside a 20-year-old's home, police told Local 6 News.

"The exact message on one of the notes, we are told, (is) 'The city of Kissimmee is going to be bombed by al Qaeda, God willing,' " Local 6's Jamie Guriola said.

Some of the notes were found on vehicles parked at the Moose Lodge located on 1019 North Main Street and a vehicle parked at the First Christian Church located at 415 North Main Street.

"Each note referenced al Qaeda," the police report said.

During an investigation, investigators found explosives at the home of Juan Rafael Diaz, along with other notes threatening to detonate the devices, Local 6 reported.

References:

Homeland Security National Terror Alert - Homemade Bombs And Threatening Notes Found

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/

Homemade Bombs Found After 'Al Qaeda' Notes Threaten City
Report: 'Each Note Referenced al Qaeda'

http://www.local6.com/news/10842699/detail.html

Arabsat Begins to Broadcast Insurgent Propaganda Station

Information Operations/Propaganda

Arabsat Begins to Broadcast Insurgent Propaganda Station
Islamic Army of Iraq T.V.

Nick Grace and I have been following the case of al-Zawraa TV, a 24-hour insurgent station that focuses on Iraq but is broadcast through the Middle East. Here's how we described the station in a Daily Standard article on January 3:

Al-Zawraa hit the airwaves on November 14. According to Middle East-based media monitor Marwan Soliman and military analyst Bill Roggio, it was set up by the Islamic Army of Iraq, an insurgent group comprised of former Baathists who were loyal to Saddam Hussein and now profess their conversion to a bin Laden-like ideology.

The Islamic Army of Iraq is subordinate to the Mujahideen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni insurgent groups, including al Qaeda in Iraq. The Al-Zawraa channel is not only viewed as credible by users of established jihadist Internet forums, but as a strategically important information outlet as well. Moreover, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, is delighted by the station. A U.S. military intelligence officer told us that al-Masri "has long-term and big plans for this thing." . . . .

Al-Zawraa's content is heavy with insurgent propaganda, including audio messages from Islamic Army of Iraq spokesman Dr. Ali al-Na'ami and footage of the group's operations. The station calls for violence against both Shia Iraqis and the Iraqi government. According to Marwan Soliman, the station's anchors appear in military fatigues to rail against the Iraqi government while news crawls urge viewers to support the Islamic Army of Iraq and "help liberate Iraq from the occupying U.S. and Iranian forces."

When we wrote this, al-Zawraa was being broadcast by Nilesat, a powerful satellite administered by the Egyptian government. Today, BBC Monitoring reports that al-Zawraa has been picked up by Saudi-based Arabsat, thus making it more difficult to shut down the station:

On Friday 26 January BBC Monitoring observed Al-Zawraa TV, a Sunni satellite channel that targets viewers in Iraq and the Middle East, transmitting on Badr 4, one of the Arabsat satellites, at 26 degrees east.

Al-Zawraa also continues to be carried on the Egyptian-run Nilesat satellite.

Arabsat, based in Saudi Arabia, is an intergovernmental organization established originally by the Arab League. Saudi Arabia is the main stakeholder.

Al-Zawraa's founder is Mishan al-Jaburi, a former member of the Iraqi parliament and leader of the Sunni Arab Front for Reconciliation and Liberation.

The US has expressed concern about the content of the channel's broadcasts. An unnamed US official quoted by United Press International news agency on 14 January said: "We are very concerned about this. Al-Zawraa is glorifying the killing of American and Iraqi government officials, which we strongly object to. This needs to be taken care of. . . . This should never have been on air in the first place, much less over the satellite of a country that professes to be a friend of the United States."

Al-Zawraa is now based in Syria, after its studios in Iraq were closed by the Iraqi Interior Ministry in November 2006, for allegedly inciting violence and terrorism.

The Iraqi government has also asked Egypt to remove Al-Zawraa from the Nilesat satellite. So far, Egypt has refused to take Al-Zawraa off the air, saying that the channel's broadcasts are a purely commercial arrangement.

-- Source: http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/01/arabsat_begins_to_broadcast_in.php

Police DoD Equipment Sharing Program

Police/DoD Cooperation on Equipment APTN (APTN), World Fri 26 Jan 2007 12:05 AM EDT Local police agencies are taking advantage of a defense department program that offers free or greatly reduced cost equipment like night-vision goggles, copy machines, helicopters and bullet-proof vests. (Jan. 25, 2007) [Click picture]

Al Qaeda deputy warns U.S. of reprisal if policies remain

Thursday, January 25, 2007. 11:00am (AEDT)

Al Qaeda deputy warns U.S. of reprisal if policies remain

Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri (left) has warned Americans of a reprisal "far worse than anything they have seen", if Washington did not change its policies towards Muslim states.

"You are facing the Islamic rage ... what awaits you, should you press on, is far worse than anything you have seen," Zawahiri said in an Internet video.

Story continues at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1833396.htm

Did "24" Go Too Far?

Did "24" Go Too Far?

By Hugh Hewitt
Townhall.com
Monday, January 22, 2007

When the ABCNews.com column assignment arrived mid-morning --"Is the TV show "24" going too far by depicting a nuclear attack in Los Angeles in its opening episode?"-- the drama went out of tonight's two-hour program. Or so I thought.

As zero hour approached, I found myself assuming that the program really wouldn't actually depict a nuclear detonation near Los Angeles. I noted as the show unfolded that the script had the doomsday scenario putting the casualties of such an event at somewhere north of a hundred thousand, a remarkably low estimate, and that no mention was made of the catastrophic impact of radiation sickness or the second level but still devastating impact to surrounding infrastructure, the immediate refugee problem, or the collapse of the national economy.

Given that the consequences of such a blast, I found myself doubting that the program would risk absurdity by depicting a post-nuclear attack America far more simple than anyone has a right to conceive.

But blow the nuke, the writers did, and apparently there are four more where that came from. How Jack and gang deals with the aftermath remains to be seen --martial law at least from Bakersfield to San Diego, and from the Pacific to Vegas, perhaps, and a Dow 1200? -- But the question put to me remains: Did the program "go too far?"

Given that there are easily, oh, 10 million people in the world who would stand up and cheer at the real version of Monday night's fictionalized attack, and at least a few tens of thousands trying hard to do a deed of at least proportionate scale given the weaponry available, it is silly to argue that "it" couldn't possibly happen. Of course it could happen. Eventually another nuke will go off, and it is not likely to be the obvious action of a state actor.

