Posted by
Moshe Phillips on Thursday, May 06, 2010 9:03:57 PM
MUST READ OF THE DAY
Here is Congressman Ted Poe's statement before Congress on the failed Times Square terrorist attack:
Madam Speaker, our homeland security today is paralyzed by denial, ignorance and political correctness. Systematic dependence on luck is not a national security plan; it is a disaster waiting to happen.
From the borders to the big cities, America's national security is always in critical, or seems to be in critical disarray. In 1998, Osama bin Laden declared war on America, but we didn't pay attention to it. What is it going to take for our leaders to understand that radical Islamic terrorists want to murder our people?
Law enforcement in New York--Federal, State, and city--has done an incredible job in a short amount of time to apprehend the Times Square terrorist despite dangerous political games being played by some officials. In spite of politics, our lawmen acted swiftly, efficiently, and effectively in the capture of this terrorist.
But New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the media, "If I had to guess 25 cents, this would be..... homegrown, maybe a mentally deranged person or someone with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something."
Now, isn't that helpful?
The Times Square terrorist, Faisal Shahzad, was not a Tea Party-going taxpayer opposed to ObamaCare. There is no excuse for this reckless smear of the majority of Americans who opposes the government takeover of health care. It is irresponsible to play political games with national security; and even though Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano won't use the word ``terrorist,'' all of the indications are that this was an act of terror.
The terrorist, Faisal Shahzad, was captured last night on an airplane bound for Dubai. Reports say the airline contacted the authorities to say that he made a last-minute reservation for the flight and that he got on the plane after paying cash. He is from Pakistan. Somehow, this radical terrorist was granted American citizenship in 2009. Shahzad told the FBI he went through a terror training camp in Pakistan in the region of Waziristan.
He sounds like a terrorist to me.
This is where the Taliban operates -- the same Pakistani Taliban that immediately claimed responsibility for the Times Square foiled attack. Reports say Shahzad had been in Pakistan for the past several months. Eight people have now been arrested in Pakistan. Two of them are related to Shahzad.
Over the past year, we have had a surge of attacks from radical Islamic jihadists who murder in the name of hate. For example, the Fort Hood shooter killed 14 Americans and injured 30 more. That was an act of terror. The attack on the Arkansas military recruiting station by a radical jihadist who killed an American soldier was an act of terror. Then there was the Christmas Day underwear bomber. That was an act of terror.
In that case, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said "the system worked" when we caught the underwear bomber. That means the government plan in that case is for passengers on the plane to tackle terrorists who are trying to explode bombs that are hidden in their underwear. That's a plan? That's our national system?
Combating terrorism takes vision. It takes moral clarity. There is no room for playing politics or politically correct games.
Ronald Reagan once explained it this way:
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors."
And that's just the way it is.