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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Dietrich who wrote (290525)	8/26/2002 7:08:57 PM
From: calgal	Respond to of 769670

FBI's Watson Warns Against Complacency FBI counterterrorism chief Dale Watson Monday, August 26, 2002 WASHINGTON — The departing head of the FBI's counterterrorism office warned Americans Monday not to become complacent about their safety, and expressed concern that their short attention spans could make them more impatient with security inconveniences that may ultimately end up saving lives. "We protect and defend the Constitution just as every other American does, but with that obviously comes vulnerabilities," Dale Watson told business leaders meeting in Washington about homeland security spending for the next year. Watson said that terrorists seek to exploit the weaknesses inherent in a free society. Although protecting civil liberties can make fighting terrorism tougher, the federal government will still abide by the laws of the land, he said. "What we do we do under the rules of the Constitution, I don't think any of us want to change anything about probable cause for a search warrant, or arrest warrant or whatever," he said. The Justice Department has been under fire for its efforts to toughen up security measures and enforcement mechanisms. In the year since the attacks, the FBI has had limited success in creating a meaningful method of exchanging intelligence with other agencies and state and local officials. The bureau is experimenting with networked databases in only a few areas so far, Watson said. "What we envision is a concept where we would have a data warehouse where not only our federal partners but state and locals could feed into that database and at the same time have a crossing of that information," he said. Critics have also come down hard on the Justice Department this year over investigative changes that they say are coming at the expense of personal liberties. The most recent outcry centered on the department's suggestion of a formal system for citizens to report suspicious behavior to authorities. Watson, who is leaving the FBI next month to join the private sector, said he supports Operation TIPS, a program that amounted to something like a national neighborhood watch. TIPS has been put on ice until lawmakers can address some of the civil liberties issues. "It's a huge, huge issue," Watson said. "We're not asking for people to spy inside the U.S. on other individuals, but we are asking for common sense approach and that's where we are headed." The Justice Department suffered another setback this month when a federal court ruled against its methods of holding trials for suspected terrorist supporters. In a scathing 27-page ruling, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the Justice Department's attempt to hold deportation hearings in secret when terrorism might be involved. A three-judge panel accused the Bush administration of trampling on the Constitution and the First Amendment. "The Executive Branch seeks to take this safeguard away from the public by placing its actions beyond public scrutiny," the ruling reads. "When government begins closing doors, it selectively controls information rightfully belonging to the people." Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Justice Department argued that in special interest cases -- those with potential ties to terrorism -- deportation hearings must be held in secret to protect national security. In the case of Rabih Haddad, operator of an Islamic charity, the court was closed to the public. His family members sued and the court backed them, ruling against the DOJ's attempts to close Haddad's hearing. "The Executive Branch seeks to uproot people's lives, outside the public eye and behind a closed door. Democracies die behind closed doors," the court ruled. Watson said terrorists are scattered worldwide and could easily be lying low in the United States. He said the FBI's most urgent mission is finding and arresting Al Qaeda members. But, he added, because Al Qaeda members are on the run, they probably cannot mount a second catastrophic attack equal to or greater than Sept. 11. However, the threat of smaller attacks by lone individuals -- which are harder to detect and disrupt -- becomes more likely under such circumstances. Fox News' Carl Cameron contributed to this report. foxnews.com

To: Steve Dietrich who wrote (290525)	8/26/2002 8:14:36 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Respond to of 769670

You have cleverly avoided answering the simple question: "Since you are such a great moralist, why do you neglect the racist wrong doings of Sharon and Israel??" Jewish-American Zionists have always demonstrated extreme cynicism and malice towards Christian societies and leaders, and yet not enough cynicism and malice to stop the Jews and other minorities from breaking the doors down to immigrate into this horrible Christian land. "On the other hand Christian America enslaved humans for hundreds of years..."???? Hundreds of years? The slave trade in America, like in Europe, was dominated by Jewish slavers and lasted some 150 years. "Christian Europe has persecuted and killed more people than we can count." "More than "we" can count"?? Would that be something like ten to the infinite power? Maybe you have settled on a more moderate number like trillions of trillions--ten to the twenty-forth power? Does a thousand years of Moslem aggression, persecution, and slaughter against Christians in Europe, North Africa, Palestine-Jerusalem and Turkey factor into your strange calculus? The Christian conversions of the first five centuries in North Africa, Egypt, Palestine and Asia Minor were conversions of consent, not conversions resulting from military conquest and aggression. North Africa, Egypt, Palestine-Jerusalem and Asia Minor had all become Christian through persuasion. In contrast, the Moslems proselytized through military aggression and mandatory conversions. Millions were enslaved and murdered through this Moslem aggression. The Christian minorities in these areas were brutally persecuted. It was only after several hundreds years of this Moslem aggression that Christian Europe finally said enough and began liberating the Christian areas formerly occupied by the aggression of Islam. "So why is your humanist outrage so keenly and specifically focused on Jews?" Criticism of Israeli and Jewish wrong doing are the most neglected topics in America.