How Intrusive Are Those Full-Body Scans?

THL shows that these images (even as "negatives") are very intrusive. All he had to do was invert the colors, much like a developed negative, and he got some disturbingly clear images.

Warning, the "color inverted" images are NSFW.

Open Thread on Security, Terrorism, and Personal Freedoms

I'm a bit torn here, as anyone in my position would be. Allow me to explain...

I'm a BIG proponent of individual rights and civil liberties. Anyone who knows me knows that this is who I am. I also believe in a safe, secure nation. However, I'm confused on trying to strike a balance between the two.

So how does one defend against potential terrorist attacks in a manner that is conducive to safety for all...but does not violate the personal freedoms of American citizens and residents?

If you think you've got an idea, post it below...

Rasmussen Ruminations

Some interesting recent polls from Rasmussen Reports (the most accurate pollster around, in most opinions)...

- Massachussetts Senate Race: Coakley 50%, Brown 41%. This is very interesting, because one would think that a sitting Dem AG (which Coakley is) in a solidly Blue state would rabidly support a candidate from the same party as "icon" (their preference in terms, not mine), Ted Kennedy. Brown, a sitting state Senator, could make this interesting as the health care reform bill, while still slightly favored in Mass, continues to sour voters. Brown also has a 39-point lead among Independents...the problem is, Republicans/Independents combined are vastly outnumbered by Democrats in this state.

- 59% of those polled support racial profiling for airline security, and 71% believe it is necessary for proper security. Even minorities support racial profiling for airline security at 52%. A majority of Democrats also support this. I'm not sure where I fall on this, as my love for personal civil liberties and support of solid national security come in conflict here. However, this says a lot about how Americans feel we should change our methods of security. A poll also showed that 49% of Americans feel that their fellow countrymen have forgotten the impact of the 9/11 attacks.

- Generic Congressional Ballot...Republicans 44%, Democrats 35%. Also, the number of self-identified Democrats has dropped to it's lowest level in the 7 years Rasmussen has tracked this. The bigger key is that Republican support is not rising as fast as the Dems are losing it...which the GOP needs to pounce on to continue this wave through 2010 and beyond. Otherwise, they're leaving open voters to return to the Donks or go third party (hey, the Libertarians are generally a good choice, too! I'm really starting to feel the need for a 3rd party in this country)

- 55% of national voters say California should go bankrupt instead of receiving a bailout. Only 27% support bailing out the state.

- 52% of Americans disapprove of Obama's performance...39% strongly disapprove. This is compared to 48% approve and 27% strongly approve. Not good, period.

More National Security Bungling, Michael Yon Arrested in Seattle

Apparently, if you do not disclose non-security related information (in Yon's case, his personal income) that's enough to be detained and handcuffed. Luckily, Seattle Port Authority officers came by and straightened out the matter.

Yon, if you are unfamiliar with him, is an independent war correspondent who travels in and out of the country quite a bit. Yon's insistance on not disclosing personal information that is not pertinent to national security interests was a good stand for personal rights.

So Much for "New and Improved"

The new airport body scanners in the UK would not have detected the bomb that was carried by the Christmas Day terrorist. At the same time, the new "pat-downs" being used in American airports would not have been effective, either.

We need to stop playing "catch-up" and start getting ahead of the game with these terrorists. I'm obviously not an expert in this area, but if methods supposedly don't work, why are we continuing to implement them?

Obama Catching Hell Over Terror Plot Response

Looks like "Barry from D.C." has some criticism to answer to...

- The Telegraph gives Obama an "F" for protecting Americans. Hitting him for trying so hard to be "unBush" that his cool demeanor is alarming in it's downplaying of the situation (as well as his downplaying of other terrorist attacks or plots). They also note that Obama did not allow this to disrupt his golf games, tennis matches, or snorkeling adventures in Hawaii.
- Dick Cheney accuses Obama of "trying to pretend we're not at war with terrorists", and cites such examples of the ban of the phrase "War on Terror" and the closing of Gitmo. Cheney believes it is because it does not fit the global views of Obama, and that it would interfere with Obama's goal of the social transformation and restructuring of American society. Ouch!
- Let's not forget that Obama has already tried to pin the blame on this incident on George W. Bush. He's also trying to blame the CIA (nothing new for Dems), but the Agency has rebuked claims of not sharing the information that they had.
- Also, Obama called this a "catastrophic failure", only days after both NHS Secretary Janet "Big Sister" Napolitano and White House Press Secretary Robert "Softballs Only" Gibbs both stated that "the system worked". This signals inconsistency within the Obama adminstration itself.

Tough times ahead for "Barry in D.C."

Al-Qaeda Offensive On The Way?

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the terrorist who attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253, stated that there are "more just like him in Yemen who will strike soon."

