The Threat from Within

In the days to come politicians, sociologists and pundits will disect, ad nauseum, the motivations, intentions, causes, and reasons why seven young men, five of whom are U.S. Citizens, would seek to support Al-Qa'ida by planning attacks on U.S. targets.

But I deal in FACTS.
FACT: 7 men of common beliefs conspired to attack the United States.
FACT: These men cooperated with and solicited aid from a person THEY knew as a member of Al-Qa'ida.
FACT: These men made efforts to obtain weapons and explosives from a person THEY knew as a member of Al-Qa'ida.
FACT: They conducted pre-operational surveillance of targets.
FACT: They provided the information/images obtained from that surveillance to a person THEY knew as a member of Al-Qa'ida.
FACT: THIS PLOT WAS DISCOVERED AND INVESTIGATED BECAUSE AN ORDINARY CITIZEN SAW OR HEARD SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS AND REPORTED IT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez characterized this group's activities as, "a new brand of terrorism...inspired by a violent jihadist message". He stated these men came, "to view their home country as the enemy", and wanted to wage, "a full ground war", against the United States. They hoped to, "kill all the devils we can", and conduct an operation that is, "as good or better than 9/11".

Of course no good work by law enforcement can go unpunished and in the two main press conferences held in Washington D.C. and Miami some of the reporters were already trying to characterize these men as the proverbial gang that couldn't shoot straight. Journalists suggested these men were, "incompetents", "inept", "social misfits" and my personal favorite, "couldn't organize a 'booze-up' in a brewery". The reporters used these terms in apparent attempts to minimize the threat posed by this group. One reporter even suggested the arrests of these men were nothing more than a mid-term election grandstanding stunt directed by The President. United States Attorney Alex Acosta in Miami tried to explain to the media and the viewing public that the goal of this and any anti-terrorism investigation is, "to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute", these groups and persons who intend to harm citizens of the United States. Two more words are reverberating through the media outlets today - "radical muslims". No-one in the law enforcement community has used this phrase in any of the public announcements, just the media. I echo the U.S. Attorney's Office position when I declare to you that anti-terrorism investigations are about IDEOLOGY, not faith, not national origin, not sex, race or any other factor, IDEOLODY. Specifically, radical ideology that promotes violence in support of its stated goals and those individuals who support and follow that ideology.

As the media fans out across the Liberty City section of Miami, where these men lived, we get to see just how disaffected and disassociated from everyday America the residents of this neighboorhood really are. (SIDE NOTE: It seems to me, and I could be wrong, that the only time areas like Liberty City see people from the media is when someone is dying, dead, or some other MAJOR negative activity has occurred. Think - Lower 9th Ward of new Orleans) While most of those interviewed responded with the understandable disbelief and surprise others chose to portray the arrests as another example of the govermnent picking on minorities. Several locals who admitted to seeing the group training in karate and other fighting skills in front of their building still insisted these men are peaceful members of the community and the government is being heavy handed for no good reason. To them it was perfectly normal for a group of black men to be learning how to defend themselves. Normal because someone in the neighborhood is always looking to hurt you regardless of whether it's the dope dealers or the cops. The government isn't going to help them so they must help themselves. Some of the men arrested have prior criminal arrests, but that is not an uncommon thing for a young black man in Liberty City. The most unfortunate thing is that regardless of your political affiliation, as long as there are communities in America where an 'everyone-for-themselves' attitude prevails terrorists will find shelter. As long as large segments of the U.S. population feel the local, state, and federal governments don't care about them, don't want to help them, or worse, don't want them around then terrorists will have support. As long as we accept a double standard of protection and services between nice neighborhoods and poorer ones then radical ideologies will have a breeding ground from which to recruit the next generation of terrorists.

These men had their own problems, demons, and issues that brought them to plan destruction and death. But their environment, their experiences with government, and the influence of a radical ideology professed to them by a figure who supported them was the water to grow the seeds of hatred, the fuel to ignite the fire of resistance, and changed an extremist's theory into a terrorist's plan to affect change through violence against the innocent.

REMEMBER: A CITIZEN, NOT A COP, FIRST NOTICED THIS GROUP'S ACTIVITY AND REPORTED IT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. JUST LIKE POLITICS, LAW ENFORCEMENT IS LOCAL. YOU ARE OUR BEST WEAPON IN THE WAR AGAINST CRIME AND TERRORISM. IT'S YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, BE A PART OF IT. REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO YOUR LOCAL POLICE.