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By Cassandra Effect, December 26, 2009 4:03 pm

So we know that a Muslim Al Qaeda Jihadist err, Nigerian Man, tried to detonate his explosives as the plane was landing

No one in the news media is asking  the obvious question:

Why didn’t Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab just go into the bathroom and set off his bomb in private without any chance of anyone seeing him?

But this question should be asked first:

If a plane blows up over the ocean and no one sees it does it make a sound?  How about  Air France Flight 447 in June?

Investigators have yet to pinpoint the cause of the disaster, although they suspect that a malfunction of the aircraft’s speed sensors may have contributed to the crash. A preliminary report published in July said an examination of the floating debris indicated that the plane had hit the water intact.

“We still don’t know what happened in the cockpit, and we will need to find and analyze the recorders to understand,” Mr. Troadec said at the agency’s offices in Le Bourget, near Paris. “Our knowledge of this accident does not allow us to develop a scenario.”

The current hypothesis for AF447 was that bad weather and lightning sent it out of control and into the sea.   Folks – let me tell you – planes get hit by lightning all the time – its not a big thing.   But if Al Qaeda had dropped Flight 447 out of the sky, and never go the CREDIT for their terror attack, can you imagine they might feel?  First, pissed that they did not get the credit for the attack, but secondly how thrilled they would be that whatever bombing apparatus they used on that plane had made it through security and HAD WORKED.

While the lame MSM babbles on about new terror threats, and new ways the terrorists are adapting to our security measures, my question is – who is to say this is latest terror attack is a new technique?

So back to the original question – why did he set off his device while the plane was preparing for landing? 

So that people would KNOW this was a terror attack.

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By Cassandra Effect, December 25, 2009 8:20 pm

There still are more Todd Beamer’s (Lets Roll) in the world.  Thank G-d!

Two things jump out at me in this developing story from the Detroit News

“The suspect had been in a law enforcement intelligence database but was not on the government’s no-fly list, a law enforcement official told ABC.”

What the heck does it take for you to go from being on an “intelligence database” to get moved to the no-fly list??  Are we this lame about our own security?

“Two people noticed the attempt to ignite the substance and a third person jumped on the man and subdued him, an airline official told NBC News.”

To be clear here, the Northwest Airbus 330 has a passenger capacity of 34 business class seats and 264 coach seats.  The terrorist was reported to be in row 19 <updated>.   There were 277 other passengers on board.  It is quite reasonable to believe that the coach section was near full.  The seat map of the Airbus 300 in coach is a 2-3-2 configuration.  However elite airline passenger often get last minute upgrades, so its possible the would-be bomber was in a “2″ section  with no one next to him.  Seat 19 is an over the wing seat, which, if his explosive has successfully gone off possible done fatal damage to the aircraft by igniting near the fuel tanks.

“”The president was notified of the incident this morning between 9:00 and 9:30 Hawaii time by the president’s military aide,” he said. “The president subsequently convened a secure conference call with John Brennan, his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism adviser, and Denis McDonough, NSS chief of staff. He asked to arrange subsequent secure call and in that call instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel.

The Department of Homeland Security said passengers might see additional screening measures on domestic and international flights because of the incident and urged travelers to report any suspicious activity or behavior to law enforcement officials.”

Let me get this straight – We are at Security Code ORANGE – a “High Risk of Terrorist Attacks.”  We -MIGHT- see additional screening measures?  So what could possibly differentiate Orange from Red which is a “Severe Risk of Terror Attacks”  Could it be they may actually screen for likely JIHADISTS????!!!!

UPDATE:  h/t Jawa Report 

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab was flying from Nigeria to the United States for a religious ceremony, according to his entry visa, which was issued June 16, 2008 and was good until June 12, 2010.

Name ANY religious ceremony that lasts 2 years?   WHAT ARE WE DOING??!??

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By Cassandra Effect, September 29, 2009 2:31 pm

John Kerry had an op-ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal titled Testing Afghanistan Assumptions, wherein he carefully laid out a path for President Obama to retreat from his hawkish pre-election statements to a path of defeat.

Beyond diminishing General McChrystal’s ability to provide fair and accurate information, the Senior Senator from Massachusetts basically throws him under the bus saying -

As the commander on the ground, Gen. McChrystal fulfilled his assignment from the president, producing a tightly reasoned blueprint for a complex and increasingly dangerous conflict.

Now, we in Congress have our own assignment: to test all of the underlying assumptions in Afghanistan and make sure they are the right ones before embarking on a new strategy.

So Senator Kerry is saying that its up to Congress to see if the Generals are really telling the truth.   There is no new strategy here – the enemy is concentrating its forces in the presence of thousands of our armed soldiers.  THEY ARE DOING US A FAVOR.  Counterinsurgency wars take DECADES.  It’s the realty of dealing with this kind of warfare.  But our Democrat leaders do not have the backbone to commit to a war which will take a long time but ultimately finish in victory – or at the least, act like a giant BUG ZAPPER. That’s right – the strategy of George W Bush was, in my view, taking on the terrorists in countries far away from the USA – putting our troops in harms way to act like a GIANT BUG ZAPPER to attract the Al Qaeda enemy and then destroy them when they come close.  Its a simple an effective strategy that the Jihadists

 Kerry lays out the path of retreat in his closing words, giving Obama plenty of wiggle room to declare that things are different now than in March when Obama said that Afghanistan is a major priority in the GOWT.

 The situation in Afghanistan has clearly changed since last March when the president unveiled his goal of defeating al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He and his advisers are exploring alternatives in light of the conditions on the ground and we should welcome the careful reassessment.

 and then there is this doozy -

Gen. McChrystal offers no timetable or exit strategy, beyond warning that the next 12 months are critical. I agree that time is running out and that troops are dying without a sustainable strategy for victory. But we cannot rush to judgment.

So, troops are dying, but…..lets not be in a hurry.  Its strange how history repeats itself.  General George Washington had to beg and plead with Congress more than 230 years ago to get them to deliver necessary materiel to the Continental Army at Valley Forge.  Dozens of pleas.

I am earnestly requesting the aid of the executive authority of those States, whence our supplies are drawn; and in pursuance of this intention, I address myself to you; convinced that our alarming distresses will engage your most serious consideration; and that the full force of that zeal and vigour you have manifested upon every other occasion, will now operate for our relief, in a matter that so nearly affects the very existence of our contest.

President Obama, Senators and Representatives – accept that some wars have LONG, LONG time period to win.  The Cold War took forty years.   Get over the notion of quick, lightning victories, and accept that the hard work that must be done will require generational sacrifice if we are to keep our children safe from jihadist extremists.