Bernard B. Kerik

RICHARD SHEIRER - Rest In Peace

2012-01-20T06:29:00.000-05:00

On the morning of September 11, 2001, while the entire nation watched the horrific events unfold in New York City, Richie Sheirer, the Director of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, was on the scene within minutes, assisting in the rescue and evacuation of the Twin Towers. In the days, weeks and months after, he was a pillar of strength for many. For me, he was there whenever I needed him, always with the answer and always with a smile. He was a big man with a bigger heart, and for anyone who knew him, you knew that he gave our city and our country his all.

Today, we lost a piece of our country's history, and we lost a good, sweet and gentle man. He was one of a kind, and he was one of the best. He was a hero, in every sense of the word, and he was a good friend.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. He will be truly missed.

May he rest in peace, and may God Bless his family always.

-BERNARD B. KERIK

CHRISTMAS 2011

2011-12-25T01:19:00.002-05:00

They say that you never know who your true friends are until you've been hit with tragedy and you really need their support. Over the past several years, I have learned the hard way that there is nothing more true. Hala and I have been blessed with a loving and caring family and many steadfast friends and supporters.

This Christmas and holiday season, on behalf of my entire family, I want to say thank you to all of them. Thank you for your notes, letters, books and cards, and most importantly, thank you for being there for my family when I could not be.

As horrible as this has been for all of us, in some strange way, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to see what I have over the past several years. Having run two of the largest law enforcement organizations in the world with unparalleled success and achievement, my own incarceration has contradicted much of what I once believed about the federal criminal justice and prison system. There is no tour you can take, no inspection you can do, no crystal ball you can look into to see the system's successes, flaws or failures. They can only be seen from within. For someone who knows how the system is supposed to work, and what it is supposed to accomplish, it has been more than an eye opening experience, one that I will never forget and will use to the best of my ability to bring about much-needed reform once I am released.

Until then, I spend my days writing, exercising, reading, and teaching.

I've lost sixty to seventy pounds since October 2009. Although I have always tried to stay fit and in shape, nothing comes close to this, at least since I was in my 30s. Three days a week, it's push ups...on a good day 800 - 1,000, and on a bad day, 500 - 600. Not bad, considering I started out at 50. On the opposite days, it's squats, sprints and stairs.

I've read more books since I've been here than I have in my entire life, two a week, sometimes three, unless it's one of those big beefy ones like the biographies on Steve Jobs, Arial Sharon, or Condoleezza Rice. I've read just about every book written on our criminal justice system. Although many of these books are not normally read by the general public, I'd urge every American to read Angela J. Davis' Arbitrary Justice, Andrew Napolitano's Constitutional Chaos, Alan Elsner's Gates of Injustice; Tyranny of Good Intentions, by Roberts and Stratton; and Orange is the New Black, by Piper Kerman, a brilliant woman who captured the realities of living within the federal prison system for a year.

When you're feeling down and out, or you think you've had a rough day, there are two books you should read that will definitely put things back into perspective: Night, by Eli Weisel and Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankel. I'm convinced that these two men are living examples of the old saying, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." For me, they have given me strength and been some of my greatest inspiration.

The class I teach here is a Life Lessons class in which I've outlined much of what I've learned throughout my lifetime: my successes and failures, rights and wrongs, goods and bads, and just about life itself. For me, the most important part of this class is trying to make sure that the men I teach will never return to prison. I do my best to help them overcome the obstacles they now must face, such as living with the life-long label of being a convicted felon. Unfortunately, the system not only degrades and demoralizes many of these men, but the convicted felon label destroys their chances for real employment or a full second chance in life. I help them know the world they will face upon release so that they will not be overtaken by depression, cynicism and hopelessness.

There are bad people that belong in prison and behind bars, some longer than others. For those that pose the greatest danger and threat to society, perhaps forever. However, many of the men that I have met here, and thousands more in the system, are non-violent first-time offenders, who pose no threat to society at all. Yet they are being imprisoned for years on end when they could be punished by alternatives to incarceration such as probationary sentences, fines, penalties, community service, and home confinement or house arrest. In doing so, they could be working, paying taxes, taking care of their families and paying their fines and restitution. The American taxpayer would save the burden of the $28,000 per year per inmate for their imprisonment but, more importantly, would reap the reward of their taxable income and economic spending, which is billions of dollars over the reported cost of incarceration

I serve my time along with, for example, a 60 year old attorney, serving five years on an immigration violation, a 22 year old U.S. Marine serving three years for selling his own night vision goggles on eBay, a 55 year old businessman serving seven and a half years on an SEC violation, a 33 old bank vice president who sent an email he shouldn't have and is serving 36 months, and a 19 year old kid from D.C. serving 10 years for a low level drug offense. They are all non-violent, first-time offenders the system is destroying.

In our attempt not to look "soft on crime," prosecutors are insisting on maximum prison sentences. Judges bound by mandatory minimums and sentencing guidelines, then impose these draconian sentences on non-violent first time offenders. Justice, society, the economy and most important their children and families would quite often be better served by an alternative to incarceration. As I said, it's been an eye-opening experience.

Back at home, Celine, at 11 years old now, is 5'9". Another two inches, and she'll be taller than me. Angelina, age 9, has had an amazing growth spurt as well, but hopefully she keeps it under 5'10", so I don't feel like I'm shrinking. Both of them are doing quite well in school (they have their mother's brains), and are as beautiful on the inside as out.

Angelina is starring in her school's Christmas play, Beauty and the Beast, with a solo singing spot. Her quick wit and intelligence is a bit scary for a 9 year old. Sometimes I feel like I'm dealing with an adult. In a recent note she sent me, she said, "I hope this is the last Christmas at the stink bug farm," and for a moment I had to wonder what she was talking about. Then it dawned on me. At the end of last summer there was a major problem here in Maryland with stink bugs, so every time she would come visit, she'd be upset by our unwanted company. Thus, the "stink bug farm." Not only is she quick witted, she has an unbelievable memory!

Celine recently received her school's Patriot of the Month Award, chosen by her teachers for excellence in character. Last year at her prior school, she ended the year receiving the Matt Larson Award, named in honor and memory of Mathew James Larson, who at 7 years old, lost a five year battle with brain and spinal tumors. The award's recipient is chosen by teachers and parents for the one child in the school who reflects the principles by which Matt lived his life - overcoming adversity while doing all he could for others.

I couldn't be more proud of both of the girls, and there is nothing that pains me more than not being there for them when they have really needed me.

The past year has been difficult for both of them...they lost a beloved uncle who died unexpectedly and way too young at 50; and then Duke, one of our German Shepherds, died as well. Not being there then, or for their school plays, sporting events, parent-teacher conferences, Back to School nights and things like that has been my greatest punishment.

For any father who loves his children as I do mine, this time is torture. Even with the support group that Hala and I have around them that others may not have, the nightmare of this time and place haunts them more than anyone would know. Even me. I had no idea.

After a recent visit to see me, Celine spoke to a family friend and told her the pain she felt watching other children in the visiting room who were visiting their parents in prison. She said she wanted to write a book about her experience, so that should could help others. When I first learned of her conversation and her desire to write a book, I was pleased by her intent, but I've got to admit, my pleasure was short-lived when I heard what she wanted to title the book and why: "Don't Forget About Us," a title she chose because she believes judges and others don't really care about the children who are left behind. Her torment is heart wrenching for me, and that is coming from a little girl who is blessed with an enormous family and endless friends. If that is how she feels, what about those children who aren't so lucky?