So what is the "too far" in the question supposed to mean? It can only be that "24" is engaged in fear-mongering, and that is as stupid a charge as can be made.

-- Would the BBC have been going "too far" if in 1937 it had broadcast a radio drama depicting life in a Hitler-authorized death camp where hundreds of thousands of Jews were being executed in gas chambers, one of a string of such camps springing up across Europe?

-- Would a Paris newspaper have been going "too far" if it had run a short story in 1913 supposing trench warfare that would claim millions of casualties?

-- Had PBS run a drama proposing a Communist massacre of millions of Cambodians in 1973 or a Rawandan genocide of more than a half million Tutsis twenty years later, would those prophecies have been going "too far?"

The problem of the last century was a failure in the imagining of evil, a failure which was in some ways evil's accomplice. "It can't happen" often masked the very unfolding of the too-awful-to-occur event....

-- Sources:

http://townhall.com/columnists/HughHewitt/2007/01/22/did_24_go_too_far

http://www.fox.com/24/

To the Reader:

From C. L. Staten, Sr. Analyst

Interestingly, ERRI/Emergency.com has been accused of similar "scare-mongoring" on several occasions -- even though time and again -- the bad guys that we have identified, and the scenarios that we have anticipated, have become all too real (please see elsewhere on this website for further documentation). We would also refer the reader to the findings of the much quoted "911 Commission" report, which found that prior to the 9/11/01 attacks, the United States suffered from a "failure of imagination."

Now, Fox's "24" is suffering the "slings and arrows" of the critics for warning about (and depicting) the possibility of an attack in the United States with Weapons of Mass Destruction....a scenario which we agree is too horrible to even contemplate. But, as our research has indicated for several years, it is also an all too real possibility. While we all might hope and pray that such an incident never happens in America, we had better also prepare, train and equip ourselves to be ready for such an eventuality.

Westerners need keep our nerve...

21 Jan 2007 05:25 pm

The "Clash of Civilizations"
Westerners need keep our nerve...

"Technology, like all human creations, is capable of good and evil. But we can too easily forget the good. I went to see "Children of Men" last night, a superb, dystopian vision of the future, that makes it seem as if every day we are sliding toward an unspeakable apocalypse. But as we walked outside that vision of hell, the streets were calm, the shops full, the bars filling, the city pulsing with the weekend energy. We need to remember the normalcy we still have, rather than the fear that Islamists want us to feel.

The genius of Western technology is part of that spectacular normalcy. And it certainly doesn't seem to me to be inherently morally suspect. We have technologies that allow for all of us to see nature so much more intensely than most humans ever have had at their disposal; we have pharmaceuticals to extend our lives and ease our pains; we can listen to the greatest music ever written via a tiny box at any time of the day or night. These are great achievements - wonders to previous generations. And they're achievements of a free society, of free minds, of the West, by and large. When we are terrified by the nihilism of Islamist terror, we need to remind ourselves that they are terrified too: terrified of our achievements. While they reinvent death, we reinvent life. They are a physical threat - but not a serious ideological or spiritual one. One thing we Westerners need to do is keep our nerve. And part of that nerve is unapologetic pride in our civilization - and its superiority to an ideology that puts women in burkas and men in suicide vests."

-- Source: Andrew Sullivan, http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/

Terror on the Tracks

Terror on the Tracks

Let's say the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter really was a terrorist.

What if those were bombs he was placing on the chemical placard of a rail car inside the Thatcher Chemical Co. plant in suburban Las Vegas, and not his business cards?

Instead of a camera recording lax security over some of the deadliest chemicals ever produced, he held a detonator? And the string of chlorine gas cars trundling down Union Pacific Railroad tracks in the heart of Vegas was his prey?

If he was a terrorist, and his goal was to release a potentially catastrophic cloud of deadly gases, explosives and caustic acids -- in unguarded cars, left abandoned -- then a U.S. Department of Homeland Security's planning scenario might apply: 17,500 people dead, another 10,000 suffering injuries and 100,000 more flooding trauma wards, convinced they've been poisoned. The environmental damage would take weeks to clean up, forcing the evacuation of as many as 70,000 residents from a city built on sin, military might and heavy industry.

Less detailed and unlikely "Worst Case Scenario" plans filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggest the gases that could be released by the reporter perched atop millions of pounds of zinc chloride, phosphoric and sulfuric acids, and chlorine gas could drift 18 miles and threaten 1.1 million people with death, displacement or injury.

But, luckily, he was only a reporter.... (Article continues)

Click here to review: "Terror on the Tracks, By Carl Prine, TRIBUNE-REVIEW, Sunday, January 14, 2007

Doomsday Clock To Advance

Posted: January 15, 2007

Doomsday Clock To Advance

Dik Zak writes "Many news sites are reporting that the magazine Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists intends to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock on Wednesday 17 January. The clock was started at seven minutes to midnight during the Cold War and has been moved forward or back at intervals, depending on the state of the world and the prospects for nuclear war. Midnight represents destruction by nuclear war. It is not revealed in which direction the hands of the clock will be moved, but it should be safe to assume that they will move closer to midnight: the magazine cites 'worsening nuclear [and] climate threats.' The clock stood at two minutes to midnight when both the United States and the Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons in 1953. The farthest away from midnight it ever got was 17 minutes, in 1991 when both superpowers signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. It currently stands at seven minutes to midnight."

References: http://www.thebulletin.org/index.htm

Slashdot: http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/13/203222&from=rss

All trademarks and copyrights on all of our pages are the property of their respective owners....reprint permission and other publication issues should be referred to the original author and/or publication.

Iraq Qaeda-linked group calls Bush's plan a defeat

Sat Jan 13, 2007 -- 01:45am ET

Information Warfare; Iraq Qaeda-linked group calls Bush's plan a defeat

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iraqi militant group linked to al Qaeda dismissed President George W. Bush's new strategy in Iraq as proof of a U.S. defeat, an Internet statement said...

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-13T064510Z_01_L13532659_RTRUKOC_0_ US-IRAQ-QAEDA-SECURITY.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C1-topNews-3

An example of Perception, The Media and the War in Iraq

Times and the popular press have changed. While we are still conducting research, we can't seem to find any instances where the WWII press published comments by Japanese or German generals saying that then President Roosevelt's plans were "proof of defeat." This article is a typical example of what we were discussing in our earlier post on ""Perceptions and the War in Iraq" (see elsewhere on this blog). During WWII, editorial comments of Americas enemies like this would never have been published.

