Disarmed in the War of Ideas?

By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.

On March 19, President Bush spoke directly to an audience that may prove to be among America's most important allies in the War for the Free World: the Iranian people. He did so by associating himself and his country with their long-denied aspiration for freedom - an aspiration that continues to be suppressed, in his words, by "a regime that says they have elections but they get to decide who's on the ballot, which is not a free and fair election."

Mr. Bush added, "The people of Iran can rest assured that the United States - whether I'm president or [it's] the next president - will strongly support their desires to live in a free society." What happens in the next eight months may determine whether these words amount to empty rhetoric, or a real program for undermining the Iranian mullahocracy that survives a presidential transition.

Interestingly, the instrument Mr. Bush chose for this salvo in the battlefront known as the War of Ideas was Radio Farda. That Farsi-language network receives financial support from the U.S. government under the sponsorship of "surrogate" broadcast services Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty.

As it happens, Radio Farda and its official U.S. counterpart, the Voice of America's Persian Service, have reportedly engaged in recent years in practices that have raised questions about whose side they were on. Whistle-blowers and independent monitors have repeatedly warned that these agencies broadcast into Iran programming that actually advances not the cause of freedom, but the agenda of the Iranian regime that President Bush has correctly decried. Improvements have been made at Radio Farda by Jeff Gedmin, the new and highly regarded head of RFE/RL, but concerns about program content persist. [more...]

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy, a National Security Expert, and a columnist for the Washington Times. More on Frank...

The New Guardians of Israel
By Caroline B. Glick

Moshav Tzipori, in the Lower Galilee, is a microcosm of the history of the Land of Israel. A regional capital under King Herod, Tzipori was the seat of Jewish learning and the preservation of the Torah through some of the most tumultuous periods of Jewish history. After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, refugees from Jerusalem fled to the Galilean town. Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, who presided over the writing of the Mishna, or oral law, moved to Tzipori from Beit Shearim, and it was there that he codified the six books of the Mishna and died. The Jews of Tzipori revolted against the Roman Emperor Constantine, refusing to accept Christianity and the city was destroyed. The Jews later returned during the Islamic period. On and off, for the next millennia, Jews settled, were forcibly removed and resettled the city several times under various conquerors of Israel. [more...]

Caroline B. Glick is the senior Middle East fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., and the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post. More on Caroline...

The New Dhimmi Times?

By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.

Totalitarians have an uncanny appreciation for the subversive effect of foreign propagandists. The Nazis had Lord Haw-Haw, Imperial Japan its Tokyo Rose, the Soviets the World Council of Churches (among many others) and the North Vietnamese Jane Fonda. Now, our time's totalitarian ideologues - the Islamofascists - have The New York Times.

This may not seem to be exactly a news flash. After all, The Times has been rendering invaluable service to the enemy's information operations and military campaigns for years. To cite but a few examples: In December 2005, the paper disclosed a highly classified program for monitoring suspected terrorists' communications on this war's global battlefield. In June 2006, it revealed another enormously sensitive surveillance effort concerning movement of funds around the world. And practically every day, what passes for its news pages and editorials run down the nation's leadership, military and progress in defeating our foes.

The New York Times marked a deplorable new milestone this weekend, however - a true nadir in collaborating with the enemy in the war of ideas. Its Sunday magazine featured an article by Harvard law professor Noah Feldman entitled "Why Shariah? Millions of Muslims think Shariah means the rule of law. Could they be right?" According to The Times' Mr. Feldman, the answer is a resounding "Yes." [more...]

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy, a National Security Expert, and a columnist for the Washington Times. More on Frank...

Germany's Pro-Israel Power Play
By Caroline B. Glick

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's speech in German before the Knesset this afternoon will be the culmination of what the Israeli media has referred to as an "historic" three-day state visit to Israel. The day before Merkel launched her "historic" visit, Der Spiegel reported on the "historic" visit of another German to Afghanistan. That visit ended on March 3 when the visitor in question, known as Cüneyt C. from Bavaria and also known as Saad Ebu Furkan blew himself up in front of a U.S. guard post in Khost, an hour's drive from the border with Pakistan where the German-Turk underwent terror training. Two U.S. soldiers were killed and dozens were wounded after being trapped beneath the rubble, making C. Germany's first successful suicide bomber. [more...]

Caroline B. Glick is the senior Middle East fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., and the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, where this article first appeared.

Plane Wreck

By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.