My son, Joe, has had his ups and downs this last year as well, but nothing was as hard as losing one of his closest friends, Newark Detective Michael Morgan, who was shot and killed recently during an armed robbery. I've been there and know that feeling. In the aftermath of Mike's death, I tried to talk Joe into considering another place to work other than Newark, and he wouldn't hear of it. Newark, Jersey City or New York City... those are the only places he said he'd be happy. I've been there too, so for now, I guess I'll just keep my mouth shut and continue to pray for his safety and those who work with him.

This past year has been one of the most difficult in my lifetime, but it's not because of what most people would think. What has been most stressful for me is not being home when I was needed, not knowing what is happening, not having the ability to tuck in the girls or kiss them good night and being there when something goes wrong. However, I, unlike many men in my circumstance, have had a rock to lean on and someone to pick up the slack. Hala has been like Wonder Woman, holding down the fort with grace and unbelievable strength. Our children have been blessed with a mother who could not be better than the one they have and things would be unbearable without her.

The strength of every marriage is tested by circumstances, some of which we can control, and some of which we cannot. Mine has been tested over and over again, much of which has been my own fault. In the past many months, I have witnessed countless numbers of wives say goodbye to their husbands, or just disappear. It has ripped many of these men to shreds, but more so, it has helped me understand how lucky I am. I have been blessed with a wife who not only has stood by me, but has shined bright through our darkest times. To her, I owe my all.

With each passing day, I grow more thankful for the life I've had, my children, my wife, and for our friends, our family and our supporters. This experience has caused me to find the words to express my love and appreciation all the more. My best days here are when Hala, the girls and Joe come to visit, as well as other family and friends. One of my most memorable days this last year was May 1st, when my friend Geraldo Rivera broke the news that President Barack Obama was about to announce the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden. Thank God for Seal Team Six and the United States of America.

Believe it or not, in a very profound way, I thank God for letting me see what I have seen from here, and meet many of the men I have met in the past 20 months. It has changed me now and forever...and for the better.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. And on behalf of my entire family, I thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support. You mean more to us than you will ever know. As we celebrate the holiday season, please join me in remembering our troops returning from Iraq as well as those in Afghanistan and around the globe. And lastly, as always, my regards, thoughts and prayers are with the men and women of the NYPD, NYDOC, and Newark Police Department.

May God richly bless you all.

-BERNARD B. KERIK

Mr. Kerik can be followed on twitter at: www.twitter.com/bernardkerik

POLICE OFFICER MICHAEL MORGAN

2011-11-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

Early this morning, off duty Newark Police Officer Michael Morgan was shot and killed in Paterson, New Jersey. He was a good friend of my son Joseph and a great cop. It is a terrible loss for Newark, society as a whole, and most importantly, his loving family. May he rest in peace, may God Bless his family, and may the Archangel Saint Michael watch over the colleagues he left behind. -BERNARD B. KERIK

The Imbalance of Justice

2011-11-03T04:28:00.002-04:00

The Imbalance of Justice

What happens when the scales of justice tip so far in the wrong direction that society begins to lose sight of our Founding Fathers' intended goal of justice? Have we become a society more concerned with money than humanity? How much is a human life really worth in the United States today?

Throughout my career, I have traveled to other parts of the world where life is cheap, but I never thought I'd see a day where, in this country, we'd place more value on a dollar than life itself.

Consider this:

In 2005, L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former chief executive of Tyco International Ltd., was found guilty of grand larceny, conspiracy and securities fraud, stemming from a compensation package and bonuses he received as Tyco's chief executive. By all accounts he was an aggressive and successful corporate executive who helped make Tyco one of the most successful companies in the world, but one who also dared to flaunt his fortune and compensation package, one of the highest of any CEO in the country.

He did not commit an act of violence, he was not a pedophile, he did not rob, rape, or viciously assault or murder anyone, yet his conviction resulted in a sentence of 8 1/3 - 25 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay $90 million in restitution to his former employer and a $70 million fine, which according to published reports, he has already satisfied.

The sad reality is that given his age today, 64, Kozlowski was given a death sentence despite being a first time, non-violent offender, for which he has already paid nearly $160 million in fines and restitution. Is that justice?

Compare that to this:

On October 18, 2008, an 18 year old teenager by the name of Christopher Robinson, who was being held on Rikers Island pending criminal charges, was beaten to death by other inmates.

According to the Bronx District Attorney's Office, a three year investigation revealed that two New York City Correction Officers, Michael McKie and Khalid Nelson, were running a secret, sadistic society called "The Program" on Rikers, that encouraged and allowed a brutal squad of inmates, dubbed "The Team," to beat and extort other prisoners.

Robinson was allegedly singled out and murdered - savagely beaten to death - because he refused to go along with "The Program."

Five inmates have since pled guilty for their roles in Robinson's brutal killing and received sentences ranging up to 10 years in prison... substantially less than Tyco CEO Kozlowski.

To make matters worse, last Thursday former correction officers Michael McKie and Khalid Nelson pled guilty in a Bronx courtroom for their role in running "The Program," and allowing this brutal and sadistic group of inmates to savagely beat and extort the other inmates. Their sentence: Nelson will receive one year, and McKie will receive two years in prison.

These two men were sworn to protect the inmates in their custody, yet endangered their lives, and the lives of every correction officer in their facility by turning a blind eye to this brutal and barbaric group of inmates who acted as predators on the weak. Between the two of them, they were sentenced to only three years in prison for their heinous, outrageous and brutal conduct.

Dennis Kozlowski probably made more money than he should have and did things that he should not have done for which he should have been punished. However, he has already spent five years in prison and paid back nearly $160 million in fines and restitution. He still faces another 20 years in prison for a first time non-violent offense, yet those responsible for Robinson's brutal and savage killing will serve less than a 10 year term, and the two public servants who ran "The Program" will serve less than three years between them.

The imbalance in our criminal justice system is glaring. There are serious questions about crime, punishment, justification and fairness. However, for this moment in time, there's only one question that society should be concerned with: Where is the real justice for Christopher Robinson and his family?

23 Years Ago

2011-10-19T03:09:00.000-04:00

23 YEARS AGO Yesterday
On October 18, 1988, in two separate incidents on the same evening, two New York City Police Officers were murdered; Chris Hoban - 26, was shot and killed during a narcotics undercover operation, and Michael Buczek - 24, was shot and killed when he attempted to stop a drug dealer in Washington Heights. Today, I think of them and the families they left behind, and their heroic colleagues in Manhattan North Narcotics and the 34th Precinct. May God Bless them all.

-BERNARD B. KERIK.... Follow Mr. Kerik at: www.twitter.com/bernardkerik

Disgusting Political Attack Shows Cowardice

2011-09-18T13:42:00.001-04:00

At 8:41 a.m. on September 11, 2011, just five minutes before most of the nation was prepared to stand in silence at the exact time the north tower of the World Trade Center was attacked ten years earlier, Paul Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times, thought not of those lost on that day nor the families they left behind nor the New York City first responders who put their lives on the line in one of the greatest rescue and evacuation missions in our country's history nor the ceremonies around the country that were about to take place.

