Current Observations Home Current Observations Home Current Observations Home
 

There's a War on Terror, Doncha Know?

Saturday, March 04, 2006

It occurred to me this morning that the only reason I'm aware that there's a war on terrorism is because the United States government keeps bringing it up everytime we meet. It's like that one friend you have that can't talk about anything else. It just drives you up the wall... Shut up, already! To make my point, I did a quick search on Yahoo! News (Click here to do your own search with my criteria) for Terror, Terrorism, Terrorist, or Terrorists. The following is a list of the results. I've highlighted the ones that are not, in my opinion, propaganda pieces put out by government to remind us that we're still fighting this terror war. More to the point, I've only highlighted stories that report on new and credible terrorist activities within the U.S. or legal proceedings involving past terrorists, etc.
 
Here's the list of the top 40 Yahoo! News returns:
  1. U.S., Pakistan Recommit to War on Terror Open this result in new window
    AP via Yahoo! News - 27 minutes ago
    President Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf recommitted their nations Saturday to the difficult task of hunting down terrorists still hiding here and across the globe.
  2. Bush: Pakistan Committed to War on Terror Open this result in new window
    AP via Yahoo! News - Mar 04 2:42 AM
    President Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pledged Saturday to stare down terrorists together while acknowledging the difficulty of hunting down al-Qaida and battling extremists.
  3. Bush Says U.S., Pakistan United in War on Terror (Update1) Open this result in new window
    Bloomberg.com - Mar 04 2:45 AM
    March 4 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said the U.S. and Pakistan remain committed to working together to win the war on terrorism and that the two countries are improving intelligence sharing to capture al-Qaeda operatives.
  4. Bush: Pakistan Committed to War on Terror Open this result in new window
    ABC News - Mar 04 2:56 AM
    Bush Shows Solidarity With Pakistani President's War-On-Terror Alliance With U.S.
  5. U.S., Pakistan Recommit to War on Terror Open this result in new window
    ABC News - 16 minutes ago
    President Bush, Pakistani President Musharraf Recommit to Hunting Down Terrorists
  6. Breast Cancer Delays Sentencing of Lawyer Convicted in Terrorism Case Open this result in new window
    New York Times - Mar 03 8:22 PM
    A defense lawyer who was convicted of aiding terrorists has not yet been sentenced because she is recovering from breast cancer surgery.
  7. War on terror needs more humanitarian efforts Open this result in new window
    The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News - Mar 02 12:00 AM
    It is time we heed what America's military leaders are telling us about the war on terror. Pentagon officials involved in writing the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently released counterterrorism strategy have acknowledged that "the American military's efforts to aid [2004 ] tsunami victims in Indonesia and to assist victims of Pakistan's [2005 ] earthquake did more to counter terrorist ideology than
  8. Bush convinced of Pakistan commitment in terror war Open this result in new window
    Reuters via Yahoo! News - 1 hour, 57 minutes ago
    U.S. President George W. Bush said on Saturday he was convinced of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's commitment to the war on terrorism despite the violence and presence of militants in the country.
  9. Tapes show FBI informant pushed Lodi suspect about going to terror training camp Open this result in new window
    Contra Costa Times - Mar 04 2:14 AM
    An FBI informant repeatedly pushed a terror suspect to attend an al-Qaida camp while he was in Pakistan, at one point yelling at him in a telephone conversation: "Be a man -- do something!"
  10. U.S., Pakistan recommit to war on terror Open this result in new window
    Syracuse.com - 3 minutes ago
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — President Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf recommitted their nations Saturday to the difficult task of hunting down terrorists still hiding here and across the globe.
  11. Bush convinced of Pakistan commitment in terror war Open this result in new window
    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Mar 04 12:49 AM
    U.S. President George W. Bush said on Saturday he was convinced of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's commitment to the war on terrorism despite ongoing militancy in Pakistan and the presence of al Qaeda members.
  12. FBI says witnesses didn't spot terrorists Open this result in new window
    WorldNet Daily - Mar 03 10:09 PM
    The Los Angeles division of the FBI says it pursued a report by a married couple who believe they met wanted al-Qaida terrorists at a California restaurant, but investigators found it to be a case of mistaken identity.
  13. U-S and Pakistan fighting terror...Capitol Hill police chief resigns Open this result in new window
    KBCI Boise - Mar 04 3:18 AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan President Bush says the U-S and Pakistan share a "lasting strategic partnership" with a close cooperation in the war on terror. Bush thinks the best way to defeat terrorism is to share good intelligence. He says the two countries are working on intelligence sharing.
  14. Bush visits Pakistan for terror-war talks Open this result in new window
    San Jose Mercury News - Mar 04 3:14 AM