March 11, 2008--The Pentagon has had a dirty little secret for years now: Foreign suppliers are an increasingly important part of the industrial base upon which the U.S. military relies for everything from key components of its weapon systems to the software that runs its logistics.

With the Air Force's Feb. 29 decision to turn over to a European-led consortium the manufacture and support of its tanker fleet - arguably one of the most important determinants of U.S. ability to project power around the world - the folly of this self-inflicted vulnerability may finally get the attention it deserves from Congress and the public.

The implications of such dependencies were made clear back in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. In the course of that short but intense operation, American officials had to plead with the government of Japan to intervene with a Japanese manufacturer to obtain replacement parts for equipment then being used to expel Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.

The obvious lesson of that experience seemingly has been lost on the Pentagon. In the nearly two decades after, it has sought to cut costs and acquisition timelines by increasingly utilizing commercial, off-the-shelf (or COTS) technology. Under the logic of "globalization," COTS often means foreign-supplied, particularly with respect to advanced computer chips and other electronic gear. [more...]

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy, a National Security Expert, and a columnist for the Washington Times. More on Frank...

Condi's Echo-Chamber
By Caroline B. Glick

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left many Israelis and supporters of Israel scratching their heads in disbelief this week. Rice arrived in Israel in a week marked by Fatah-incited violence against Israel and Israelis, both in Judea and Samaria and within sovereign Israel. On Monday, a well organized group of hundreds of Arab thugs threw rocks at Jewish motorists in Jerusalem. A dozen hoodlums nearly lynched two municipal inspectors when, after blocking traffic on Salah a-Din Street with burning tires, they stoned the inspectors' vehicle and began shattering their windshield with a metal pipe. The two escaped by the skin of their teeth. Outside Hebron, an Israeli was attacked by yet another mob and escaped alive only by opening fire at his assailants. [more...]

Caroline B. Glick is the senior Middle East fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., and the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, where this article first appeared.

Homeland Insecurity

An article published by WorldNetDaily indicates the FBI is boosting training in Islamic 'sensitivity,' adding weeks to their required 'enrichment' program. The article is reprinted in part below followed by Mr. Gaffney's response. [more...]

Frank Gaffney, Jr. Response:

This is but the latest indication that the U.S. government has been so thoroughly penetrated and suborned that it can't possibly protect the American people from the grave and growing threat posed by enemies here at home, let alone those overseas.

Clueless about the true nature of our Islamofascist foes and the theo-ideology that animates them, played for fools by our enemy's Muslim Brotherhood front groups, agents and fellow travelers and tied into knots by self-imposed political correctness, Robert Mueller and a number of his senior subordinates are actually endangering this country and its people.

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy, a National Security Expert, and a columnist for the Washington Times. More on Frank...

Buy a Troop a Jake

By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.

Mar. 4, 2008--Ever wish, upon hearing that yet another of our soldiers or Marines has been killed or wounded while operating in dangerous areas of Iraq or Afghanistan, that you could do something - anything - to reduce the chances it will happen again?

Such a powerful and understandable sentiment seems to be operating in the minds of millions of Americans currently backing Democratic presidential candidates who promise, if elected, to begin immediately withdrawing our forces from harm's way (at least the Iraqi part). Unfortunately, this approach is not likely to prevent more American forces, or for that matter civilians, from getting hurt. To the contrary, our defeat and retreat under fire from one or both of these fronts in this global War for the Free World will set the stage for vastly worse carnage, certainly abroad and probably at home.

Those who subscribe to that assessment - and even many who do not - hope that, by supporting large and growing defense budgets, the troops will get what they need in the way of equipment to do their missions and receive the protection required to do so safely. To a very considerable degree, that is the case. [more...]

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy, a National Security Expert, and a columnist for the Washington Times. More on Frank...

Sound and Fury Signifying Incompetence
By Caroline B. Glick

The Olmert-Livni-Barak government's latest exercise in saber-rattling has ended with customary haste. Sunday Palestinian terror forces maintained their rocket and missile offensive against Israel, shooting 40 rockets, including upgraded Katyusha missiles at Sderot, Ashkelon, Netivot and surrounding areas. Whereas in 2005, 25,000 Israelis lived within Palestinian rocket and missile range from Gaza, the past week has shown that the number has expanded at least tenfold since then.

Monday morning, the limited IDF ground component that was deployed in Gaza on Saturday abruptly suspended operations and pulled out. The pullout came just hours after senior IDF officials announced that the forces in Gaza were about to be augmented by additional forces and Defense Minister Ehud Barak told senior military commanders, "The time has come for action. Hamas is responsible and will pay a price."