When the rest of the country, Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, were all coming together to remember one of the darkest days in our nation's history, Mr. Krugman felt it was the perfect time to launch a cowardly smear campaign and political attack on those who were there in positions of leadership on September 11, 2001, and who did their best to get our country through those extremely difficult times.

After reading the words he posted on his blog, The Conscience of a Liberal, I feel compelled to respond.

In the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack in world history, this country did unite in every walk of life, in every political arena and in every community in this country. There was no "wedge issue" or division or disagreement about anything. The American people came together as one, as they should have, with incredible resilience and camaraderie. I'm not sure where Mr. Krugman was hiding at the time, but his own paper and employer wrote all about it.

As for President George W. Bush, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, or me racing to "cash in on the horror," I can only assume that relates to writing a book, promoting that book or speaking about the events of that day or its aftermath--no different than Mr. Krugman's colleagues at the New York Times. They used information they acquired through their investigative reporting to publish books, give media interviews and talks specifically about that day and its aftermath.

Did they race to cash in? Personally, I don't think so. I think their--and all our stories--need to be told...as many of them as possible.

Did Mr. Krugman attacked his own colleagues for "cashing in?" Did he throw a tantrum when former President Bill Clinton published his book or the Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin published his or when they gave speeches relating to their time in office? I'd bet not.

As Americans, we have a duty to tell the story and history of that day.

When the second jet airliner struck the south tower, I was there, dodging debris from the plane and building. When the south tower collapsed, Mayor Giuliani, me, and members of our staffs were a block away, trapped in a building. In dealing with the rescue, recovery and investigation, we all did the best we could at the time, which by all accounts, like it or not, was far better than the handling of others crises around the world, especially considering that we had no warning of what was about to come.

In the past ten years, Mr. Krugman and others like him who didn't have to deal with the death, destruction and devastation, and the rebuilding of a shattered city, have felt compelled to constantly attack those of us who did. Then, to make matters worse, on this 9/11, ten years later, when the entire country was once again united in memory of those we lost and that horrendous day, Mr. Krugman didn't have the common courtesy, decency and patriotism to unite. He chose instead to rant, and his rant was disgusting.

There's something else Mr. Krugman should know:

In 2001, I assisted in the development of a photo book about the first responders on 9/11. The proceeds of that book went to the widows and children of members of the NYPD and FDNY who died in the line of duty. The book raised more than $550,000 that was given to the charity. Between 2002-2004, I was paid $70,000 for my part in putting that book together. The media had a field day when this came to light. However, what they also knew, but refused to publish, was this: Between 2002 and 2004, my wife and I gave that much, plus another $50,000, to charities relating to the first responders of 9/11, the U.S. Military, and medical aid for Iraqi children and Coptic orphans. Included in the $120,000 we gave was $50,000 to the New York City PBA Widows and Orphans Fund, $10,000 to the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation, and $5,000 to the FDNY Fire Safety Education Fund.

Something Krugman and almost no one else has ever known was that, within a few days after the attack, when I realized the 23 police officers who worked for me were probably dead, out of concern for their families' well being, I contacted a personal friend of mine in an attempt to raise money for them. Three days later, I was able to present each of those families with a check for $10,000, for a total of $230,000. I did so with no fanfare, no media hype, and no benefit to me or my family or my staff.

And then between 2001 and 2004, Mayor Giuliani and members of his cabinet, including me, created the Twin Towers Fund, a charity for the families and those first responders who were lost. In just under three years, we personally raised more than $216 million that was given to 600 families. I never took a dime for my work in the fund, and in fact, my wife and I contributed $20,000 to the fund in 2002.

Mr. Krugman, how much money did you personally raise for the families of the victims who perished on 9/11? I'm just curious to know.

Lastly, the "fake hero" comment in Mr. Krugman's blog was a combination of ignorance and childish immaturity. And although I don't need to defend my own career and heroics, established long before 9/11, I do feel obligated to respond to his stupidity concerning the others, given that I saw them in action.

When the entire nation was stunned and needed inspiration and leadership with the courage, compassion and dignity to get this country back on its feet, George W. Bush, George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Von Essen and others did just that. You cannot change history or erase reality. Stop trying to politicize that moment in time. None of us were perfect, but we gave it our all. Mr. Krugman can write all the nasty political attack columns he wants, but they will never change the horrors of that day, the enemy who attacked us, the rescue and response that followed, and the work that was done by those of us who were there to help our city, state and country.

Now, ten years later, Mr. Krugman wrote that the "memory of 9/11 was irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion of shame."

The real shame, sir, is that you still hold a position with the New York Times. You, and those like you with your cowardly poison pens, are a disgrace to your profession, your newspaper, and to the country that provides you the very freedom that allows you to spew your political garbage.

TEN YEARS LATER: REFLECTIONS ON 9/11/2001

2011-09-05T19:20:00.003-04:00

by

BERNARD B. KERIK

September 11, 2001 began like most mornings. It was around 6 a.m. that I gave my wife Hala and 11 month old daughter Celine a kiss before walking out the door of our apartment. Given it was New York City’s primary election day for the mayoral candidates, Hala and I had plans to watch the election results with the Mayor at The Dylan Hotel, on East 41st Street, that evening. I confirmed our plans and told her I’d see her later. Little did I know no one would be voting that day.

I was in sweats, ready for my daily work out in the gym in the back to the Commissioner’s office at NYPD headquarters. The drive from my apartment took about 40 minutes. By the time I arrived, I had read through the crime stats from the night before and had been briefed by the detectives in my car. Nothing, that I recall, was out the ordinary. If we all were lucky, it would be a peaceful day with the election going smoothly.

I went to my office, put a few things on my desk, and then started running on the treadmill while watching the news. It was a blue sky day, the kind you’d want for any election. I finished my workout about 0745 and then went over some paperwork in my office. When I finished, I went to take a shower and was standing in my bathroom shaving when John Picciano, my chief of staff, and Detective Hector Santiago started banging on my outer door. When I opened it, I still had shaving cream all over my face and a white towel around my waist. “A plane has just hit Tower One,” they said, almost in unison. I looked up at the TV over my treadmill and saw the news coverage. I walked quickly through my office to my conference room to look at the Towers...a clear shot from my windows. I was horrified by what I saw.

The devastation to the North Tower, 1 World Trade Center (WTC), was mind-boggling. I wondered how a small plane could have done so much damage. The news began reporting that it was a jet airliner. A jetliner?

Within minutes I was there, standing on West Broadway on the north side of the building, right next to 7 World Trade which housed the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management. The front of it had been damaged by the explosion of the airplane hitting the building. There was no way to get into the building or to the Office of Emergency Management. There was debris falling from the top of the North Tower. People were running out buildings, screaming and crying. A police sergeant ran towards me and my men, screaming for us to get back. "Back up, back up!" he yelled, "They're jumping!"

As most Americans watched their television in horror as men and women jumped to their deaths from the 95th floor of the building, I witnessed their last moments alive. One by one, then two and three at a time, they jumped and fell to the ground. I felt completely helpless. There was no way to stop them...or to help them. They were escaping the towering inferno in the only way they could.

