By Michael Cutler
December 31, 2009
NewsWithViews.com
Why is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton silent on this issue?
I was interviewed by Reporter Josh Meyers of the Los Angeles Times yesterday about the attempted destruction of a Delta Airliner preparing to land in Detroit this past Friday. The news report was picked up by a number of other newspapers. Here is a version of the story that appeared in today's edition of the News Tribune.
As I noted in an earlier commentary, the failures of our government to prevent the attack nearly leave me at a loss for words.
Over the past couple of decades, our nation has been attacked on numerous occasions both within our nation's borders as well as outside our nation's borders by adherents to radical Islam. In the name of "national security," we have witnessed and been subjected to, a continual erosion of our expectations of privacy and freedom.
Yet the most commonsense measures that would require our government to do a more effective job of administering the program by which our government provides aliens with visas to enter the United States and make certain that credible information concerning terror suspects is transmitted quickly to appropriate personnel is still not being done.
What is particularly disturbing about all of this is the simple fact that the 9/11 Commission identified visa fraud and immigration benefit fraud as major areas of concern where the entry and embedding of terrorists in our country are involved, yet virtually nothing has been done to address these major holes in the fence that is supposed to keep those individuals out of our country who are determined to do us such harm!
Yesterday, Janet Napolitano had the chutzpah to make the assertion that the system had worked the way it should! She focused on the fact that after the terrorist attempted to destroy the airliner as it prepared to land in Detroit, that notification was sent to other airliners heading for the United States. The fact that the airliner landed safely and no one, other than the terrorist was injured was not attributable to the actions of our government's officials but rather to the whims of fate- the bomb failed to properly detonate!
It has been said that "Hope is not a strategy" I would add that "Dumb luck is not a success!"
The news has now reported that in order to combat future attempts of terrorists to destroy airliners as they prepare to land in the United States, passengers will not be allowed to get out of their seats for one hour prior to landing. Furthermore, passengers will not be allowed to keep blankets or articles of clothing on their laps for one hour prior to landing either.
This means that any passenger including the elderly and/or the infirm, who has a kidney or bladder problem should probably wear Depends or some other adult diaper because use of bathrooms is going to be more restrictive! No doubt Ms Napolitano will find some jazzy way of justifying the ruling about blankets on laps, perhaps calling these blankets, security blankets!
It has been reported that the suspect had hidden the explosives in his underwear or, perhaps, a body cavity. I hate to think where this may lead! Will we now be subjected to "wedgies" by the TSA as we seek to board airliners or made to take off our clothes altogether?
Of course I am being facetious, but the point is that there is so little commonsense and little in the way of true leadership where our government is concerned.
The goal of our government should be to keep the terrorists off of the airliners in the first place!
No foreign national has an absolute right to enter the United States! The issuance of visas is discretionary.
I have seen reports that indicate that Great Britain had refused issuing a visa to the terror suspect but the United States had no such qualms about providing him with a key to our nation's front door that a visa represents. I would love to know how much time was spent reviewing his visa application and how much effort was made to determine if he was or was not a threat to our nation's security before the visa was issued to him.
I would also love to know how many other terrorists are now walking around with visas to the United States stamped in their passports as they await instructions to head for the airport and a flight to the United States.
As I have noted on ever so many occasions, the requirements that must be met before an alien is provided with a visa to enter the United States is not a formality but is supposed to provide a layer of security for our nation and our citizens.
What is also extremely disturbing about this incident and Ms. Napolitano's statements is the fact that the first step in problem solving is identifying the problems that need to be solved. It is possible that Secretary Napolitano understands the problems and was simply attempting to engage in a bit of public relations in minimizing the nature of the dangers we face. On the other hand, I find it far more likely that the administration is ignoring the issue of the visa screening process. After all, we have heard nothing from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on this issue, and as the Secretary of State, it is her agency that is in charge of the visa issuing process.
A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!
Any politician who refuses to work to secure our borders and create an immigration system that has integrity is either corrupt or too dumb to keep his (her) job. Any politician, irrespective of party affiliation who favors health care for illegal aliens and/or Comprehensive Immigration Reform should be shown the door at the next election!
If you find yourself to be in agreement with this commentary, I ask that you forward it to as many of your friends and family members as possible and encourage them to do the same.
Next year each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection. Next year more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for us, We the People!
However, the practice of good citizenship does not end in the voting booth, it only begins there.
The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines!
The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians.
I implore you to get involved! Any American who has lost his job certainly has enough time on his (her) hands to get involved!
Any American who fears the loss of his job must make effective use of his spare time to make certain he keeps his job! (Remember, the job save may be your own!)
If this situation concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional "Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation! You need to politely but pointedly, demand to know what they are doing to protect our nation. You need to ask them how they are protecting you and your family. You can also forward this commentary to them.