    President Bush arrived in Pakistan on Friday amid protests and violence that highlighted the tensions beneath a vital alliance in the war on terrorism.
  15. US, Pakistani Presidents Reaffirm Commitment to War on Terror Open this result in new window
    Voice of America - 2 hours, 27 minutes ago
    President Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf say they stand united in the war on terror, and stress they look forward to an era of enhanced cooperation. The comments came as Mr. Bush made his first visit to Pakistan.
  16. Bush: Pakistan Committed to War on Terror Open this result in new window
    Newsday - Mar 04 2:18 AM
    President Bush showed solidarity Saturday with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's war-on-terror alliance with the United States, a stance at odds with many in this Islamic nation.
  17. Bush: Pakistan Committed to War on Terror Open this result in new window
    Newsday - Mar 04 1:18 AM
    President Bush showed solidarity Saturday with Pakistani President Gen. Perez Musharraf's war-on-terror alliance with the United States, a stance that is at odds with many in this Islamic nation.
  18. Security & Terrorism Open this result in new window
    UPI - Mar 03 5:56 AM
    WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) -- A new paper from West Point's Combating Terrorism Center says a critical key to defeating terrorists hiding in plain view is their voluminous writings.
  19. Bush holds terror talks with Musharraf in Pakistan Open this result in new window
    AFP via Yahoo! News - Mar 03 9:21 PM
    US President George W. Bush has held talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, at which he was to push his key ally for more progress on the "war on terror" and on democracy.
  20. Bush to hold terror talks with Pakistan's Musharraf Open this result in new window
    AFP via Yahoo! News - Mar 03 8:54 PM
    US President George W. Bush is to hold talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, at which he will push his key ally for more progress on the "war on terror" and on democracy.
  21. Israel Warns Palestinians Against Terrorism Open this result in new window
    New York Times - Mar 02 7:10 PM
    Israel's acting prime minister warned that the country would use "an iron fist against any attempt to resume terrorist activity."
  22. Security & Terrorism Open this result in new window
    UPI - Mar 02 10:11 AM
    CANBERRA, Australia, March 2 (UPI) -- None of the nearly two-dozen people arrested in Australia last November for alleged terrorism offences had direct links to external terror organizations.
  23. Terror Jury Hears Informer's Urging Open this result in new window
    Washington Post - Feb 28 11:11 PM
    SACRAMENTO, Feb. 28 -- An FBI informer was heard repeatedly encouraging a terrorism suspect to attend an al-Qaeda training camp in secretly recorded conversations read to jurors Tuesday. The conversations raised questions about whether Hamid Hayat, 23, intended to train as a terrorist and return to...
  24. U.S. Senate Passes Renewal of Anti-Terror Patriot Act (Update2) Open this result in new window
    Bloomberg.com - Mar 02 2:39 PM
    March 2 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate voted 89-10 to renew the USA Patriot Act, ending a 2 1/2-month stalemate over the law that gave the FBI expanded powers to investigate terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11 attacks.
  25. Lawyer battles cancer a year after terror-support conviction Open this result in new window
    Newsday - Mar 03 6:48 PM
    Civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart revealed Friday that she is battling breast cancer, one year after being convicted in a terrorism case that could send her to prison for about 20 years.
  26. Morristown hospital treats terror 'victims' Open this result in new window
    Daily Record - Mar 04 1:15 AM
    MORRISTOWN -- The victims were actors. The wounds were fake. But the urgency was real. When Morristown Memorial Hospital conducted a terrorism response drill on Friday, everyone at the hospital took it seriously because they know the threat is real.
  27. Tapes Show Informant Pushed Terror Suspect About Attending Camps Open this result in new window
    KFSN-TV Fresno - Mar 01 2:29 PM
    The attorney for a 23-year-old man alleged to be an al-Qaida trained terrorist planned to challenge the prosecution's key witness Wednesday about whether he pressured her client into making false claims of having attended a terror training camp.
  28. Senate approves renewal of 'Patriot Act' anti-terror laws Open this result in new window
    AFP via Yahoo! News - Mar 02 12:55 PM
    The US Senate overwhelmingly approved a revised version of the sweeping anti-terrorism Patriot Act law passed by Congress after the September 11, 2001 attacks, by a vote of 89 to 10.
  29. Terrorism update Open this result in new window
    Detroit News - Mar 03 1:29 AM
    The Senate on Thursday voted 89-10 to renew the USA Patriot Act, after months of pitched debate over legislation that supporters said struck a better balance between privacy rights and the government's power to hunt down terrorists.
  30. Insider in local terror arrests ID’d Open this result in new window
    The Toledo Blade - Mar 02 3:34 AM
    A Toledoan credited with providing inside information to law-enforcement authorities that led to the arrest of three terrorist suspects last week worked at a local Muslim charity that is under investigation for alleged links to Hamas terrorists in the Middle East.
  31. Tapes show informant pushed terror suspect about attending camps Open this result in new window
    San Diego Union-Tribune - Mar 01 8:42 AM