Now, Al-Qaeda has made claims like this in the past that either did not come to fruition, or their efforts simply failed. However, we've had two attempts within the past week of a similar nature (blowing up airplanes), and renewed efforts by Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

With this sudden resurgence in activity (some of it successful to a degree in Afghanistan and Pakistan), it makes you wonder if Barry In D.C.'s approach has led them to believe they will be more successful in "destroying the infidels" than they did under President Bush, as many feared would happen.

If this uptick in terrorist activity continues, I would imagine that the question of "are we safer under Obama" will become a more prominent one.

So, uh...You Believed it Worked Before You Believed it Failed?

NHS Chief Janet Napolitano pulls a "John Kerry" and states today that the Airline Security System "failed"...just one day after saying that it "worked" in regards to the terror attempt in Detroit.

So I guess that means that she was for the security system as it is before she was against it.

UPDATE: Another Black Republican has video and commentary.

Terrorist Foiled by Passengers

Now THIS is true American heroism.

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) - An attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight began with a pop and a puff of smoke - sending passengers scrambling to subdue a Nigerian man who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up the airliner, officials and travelers said.

The commotion began as Northwest Airlines Flight 253, carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members from Amsterdam, prepared to land in Detroit just before noon Friday. Travelers said they smelled smoke, saw a glow, and heard what sounded like firecrackers. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man, who officials say was trying to ignite an explosive device.

Kudos to these true American heroes for stepping up and averting what could have been a real tragedy. Very reminiscent of the shoe bomber attempt in 2001, which most articles on yesterday's terror attempt have referenced.

President Obama has called for "appropriate increases" in security, but has not made any real public statements about the near-disaster.

You Know, I Have an Idea for the Gitmo Detainees...

I think I know what to do with the many terrorists and suspected terrorists we have detained at Guantanamo Bay, since we have to do something with them. It may not be such a bad idea to put them in our prisons.

Before you spit coffee on your screen and attempt to virtually hurl your mug at me, allow me to explain.

See, some of the most anti-terrorist people are biker gang members. We have a decent population of them in our prisons. I say we should place these terrorists in a wing of the prisons with the bikers, and see if they "get along". In fact, shortly after they get placed there, maybe we should have the guards go on a lunch break so the bikers and terrorists can "get to know each other". I think the bikers would definitely enjoy having some "quality time" with the terrorists, don't you?

I'm so evil sometimes ;)

Fred Thompson on the Bhutto Assassination

View it here. Good answers from Fred.

A Little Speculation Over Bhutto's Assassination

Two thoughts that have come to mind with the sound and the fury going on in Pakistan...

- Is anyone else reminded of the assassination of Ahmad Masood (a leader Afghan rebels against Taliban and Al-Qaeda) that occurred 2 days before 9/11 occurred? Now, here we are, only a few days from New Years Eve...

- If further insurrection/violence/civil war occurs in Pakistan, who will be watching the nukes? Al-Qaeda would love to get their hands on a few nuclear weapons, I'm sure...and Pakistan is the only Muslim nation that we know has them in their arsenal.

Just some random thoughts.

BREAKING: Benazir Bhutto Assassinated, UPDATE: Al-Qaeda Leader Admits They Were Behind It

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the first female leader of a Muslim nation, Benazir Bhutto was killed this morning in an attack by a suicide bomber.

Bhutto was shot in the neck and chest by the bomber, seconds later the bomber blew himself up and killed 20 others in the process. This attack comes with only a little over a week before the January 8th Parliamentary elections in Pakistan, where Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party was expected to do well because of their wide base of support throughout the country.

This bloody massacre is the latest in a string of events that has left Pakistan teetering on the brink of chaos and anarchy. Pakistan is a key ally of the United States in the Global War on Terror, especially in neighboring Afghanistan, and a nuclear weapon-possessing country.

This event will have global repercussions, as Bhutto was a key figure in the Muslim world and this will surely upset those who supported her and galvanize those who opposed her.

UPDATES...

- Minutes after Bhutto was announced dead, Bhutto supporters at the hospital erupted in anger and changed "Killer, Killer, Musharraf" in reference to Bhutto's political opponent, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

- The last photo taken of Bhutto before her death.

- There was also another attempted attack today against another anti-Musharraf leader, Nawaz Sharif, that was thwarted by police. Also revealed in this article is the fact that Islamic militants have had it out for Bhutto, due to her support for women's rights, secular politics, and the American war on terror.

- State Department, President Bush both condemn the slaying of Bhutto.

- Live coverage on Sky News. The scene can only be described as mass anger and violence.

- Some blog reactions, courtesy of the Times Online. Also, a list of the main suspects who could be behind this.

- Reactions from 2008 Presidential hopefuls.