This purported statement from the "Islamic state in Iraq group" (Mujahideen Shura Council), and posted to a suspected Islamic militant website, is obvious "propaganda" and its only intent is to discourage America and her allies, while bolstering Sunni insurgent terror groups.

For additional information about the Jihadist use of the internet please see: Jihad.com, On the Discovery/Times Channel

President's Address/Comments on "Perceptions" and the War in Iraq

Supplement to the EmergencyNet News Daily Intelligence Report - INT13-011a

11 January 2007

IRAQ Sit-Rep

The President's Address: Counterinsurgency in Iraq/Countering Iran

BAGHDAD, IRAQ: In war movies (and occasionally in actual battles) last minute rallies carrying the day, just as things look most desperate, are a frequent plot device. This is roughly President Bush's play with the troop surge he announced in his speech earlier on Wednesday (10 jan 2007). Counterinsurgency however is not a sprint - it is a marathon run.

Dr. David Kilcullen, an Australian Lt. Colonel advising the U.S. government has described the goal of counterinsurgency as returning "the insurgency's parent society to its normal mode of interaction, on terms favorable to us." The means are, in Kilcullen's words, "armed social work." Other experts have variously described counterinsurgency as establishing legitimate authority by providing basic services, most notably ensuring the personal security...the first priority of any government. This would be an enormous challenge in any circumstance, but in an insurgency an adaptive foe is devoting all of its energies to undermining the re-establishment of lawful order.

This is not a task that is accomplished quickly. Campaigns are measured at best in years and frequently in decades. While 20,000 troops dedicated to securing Baghdad may help on the ground it may hurt in that other crucial front...the information war.

As international communication has become faster, counter-insurgency has become more difficult. Even successful counterinsurgency will include many setbacks. To citizens at home the news of these continual setbacks can create the image of an endless morass of violence and undermine public support for the war. The surge, along with more assertive confrontations with militias and terrorists, could actually lead to increased U.S. casualties. Ironically, in counterinsurgency sometimes that can be a good sign (casualties can indicate that the insurgents -- who prefer to avoid direct combat -- are being forced into it or that the counterinsurgent forces are operating deep in the insurgents' territory).

While the President noted that violence would continue for some time, American support for the Iraqi endeavor and confidence that the President knows how to turn the situation around are very low. Consequently, even if the surge of troops does improve the situation on the ground, it will probably not lead to a perception of improvement among the U.S. public. Most importantly, it must be understood that the insurgents know this too, and are consciously trying to increase the perception that American troops are powerless to impose order in Iraq... -- Source: By Aaron Mannes, The Counter-Terrorism Blog, 10 Jan 2007. Article continues at: http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/01/the_presidents_address_counter.php

ERRI CEO's Comments on "Perceptions" and the War in Iraq
By Paul Anderson, EmergencyNet News Correspondent

Definition:

per·cep·tion (per-sep'shen) n.

The process, act, or faculty of perceiving.
The effect or product of perceiving.

Psychology: Recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory. The neurological processes by which such recognition and interpretation are effected. Insight, intuition, or knowledge gained by perceiving. The capacity for such insight.

Quotes About Perception:

"All propaganda has to be popular and has to adapt its spiritual level to the perception of the least intelligent of those towards whom it intends to direct itself." -- Adolf Hitler, in "Mein Kampf"

"We don't see things as they are. We see them as we are." -- Anais Nin, American writer (1903-1977)

"All perception of truth is the detection of an analogy." -- Author: Henry David Thoreau

"The real distinction is between those who adapt their purposes to reality and those who seek to mold reality in the light of their purposes." -- Henry Kissinger (1923 - )

"Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets." -- Napoleon, Maxims

Commentary:

ERRI CEO and Sr. analyst Clark Staten said today that what he thinks that what Mr. Mannes is talking about (above) is a matter of "perception"....in Iraq, on the streets of America, in the halls of Washington, and throughout the rest of the world. "Perception management and information operations are a great deal more important now than they ever were in any conflict in the history of the United States" Staten said.

"In our opinion, one of the most important issues that the U.S. and her allies are facing is that of maintaining the 'moral high ground' and convincing the world of the respectability of our intentions," Staten said. "In a time of diminishing natural resources (read oil) and ever greater world-wide consumption, our enemies in the world have been very successful in portraying the United States as a 'greedy capitalist robber baron' who invaded Iraq in order to acquire their abundant petroleum assets," the veteran analyst continued.

"Additionally, other opponents have framed the 'Global War on Terror' as a 'religious crusade' being carried out by a largely Christian United States against the 'downtrodden and oppressed' Muslim populations of the world," he added. "Particularly the radical fringe elements of Islam who favor the creation of a new caliphate in the Middle-East have been vehement in their attempt to depict America and her allies as 'invaders and occupiers,' who harbor dishonorable motivations and ignominious intent," Staten continued.

"And," Staten added, "The Al-Jazeera channels of the world have been almost exultant in their coverage of any perceived atrocity alleged to have been carried by U.S. or allied forces in Iraq...when in reality, and compared to previous major wars, there have actually been very few incidents of abuse or maltreatment of enemy combatants."

"Maybe more important than the foreign propaganda...political opponents in our own country have used the conflict in Iraq as a heavy stick to bash the Republican party in general and President Bush in particular....thus weakening the overall resolve of the country to sustain the long battle that will undoubtedly be required to win against the Islamo-facists of the world," Staten added.

"All-in-all, opponents of various kinds have been largely victorious in the information war and psychological operations that overarch (and undermine) the United States' continuing battle against extremists...we as a country, have not been very good at shaping the personal perception of our own citizens, nor much of the rest of the world," he continued.

"While our enemies in Iraq have not won a major battle against the U.S. military, they apparently did learn something from Ho Chi Minh and Viet Nam... namely that you can't defeat the U.S. militarily, but if you can create enough political dissent and social acrimony in the United States...you can force a withdrawal of U.S. forces and win your fight in that way," Staten said. "The most important battle of the war in Iraq was not fought in Iraq...but rather in the minds of our citizens and at ballot boxes all over America, he added.

"The reader would also be well served to read about General Andr'e Beaufre (1902-1975) and his studies and conclusions about the Algerian War of Independence (1954-62), and French involvement in Indochina which resulted in the March, 1954 defeat of French forces during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu," Staten recommended.

