usmc4669
04-14-04, 12:40 PM
April 12, 2004
A MESSAGE FROM ZARQAWI
An exceptionally vivid sense of the grievances, obsessions and motivations of an Islamic enemy of the United States can be gleaned from the statement of accused Jordanian terrorist and Ansar al-Islam figure Abu Musab Zarqawi, which was broadcast last week in the Arabic media.
Behind the Islamist hyperventilating, an itemized complaint can be discerned: the U.S. is bent on seizing the region's natural resources, defending the security of Israel, and deflecting the rise of Islam.
"America came to spread obscenity and vice and establish its decadence and ribald culture in the name of freedom and democracy. It hopes to remold the region and change its political, religious, and cultural map according to its personal interests."
As much as he hates Americans and Jews, Zarqawi loathes Shiite Muslims even more.
"They (Shiites) harbor more evil and rancor against Muslims, big and small, devout and non-devout, than anyone else...To them, anyone who does not believe in the infallible Imam (Al-Mahdi) -- who incidentally does not exist -- is a nonbeliever in God and the prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him."
Seething with anger, resentment and an insatiable longing for transcendence or death, the author threatens continued, escalating violence against American and Shia targets in Iraq.
The Zarqawi statement also includes improbable lines like "Listen, O Muslims, to the words of Leslie Gelb, president of the Council on Foreign Relations in an article in The New York Times."
See the April 6 statement, translated by the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
[b]AMENDING THE PATRIOT ACT
In the face of intense pressure from the Bush Administration to affirm the USA Patriot Act and to extend all of its provisions beyond their 2005 "sunset," there is bipartisan movement in Congress to amend certain provisions of the Act and to place new checks on the authorities it provided.
"Given the bipartisan opposition to the [Patriot Act] at this moment as it currently stands, there are many of us who believe it is necessary to make some adjustments in the law as we move toward reauthorization," said Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), an original sponsor of the Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act to amend the Patriot Act.
"The SAFE Act restores what I believe is the proper level of judicial oversight in the process," said Sen. Craig.
The Ashcroft Justice Department opposes the measure.
See the April 7 Senate colloquy on the SAFE Act.
VARIOUS NEW RESOURCES
"Information Sharing and Homeland Security" was the subject of a seminar last month at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Several meaty papers presented by senior analysts and policy makers are now available here.
The Department of Energy released its latest quarterly report on inadvertent disclosures of classified nuclear weapons information through the declassification of historical records. As before, the most common inadvertent releases concern the location of historical nuclear weapons depots and stockpile quantities. More...
The status and conduct of defense intelligence programs were examined in some depth in an April 7 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The prepared testimony from that hearing is available here.
A MESSAGE FROM ZARQAWI
An exceptionally vivid sense of the grievances, obsessions and motivations of an Islamic enemy of the United States can be gleaned from the statement of accused Jordanian terrorist and Ansar al-Islam figure Abu Musab Zarqawi, which was broadcast last week in the Arabic media.
Behind the Islamist hyperventilating, an itemized complaint can be discerned: the U.S. is bent on seizing the region's natural resources, defending the security of Israel, and deflecting the rise of Islam.
"America came to spread obscenity and vice and establish its decadence and ribald culture in the name of freedom and democracy. It hopes to remold the region and change its political, religious, and cultural map according to its personal interests."
As much as he hates Americans and Jews, Zarqawi loathes Shiite Muslims even more.
"They (Shiites) harbor more evil and rancor against Muslims, big and small, devout and non-devout, than anyone else...To them, anyone who does not believe in the infallible Imam (Al-Mahdi) -- who incidentally does not exist -- is a nonbeliever in God and the prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him."
Seething with anger, resentment and an insatiable longing for transcendence or death, the author threatens continued, escalating violence against American and Shia targets in Iraq.
The Zarqawi statement also includes improbable lines like "Listen, O Muslims, to the words of Leslie Gelb, president of the Council on Foreign Relations in an article in The New York Times."
See the April 6 statement, translated by the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service.
[b]AMENDING THE PATRIOT ACT
In the face of intense pressure from the Bush Administration to affirm the USA Patriot Act and to extend all of its provisions beyond their 2005 "sunset," there is bipartisan movement in Congress to amend certain provisions of the Act and to place new checks on the authorities it provided.
"Given the bipartisan opposition to the [Patriot Act] at this moment as it currently stands, there are many of us who believe it is necessary to make some adjustments in the law as we move toward reauthorization," said Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), an original sponsor of the Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act to amend the Patriot Act.
"The SAFE Act restores what I believe is the proper level of judicial oversight in the process," said Sen. Craig.
The Ashcroft Justice Department opposes the measure.
See the April 7 Senate colloquy on the SAFE Act.
VARIOUS NEW RESOURCES
"Information Sharing and Homeland Security" was the subject of a seminar last month at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Several meaty papers presented by senior analysts and policy makers are now available here.
The Department of Energy released its latest quarterly report on inadvertent disclosures of classified nuclear weapons information through the declassification of historical records. As before, the most common inadvertent releases concern the location of historical nuclear weapons depots and stockpile quantities. More...
The status and conduct of defense intelligence programs were examined in some depth in an April 7 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The prepared testimony from that hearing is available here.