© 2009 - Michael Cutler
December 31, 2009
NewsWithViews.com
Why is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton silent on this issue?
I was interviewed by Reporter Josh Meyers of the Los Angeles Times yesterday about the attempted destruction of a Delta Airliner preparing to land in Detroit this past Friday. The news report was picked up by a number of other newspapers. Here is a version of the story that appeared in today's edition of the News Tribune.
As I noted in an earlier commentary, the failures of our government to prevent the attack nearly leave me at a loss for words.
Over the past couple of decades, our nation has been attacked on numerous occasions both within our nation's borders as well as outside our nation's borders by adherents to radical Islam. In the name of "national security," we have witnessed and been subjected to, a continual erosion of our expectations of privacy and freedom.
Yet the most commonsense measures that would require our government to do a more effective job of administering the program by which our government provides aliens with visas to enter the United States and make certain that credible information concerning terror suspects is transmitted quickly to appropriate personnel is still not being done.
What is particularly disturbing about all of this is the simple fact that the 9/11 Commission identified visa fraud and immigration benefit fraud as major areas of concern where the entry and embedding of terrorists in our country are involved, yet virtually nothing has been done to address these major holes in the fence that is supposed to keep those individuals out of our country who are determined to do us such harm!
Yesterday, Janet Napolitano had the chutzpah to make the assertion that the system had worked the way it should! She focused on the fact that after the terrorist attempted to destroy the airliner as it prepared to land in Detroit, that notification was sent to other airliners heading for the United States. The fact that the airliner landed safely and no one, other than the terrorist was injured was not attributable to the actions of our government's officials but rather to the whims of fate- the bomb failed to properly detonate!
It has been said that "Hope is not a strategy" I would add that "Dumb luck is not a success!"
The news has now reported that in order to combat future attempts of terrorists to destroy airliners as they prepare to land in the United States, passengers will not be allowed to get out of their seats for one hour prior to landing. Furthermore, passengers will not be allowed to keep blankets or articles of clothing on their laps for one hour prior to landing either.
This means that any passenger including the elderly and/or the infirm, who has a kidney or bladder problem should probably wear Depends or some other adult diaper because use of bathrooms is going to be more restrictive! No doubt Ms Napolitano will find some jazzy way of justifying the ruling about blankets on laps, perhaps calling these blankets, security blankets!
It has been reported that the suspect had hidden the explosives in his underwear or, perhaps, a body cavity. I hate to think where this may lead! Will we now be subjected to "wedgies" by the TSA as we seek to board airliners or made to take off our clothes altogether?
Of course I am being facetious, but the point is that there is so little commonsense and little in the way of true leadership where our government is concerned.
The goal of our government should be to keep the terrorists off of the airliners in the first place!
No foreign national has an absolute right to enter the United States! The issuance of visas is discretionary.
I have seen reports that indicate that Great Britain had refused issuing a visa to the terror suspect but the United States had no such qualms about providing him with a key to our nation's front door that a visa represents. I would love to know how much time was spent reviewing his visa application and how much effort was made to determine if he was or was not a threat to our nation's security before the visa was issued to him.
I would also love to know how many other terrorists are now walking around with visas to the United States stamped in their passports as they await instructions to head for the airport and a flight to the United States.
As I have noted on ever so many occasions, the requirements that must be met before an alien is provided with a visa to enter the United States is not a formality but is supposed to provide a layer of security for our nation and our citizens.
What is also extremely disturbing about this incident and Ms. Napolitano's statements is the fact that the first step in problem solving is identifying the problems that need to be solved. It is possible that Secretary Napolitano understands the problems and was simply attempting to engage in a bit of public relations in minimizing the nature of the dangers we face. On the other hand, I find it far more likely that the administration is ignoring the issue of the visa screening process. After all, we have heard nothing from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on this issue, and as the Secretary of State, it is her agency that is in charge of the visa issuing process.
A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!
Any politician who refuses to work to secure our borders and create an immigration system that has integrity is either corrupt or too dumb to keep his (her) job. Any politician, irrespective of party affiliation who favors health care for illegal aliens and/or Comprehensive Immigration Reform should be shown the door at the next election!
If you find yourself to be in agreement with this commentary, I ask that you forward it to as many of your friends and family members as possible and encourage them to do the same.
Next year each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection. Next year more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for us, We the People!
However, the practice of good citizenship does not end in the voting booth, it only begins there.
The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines!
The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians.
I implore you to get involved! Any American who has lost his job certainly has enough time on his (her) hands to get involved!
Any American who fears the loss of his job must make effective use of his spare time to make certain he keeps his job! (Remember, the job save may be your own!)
If this situation concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional "Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation! You need to politely but pointedly, demand to know what they are doing to protect our nation. You need to ask them how they are protecting you and your family. You can also forward this commentary to them.
© 2009 - Michael Cutler
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