About 15-20 feet to my right, just off the curb, was a hot dog vendor who too realized what he was seeing. He began screaming at the top of his lungs, “Oh my God! Oh my God!” He moved closer to me, gesturing and grimacing wildly. Then, he simply stood still, still screaming but not moving. He was so loud I couldn’t hear what my people were shouting to me. I yelled for them to get him back and out of the way. They moved him behind me and north of Barclay, and, luckily they did because had he stood there much longer, he would have died instantly from more falling debris.

Unanswerable questions

The city's response was in motion and, as bad as it seemed at that moment, it was about to get severely worse, not only for New York City, but the entire nation. As I turned around to give an order to one of my men, an enormous explosion and fireball blew out of the north side of the South Tower around the 85th floor. As I looked straight up, I was confused at first. What the hell just happened? Then I heard a member of the NYPD aviation unit on the radio say that a second jet airliner had just hit the South Tower on the south side, opposite of where I was standing. In that instant, I knew we were at war. An enemy was attacking us. I yelled for John Picciano, my chief of staff, to get me air support and close down the airspace.

How many planes did they have? Were they also on the ground? Where would they strike next? Would they try to kill the mayor? Me? My mind was racing with unanswerable questions.

We ran for cover as debris from the plane and building showered down on top of us. A two foot chunk of metal from the plane struck one of my detectives in the back of the leg, nearly knocking him to the ground.

I told my staff to call the mayor's car and divert him. Have him meet me at West Broadway and Barclay. Forget meeting at 7 WTC; it was too dangerous. About three minutes later, the mayor arrived, jumped out of his truck and ran up to where I was standing. Joe Lhota, his deputy mayor, was there too. I began telling them about the second plane hitting Tower Two just minutes before, just as I was standing there. We were looking up at the buildings and saw the rainstorm of white papers, chunks of metal, and….people. Suddenly the mayor realized that people were jumping to their deaths to escape the raging fire. He looked at me, stunned. It was obvious that we were likely to lose everyone and everything above the impact area of where the planes had hit. We realized this was like nothing we had ever been through before.

The mayor grabbed my arm and said, "We're in unchartered territory." I assumed at the time that he was referring to the damage and devastation to the Towers and at the size of the response to come. However, in the days that followed the attack, and realizing an enemy had succeeded in the unimaginable—a catastrophic attack in the heart of our country's financial district—those words had a whole new meaning.

There were no warning signs of the attack, but New York City's first responders in the FDNY, NYPD, EMS and Port Authority Police could not have accomplished more than they did that morning given the circumstances. With strength, determination, valor and grace, they executed plans and protocols that had been developed over the years, resulting in the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from lower Manhattan and the impact zone, the rescue and evacuation of thousands from the two buildings, and the establishment of one of the largest crime scenes in U.S. history, all in the face of death that, by day's end, claimed nearly 400 of their comrades.

‘We’ve got this, Boss’

The mayor and I wanted to see the damage to the other side of the buildings so we walked to the fire department’s temporary command center. We met with the Fire Department's First Deputy Commissioner, Chief of Department, and Chief of Operations, three of the most experienced fire fighters in the country with well over 100 years of combined experience. Also there were Father Mychal Judge, the Fire Department's Chaplain, and Sergeant John Coughlin from the NYPD Emergency Services Unit (ESU). They briefed us on their assessment of the damage and the response. As the mayor spoke to Father Judge, I spoke to Sergeant Coughlin. Despite the death and devastation around them, they were all examples of grace under pressure. John briefed me on the ESU teams on site; you would have thought he was briefing me on a minor water main leak. He was confident, courageous, and defiant. "We’ve got this, Boss," he said, and he knew I believed in him. Just 10 months earlier, he had helped save my baby daughter's life when she was choking. I already knew Coughlin was a hero. They all were. As we walked away, heading back north on West Street, I told him to stay safe. Father Judge blessed us all. It was the last time I would see any of them alive.

One of my detectives had commandeered a small office on the corner of Barclay Street and West Broadway for use as a temporary command post. We walked from West Street back to that office. The mayor called the White House from a hard-line phone. He wanted to ask for military support. After finally getting through, he was told that the Vice President would come on the line momentarily. All of the sudden, the mayor abruptly hung up the phone, looked at me and said, "That's not good. They said they're evacuating the White House and they think the Pentagon has just been hit."

Before I could get my mind around his words, the building we were standing in began to tremble as if a freight train were coming through the side of it. Joe Esposito, the NYPD Chief of Department, burst through the door and yelled, "It's coming down!" Someone yelled, “Hit the deck!” A bunch of the mayor’s staff dove onto the floor. Some crawled under desks or tables. The building was rattling. No one screamed or yelled, but I could see the fright in their faces. I was standing, holding onto the wall and a file cabinet. None of us knew what was really going on. From where I was standing, I could see the windows in the corridor that led into the office. All at once, they were exploding. Something was happening outside…everything was shaking.

The South Tower of the World Trade Center complex, one of the biggest buildings in the world, crashed to the ground. We didn’t see it, but we heard it. Almost instantly the office was filled with smoke, dust, and a gassy smell.

When the rumbling stopped, my security team rushed the mayor, the others, and me to the back of the office. There was a door that entered into the hallway. One of my men was yelling into his portable radio, "Code Black!" the distress signal if the mayor or police commissioner was in trouble. The hallway connected to a maze of hallways, each with a door at the end. One by one each door was checked. Locked. We couldn't breathe. We were suffocating. I pulled my shirt up over my nose and mouth. I remember thinking: "All the shit I've been involved in... burning buildings, gun battles, drugs busts…and I'm going to die in an office!"

We couldn’t stay there

I didn’t know how much time we had. No one could rescue us because no one knew where we were. I doubted the “Code Black” was even transmitted due to all the crap in the air and whatever else was going on outside. I thought of my wife and baby. Little did I know, Hala was watching the news coverage, and they were reporting the mayor and I were missing.

We were surrounded by locked doors. The smoke and dust in the air were getting thicker. Breathing was becoming more difficult. I thought we were going to die there. Then, to our utter amazement, we heard keys jangling. Someone was opening one of the doors. We rushed in that direction and when the door opened, two maintenance men were about as stunned to see us as we were them... especially for them to see the mayor and me. We all took deep breaths of clean air. But we knew we couldn’t stay there. I asked them where the other doors went and if there was a back way out of the building. They said yes and we all headed for the far door that they opened with a set of keys. We all moved quickly down this new hallway, went through another door, and found ourselves in the lobby of 100 Church Street.

We were now four blocks away from the Towers, and as I looked out of the windows in the lobby of the building, my first thought was that we had suffered a nuclear blast. Everything outside was white. Ash covered the streets, cars, and buildings. There was nearly an inch of dust on the ground. As we walked outside, what struck me perhaps more than anything was that there was no sound. None. It was almost as if we had been placed in a soundproof room. The silence was beyond eerie…it was frightening. What had really happened? We didn’t know. People were walking around in a daze. Some looked like plaster statues. Some were crying. I heard someone mumble, "It's down...the Tower's down....it's completely down."

Many of the mayor's staff wanted him to return to City Hall, but I thought otherwise. I didn't know how many more planes there were or what the next targets could be. I wondered if ground attacks were planned. I told the mayor, "You cannot go back to City Hall. It is too dangerous for you there. You have got to get out of here."