    SACRAMENTO, 12:17 a.m. March 1 (AP): The attorney for a 23-year-old man alleged to be an al-Qaeda trained terrorist planned to challenge the prosecution's key witness Wednesday about whether he pressured her client into making false claims of having attended a terror training camp.
  32. In age of terror, U.S. fears tunnels pose bigger threat Open this result in new window
    USATODAY.com via Yahoo! News - Mar 02 4:02 AM
    While drug smuggling and illegal immigration have long been border concerns, the threat of international terrorists entering the USA by burrowing under the border has made the effort to detect tunnels a national security priority. However, no federal law prohibits building such tunnels yet.
  33. Israel talks tough on terror as vote nears Open this result in new window
    The Salt Lake Tribune - Mar 03 12:59 AM
    JERUSALEM - Israel's acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, warned Palestinians on Thursday that Israel would use ''far-reaching measures'' and ''an iron fist against any attempt to resume terrorist activity,'' whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. Olmert spoke as a new opinion poll showed his Kadima Party continuing to slip less than a month before March 28 elections, but still
  34. Informant: Terror Suspect Couldn't Train Open this result in new window
    ABC News - Mar 02 10:21 PM
    FBI Informant Testifies That Terror Suspect Never Attended Training Camp Because It Had Closed
  35. US to push terror finance laws in Latin America Open this result in new window
    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Mar 03 11:09 AM
    Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina need to address security concerns around their common border, and the United States next week will urge lawmakers there to advance legislation to combat terrorist financing and money laundering, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
  36. This means war Open this result in new window
    Jewish World Review - Mar 03 1:58 AM
    Michael Moore was right about one thing: The war on terror is pure fiction. America is not at war, at least, not with terrorism.
  37. Region fights for federal anti-terror funds Open this result in new window
    The Sacramento Bee - 35 minutes ago
    Sacramento homeland security officials fear that preparing for catastrophic floods or terrorist attacks would be hindered if federal officials balk at a $27 million proposal submitted this week.
  38. Daily Analysis Open this result in new window
    Foreign Relations - Mar 03 5:47 AM
    When President Bush set out to "take the fight to the terrorists," he probably envisioned the kind of traditional U.S.-led military operations that are currently underway in Iraq and Afghanistan. But four years into the war on terror, another battlefield is proving a vital arena: the Internet.
  39. A Degree of Security: Is the government recruiting community college students for the war on terror? Open this result in new window
    La Prensa San Diego - Mar 03 1:05 PM
    Young, poor people of color who signed up with the U.S. military to get college money may have ended up fighting in Iraq. But their peers back home who take the community college route to higher education may also end up fighting the “war on terror
  40. Bush makes strong anti-terror statement...Iraq assassination attempt Open this result in new window
    KBCI Boise - Mar 04 2:19 AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan President Bush says anti-terrorism ties with Pakistan are still strong. He held a joint news conference in Islamabad today with Pakistani President General Perez Musharraf. Bush says, "We will win this war together."
Nine significant stories. And of those nine individual stories five pertain to a 23 year old "pushed" by an FBI informant into attending a Pakistani terrorists training camp. Two others relate to Lynne Stewart, a convicted terrorist sympathizer, who's battling breast cancer. Of the nine original articles, there are only four distinct story lines -- and one of those was a case of mistaken identity. So, you can see that if it weren't for government constantly shoving the "WAR ON TERROR" in our faces, we would have probably have forgotten it already.
 
...may be we should rename it to "the War OF Terror". Seems more appropriate to me.

2 Comments:

Blogger Mark said...

I agree; it is war OF terror. But it isn't just being carried out by the government. The press is the government's handmaiden and talks of either "terror" or Hollywood numbskulls and their divorce problems.

By the way, you should take a look at this article about Lynne Stewart. There is a lot at stake in her conviction of aiding terrorists by being an effective lawyer. Just to name one thing: pretty much all of the case against her involves government spying on her converations with her client. The government has tossed aside lawyer-client privilege.

.

3:23 PM  
Blogger Don Bangert said...

Thanks for the link. I had heard briefly of what had happened in her case, but hadn't seen anything as detailed as this article. By destroying attorney-client privileges, the accused is hobbled by the state. One cannot even explore various defense strategies because the government will be all knowing and will always have the upper hand in all prosecutions. How do you put up an adequate defense against accusations when your accuser knows your every move before you make it? This stinks to high-heaven and is the beginning of the end, in my opinion, of the facade of justice in our legal system.

7:36 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Powered by Blogger |

Syndication

|
|

Who Links
Here