"Beayfre's involvement in these two conflicts allowed him to gain a very useful knowledge of people he called 'moral warriors' who exploited the strategic use of morality to influence the outcome of the wars in both Algeria and Viet Nam," he continued.(1)

"Although Beaufre was, at that time, fighting in what were being called 'wars of liberation' and against communism... the lessons to be learned about manipulation of world opinion while appearing to be the 'underdog who is fighting the colonialist oppressor' should be committed to memory by the United States and her allies," Staten added. "These same rhetorical games and information strategies, used by their opponents to diminish world opinion of France during its incursions into Viet Nam and Algeria are now being used to separate and isolate the sole superpower left in the world...the United States," he continued.(2)

"If America hopes to turn this situation around with just a 'troop surge,' and not radically change her approach and implementation of information and perception management programs...in Iraq and elsewhere...it appears doomed to failure," Staten asserted.

"The true hypocrisies and devious ambitions of the Islamofacists must be widely publicized and understood in Europe and the Islamic countries...and most of all, America's true altruism and unbridled advocacy of freedom and democracy must be allowed to shine through the doom and gloom of potential defeat that has been created by her detractors, wherever or whomever they might be," the long time military historian added.

"The United States and her allies are the 'good guys' and the terrorists are the 'bad guys'...this is ultimately the message that America must both understand and disseminate...or eventually, we would predict that all the lovers of true freedom will suffer terribly at the hands of these extremists," Staten concluded.

Recommended Reference:

1. "The 33 Strategies of War," by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers, published by Viking Books/Penguin Group, 2006

2. ibid

Pessimism in the Intelligence Community

Friday January 12, 2007

Pessimism in the Intelligence Community
By Douglas Farah/Counter-Terrorism Blog

The overwhelmingly negative assessment of the U.S. counter-terrorism strategy laid out by John Negroponte and other leaders of the intelligence community in the annual worldwide threat assessment (Washington Post Report) was surprisingly under-reported. But buried in the bleak assessment, one of the starkest in recent reports, was a realistic outline of the spreading threats on multiple Islamist fronts that we are facing.

The report was notable for its candor and the end to the happy talk that has often made its way into assessments on the struggle against the _jihadist_ threat. What is amazing is that, five years and billions of dollars after 9-11, we are falling behind in the conflict. We are not even really competing in the field of ideas, and we have done little to mitigate the broader problems.

Part of the problem is that there is still no general consensus on who the enemy is and if a war exists. Until we decide that, little else of import can happen.

The enemy is the ideology and theology that is still be funded by billions of dollars a year to spread its poison. There are two different poisons-the Salafist-Sunni version funded by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, and the Shia poison funded by Iran. Both are aimed at killing us before they turn on each other. My full blog is here.

Link/Reference: http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/01/pessimism_in_the_intelligence.php

Incident in Athens Now Being Called "Terrorist Attack"

00:35 CST - 12 Jan 2007

Incident in Athens Now Being Called "Terrorist Attack"

From the ERRI/EmergencyNet News Global Watchdesk

ATHENS, GREECE: Attackers have reportedly fired a rocket at the U.S. embassy in Athens on Friday, but no one was hurt, police and the U.S. embassy said. Police are now calling this incident an "act of terrorism."

"This was a rocket attack launched from a building across the street. It landed inside a toilet on the third floor of the embassy," a senior police official told the Reuters news service. "There are no injuries from the blast," a U.S. embassy spokesman said.

"This is an act of terrorism. We don't know where from. There was a shell that exploded in the toilets of the building ... it was fired from street level," Attica Police chief Asimakis Golfis told the Associated Press

Another senior police official told Reuters: "This was a rocket attack launched from a building across the street. It landed inside a toilet on the third floor of the embassy."

"This is a very serious attack", U.S. Ambassador Charles Ries told reporters gathered outside the building.

The senior police official said Greece's deputy police chief and Athens police chief are on the scene, working directly with specialist officers of the national security and anti-terrorist squads. The identity of the perpetrators and any possible motive for the attack was not immediately clear. There has been no claim of responsibility for today's attack and there was no known warning message before the blast.

ERRI analysts did say that they were aware of a "Warden Message" that was issued on 09 January by the U.S. state department and warning of possible problems concerning demonstrations and "anarchists" in Athens. There is currently no link being drawn between the warden message and Friday's attack.

Watch EmergencyNet News for additional official details as they emerge...

Explosion Reported at U.S. Embassy in Greece

EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report

11 Jan 2007

Explosion Reported at U.S. Embassy in Greece

From the ERRI/EmergencyNet News Global Watchdesk

By C. L. Staten, Sr. Analyst

ATHENS, GREECE: VERY preliminary reports are coming in about an explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece. An explosion was heard at approimately 05:55 a.m. (local time) (10:55 p.m. Thursday EST/03:55 GMT). No other authenticated details are currently available.

It was not clear what caused the blast inside the building and there was no immediate word on casualties. Police have cordoned off all roads around the embassy. Counter-terrorism officers have reportedly been dispatched to the scene of the incident.

Police officials at the scene said that whatever caused the explosion damaged the embassy sign outside the mission, but there was little other indication of the extent of damage inside.

This is only an advisory message at this time...until this story can be further confirmed and more details obtained.

Watch EmergencyNet News for more official information as it emerges...

The Ultimate Threat - CBRN Terror Attack

11 Jan 2007

The Ultimate Threat - CBRN Terror Attack

WORLD-WIDE: A particularly sinister and deadly category of weapons may signal a new era of global terrorism. Many experts are of the opinion that it?s no longer a question of if but only a matter of time before a biological, chemical or nuclear terrorist attack occurs. However, there is considerable disagreement regarding the effectiveness of these attacks, as measured by physical destruction and human casualties. -- Source: http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2007/01/11/the-ultimate-threat-cbrn-terror-attack/

Their link leads to a sdtory today in the The Adirondack Daily Enterprise and a Thursday, January 11, 2007 article entitled: "The ultimate terrorist threat: Biological, chemical and nuclear weapons," which is written by retired sociology professor at University of San Diego, George J. Bryjak. This article is not submitted here for the depth of it's technical expertise, but rather for the rational perspective that it provides in regard to the issue of potential terrirust use of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Give it a read...