I needed to keep him alive. Continuity of government is critical at a time like this. I don't think he was thinking of it that way, but for me, it was no different than the U.S. Secret Service keeping the president airborne and out of Washington, D.C. until they could determine further threats.

We began walking north. We had to set up a command center, but where? It was still difficult to breathe but not as bad as when we were stuck in that office. Then came that noise again. People behind us and around us began running and screaming. "It's coming down," and within seconds, the North Tower collapsed. Another blizzard of ash, dust and soot. Again, it was difficult to breathe.

First we went into a hotel and then a fire station. I ultimately recommended that we use the New York City Police Academy as a command center. It was nondescript and out of the way. When I spoke with the press and media, I told them to them to keep the location secret. If there were enemy on the ground, I did not want them to know the whereabouts of the mayor, governor or the command center.

Greatest rescue mission

By 12:30 p.m., the mayor, fire commissioner, nearly every city agency head and I met at the academy to begin managing the crisis. Governor George Pataki and his senior staff responded. The mayor and I later went to Saint Vincent's Hospital to check on casualties. Doctors and nurses were standing and sitting outside, waiting for those who might need medical attention. Few arrived. Little did I know then, that was a good sign for all of us. It meant the first responders had done a better job than anyone could have imagined. More than 100,000 people had been rescued or evacuated from those buildings and the surrounding area. This was one of the greatest rescue missions in U.S. history, and the men and women of the New York City Fire and Police Departments, EMS and the Port Authority Police were responsible.

I returned to police headquarters late that afternoon. Joe Dunne, my first deputy, came into my office to tell me the families of the 23 missing police officers from the NYPD were assembled in the auditorium, waiting for me. Meeting the families was one of the most difficult moments of that day, but it was also one of the most inspirational. Fearing the worst, I tried to remain hopeful and optimistic. I shared their pain, but I also had great pride in our department...its heritage, its camaraderie and its ability to take care of its own. The family members were an inspiration to all of us. I often think that they were a greater inspiration to me than I may have been to them.

Late that night, the mayor left the academy for home, and I left for my office. Before going to headquarters, I returned to what became known as "Ground Zero." I needed to see it again. I walked through the smoke and debris and saw a small group of people walking toward me. It was the mayor and his staff. We met for a moment. We barely spoke. We stood there looking at the damage and devastation. For me, it was like looking into the gates of hell, the smoke and fires and the smell. It was hard to breathe. I thought of those we were missing. I thought of the men and women who were there working. How could this happen and why? All in one day, I had witnessed the worst and the best in humanity...the evil that had attacked us and the courageous men and women, working tirelessly around the clock in an attempt to rescue any possible survivors.

I slept in my office that night. I woke to the sound of fighter jets patrolling our skies. New York City was a war zone. I cried and I prayed to God for strength.

Completely gone

Every day I witnessed great heroism and experienced great loss, as did all of America. Any of us who were at Ground Zero for any period of time saw things that would haunt the strongest of men. I clearly remember the day I got the news that they found two of my cops. I went to Ground Zero immediately. Every worker at the site came to a standstill as I walked toward my First Deputy Joe Dunne and the Chief of Department Joe Esposito. There were hundreds of workers, but it was still and silent. When I got to Dunne and Esposito, I said, "Who is it?" They told me the names of the two cops. I then asked, “Where are they?”

They both pointed towards two orange Home Depot buckets, 10 to 15 feet away from where I was standing. I slowly walked toward the buckets, looked around and saw nothing. When I got up to the buckets and looked inside, each contained an exploded gun, a magazine, and, I believe, a set of keys and handcuffs. There was no body, vest, boots, uniform or belts...there was nothing else. These men were completely gone. Dunne had tears running down his face. He said, "There's nothing else."

To this day, I hate the sight of orange buckets.

The initial shock of finds like this was overwhelming to all of us. Some people took it harder than others, and some never recovered. The psychological impact of war can be devastating, and this was the first battleground in this war with our new-found enemy. The men and women serving on that battlefield we call “Ground Zero,” including many volunteers from across the country, somehow found the strength to work through these circumstances, through the death and devastation. The emergency responders deserve so much more credit than people have given them, not to mention the inference by many that they do not deserve the medical attention they have asked for. Anyone who refuses or questions medical support for the men and women who worked on those piles for days, weeks, and months at a time has absolutely no conception of what they went through.

In the three and a half months that followed, we were not perfect, but did the best we could. As I have watched other crises around the world in the 10 years since, I stand even more proud today of our first responders. Their successes and sacrifices have been unprecedented, and I believe there are none better.

Prior to September 11, 2001, I had already decided and announced I would leave office on December 31, 2001, with Mayor Giuliani, even though Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg had asked me to stay on as his police commissioner. Crime was down to a five year low, the morale of cops was up, community relations were stronger, and in just 13 months, we had reduced the response times nearly 50 percent for the first time in more than 10 years. I was proud of my accomplishments as police commissioner, but not as proud as I was of the men and women who worked under my command.

Day in and day out, they put their lives on the line for the people of the City of New York, but it was not until 9/11 that the entire world got to see them at their best. They never cowered, and they did not flinch. In the face of death, their strength, dignity, valor and grace were unparalleled, just as with their brothers and sisters in the FDNY and Port Authority Police.

May God bless those who were there, those we have lost since, and the families they left behind.

And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

A THANK YOU FROM CELINE, MY DAUGHTER

2011-09-04T13:20:00.001-04:00

Today is my 56th birthday, and I will share the day with my wife Hala, and my youngest daughters, Celine and Angelina. They are three of the greatest gifts God has given me.

For many years we have told Celine about a tragic story that ultimately had a happy ending, thanks to the men and women in the FDNY and NYPD, including a Sergeant John Coughlin, of the NYPD's Emergency Response Unit.

Now that Celine is old enough to understand the true meaning of courage and heroism, I recently told her something that I had kept from her for years....the rest of the story, as they say. She responded with this letter:

Dear Mrs. Coughlin,

On August 25, 2000, a woman in the Bronx called 911 for help because her six month old baby was choking and could barely breathe. The police and fire department officers came to their apartment, and when the baby's father, who was working found out, he rushed home. When he arrived at his apartment, he saw all the police and emergency vehicles and was afraid of what happened.

As he came in the door, the first thing he saw was his wife crying hysterically, but then he saw a big policeman, Sergeant John Coughlin of the NYPD, holding the baby in his arms over his head, and the baby was laughing so hard, and she was ok.

Well, that baby was me. My name is Celine Kerik, and my father was the police commissioner at the time, Bernard Kerik.

Today I am 11 years old, and my mother and father have told me that story many many times, but what I had not known until now is that Sgt. John Coughlin, your husband, died when the Twin Towers came crashing down on top of him on September 11, 2001.

After learning and understanding what happened, and since it will be 10 years ago since he died, I wanted to write you this letter.

My father always says he was a hero for all of New York City and the country, and he called him a Teddy Bear with a big heart. But for me, he is my hero for helping keep me alive, and I just wanted to thank him.

My Uncle Besim recently died, and my dad said it was because God needs lots of angels in heaven. I'm sure Mr. Coughlin is one of them. God Bless him, and you and your daughters too.

