Airborne Combat Engineer

Remembered like it was yesterday

Yes, it's 9/11 again. So far, so safe. NY Times coverage.

Defiant Infidel put a lot of work into a graphic remembrance post, well worth visiting.

ObL is still gloating with the release of his annual tape on this date. [Bloomberg]

Israeli anti-terrorist SWAT training

"Terrorism is not new. Neither are counterterrorism forces. What is relatively new in the U.S. is the concept of law enforcement SWAT teams and first responders becoming anti-terrorism / counterterrorism (AT/CT) operators, or at least AT/CT-capable.

All this is all old news to the Israelis. They’ve been contending with terrorism on a fairly regular basis since the 1970s, which has given them plenty of time to design and develop a training methodology and combat doctrine for their military special operations personnel, law enforcement SWAT operators, and first responders."

[David Crane for Tactical Response]

"Bottom line is, if the Virginia Tech PD or and/or Blacksburg Virginia PD 1st Responders (i.e. patrol officers) and SWAT operators had received the same training that I received in the IMS Security Advanced Anti-Terrorist SWAT School, perhaps they could have saved more people."

BOTTOM LINE: "When you hear gunshots occuring inside a structure (i.e. building), you have to go right in and engage the threat immediately."

[David Crane @ Defense Review]

ACE awaits the report by the independent investigation, for answers to some puzzling images. We saw cops hiding behind a tree with guns drawn as we heard gunfire in the building. Were other officers already inside, and these were ordered to guard the perimeter, or not?

Seeing big-bellied cops trying to run suggests the need for more physical training and exercise.

Guerilla marketing

Boston police say they have made in arrest in connection to the suspicious device scare that turned out to be a marketing ploy for a television cartoon.

Mayor Menino said the hoax cost the state and cities about $750,000. He wants Turner Broadcasting to pay for it all.

[WBZTV, Boston, 31JAN07]

Turner Broadcasting plans to take responsibility for the "hoax devices" that were found at several locations in and around Boston Wednesday that forced police bomb units to scramble throughout the area.

The incidents were part of a marketing campaign that involved a character from the cartoon show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force.""The 'packages' in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force,'" Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of Cartoon Network, said in a statement.

[WCBTV, Boston 31JAN07]

Thai teachers taught to shoot back at terrorists

Teachers have one of the deadliest jobs in southern Thailand, with 44 killed by the bombs and bullets of an Islamic insurgency since 2004.

So the teachers are learning how to shoot back.

That teachers -- not to mention Buddhist monks, bank tellers and motorcycle mechanics -- have become targets in the insurgency illustrates how badly law and order has degenerated in southern Thailand since the violence flared in January 2004.

Just shows it could be a lot worse here in the States

[Geulph Mercury, 6 SEP 2006]

Docudrama bunches panties of Clinton crowd

Clinton administration officials are demanding changes to a forthcoming mini-series tracing the origins of the September 11 attacks.

Never cared for docudramas. ABC should have presented a thoroughly researched documentary. There's plenty of verifiable evidence the Clinton Administration did a poor job of fighting the Islamic Fascists. But, this format will no doubt get more viewers.

ABC's reaction in the continuation

[Marc Peyser, Newsweek, 7 SEP 2006]

Clinton's anti-terrorism timeline

Cooperative Research [a 501(c)(3) ] has chronicled Bill Clinton's role in "fighting" terrorism.

Can't speak to the accuracy or bias, as it's one of those "civic journalism" sites like wikipedia -- just find it interesting

It leaves out some things, like BC's 2002 comment about having no legal reason to bring ObL back to the US in 1996 (see continuation).

Obviously, we had many warnings, over the years, about a group determined to attack the US.

[Research Commons]

Deja Vu: The Bojinka Plot

[LINK] NY Times (free subs. req'd)

The plot to blow up several airliners flying between Britain and the United States bears a striking resemblance to a plot hatched by al Qaeda operatives 12 years ago to simultaneously blow up airliners over the Pacific.

One of the chemicals involved was nitrocellulose, a major component in smokeless powder.

Strategy Page describes some other possible liquid explosives, some of which can be made using materials anyone can buy, as has been documented for years. Much of it can be found on the internet, but searching for it might land you on some watch list.

Some possible liquid explosives

[LINK] The independent

  Several different kinds of liquid explosive may have been involved in the terror plot, an expert said today.

  They are not difficult to obtain or make from raw ingredients, and can easily be hidden inside innocent-looking bottles or cans, said explosives technician Dr Sidney Alford.

Relax. A moonbat says it's just tail wagging

[LINK] AMERICAblog (browse the 300+ comments, if you have the time)

                  Lieberman loses, CODE RED, CODE RED, CODE RED                 
                  by John in DC - 8/10/2006 07:23:00 AM                   
                  
                  No, really.

Bush just invoked a Code Red terrorist emergency, our first ever.

And isn't it queer that the emergency is declared within a day of Republican party leader Ken Mehlman launching an all-out offensive against Democrats following Joe Lieberman's loss in Connecticut, an offensive in which Mehlman, the White House and Republican operatives are claiming that Democrats no longer care about national security or the war on terror.

And just at that moment we get our FIRST ever red alert.  Beam me up, Scotty.

Whew! I thought it was real threat for a few hours there! Turns out, it's just politics.

Will Europeans refer to them as Terrorists?

[LINK] Fox News

The British and the Europeans go out of their way to not use the T word. Many prefer to just call them criminals. Will that change now?

Will the Dems swing back to emphasizing security now?

Would Lamont's campaign theme saying we should concentrate on domestic problems have worked as well had this happened before the vote?

Will Bush's approval rating go up even more now?  (I'd say so.)