It is obvious that in suspending Operation "Hot Winter" in Gaza, the Olmert-Livni-Barak government essentially crumpled in the face of pressure from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President George W. Bush. Sunday night the White House issued a press release demanding that Israel end its operations in Gaza and return to the negotiating table with Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas. [more...]

Caroline B. Glick is the senior Middle East fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., and the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, where this article first appeared.

Will Utah Choose to Invest in the Ayatollahs?

By Christopher Holton

Feb. 27, 2008--Utah State Retirement Funds invest in 43 companies currently doing business in Iran. Iran uses those revenues to support international terrorism.
Utah Bill H.B. 39 (authored by Representative Julie Fisher, a Republican from the Salt Lake City area) to divest Utah's pension system from foreign companies doing business in Iran passed the Utah House last week, despite the opposition of the powerful chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Details on the bill can be found here.

Go Here for a 3-minute YouTube video - does a great job of summarizing the story.

The bill now goes to the Senate where, unfortunately, it may be dead on arrival. It has been referred to the Senate Retirement Committee. The chair of that committee is Senator Curtis Bramble, who also happens to be the Senate Majority Leader. Senator Bramble flip-flopped on this issue. When this issue went before a joint Senate-House Retirement Committee hearing in November, Bramble supported it. He even pushed for a vote when one was not scheduled. The joint committee reported it 14-2. Now Bramble wants to kill this bill. The main reason is the influence of an Iranian-American named Khosrow Semnani who is a big donor to politicians there, but also pled guilty to tax evasion at one point.

Utah Bill H.B. 39 would divest pension funds from companies doing business with Iran. Some legislators complain that the $2.7 million price tag is too much. What about the cost of supporting a regime that sponsors international terrorism? The following Utah Senators have the power to pass the Iran Divestment Bill:

John W. Hickman - 435-674-5203
Peter C. Knudson - 435-723-6366
Gregory S. Bell - 801-971-2001
D. Chris Buttars - 801-561-0535
Darin Peterson - 435-623-2271
Gene Davis - 801-484-9428
Karen Mayne - 801-968-7756

Divest terror - Divest Iran - Support H.B. 39 - the Iran Divestment Bill
Support Utah's Divestment from Iran

Christopher Holton is Vice President of Marketing at the Center for Security Policy and Director of CSP's Divest Terror Initiative. Holton came to the Center after serving as President and Marketing Director of Blanchard & Co. and editor-in-chief of the Blanchard Economic Research Unit (1990-2003). As chief of the Blanchard Economic Research Unit in 2000, he conceived and commissioned the Center for Security Policy special report 'Clinton's Legacy: The Dangerous Decade.' As Director of the Center's Divest Terror Initiative, Holton has been involved in legislative initiatives in California, Florida, New Jersey, Louisiana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Utah, Mississippi, and Massachusetts to divest America's public pension funds from companies doing business in terrorist-sponsoring nations.

Soon-To-Be-Released Study Maps 'Shariah In America'

Documents Potential Fifth Column Mosques

Feb. 26, 2008--A nearly complete ground-breaking study has documented an alarming fact:

It appears that the majority of American mosques are operated by adherents to the doctrine of Shariah law, and in these mosques where compliance to Shariah law is observed, a violent jihadism is preached.

While the study suggests that most American Muslims do not attend either these sorts of institutions or the substantially smaller percentage that promote a peaceful, tolerant and law-abiding form of Islam, the preponderance of mosque-going Muslims in this country are being regularly exposed to a potentially violent jihadist strain of the faith.

The "Mapping Shariah" (MS) study is managed by David Yerushalmi, an accomplished attorney-litigator specializing in public policy and Shariah law, and overseen by retired career U.S. Air Force counterintelligence agent, David Gaubatz, who serves as its Director of Field Research, in conjunction with the Center for Security Policy's Islamist Project. In recent months, on-site investigations of more than 100 of the roughly 2,300 facilities in the United States, selected randomly, have been conducted under Mr. Gaubatz's supervision by trained counterintelligence professionals, many of whom have Arabic, Farsi or Urdu language skills.

Based on preliminary evaluations of the first 102 mosques, there are grounds for serious concern about jihadist activities in more than seventy percent of these religious institutions. According to the research protocol, approximately forty percent of these Islamic facilities were assessed at a threat level requiring placement on a law enforcement watch list or more specific surveillance.

For the complete Press Release, GO HERE.

The Coughlin Affair
By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.