Sincerely,

CELINE C. KERIK

Today, we celebrated not just my birthday but Celine's life being saved as well. And we celebrated the first responders and all who serve our country. Please pray for them, Sgt. John Coughlin and his family, and all who have put their lives on the line for the people of the United States of America.

WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS FLAG

2011-08-26T13:47:00.002-04:00

In the early morning hours of September 12, 2001, Ground Zero looked like a war zone. The towers were gone, the surrounding buildings burnt out and destroyed, and smoke and ash were everywhere. Fires lit the darkness in recesses where debris and rubble had ignited.

Stunned by the death and devastation on this battlefield, turned hallowed ground, an NYPD sergeant and detective stood there, scanning the site. Suddenly, something caught their eye: an American flag.

It was wrapped around a contorted street light, not far from the plaza of the World Trade Center where it had flown proudly the day before. Tattered and torn, this American flag had survived the worst terror attack in world history.

As the sergeant stared at the flag, he realized it was upside down...the international signal for distress. His blood boiled at the thought. Our city and country had been hit and hit hard, but we were not in distress. Our country had been hurt and hurt bad, but we would survive.

With the help of firemen and military personnel nearby, they retrieved the flag. Carefully, as they had been taught, the soldiers folded it, and handed it to my men. Then standing in silence, they saluted that flag.

I knew nothing of this until hours later that morning when I walked into my office. I was hit by a strong smell of smoke. When I looked around to see why, I noticed a folded flag sitting on the corner of my desk. There was a note with it that read:

“Boss... this is the flag that flew in front of the WTC at Church Street. It was blown off the pole and was tangled on the street light. We as well as some firefighters and soldiers recovered it. The soldiers folded it. In Israel, you said that we can't back down to terrorism. You are right. You lead, and we will follow."

I was overcome by their words, but more so at the sight of the flag sitting there. Less than 24 hours ago, this incredible symbol of freedom and democracy had flown proudly in front of two of the largest buildings in the world. On a clear, blue sky morning, those buildings and thousands working inside them were attacked and destroyed by an enemy who despised the very freedoms that flag represented.

I thought of its history, and the men and women who had fought for, and died, defending it. I thought of the first responders who gave their lives the day before while serving the people of New York City.

Now sitting silent and still on my desk, that flag's symbolism seemed more powerful and mighty than ever. It inspired the men who retrieved it, me, and every person who walked into my office. Some people kissed it. Some touched it. Others simply stared at it or nodded in respect.

This symbol of our country's birth and resilience, once again, as in past battles, inspired, moved and strengthened our resolve. It brought our political leaders together and created unity in our country. All across America, flags heralded this truth: Good will prevail over evil.

Today, in these truly trying times, I think back to those moments and that flag.

In recent days, we have suffered a tremendous loss of 30 of this nation's greatest warriors, and we have witnessed historic economic setbacks and political polarization. Gloom and doom permeates our headlines and airwaves. This is not a time to provoke fear or lose confidence in our nation's resilience and spirit. This is not a time for pessimism, or throwing in the towel, or writing us off as a second rate nation.

This is not the time to give in or give up!!!

This is a time for unity, optimism, and national support for our country and that flag. It is a time for a call to action...just as in the aftermath of the attacks on our country. It is a time we must stand together, as one nation, under God and indivisible. Most important, it is a time to reflect and learn from that flag…learn from the men and women who died, fighting for and defending it, and from the strength of the families they left behind. May we learn from the flag that was ripped from its stand, but whose spirit and symbolism could not be destroyed.

In these trying times and when we need it most, stand up and honor that flag with the strength, unity, courage and conviction that it has symbolized for us for more than 230 years. We owe it to our children, and their children, as well. Most important, we owe it to that flag and the country it represents.

God Bless the USA.

Bernard B. Kerik

This is a Time for Unity - Not Politics

2011-05-04T17:32:00.000-04:00

The past 72 hours have been saturated with the news of the death of 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden. I, for one, could not be happier.

Yet, what should be a time of pride, praise and unity for the entire country has quickly become a soap box for many of President Barack Obama's critics. They have tried their best to find fault in every decision and move he has made, right down to nit-picking, word for word, the announcement of Bin Laden's death.

If the president left office in 2012 or 2016, and Bin Laden had not yet been captured or killed, it would surely be labeled his fault. Why can't he now get the credit he is due?

By all accounts, it was the President who decided and ordered the high-risk ground assault versus a less risky aerial strike on the terrorists' compound. A near-flawless operation resulted.

But that is not enough for Obama's critics. Should we have captured or killed Bin Laden? Disposed of the body or not? What did the president know and when?

Let me ask this: Who really cares?

If the operation had failed, if there were U.S. casualties, if Bin Laden had gotten away, then the President's critics could rightfully have a field day, but this entire operation was methodical, well-executed, and close to miraculous... without one U.S. casualty.

To my fellow Republicans and conservatives I say: Stop whining and give the President the credit he deserves. A better outcome happens only in the movies.

And as for those who believe killing Bin Laden may incite Al-Qaeda and their followers, remember they are already filled with anger and hatred against us. Let's not forget that on September 11, 2001, we were inciting no one and yet suffered the worst terror attack in world history. As for the burial at sea, I personally believe it was ingenious. I was in Iraq when Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed. I recall the many issues we had to deal with then. I also recall the problems with the bodies of Saddam Hussein and Abu Masab Al-Zarkowi, Iraq's leading terrorist whose body was returned to his hometown of Zarka, Jordan.

For Bin Laden, there will be no shrines and no martyrdom rallying points.

There are times for politics and debates and there are not. This is a time for unity and honor. Save the negativity for another time.

For the families and friends of those who perished on 9/11, for the first responders who came to the rescue - 400 who died doing their job - for our men and women in the Armed Forces who for the past 10 years have been fighting this global war on terror, and for the heroes in the U.S. Navy Seals who pulled off one of the greatest missions in our country's history, let us put politics aside.

Let us thank God that good has prevailed over evil and that President Barack Obama made the decisions he did.

On September 14, 2001, President George W. Bush came to Ground Zero, shook my hand and told me that America would bring those to justice that were responsible for the attacks on our country. Tomorrow, President Barack Obama will go to Ground Zero to remind the world that America has kept its promise. I, for one, will never forget him and this momentous event just as I will never forget those we lost.

-BERNARD B. KERIK

A Great Day to be an American

2011-05-02T08:59:00.000-04:00

As one who stood beneath the building and watched the second aircraft slam through Tower II of the World Trade Center, and was there when it collapsed, hearing President Barack Obama announce to the world that Osama Bin Ladin was dead, was joyous, emotional and overwhelming. God Bless our president, the intelligence and special operations personnel that carried out this mission, and God Bless America. -BERNARD B. KERIK

September 11th, 2001 – Nine Years Later

2010-09-10T06:47:00.002-04:00

As I reflect on that day and the aftermath of September 11, 2001, most of my memories are that which I witnessed firsthand when the second jet airliner slammed through Tower II, blowing out the north side of the building. I stood beneath it, stunned at the enormity of the explosion and the realization that America was under attack.

In the weeks and months that followed, we set out to rescue the fallen and recover those that perished. We learned over time that more than 2,700 people died in the attack, 23 of which worked for me and the NYPD. The loss to the New York City Fire Department was unimaginable - 343 firefighters. The Port Authority Police lost 37 police officers.

