Lawful interrogation proven to be a key tool in the war on Terrorism
By Rep. Vito Fosella Posted in Congressional Contributors | Spotlight Blogs | War — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
By Rep. Vito Fossella
When police arrested three alleged terrorists this past weekend on charges that they were plotting to blow up Kennedy Airport in New York City, it was a chilling reminder that our nation is still at war with an evil enemy.
Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to law enforcement for stopping yet another attack before it occurred. In fact, the failure of these terrorists, as well as those who've also tried to murder innocent Americans since September 11th, is due, in large part, to a series of comprehensive security measures that have strengthened our ability to stop the enemy.
Read on.
For instance, the Terrorist Surveillance Program allows law enforcement to monitor calls and emails of suspected al Qaeda terrorists only when one party is located outside the United States. CIA Director Michael Hayden said the program helped prevent an attack on the Brooklyn Bridge and would have "detected some of the 9/11 al Qaeda operatives in the United States."
The Patriot Act brought intelligence-gathering and information-sharing into the 21st century by updating an array of laws. Its most significant achievement was tearing down the wall that prohibited the law enforcement, intelligence and defense communities from sharing information-a top recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.
The lawful interrogation of terrorists has also proven to be a key tool in the war on terrorism, yielding a treasure trove of information, including the identities of operatives, locations of cells, and details of plots. In fact, the new system produced its first guilty plea earlier this year when an al Qaeda operative admitted to providing material support for terrorism.
These three tools are successfully preventing attacks before they occur. Since September 11th, 150 terrorist threats and cells have been disrupted, 3,000 operatives worldwide have been incapacitated, and nearly two-thirds of al Qaeda's senior leaders have been captured or killed.
Having stood in the smoldering ruins of Ground Zero on September 11th, I know the face of terrorism and its evil plans. I will continue to support these key tools - and I will never relent in my resolve to eradicate the threat posed by terrorists.
Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY13) represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.
Especially given the way he is blamed for everything that goes wrong in this country and around the world incl the weather?
The Presidents main job is to protect this country and this he has done spectacularly well and yet you write eight paragraphs on his greatest success and not mention his name.
Its not all about you and your vote, but thanks for it. What is needed and has been needed is for you and your kind to support this President against the enemies we have here in America, ie the MSM and the Dems.
Gamecock DeVine in
The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
This President has done more since 9-11 to ensure that a repeat of that day never happens again and he does not get the praise he deserves. I am surprised that more R politicians do not give credit where credit is due, from the top down. I am still angry with this President over the amnesty bill however he is without a doubt the right man at the right time for this WOT. President Bush has recognized this enemy from the outset and he has stayed on the offense against them in doing so he has ensured that actionable terrorist's are in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting us there and jihadi wanna be's are here and while I don't dismiss their ability to become actionable they are not as committed to the silence that it requires to pull off a 9-11 and for that I am grateful. Thank you for supporting these programs that keep us safe each day.
just OK at best. Yes, we've not been attacked. A great thing and he gets full credit for that.
OTOH, he has let the intelligence agencies leak classified programs at will and has done absolutely, freaking NOTHING about it. AGAG is completely MIA, Bush is practicing New Tone.
In addition, he has let the Democrats and the press trash the war effort and the rationale for the war with a string of outright lies and has done nothing more than praise their patriotism.
"Spectacularly well..." isn't even close...
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
911s than any congressman's vote or column.
Gamecock DeVine in
The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
which was the subject of my comment.
Gamecock DeVine in
The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
What I am questioing is your contention that Bush has done a fantastic job.
He has been extraordinarily deficient in a number of critical areas. While we haven't been attacked, we are, in the long run, much less safe for his unwillingness to take on the Democrats, the press, or the entrenched bureaucrats at CIA, NSA & State. Today was a good day, tomorrow is in question because Bush refuses to stand up to our domestic enemies while being willing to send our military to fight with our foreign enemies.
As far as this Marine dad is concerned he has sold the finest we have in this Nation down the river so he doesn't have to raise his voice domestically.
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
about. I don't feel the need to always chronicle all of Bush's faults everytime I write about him. I have written about his faults as well. And now, as always you force me to waste more time re-visting them again. How dare I compliment him for the lives he has saved in short or medium runs w/o reservation....
later
Gamecock DeVine in
The Charlotte Observer
www.race42008.com
www.hinzsightreport.com
"One man with courage makes a majority" - Andrew Jackson
...The premiere newspaper in the city that would have suffered the most from the JFK attack, if the planners had been able to pull it off, relegated the reporting to page 37. Abu Ghraib, however, made it to the front page for 32 straight days.
"What War on Terror?" "9/11 never really happened, don't you know." "The real enemy is George W Bush and the Republicans."
The Left is currently engaged in the constant feeding to the public the message "Surrender is Good! Surrender is wise!" in order to defeat their primary enemy.
On the surface; to the bulk of the American people, eighty per cent of whom cannot even tell you what year WWII ended, the surrender in Vietnam appears to have left us unscathed historicaly as a nation. However, like the 1938 Japanese Government, there were always opportunists seeking advantage in moments of visible weakness. The USSR, in an adventuresome moment, used the moment of our apparent weakness after the Surrender in Vietnam to plunge into Afghanistan, thinking that they could do so completely unopposed. The Islamofascists, after overthrowing the Shah of Iran, seized the American Embassy staff, knowing full well they could embarass the United States, ad nauseum,with impunity by doing so. The United States, by being forced merely to assist the Islamofascist Mujahedeen in driving the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan, only added to the perception of our weakness. After the Soviets left Afghanistan and the United States withdrew its assistance and whatever influence it had, the ensuing political vacuum enabled the Taliban to come to power with the Islamofascists flushed with their victory.
The perception of American Weakness from the Vietnam Surrender, still persisted, however, leading directly to the events of 9/11.
Historically, surrender has never been benign to the side that succumbs, irregardless of what the Democrats and the NY Times wish you to believe. Napolean's brutal retreat from Moscow in the dead of winter is one instance. The surrender of the remaining 96,000 soldiers of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, February 1, 1943 is another. Only 5,000 returned home from captivity. Need I mention the events that occurred after the surrenders at Bataan and Correigedor and the subsequent events that occurred on that merciless Death March? Another example of the follies of surrender was the events that followed the surrender of some 136,000 British soldiers at Singapore to a Japanese force of some 40,000 soldiers. The Japanese were stunned at the size of the bag they had taken. Completely unprepared to feed or to contain this many prisoners, they chose wanton, brutal murder as the means to deal with the prisoners. The gruesome treatment of these British prisoners cannot be described in a general circulation article nor can it be discussed in polite company, since it parallels and exceeds that of the Death March on Bataan. These are the usual sequels to surrender, not business as usual, as the Times and the rest of the Liberal Media would have us believe.
I'm not exactly sure what "lawful interrogation techniques" are but I've read of things like waterboarding, hummiliation, etc.
My question isn't why are we doing those things to terrorists. It's why aren't we using those techniques against criminals here? I have no sympathy for drug dealers, murderers, rapists, and the like. If through lawful interrogation techniques a drug dealer can be persuaded to give up information on those in his network, won't lives be saved? If we can get confessions from murderers and rapists, won't justice be served.
What kind of society do we really want?
Congressman Fossella.
Though I can offer that in no official sense. As a participant on the site (and a member for over 2 1/2 years) I'm enthused by the number of office-holders and candidates that have turned up on RedState over the past year or so.
And my aunt lives in NY-13. I'm sure she's already a loyal Fossella voter, but I'll remind her come next election.