Miami's Al Qaeda Cell? by: Larry C Johnson

[kpete]

Miami's Al Qaeda Cell?
by
Larry C Johnson

..................

Caution is the watch word. The good news is that law enforcement had penetrated this group. This calls into question the Administration's insistence that you can't fight terrorism as a law enforcement matter. Really? If that's true then why was this handled as a "law enforcement" matter? This should be a reminder that law enforcement, particularly with the help of local law enforcement, is our first and best defense against domestic terrorism.

Some things to keep in mind. First, no weapons or explosives were recovered at the site of the raid. Second, the claim that one suspect "pledged bayat" (swore an oath) to Bin Laden should be treated as questionable. Bin Laden has been on the run since he escaped Tora Bora in December 2001. I don't think he is receiving too many visitors since then.

When this shakes out I suspect we will find a disaffected group of youths who had fantastical dreams of destruction but no real capability to carry out their evil fantasies. Given the Bush Administration's proclivity to play the fear card and use the threat of terrorism to scare the hell out of the public, a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted.

MORE AT:
http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/06/miamis_al_qaeda.html

[me b zola]

1. Good analysis

It pretty much echoes my thoughts on the matter.

[ThomWV]

2. Part Of Bush's War On Civil Rights?

That was the first thing that came to my mind. I had to ask myself if by calling disaffected young black men in the USA a terrorist cell that Bush may have found a new way to expand his Unitary Executive into what has traditionally been considered civil rights issues. You see, I believe in my heart that way in the back of Bush's mind there is a notion of a 'black problem' in America. How better to solve it than to label young black men as terrorists and then be able to bring America's terrible great forces to bear on them? Scary.

[me b zola]

3. very scary

I've had the same thoughts.

[Roland99]

4. Larry's reading my mind!

:)