The city and our country united. We responded and rebuilt a shattered city, and in the months and years after, we went to war with those responsible and those perceived as a threat, in an attempt to make sure that day never happened again.

In many ways, we have seen success, and, in some ways, we have not.

The future of our country and its national security depends on our political leadership at every level and their ability to realize our successes and failures, learn from them, and use that knowledge to insure victory in fighting terrorism and defending our nation.

As an American and someone who has seen terror first hand, both here and in the Middle East, my concerns are many. The enemy that attacked us in 2001 still exists today on many continents; Somalia is becoming their new training ground. A conventional battle against this enemy is impossible, and will depend on our intelligence and our leadership. Our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies must be fastidious in working together, and our political leadership must insure these agencies get the appropriations, resources and tools they need to be strong and effective.

Nine years later, we are still working to make this happen. From my point of view, the greatest detriment in reaching this goal is political partisanship. Our political leadership must work together or nothing ever gets accomplished. Something is quite often better than nothing, and given the political tide today, nothing is what we are getting due to political partisanship.

Regardless of party lines, whether it is the most extreme left wing Democrats or the staunched right wing Republicans, no one wants to see another attack on this country. Somehow, our political leadership must come together when it comes to this battle, or we all lose.

We have yet to secure our borders and continue to talk about immigration reform. Lately, however, the more we talk the less gets done.

We need to take a good look at the hard working immigrants that are here, many working jobs that Americans will not, taking care of their families in their native country. Before we offer lottery programs to outsiders to become residents, we should figure out how we benefit from those already here. Whatever we are going to do, we must do it with appropriate controls at our borders, or our security will remain compromised, again opening access for Al Qaida and terrorists to infiltrate our country. This must be a priority for Congress.

President Barack Obama recently announced the end of combat operations in Iraq. I am glad to see combat end and equally pleased with our accomplishments. Saddam Hussein launched multiple wars against his neighbors, used weapons of mass destruction, displaced and killed millions of his own people. This is similar to that which is presently occurring in Sudan. I believe Hussein should have been removed long before he was for the atrocities he committed against his own people.

Today Iraqi's live in freedom and no longer fear Iraq being a threat to their neighbors and region.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, will not be as easy - particularly without the right strategy and the resources that ground commanders need to get the job done. It is imperative that there are NO TIME LIMITS! If we have learned anything about the Taliban and Al Qaida, it is that they have all the time in the world and will just wait us out. With the recent increase in attacks on U.S. troops by the Taliban, the United States must keep the pressure on and give General David Petreaus the resources he needs for victory.

I have concerns about the weeks ahead and the forthcoming trial of Ahmed Ghailani, one of the remaining 180 prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on charges of assisting Al Qaida bomb the U.S. In 1998, embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. Ghailani will be one of the first terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to be tried in a civilian court in the U.S. I fear this will open the door for constitutional challenges that could result in his release and the release of those just like him. These men must be held accountable. We must send a clear message to those that would consider attacks against our country or our citizens around the world.

With respect to building a Mosque in close proximity to Ground Zero, I oppose the mosque for three reasons. My reasoning has nothing to do with the Muslim religion nor do I dislike Muslims. The fact of the matter is, I have many Muslim friends all around the world.

Building the mosque so close to Ground Zero, the first real battleground in the war against radical Islam, is extremely insensitive to the surviving friends and family members of those that died there. Furthermore, it is a constant reminder of the message sent by the attackers and those like Osama Bin Laden. I also question the motives of the founders of the project, and strongly agree that we need to determine the source of the funding. Inevitably, the controversy surrounding the Mosque will bring with it security concerns for local, state and federal law enforcement authorities.

As I reflect on the controversy that the Mosque has created thus far, I am reminded of the war against terror and those who did or did not support it. If you recall, there are many that supported the war in 2001 and 2002, yet today, are totally against it. Notwithstanding the politics involved, would all those who are presently in support of building the Mosque have supported it on the morning of September 12, 2001? I think not.

On this particular September 11th, nine years later, I hope every American realizes and appreciates the sacrifices made by our law enforcement agencies and first responders on that dreadful day. Most important are the men and women in our armed forces, both here in the United States and abroad that are in harm’s way.

At a time when we are reminded of our constitution on a daily basis, albeit in our courts, regarding immigration, or the war against terror, it is the men and women in our armed forces who fight on our behalf, and defend our constitutional freedoms and the very democracy that we often take for granted.

We should be thankful for their service and sacrifice, and for the families that many have left behind. For without them, this country would not be what it is today.

God Bless them and God Bless the United States of America.

For Victory's Sake - No Time Lines!

2010-08-15T09:10:00.000-04:00

Immediately after President Barack Obama announced that United States forces would begin leaving Afghanistan in July 2011, intelligence services began intercepting the following text messages on Afghan insurgent's mobile phones:

"Mubarak," Congratulations in Arabic. "If you are a believer, you will be a victor," quoting the Quran.

Then came the message that said it all, "The enemy president is announcing a withdrawal of troops who will leave our country with their heads bowed."

Is that a reality? Of course not, but Taliban and Al Qaeda leadership will use it to their advantage, building strength in their following as a result.

It was the wrong message, at the wrong time.

The Taliban and Al Qaeda need to know that we intend to stay the course until the job is done, and the new Afghan government can stand on their own. We're either in it for victory or we're not... and telling your enemy when you intend to throw in the towel and give up, is a strategy that can only lead to defeat, because then it is only a matter of time... and the enemy has all the time in the world.

They have waited us out before and they will do it again.

There are a number of things we must do to win this battle and telling our enemy when we intend to leave, isn't one of them.

TAKE CARE OF THE 9/11 HEROES

2010-08-02T14:31:00.000-04:00

Nearly nine years after the attack on the World Trade Center, the 9/11 heroes who paid with their health and their lives are still waiting for the health care coverage and compensation they so deserve.
Why we haven't come to their aid as quickly as they came to ours is a question that all Americans should be asking their political leadership.

Instead of honoring the valient first responders that ran into those buildings by passing the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, they were told to "go to hell" as the Daily News so appropriately put it.
I believe that we should return the sentiment to our legislators that voted against the bill in the next election. If our legislators can't support our first responders that so selfishly put their lives on the line for each and everyone of us, then they don't deserve your support on election day.

The Democratic majority could have brought this bill up and passed it, but they did not. Even worse, only 12 Republicans voted to support the bill. As the ninth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the House will bring this bill back to the floor for a vote in September, and every American should be watching.

We don't want legislative trickery or hypocrisy, or childish tirades for our enemies' entertainment.
The men and women in the police and fire departments that have sacrificed so much - some with their lives, deserve better.

We need to come to their aid as quickly as they came to ours.

No Mosque at Ground Zero

2010-07-29T06:29:00.000-04:00

For me, building a mosque at Ground Zero in New York City is out of the question, and here's why.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 Islamic fundamentalists slammed two jet airliners into the World Trade Center towers, murdering 2,750 people; 23 of those people worked for me. Thousands of New Yorkers and people all across America and around the world suffered the loss of family members and friends. For them, the memories of that shocking morning and their deep losses are no less vivid today than they were then. All Muslims are not terrorists, but those responsible for the slaughter of innocents on 9/11 were, in fact, Muslim, and that is something that the families and friends of those lost can never forget. That Muslim connection, like it or not, is always going to be there, burning in the hearts of those left behind.