ERRI References: Emergency.com Haz-Mat/WMD Archive: http://www.emergency.com/hzmtpage.htm

Islamist Insurgency Hits Thailand Hard; the Insurgency in Southern Thailand is Building Momentum

Islamist Insurgency Hits Thailand Hard; The Insurgency in Southern Thailand is Building Momentum

"Add Thailand to the list of Islamist insurgencies spinning out of control. Best known for its spicy food, sex trade, Buddhist monks, and once booming economy, Thailand is now home to one of the world's more brutal jihad wars. For three years, a stubborn and increasingly violent insurgency has grown in the heavily Muslim districts of the country's south, made worse by the clumsy and corrupt response by Thai officials. A just released paper by Southeast Asia terrorism expert Zachary Abuza (1) paints a harrowing picture of the conflict.

"The situation is not improving," writes Abuza. "There is a question of whether the Thai government can salvage anything. Right now, they are losing the south, and 2007 will be a critical year...."

You can look forward to hearing more about this mess. Add Thailand to a troubled list that includes Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, Kashmir, Mindanao, and Somalia."

-- Source: USN&WR, David E. Kaplan, on the net at: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/badguys/070105/islamist_insurgency_hits_thail.htm

Reference:

1. Three Years after the January 2004 Raids, the Insurgency in Southern Thailand is Building Momentum, by Zachary Abuza, 03 January 2007, which can be found at: http://counterterrorismblog.org/site-resources/images/4%20January%202004%20Anniversary.pdf

ERRI/Emergency.com References:

"World-Wide Terrorism Predictive Analysis," 01 May, 2005, .PDF, can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/2005/World-Wide%20Terrorism_2005.pdf

"18 Feb 2005 - Could Thailand's terrorism spread?" -- On the internet at: http://www.emergency.com/cntrter3.htm

"THAILAND-Update: Additional Battalions Being Sent to S. Thailand," ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT, Monday, September 20, 2004, Vol. 10, No. 263(From ERRI data archives -- only available to ERRI/EmergencyNet consulting clients and news subscribers)

"The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit - Security Preparations," ERRI Daily Intelligence Report, Thursday, September 04, 2003, Vol. 9 - 238 (From ERRI data archives -- only available to ERRI/EmergencyNet consulting clients and news subscribers)

Islamic Terrorists using Google Map and GPS systems to locate, track and monitor India's IT and call center outsourcing hubs

Original article date: Jan. 6, 2007 -- Posted here 10 Jan 2007

Islamic Terrorists using Google Map and GPS systems to locate, track and monitor India's IT and call center outsourcing hubs

INDIA: They want to hit at the core profit center of India Inc. They want to hit at the outsourcing centers all over the nation. They have placed moles in Infosys, TCS, IBM India, Wipro and other companies all over the countries. They are recruiting non-Islamic people to cause confusion. With these field intelligence operatives, they are using Google Map and Global Positioning Systems to track each and every outsourcing installations of India.

Pakistan's ISI provides them with logistics and guidance. They are spread out ready to take on India.

The suspected Pakistan-trained militant, who was arrested on Bangalore outskirts, had visited Infosys and Wipro to find out the security arrangements there for a possible terror strike as per instructions of top insurgents in Pakistan with alleged LeT links, his questioning revealed.

Sources say he was visiting the moles already in place in those companies.

Police recovered one AK-56 rifle, 200 rounds of ammunition, five hand grenades, two magazines of AK-56 and one charger for satellite phone from his rented house at Ranipet in Bellary district, City Police Commissioner Neelam Achyut Rao said.

Rao said the 34-year-old terrorist, Bilal Ahmed Kota alias Imran Jalal alias Salim, was asked by his 'bosses' (top insurgents in Pakistan with alleged LeT links) to visit the offices of Wipro and Infosys and Bangalore airport to find out the security arrangements at these places and to report back.

-- Source: India Daily, Kiran Chaube, 06 Jan 2006 -- http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/15046.asp

ERRI analyst note: This notice is posted on the OP/ED page of and probably should be considered more an allegation than confirmation of a given threat. That said, ERRI analysts previously predicted potential attacks on IT resources in India. Please see: 08 March, 2005 Threats of Terror Attacks on High-Tech Firms in India, can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/2005/bangalore_threat_030805.mht

Foreign Terrorist Elements Captured or Killed in Somalia

09 Jan 2007

Foreign Terrorist Elements Reportedly Captured or Killed in Somalia

AFRICA: Ethiopia's prime minister said in an interview published Tuesday that suspected terrorists from Canada, Britain, Pakistan and elsewhere have been among those taken prisoner or killed in the military operations in Somalia. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was quoted by French newspaper Le Monde as saying that he didn't know the exact number of prisoners in Somalia "because it changes constantly."

"But many international terrorists are dead in Somalia," Meles was quoted as saying. "Photographs have been taken and passports from different countries have been collected. The Kenyans are holding Eritrean and Canadian passport holders. We have injured people coming from Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan, the United Kingdom."

A spokeswoman at the British Foreign office said it could not confirm reports that British passport holders have been involved in the fighting in Somalia. But she said her government was in touch with Somali and Ethiopian authorities and would continue an inquiry into such reports. The British spokeswoman spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with Foreign Office policy....

Previous ERRI Assessment/Reference:

"In furtherance of these goals, ERRI CT analysts said that they are seeing signs that there is increasing involvement by possibly associated Jihadists in the N. African region, including a possibility that Somalia may become a training and "rest-and-recreation" location for Al-Qaeda operatives. "What we are seeing is a familiar pattern...an emerging Afghanistan in Africa," ERRI spokesman Clark Staten said. "It is our current assessment that various 'failed states' in Africa may become 'jumping-off-points' for future terror attacks in Europe and elsewhere," Staten continued." -- Source: 25 Dec 2005 - 09:00CST -- "The Continued Morphing and Spread of Al-Qaeda," which can be found on the internet at: http://www.emergency.com/2005/al_qaeda_morph2005.htm

Excerpted from ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT, ERRI Risk Assessment Services, Friday, January 11, 2002, Vol. 8 - 011

"War On Terror Said To Accelerate Worldwide

Terror Group Reference: al-Qaeda

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

WASHINGTON: According to U.S. officials, the U.S.-led war on terrorism is proceeding worldwide, with increasing results even in problem areas ranging from Sudan in Africa and Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula to the Philippines in Southeast Asia. The United States is said to have tangible evidence that terrorist attacks outside Afghanistan have been disrupted, delayed or prevented by the four-month global effort.