- AP: Musharraf administration states Al-Qaeda is behind attacks. Musharraf also makes a plea for peace in the nation.

- Al-Qaeda commander Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid claims that they indeed were behind this attack.

- D.J. McGuire has an excellent analysis regarding Bhutto's assassination, how things got to this point, and what it means for Pakistan in the future.

Rasmussen: Good News for Bush, Common Sense, War, and Society

- Bush's approval rating for the overall month of November was 37%, which is not great but is an improvement from the low-30's he was pulling several months ago. It's been a slow climb upward for the President.

- 54% of Americans believe that the individuals who borrowed more than they could afford are to blame for the subprime mortgage crisis...only 25% blame Wall Street investors. This 54% includes 42% of Democrats (surprisingly, only 37% of Dems blame Wall Street), 52% of Independents, and 69% of Republicans. Interesting, since the mainstream news tends to place blame on Wall Street for this problem.

- 47% of Americans believe we are winning the War on Terror, the highest level of support in 35 months on Rasmussen and 4 points higher than a month ago. This is also up 13 points since early January.

- Here's an interesting one...62% of Americans would prefer a government that offers fewer services and lower taxes, only 25% say the opposite.

Bill Clinton to 9/11 Conspiracy Theorist: "How Dare You"

Once in a while, Bill Clinton will do something or say something that makes me think that he's not a totally bad guy.

Like shutting down a heckler at a Hillary fundraiser who claimed 9/11 was an inside job and a fraud.

While I don't think he did enough with the supposedly vast amounts of information he had on Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, at least he won't let this extreme-left conspiracy BS stand...and for that, I do applaud him.

However, I hope that Clinton supporters do not attempt to use this as some kind of symbol that the Clintons are "tough on terror", because if Bill had been tough on terror in the first place, he would not have had a heckler to shut down...because 9/11 would not have happened.

Krauthammer: No Reason to Abandon Iraq Yet

Charles Krauthammer's article , "Benching Benchmarks", at National Review Online speaks volumes about how we have been achieving success in Iraq, and that we should not give up yet. He opens up with this statement.

It does not have the drama of the Inchon landing or the sweep of the Union comeback in the summer of 1864. But the turnabout of American fortunes in Iraq over the last several months is of equal moment — a war seemingly lost, now winnable. The violence in Iraq has been dramatically reduced. Political allegiances have been radically reversed. The revival of ordinary life in many cities is palpable. Something important is happening.

And what is the reaction of the war critics? Nancy Pelosi stoutly maintains her state of denial, saying this about the war just two weeks ago: “This is not working. ... We must reverse it.” A euphemism for “abandon the field,” which is what every Democratic presidential candidate is promising, with variations only in how precipitous to make the retreat.

Very, very true. All of our military's work, and the efforts of the surge, are showing more and more signs of success. We're on the cusp of really breaking through and ending this occupation in a favorable, victorious manner...and these anti-war Dems still can't accept that.

Their excuse is found in the statement "Iraq has not achieved the political benchmarks set". Krauthammer acknowledges that having all of these benchmarks achieved is a good thing, and would make for a faster end to all of this...but it's not quite necessary at this point. Read on...

But does the absence of this deus ex machina invalidate our hard-won gains? Why does this mean that we cannot achieve success by other means?

Sure, there is no oil law. But the central government is nonetheless distributing oil revenues to the provinces, where the funds are being used for reconstruction.

Sure, the de-Baathification law has not been modified. But the whole purpose of modification was to entice Sunni insurgents to give up the insurgency and join the new order. This is already happening on a widening scale all over the country in the absence of a relaxed de-Baathification law.

As for federalism, the Kurds are running their own region, the Sunni sheiks in Anbar and elsewhere are exercising not just autonomy but control of their own security, and the southern Shiites are essentially governing themselves, the British having withdrawn in all but name.

Yes, a provincial powers law would be nice because it would allow for provincial elections. We should push hard for it. But we already have effective provincial and tribal autonomy in pivotal regions of the country.

So, while the legislative benchmarks have not been reached from the top down...success is being reached from the ground up. Krauthammer continues...

Why is top-down national reconciliation as yet unattainable? Because decades of Saddam’s totalitarianism followed by the brutality of the post-invasion insurgency destroyed much of the political infrastructure of the country, causing the Iraqis to revert to the most basic political attachment — tribe and locality. Gen. David Petraeus’s genius has been to adapt American strategy to capitalize on that development, encouraging the emergence of and allying ourselves with tribal and provincial leaders — without waiting for cosmic national deliverance from the newly constructed and still dysfunctional constitutional apparatus in Baghdad.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is in disarray, the Sunni insurgency in decline, the Shiite militias quiescent, the capital city reviving. Are we now to reverse course and abandon all this because parliament cannot ratify the reconciliation already occurring on the ground?