Imagine trying to fight a war without a clue as to what motivates your enemy or governs his strategy for your destruction. Actually, you don't have to work too hard to get your head around such an insane idea; it is the current practice of the United States government.

This is not, of course, the way it is supposed to be. According, for example, to the Pentagon's own guidelines as reflected in the Army's Field Manual 34-130 dealing with Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB), one of the first tasks in any conflict is to "Evaluate the threat." This job requires military personnel to "update or create threat models: convert threat doctrine or patterns of operation to graphics (doctrinal templates); describe in words the threat's tactics and options; [and] identify high value targets."

Such guidance is eminently sensible and needed, not only at the tactical or battlefield level, but also at the strategic level. In fact, most national security practitioners would find it, well, unimaginable to try to do otherwise. [more...]

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy, a National Security Expert, and a columnist for the Washington Times. More on Frank...

Kosovo's Stark Warning
By Caroline B. Glick

Kosovo's U.S.-backed declaration of independence is deeply troubling. By setting a precedent of legitimizing the secession of disaffected minorities, it weakens the long-term viability of multi-ethnic states. In so doing, it destabilizes the already stressed state-based international system.

States as diverse as Canada, Morocco, Spain, Georgia, Russia and China currently suffer problems with politicized minorities. They are deeply concerned by the Kosovo precedent. Even the U.S. has latent sovereignty issues with its increasingly politicized Hispanic minority along its border with Mexico. It may one day experience a domestic backlash from its support for Kosovar independence from Serbia. [more...]

Caroline B. Glick is the senior Middle East fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., and the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, where this article first appeared.

Commentary on Castro & 'John Doe' Telecoms

Commentary on Castro
By Frank Gaffney, Jr.

Feb. 20, 2008--The end of Fidel Castro's hold on power probably won't be complete until he is embalmed and put on permanent display as Communists are wont to do with their murderous icons. Even then, Cuba will not be free until it is rid as well of his no-less-ruthless younger brother, Raul.

Evidence of the mortality of the elder Castro is, nonetheless, a relief for all of those on the island and elsewhere who feared such evil would never be extinguished. It also argues for a new policy towards Cuba - not an end to the embargo (which the Bush Administration has wisely said today is not in the cards "anytime soon"), but the beginning of an urgent effort to empower opponents of the regime and hasten its downfall. This should include redoubled efforts to communicate with the people of Cuba and provide - overtly if possible, covertly if necessary - the information technology, financial resources and other means whereby opposition to the Castros' repression can be fostered and brought to bear with decisive effect.

'John Doe' Telecoms
By Frank Gaffney, Jr.

We interrupt this congressional recess to bring you an announcement: While the House of Representatives is vacationing this week, terrorists are probably communicating about plots to kill Americans without fear that their plans will be intercepted by U.S. intelligence.

If one or more of those mortal plots are, as a result, successfully executed, we won't need an independent 9/11-style commission to assign blame. The buck will stop squarely at the desk of Speaker Nancy Pelosi who refused to allow a vote on a permanent renewal of the Protect America Act (PAA).

That legislation provides, in effect, authority for the Commander-in-Chief to monitor our adversaries' battlefield communications - something successive Presidents have routinely done since the founding of the republic. Unfortunately, in the current, ongoing War for the Free World, the battlefield is global and the enemy's signals are conveyed by a bewildering array of media not anticipated back in 1978 when Congress first imposed significant, but relatively modest restrictions on how and when American signals intercepts could take place. [more...]

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is President of the Center for Security Policy, a National Security Expert, and a columnist for the Washington Times. More on Frank...

Mughniyeh's True Legacy
By Caroline B. Glick

It is quite possible that terror master Imad Mughniyeh was not killed Tuesday night in Damascus for his past crimes, but to prevent him from carrying out additional attacks in the future. On January 30, French security services raided a Paris apartment and arrested six Arab men. Three of the men - two Lebanese and one Syrian - were traveling on diplomatic passports. According to the Italian Libero newspaper, the six were members of a Hezbollah cell. Documents seized included tourist maps of Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin and Rome marked up with red highlighter to indicate routes, addresses, parking lots and "truck stopping points." The maps pointed to several routes to Vatican back entrances. [more...]

Caroline B. Glick is the senior Middle East fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., and the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, where this article first appeared. More on Caroline...

Statement By the President on the Protect America Act

Feb. 13, 2008 -- Oval Office, 9:01 A.M. EST - THE PRESIDENT: Director, thank you for joining me. Good morning. At this moment, somewhere in the world, terrorists are planning new attacks on our country. Their goal is to bring destruction to our shores that will make September the 11th pale by comparison. To carry out their plans, they must communicate with each other, they must recruit operatives, and they must share information.