The growing number of arrests and the freezing of financial assets are, according to one U.S. official, "beginning to impair al-Qaeda operations and their ability to launch terrorist actions," referring to Usama bin Laden's terrorism network.

As the fighting winds down in Afghanistan, the focus will increasingly be on this largely invisible half of the war and expanding it deeper into areas such as Somalia, an unruly country on the Horn of Africa where al-Qaeda has been active in the past--and still has ties.

Between 800 and 1,000 terrorism suspects have been arrested or detained in more than 50 countries, not including the more than 640 held in the United States. Many of the foreign arrests have not been made public. More than 140 countries have also frozen funds in 270 accounts with assets of US$65 million. Most of the arrests and frozen assets are linked to al-Qaeda, but other extremist groups have also been affected.

In contrast to the Afghan operation, the other half of the war, so far, involves limited or no military use of U.S. troops. In the other half of the war, covert intelligence operations or operations involving local militias or militaries are more likely to be used. Each operation has been tailored to local circumstances.

According to U.S. officials, in the war outside Afghanistan, countries fall into one of three tiers. The first is made up of countries, most notably in Europe, that have the will and means to act on their own against terrorism. The U.S. role on the first tier has usually been limited to sharing intelligence.

The second tier includes countries that have the will but need active support from U.S. law enforcement, intelligence, counter-terrorism or military advisors. The third tier consists of countries whose desire or ability to deal with terrorism remains in question.

The five nations under the most intense scrutiny because of their political environments or past links to al-Qaeda, are Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, the Philippines and Indonesia. Four are unstable Muslim nations, and the Philippines has a militant separatist movement within its Muslim minority.

As ERRI has reported several times in the past weeks, Somalia has long been the biggest concern because conditions there are even worse than in Afghanistan. Somalia is a largely destitute Muslim country with a power vacuum and a highly armed population prone to internal clashes. After 9/11, the United States put the Somalian movement Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya on its terrorist list and froze the assets of Al Barakaat.

Counterterrorism analysts tell ERRI that the U.S. is particularly interested in Ras Kamboni, an area near the border with Kenya where al-Qaeda cells have operated in the past. U.S. intelligence is also closely monitoring the coastline for suspicious shipping traffic that might infiltrate al-Qaeda forces back into Somalia..." -- Source: ERRI internal database

[ERRI analysts said that preliminary reports seem to indicate that the most recent (Jan 8-9) clashes were in the vicinity of Ras Kamboni and the border with Kenya. Yet other unconfirmed reports mention attacks in the vicinity of Afmadow and Doble, in the Southern most province of Somalia. Helicopter gunships reportedly launched new attacks Tuesday near the scene of a U.S. airstrike in the village of Hayi, although it was not clear if they were American or Ethiopian aircraft, and it was not known if there were any casualties.]

U.S. Special Operations Aircraft Launch Attack on al-Qaeda in Somalia

11:30CDT - 08 Jan 2007

U.S. Special Operations Aircraft Launches Attack on al-Qaeda in Somalia

S. SOMALIA: The U.S. military has reportedly launched a strike against several suspected members of al-Qaida in Somalia, a government official said Monday evening. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the operation's sensitivity, said at least one AC-130 Spectre gunship was used in the attack. CNN, NBC and CBS have all reported on (confirmed) this military action.

Citing unidentified Pentagon officials, CBS said the targets included the senior al-Qaeda leader in East Africa and an al-Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The nearly simultaneous1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed more than 250 people. The targets are also alleged to be linked to the "Somali Islamic group" (ICU).

Sources in Washington tell EmergencyNet News that the strike took place sometime in the past 24 hours and that direct action action against Al-Qaeda camps and operatives could continue if appropriate targets were to present themselves. The U.S. Navy is said to have several combat assets in the area that have been used to block the escape radical Islamists as they flee the fall of Mogadishu and the onslaught of Ethiopian and Somali troops. The effectiveness of today's airborne attack is not presently known, although there are some so-far unverified accounts of casualties on the ground.

Few other official details are currently available and Emergency.Blog will not post any information that could potentially put U.S. or allied units at risk. Watch EmergencyNet News and this webpage for more facts when they are officially released...

Additional references:

"Update/Series of Reports; Bombings of Two U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Africa" -10 Aug 98, can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/afribmb2.htm

August 16, 1998 - Vol. 4 - 228; "LATEST ON EMBASSY BOMB INVESTIGATIONS" on the net at: http://www.emergency.com/afribmb3.htm

Suspicious truck stopped at the Port of Miami-Dade

Posted on Sun, Jan. 07, 2007

Suspicious truck stopped at the Port of Miami-Dade

Federal and county authorities have detained as many as three Middle Eastern men at the Port of Miami-Dade after they tried to enter the facility Sunday morning without proper paperwork, the Miami Herald said.

An FBI spokeswoman in Miami said an Iraqi semi-truck driver trying to get into the port was been arrested after the cargo in his truck did not match what was declared on the truck's manifest. Federal sources said the manifest described the cargo as auto parts, but that is not what was found. It's unknown what the search revealed was really inside the semi.

Authorities also found a second Iraqi national and a Lebanese national hiding inside the 18-wheeler, the official said. ''Right now, we're trying to figure out what these men were trying to do,'' said Judy Orihuela, the FBI spokeswoman.The Miami-Dade Bomb Squad has been dispatched to the scene. A press conference is scheduled to be held later today at the port....

Revealed: Israel plans nuclear strike on Iran

January 07, 2007

Revealed: Israel plans nuclear strike on Iran

ISRAEL: has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran?s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons. according to the London Sunday Times.

Two Israeli air force squadrons are [allegedly] training to blow up an Iranian facility using low-yield nuclear "bunker-busters", according to several Israeli military sources.

The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb.

Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open "tunnels" into the targets. "Mini-nukes" would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout. "As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished," said one of the sources... Article continues at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2535310,00.html

-- Source: Uzi Mahnaimi, New York and Sarah Baxter, Washington, The (London) Sunday Times

Israel rejects report it may attack Iran

LONDON, ENGLAND: A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israeli pilots are training to possibly strike as many as three targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons, aiming to halt Tehran's controversial uranium enrichment program (see above). Two other sites, a heavy water plant at Arak and a uranium conversion plant at Isfahan, would be targeted with conventional bombs, the Sunday Times said.