Good question. The answer is simple...there is no reason to do so. Our troops are playing a big part in helping Iraqis build stability in their own nation from the ground up. Soon enough, the central government in Baghdad will be stabilized, and we'll begin to see that despite all of the violence, bloodshed, and lives lost...it was not in vain, but for a more secure world for everyone, including you and I, to live in.

Sedition in Olympia, Washington

It's one thing to protest the war, it's another thing to stop military shipments from reaching our troops in Iraq so they can be well-equipped to defend themselves and survive in harsh conditions! So much for these anti-war protestors claiming to be "for the troops", they won't even allow the troops to get the equipment they need!!! Blocking convoys, pouring cement over railroad tracks, doing everything they can from stopping these shipments from heading to our troops...and the police are doing NOTHING!

This is beyond protesting, this could be very easily considered to be treason...and the cops are letting these people go without charges!?!?

THESE PROTESTORS ARE PUTTING AMERICAN LIVES EVEN MORE AT RISK! Yet, the liberal media and blogosphere PRAISE these people as being heroes and patriots???

I have my issues with the what's going on in Iraq, but for the love of God...the troops in Iraq have done nothing to have these sniveling little opportunists cut off their supply line!

Michelle Malkin reports on this treasonous activity.

Bono Shows A Bit of Sense

And he does it in the face of a Rolling Stone reporter trying to make him do otherwise.

Bono: When I'm arguing for increased aid to Africa, I always say, "Isn't it cheaper and smarter to make friends out of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later?"

Reporter: We seem to be headed in exactly the opposite direction. Maybe it was possible to think that way right after 9/11, but that opportunity was squandered.

Bono: When the French have you on the cover of their most treasured newspaper with the headline WE ARE ALL AMERICANS, something has been stirred! [Laughs]

Reporter: But this administration destroyed that. I know that you have to deal with a lot of these people. . .

Bono: There was a plan there, you know. I think the president genuinely felt that if we could prove a model of democracy and broad prosperity in the Middle East, it might defuse the situation.

Remember, Bono is revered by most for his music, and by the left for his political activism. After discussing his disagreement with the Iraq War, he says the following...

Bono: I want to be very, very clear, however: I understand and agree with the analysis of the problem. There is an imminent threat. It manifested itself on 9/11. It's real and grave. It is as serious a threat as Stalinism and National Socialism were. Let's not pretend it isn't.

He is right...national socialism was a serious threat, and it is becoming one here in America. Hence the reason why conservatives like me are against some of the socialist ideals put forth by many politicians, pundits, and college professors.

Read the full interview here.

(h/t blonde sagacity)

Now I Understand Why G.I. Joe Will Be De-Americanized...

Apparently, George Clooney is in talks to star in this movie. I seriously doubt a single soul who knows anything about G.I. Joe will buy into his pacifist persona as G.I. Joe. Don't get me wrong, Clooney is a great actor...but no, this is one product I can't buy.

This is the plot outline from IMDb...

"A European-based military unit known as Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity (G.I.J.O.E.), a hi-tech, international force of special operatives takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer."

European-based??? G.I. Joe is a Real American Hero...a U.S. Marine! There are certain symbols you shouldn't tamper with, and the proud depiction of a U.S. Marine fighting for freedom and democracy against terrorists is not one of them. Talk about degrading the American armed forces for a generation of kids in our country...

Trying to do the Right Thing

When it comes to the Middle East in general, America has done a lot to attempt to bring order and some amount of social freedom not granted to the people by the governments of that region. True, we always had our interests in mind to varying extents, but I believe that our attempts to simply democratize the region for the sake of providing freedom to those who never had it before have been genuine to at least some degree.


I've come to believe that true stability may never be reached in the Middle East...but you can't fault the U.S. for at least trying. The problem is, you have the roots of almost half of the world's religious beliefs set in this general region. You also have some of the most extreme tribalistic societies in this region. Combine that with a willingness to die for your beliefs because the man next to you does not believe what you believe...and by killing them and yourself, you get 72 virgins and an eternity in paradise...well, I guess personal freedom and democracy now can't compare with those kinds of promises that can be achieved by simply killing "infidels" in the name of Allah.

The worst part of it all is that most Muslims do not believe in these acts. However, their religion has been so hijacked by these extremists that they feel powerless to stop them. The other roadblock is the different sects of Islam refuse to coexist, much like the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, even though they read from the same book of beliefs.

However, I've read a few reports that state that Al Qaeda has lost a lot of influence in Iraq in recent months. Most of this loss of influence is due to these non-extremist Muslims standing up and refusing to give shelter to Al Qaeda terrorists, and not just U.S. military force alone.

Maybe we can end this occupation on a positive note, after all.