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...