Israeli officials swiftly denied the report, which comes amid growing global concerns over an Iranian project that Washington and other governments believe is secretly intended to build atomic weapons, the Associated Press and Yahoo reported today.

Israel has never confirmed it has nuclear bombs itself, although analysts widely believe the Jewish state possesses a significant stockpile and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates referred to the Israeli atomic arsenal during his recent confirmation hearing. Citing multiple unidentified Israeli military sources, The Sunday Times said plans had been drawn up in Israel for a potential attack using "bunker-buster" nuclear weapons against atomic facilities at three sites south of the Iranian capital.

The U.S. and its allies suspect Tehran of trying to produce atomic weapons there ? and the issue has taken on redoubled urgency because of Iranian leaders' statements calling for the destruction of Israel as well as their recent hosting of a conference at which the Holocaust was questioned.

Though Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has not explicitly ruled out a military strike on Iran's nuclear program, he says the issue should be dealt with diplomatically ? and stresses that an Iranian nuclear bomb would be a problem for the entire world, not just Israel...

Oklahoma City Bombing: An al-Qaeda Connection?

06 Jan 2007

Oklahoma City Bombing: An al-Qaeda Connection?

Foreign terrorists, including al-Qaeda operative Ramzi Yousef, may have played a role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, according to an oversight investigation by the House International Relations Committee.

In his report: "The Oklahoma City Bombing: Was There A Foreign Connection?" (.pdf), International Relations Committee chairman Dana Rohrabacher (R - California), presents evidence suggesting that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols may have been assisted in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building by "Middle Easterners" and "a German national living at an extremist compound in eastern Oklahoma."

On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, at approximately 9:02 AM, a bomb exploded in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring countless others. Within days, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were in custody as the prime suspects and were eventually convicted of the crime. Undoubtedly, McVeigh and Nichols were responsible for this violent domestic terrorist attack, and, with the conviction of these murderers, justice was served.

However, from the time of the bombing until today, questions persist as to whether others were involved. Especially alarming has been speculation that there might have been a foreign connection. Throughout his trial and appeals, McVeigh contended the FBI had concealed evidence that he and Nichols had actually acted as part of a larger group of conspirators...

Additional reference for above:

U.S. Gov Info / Resources - Oklahoma City Bombing: An al-Qaeda Connection?
http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/a/217479.htm

Oklahoma State Reference:

The Oklahoma Department of Civil Emergency Management, After Action Report, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Bombing, 19 April 1995 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Can be found at: http://www.ok.gov/oem/docs/Bombing%20After%20Action%20Report.pdf

Third Party References:
Amazon.com: The Third Terrorist: The Middle East Connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing (Hardcover) can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/Third-Terrorist-Connection-Oklahoma-Bombing/dp/0785261036

ERRI/Emergency.com relevant references:

April 19, 1995; "Terrorist Attack in Oklahoma,"
April 20, 1995; "Middle-Eastern Suspects/Witnesses Sought,"
April 23, 1995; "Domestic Versus International??"
All contained within the EmergencyNet News initial reports concerning the bombing in OKC, can be found at:http://www.emergency.com/oklabomb.htm
(Please note perveived incongruity by ERRI analysts about the source of the bombing, to include an assessment from ERRI that, "It is likely that this attack came from the direction of the Mid-East")

November 13, 1997, Vol. 3 - 317; "Ramzi Yousef Found Guilty on Four Counts; ERRI Alert...," which can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/alrt1197.htm

05 Mar 2001; "Chicago Institute Issues World-Wide Terrorism Advisory," on the net at: http://www.emergency.com/2001/ter-advisry-03-05-01.htm
(Six months prior to 9/11 attacks)

[Photo above - From NASA Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), who assisted with the rescue for ten days]

New Purported Zawahiri Tape Calls For Suicide attacks in Somalia

Friday, 05 Jan 07

New Purported Zawahiri Tape Calls For Suicide attacks in Somalia

CAIRO, EGYPT: Ayman Zawahiri, in a taped message posted on the Internet Friday, has called on Somalia's Islamic militants to carry out suicide attacks on Ethiopian troops fighting in their country, according to an Associated Press report.

Al-Qaeda's No. 2 also implores Muslims worldwide to support Somalia's Islamists with fighters, money and expertise. "I speak to you today as the crusader invader forces of Ethiopia violate the soil of the beloved Muslim Somalia," Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahri said in the recording.

Ethiopian-backed government forces have driven the militants from the capital Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia, ending their six months in power. Many Islamists have retreated to the southern tip of the country where they have vowed to keep fighting, raising the specter of an Iraq-style guerrilla war.

"I call upon the Muslim nation in Somalia to remain in the new battlefield that is one of the crusader battlefields that are being launched by America and its allies and the United Nations against Islam and Muslims," al-Zawahri said. "Launch ambushes, land mines, raids and suicidal combats until you consume them as the lions and eat their prey," he added.

The message could not immediately be authenticated, but it aired on an Islamic Web site known for publishing militant material and carried the logo of al-Qaeda's media production wing, al-Sahab...

ERRI CT analysts said that Zawahiri continues to try to insert himself and/or main force Al-Qaeda into "zones of conflict" throughout the world. The last example thereof was a Zawahiri message attempting to offer advice concerning the Palestinian/Israeli dispute. These messages may be Zawahiri's attempt to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world situation.

Pickle says terrorist attack on the Capitol is inevitable

January 4, 2007

Pickle says "terrorist attack on the Capitol is inevitable"

By Albert Eisele

WASHINGTON, DC: Senate Sergeant at Arms Bill Pickle ended four years in office yesterday with a plea to lawmakers and law enforcement officials to keep their guard up against what he called an inevitable terrorist attack on the Capitol.

"Nothing has changed since 9/11," warned Pickle. "The Capitol is the symbol of America all over the world, and it?s clearly the No. 1 or 2 target of terrorists, as it was on 9/11. I truly believe at some point in the future, and I don?t know in what shape or form, we will be victimized again."

"Terrorists don't have to hit a home run by knocking down the Capitol Dome. All they have to do is attack the Capitol complex [with an airplane or chemical or biological agents] and cause damage and loss of life, and it would produce shock waves around the country...."

