With recent reports telling all of us that al Qaeda is back to pre-September 11th strength due to the inefficacy of this Bush/Cheney administration, it is time that we all get serious with our border security and that also includes our ports. I will speak of our borders and ports later on in this piece. But, to address security concerns, I was alarmed by the report below.
On Thursday night (July 12th) while watching ‘Lou Dobb’s Tonight’ I was horrified only to hear through this program how our security as a nation is not being dealt with. This boggles the mind especially after 9/11. You will read where Christine Roman’s reported that Government investigators told a “Senate panel how they used aliases and a dummy company to easily acquire a nuclear license, altering it and soliciting radioactive material from two suppliers, enough material, they say, for a dirty bomb.”
She also went onto report, “In the sting by the Government Accountability Office, a fake company acquired a legitimate license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in just 28 days and then quickly and easily counterfeited that license to seek unlimited amounts of nuclear material.”
Not to alarm my readers or play the terror card; while these investigators came clean exposing this sting operation; one wonders if there are terrorists already at work in this country doing the same thing. Are they seeing the loopholes in this process as these sting operatives saw?
Even Roman’s reported, “Security expert says even a small dirty bomb attack could have devastating results and is a stated goal of al Qaeda.” Roman’s went onto report, “When the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was told of the string last month, it temporarily halted all new licenses.” But, it has to be said, have al Qaeda operatives already seen our Achilles’ heel and have they done the same?
While Michael Chertoff has stated that his “gut” tells him that we shall be attacked again by al Qaeda, Lou Dobbs said of Chertoff as it relates to this one issue, “Well, I have said for some time that Homeland Security, that department, is a sham. It is pitifully managed by Michael Chertoff. This president should absolutely replace him, and I mean right now, and get serious about the mission of protecting the people of this country.”
Now to speak to securing our borders in this same program Lou Dobbs spoke of the illegal drugs coming across our southern borders and not enough man power to stop this deadly trade. In this same transcript as linked above in the Christine Roman’s report you will clearly read that this is a cat and mouse game in which the mice namely the drug smugglers have the upperhand.
While the Bush/Cheney administration is worried of Iraq’s borders this is what Kelly Arena had to report on these broken borders, “officials says there are few barriers to keep them from the continental United States. So Puerto Rico, which agents refer to as the third U.S. Border, is being bombarded.”
Not only do we as Americans have to worry of al Qaeda coming through these broken borders, we also have to equally worry about these illegal drugs making their way across our borders.
But, the disturbing fact is that two brave border agents named Ignacio
Ramos and Jose Compean are still sitting in prison for doing their jobs fighting this illegal drug trade and we need agents like them looking out for our security as a nation from terrorists groups such as al Qaeda and drug terrorists.
This is where you come in. Their case is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee and that was only done through citizen activism very similar to the ‘Grand Compromise’ bill on illegal immigration.
Steve Elliot of Grassfire.org has reached out on behalf of Ramos and Compean so that citizen activists can get in touch with those on this senate committee demanding they pardon these agents. Also a petition is being circulated on this site demanding the same of President Bush.
Steve Elliot even provided the phone numbers of the various senate members so that citizen activists can start calling them to attend these hearings and I am also asking my readers to do the same. Below are the senator’s names along with their phone numbers and it is up to you to help protect our country so that border agents are free to do their jobs and not face imprisonment as Ramos and Compean. We must do everything possible to pressure this senate committee along with this president to pardon these border patrol agents.
Arlen Specter 202/224-4254
Orrin Hatch 202/224-5251
Charles Grassley 202/224-3744
Jon Kyle 202/224-4521
Jeff Sessions 202/224-4124
Lindsey Graham 202/224-5972
John Cornyn 202/224-2934
Sam Brownback 202/224-6521
Tom Coburn 202/224-5754
Patrick Leahy 202/224-4242
Edward Kennedy 202/224-4543
Joseph Biden 202/224-5042
Herbert Kohl 202/224-2742
Dianne Feinstein 202/224-3841
Russ Feingold 202/224-5323
Charles Schumer 202/224-6542
Richard Durbin 202/224-2152
Ben Cardin 202/224-4524
Sheldon Whitehouse 202/224-2921
Please also contact your Senators, and stress the importance of them attending this hearing for Agents Ramos and Compean.
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