The lives of countless Americans depend on our ability to monitor these communications. Our intelligence professionals must be able to find out who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying, and what they're planning.

To help our intelligence agencies do this, Congress passed the Protect America Act last year. Unfortunately, Congress set the law to expire on February 1st -- and then failed to pass new legislation that would keep these tools in effect over the long run. And so at the 11th hour, Congress passed a temporary 15-day extension of the current law, which will expire at midnight this Saturday. I signed that extension. I did so to give members of the House and Senate more time to work out their differences.

Well, the Senate has used this time wisely. I am pleased that last night, Senators approved new legislation that will ensure our intelligence professionals have the tools they need to make us safer -- and they did so by a wide, bipartisan majority. The Senate bill also provides fair and just liability protections for companies that did the right thing and assisted in defending America after the attacks of September the 11th.

In order to be able to discover enemy -- the enemy's plans, we need the cooperation of telecommunication companies. If these companies are subjected to lawsuits that could cost them billions of dollars, they won't participate; they won't help us; they won't help protect America. Liability protection is critical to securing the private sector's cooperation with our intelligence efforts. The Senate has passed a good bill, and has shown that protecting our nation is not a partisan issue. And I congratulate the senators.

Unfortunately, the House has failed to pass a good bill. And now House leaders say they want still more time to reach agreement with the Senate on a final bill. They make this claim even though it is clear that the Senate bill, the bill passed last night, has significant bipartisan support in the House.

Congress has had over six months to discuss and deliberate. The time for debate is over. I will not accept any temporary extension. House members have had plenty of time to pass a good bill. They have already been given a two-week extension beyond the deadline they set for themselves. If Republicans and Democrats in the Senate can come together on a good piece of legislation, there is no reason why Republicans and Democrats in the House cannot pass the Senate bill immediately.

The House's failure to pass the bipartisan Senate bill would jeopardize the security of our citizens. As Director McConnell has told me, without this law, our ability to prevent new attacks will be weakened. And it will become harder for us to uncover terrorist plots. We must not allow this to happen. It is time for Congress to ensure the flow of vital intelligence is not disrupted. It is time for Congress to pass a law that provides a long-term foundation to protect our country. And they must do so immediately.

Frank Gaffney, Jr. Commentary: The President is, of course, absolutely right. The House is being irresponsible and the only way to rectify permanently a truly dangerous situation - i.e., an inability to perform what amounts to the monitoring of battlefield communications of our enemies practiced throughout our history by commanders-in-chief of both parties - is to enact legislation like this. The House is principally balking at immunity for telecoms who responded post-9/11 to Bush's appeal for their help in doing just that. I think of it as akin to protecting the 'John Does' that CAIR and the flying imams wanted to sue for warning about the latter's hi-jinks a while back -- something the Congress agreed to do after initial opposition from Pelosi, et. al. The Senate overwhelmingly went along. We need to turn up the heat on the House to do the same.


'Unavoidable' choices?
By Frank Gaffney, Jr.

Ironically, we all owe a debt of gratitude to Rowan Williams, who as Archbishop of Canterbury is chief prelate of the Church of England. Our thanks are not due this cleric, however, for his appalling pronouncement last week that we had better get used to the imposition of Shariah law in Britain since it is now, in his words, "unavoidable."

Rather, we should be appreciative because, by his declaration of capitulation to and appeasement of the Islamofascists - who agree with him on the inevitability of the triumph of the brutally repressive totalitarian theo-political-legal code they call Shariah - Archbishop Williams has, albeit wholly unintentionally, sounded a needed alarm. In response, British politicians of every stripe are suddenly professing concern about the danger a courageous British author named Melanie Phillips has, until now, been reviled for depicting as "Londonistan."

Sadly, America is no less in need of such an epiphany. An appeals court in Texas reportedly has just agreed that something called "Texas Islamic Courts" can arbitrate Muslim divorce proceedings in that state. Minnesota is allowing its cabdrivers to refuse transportation to people they consider, under Shariah, to be "haram" or unclean - including blind people with seeing-eye dogs and folks transporting alcohol. Universities, other public institutions and even some private corporations are acceding to demands by Shariah-adherent Muslims for prayer facilities, ritual foot-baths and excused absences from work to allow them, and those among their co-religionists they will pressure for conform, to practice their faith. [more...]

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