Article continues at: http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/010407/pickle.html

Report: Only 6 U.S. cities excel in crisis communications

INTEROPERABILITY STUDIES

AP Reports: Only 6 U.S. Cities Excel in Crisis (Disaster) Communications

POSTED: 18:37 p.m. EST, January 2, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC: Only six of 75 U.S. cities and surrounding areas rate top grades for their emergency agencies' ability to communicate during a disaster, according to a federal report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

A draft portion of the report, to be released Wednesday, gives the highest ratings to Washington; San Diego, California; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; Columbus, Ohio; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Laramie County, Wyoming.

The lowest scores went to Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Mandan, North Dakota; and American Samoa.

The study, conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, comes five years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, revealed major problems in how well emergency agencies were able to talk to each other during a catastrophe. Many firefighters climbing the World Trade Center towers died when they were unable to hear police radio warnings to leave the crumbling buildings.

In New York now, the report said, first responders were found to have well-established systems to communicate among themselves -- but not the best possible. Just over a year ago, Hurricane Katrina underscored communication problems when radio transmissions were hindered because the storm's winds toppled towers.

Democrats have said they will make improving emergency communications a priority when they take control of Congress this week, though they have not said specifically what they will do, how much it will cost or how they will pay for it.

In the study, communities were judged in three categories: operating procedures in place, use of communications systems and how effectively local governments have coordinated in preparation for a disaster.

Most of the areas surveyed included cities and their surrounding communities, based on the assumption that in a major crisis emergency personnel from all local jurisdictions would respond. -- Source: CNN/AP, 18:37 p.m. EST, January 2, 2007, Article continues at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/02/emergency.communications.ap/index.html

Previous DHS Report Drew Different Conclusions

In apparent contradiction to the CNN/AP report, DHS reported on December 8, 2006 that "that roughly two-thirds of emergency response agencies across the nation use interoperable communications at varying degrees."

The National Interoperability Baseline Survey queried interoperable capabilities from 22,400 randomly selected law enforcement, fire response, and emergency management services (EMS) agencies nationwide. A fact sheet from DHS regarding the original survey can be found at: http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1165603330445.shtm

Key Findings

Survey findings provide a clear and unprecedented assessment of current interoperable capabilities to better assist local officials in making informed decisions on strategies to improve interoperability and target finite resources. The findings include:

• Approximately two-thirds of agencies reporting use interoperability to some degree
• Agencies tend to be more developed in technology and certain governance-related interoperability areas than they are in standard operating procedures and exercises
• Smaller agencies tend to be less advanced in interoperability than larger agencies.
• Law enforcement, fire response and EMS agencies tend to show the same level of interoperability development
• Cross-discipline and cross-jurisdiction interoperability, at a local level, tends to be more advanced than levels of interoperability between local and state agencies
• Agencies that operate on large, shared systems tend to be at more advanced stages of development than those that operate on stand-alone systems.
• Moderate levels of progress in technical approaches, implementation, exercises, command and control, and standard operating procedures correlate to more frequent and regular use of interoperability solution

Additional baseline survey findings and other associated documents are available on the SAFECOM Web site at: http://www.safecomprogram.gov

The entire Interoperability report in (.pdf format) can be downloaded at: http://www.safecomprogram.gov/NR/rdonlyres/40E2381C-5D30-4C9C-AB81-9CBC2A478028/0/2006NationalInteroperabilityBaselineSurvey.pdf

ERRI Assessment of the Two Differing Reports

ERRI analysts said that the disparity in the conclusions from the DHS and CNN/AP reports is all too familiar these days as "political considerations continue to rear their ugly head" in almost all matters of any substance in Washington. "At least part of difference in conclusions is because of 'spin,' both on the part of DHS and the opposing Democrats," ERRI senior analyst and retired emergency service chief Clark Staten said. "Of course, DHS wants to present the findings as an indication that they are accomplishing their goals....and the Democrats in Congress want to depict the Bush administration as incompetent as they begin their campaigns for the 2008 presidental elections," Staten added.

"The inexact truth about the state of interoperability in the United States is probably in the middle of the two positions," Staten continued. Anecdotal accounts from emergency responders across the country, a review of the government SAFECOM report, and independant analysis by ERRI communications and disaster preparedness specialists would suggest that about 50% of major cities have at least some level of interoperability, Staten said. But, Staten added that this issue is both intra-department (in a given city or other political jurisdiction) and external or inter-department (mutual aid communications). The problem involves communications and coordination between various subdivisions of government who will also be responding to a major disaster event...be it natural or man-made.

"There are far too many examples of faulty command, control, and communications (C3) in America's history of response to major disasters...to notably include the response by several levels of government during Hurricane Katrina," (particularly, see section entitled "ERRI Katrina Analysis III -- 10:00CDT, Communications and Interoperability") Staten said. "While the federal government has spent approximately $2.1 billion dollars to address the interoperability issue, they are only just beginning to break down the historic barriers that have prevented effective synchronization of disaster response efforts in the past," the veteran emergency planner continued. "The interoperability problems that still exist are multi-dimensional, and include technical, cultural, procedural, and motivational issues," Staten added.

ERRI analysts said that they are continuing their more than fifteen year study of the interoperability problem and that they expect to prepare an assessment/briefing on this topic for public presentation later in the Spring/Summer of 2007. Watch Emergency.com/Emergency.Blog for more information about this important issue...

Additional References:

• November 21, 2005 - Homeland security's biggest challenge: too much information," by Ronald Marks, can be found at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1121/p09s02-coop.html
  
  
• 2004 - The United States Conference of Mayors, INTEROPERABILITY SURVEY, A 192-City Survey, Homeland Security Monitoring Center, can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/2004/interoperabilityreport_062804.pdf
  
  
• 1999: "WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION - CONSEQUENCE MANAGEMENT," Powerpoint, presented To NATO Senior Officers at "OpenRoad 99" by: C. L. Staten, Executive Director Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI), which can be found in the ERRI archives
  
  
• April 16, 1998 - "EMERGENCY SERVICE INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS; THE PURSUIT OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE," By Staten, C. L., Presented at "Terrorism 98" Conference, Marborough, MA, can be found on-line at: http://www.emergency.com/intelops.htm
  
  
• 09/17/97; "Emergency Service Multi-System Disruption and Recovery During Catastrophic Events," by Denney, et al, which can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/emrchaos.htm
  
  
• 1994-5 - "INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION, AND POWER WITHIN A BUREAUCRACY," by Staten, C. L. previously published in RESPONDER Magazine -- Can be found on-line at: http://www.emergency.com/infopowr.htm