I personally think they have suffered enough and we should not add to their grief and pain.

A proper respect for their feelings should prevent a building associated with the motivation for the attack from being built so near the one spot mourners should be able to go unchallenged to grieve over their dead. There are many other locations in New York City where the proposed mosque could be built. Indeed, there are already about 100 mosques in the city, where 600,000 to 800,000 Muslims worship daily. Unlike the proposed new structure, these mosques serve Muslims who live and work nearby. Few Muslims live or work near the location for the proposed mosque, raising the question, why must the new, 13-story mosque be built there? Is its purpose to be more than just a place of worship?

There are serious questions relating to the funding of this project, and those questions must be answered. Who is involved? Do they have any connection to terrorists or terrorist supporters and sympathizers? I'm also concerned about how the mosque will be perceived by Islamic radicals around the world. Will it be seen, as supporters of the mosque claim, as a demonstration of American religious tolerance, or will it become a symbol of Islamic radicals triumphantly imposing their extremist version of Islam on America through terror?

I believe the builders' true intent is to build this mosque as a permanent reminder to all of us of the damage done to us on 9/11. And that's what it will be, whether anyone has the courage to admit it or not.

In the aftermath of 9/11, we saw a spike in anti-Muslim incidents and I believe Americans will continue to understand that it is wrong to blame all Muslims for the sins of a radical few, but the proposed mosque may well become a target for those who will see it as a provocation. This could become an enormous security issue for the NYPD and other law enforcement authorities. Any violence directed at the mosque could easily generate an international incident that could further empower radical Islamists - just consider the deadly, world-wide fury aroused by the Dutch cartoons. We shouldn't alter our behavior to cower before terror threats, but we shouldn't set ourselves up to be exploited by those looking for supposed transgressions to avenge, either.

Lastly, supporters of the proposed mosque invoke freedom of religion. While I strongly believe in the freedoms our forefathers gave us in the U.S. Constitution, I believe that those politicians insisting on building such a controversial structure in such a sensitive location when there are less controversial and less sensitive alternatives are placing political correctness ahead of common sense and simple respect for the bereaved.

The real issue should be about what is the right thing to do and building this mosque so near Ground Zero is just wrong.

Dead wrong.

I Won't Support the Mosque at Ground Zero

2010-07-24T08:14:00.000-04:00

Supporting the building of a Mosque just 600 feet from Ground Zero is absolutely outrageous, and for those politicians that are doing so under the guise of the First Amendment and Freedom of Religion, I would suggest that for once you not worry about being politically correct.

Think of the victims and the families they left behind on 9/11; the security implications for the surrounding area, the involvement in the project of those with questionable backgrounds and most importantly, the perception it will create in those countries and with those groups that sponsor Islamic terror. For them; this is the trophy that will stand as a symbol of victory.

This has nothing to do with religion; It's just the right thing to do. Allowing this project to move forward is insensitive at best and should not be permitted.

2010-07-22T17:16:00.001-04:00

Newsmax

No Mosque at Ground Zero

Thursday, July 22, 2010 02:13 PM

By: Frank Gaffney

The Center for Security Policy today unveiled a powerful 1-minute video opposing the construction of a 13-story, $100 million mega-mosque near the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center.

The twin towers were destroyed on 9/11 by adherents to the barbaric, supremacist and totalitarian program authoritative Islam calls “Shariah.” And the imam who is promoting this mosque has publicly declared that he seeks to “bring Shariah to America.”

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As the ad makes clear, Shariah’s followers have long built mosques on the most sacred sites of those they have conquered; for example, on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, at Constantinople/Istanbul’s St. Sophia Basilica, and in Cordoba, Spain, the capital of the occupying Moors’ Muslim kingdom.

A growing chorus of New Yorkers and other Americans, including, notably, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, have expressed outrage at the prospect of a similar, permanent beachhead for Shariah being use to defile ground zero, and symbolize America’s defeat at the hands of her enemies.

We say, “No Mosque at Ground Zero.”

And I say:

Supporting the building of a Mosque just 600 feet from Ground Zero is absolutely outrageous, and for those politicians that are doing so under the guise of the First Amendment and Freedom of Religion, I would suggest that for once you not worry about being politically correct.

Think of the victims and the families they left behind on 9/11; the security implications for the surrounding area, the involvement in the project of those with questionable backgrounds and most importantly, the perception it will create in those countries and with those groups that sponsor Islamic terror. For them... this is the trophy that will stand as a symbol of victory.

This has nothing to do with religion... It's just the right thing to do. Allowing this project to move forward is insensitive at best and should not be permitted.

SUBJECT: Three Questions from Mr. Matt Davis

2010-07-21T19:26:00.000-04:00

July 21, 2010 Dear Mr. Davis:

Thank you for your note of July 17, 2010.

As to your questions, naturally I am disappointed in the American criminal justice system as it relates to my case, but still have some faith in the system, and pray that my appeal remedies that which we feel were unjust. It has not however, diminished my faith in, or love for my country.

As for Osama Bin Laden... capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden would be a cinch, if in fact we knew where he was. Our problem is two fold: He lives in the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan and is keenly aware of our intelligence and technical capabilities and uses that to his advantage, i.e... no speaking on a cell phone, using a computer, etc... He is basically been resolved to living like a rat to avoid detection, in a space that can only be described as a needle in a haystack, in size and magnitude.

There has been a $50M dollar reward on his head for nearly 8 years and the entire Arab region is aware of it. His loyalists and followers could care less about the money. It means nothing to them. Less than a month after we announced the $25M dollar reward on Saddam Hussein and his sons, Uday and Qusay were dead, and Hussein was captured within 90 days. It was all about the money. Bin Laden's followers wouldn't know what to do with the money if they had it - they love the life they live.

I believe we will eventually capture or kill him, but it is not as easy as many people think.

Lastly, I can only hope that the American people in judging me, will look beyond the tabloid headlines at my 30 years of public service, my patriotism and love for this country, and all the good I've done throughout my life before they form their opinions. That is all I can ask.

For now, I pray that the time I am imprisoned goes as quickly as possible so that I may return to the wife and children, who are my strength in overcoming this challenge.

Thank you for writing and thank you for your support.

BERNARD B. KERIK

BAD BUSINESS AT THE PENTAGON

2010-07-13T08:05:00.002-04:00

According to sources at the Pentagon, the United States is buying Russian-made helicopters for the government of Afghanistan, which has upset some members of Congress. If that is true... we need to identify all those Congressional leaders who are not upset by this program and either impeach them or vote them out of office.

Every member of the House and the Senate, as well as every American in this country should be outraged by this stupidity.

The United States government has spent $648 million dollars to buy or refurbish 31 Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters for the Afghan Air Corps. WHY NOT AMERICAN? According to some legislators, the Pentagon never even considered alternatives to the Russian purchase, which has prevented competitive pricing and will enable Russian defense contractors to gouge prices.

This is outrageous... so where is the outrage?

Legislators on both sides of the House have said that this program has close to no oversight, and there has been massive waste, cost over runs, schedule delays, safety concerns and major delivery problems. If this is true, as are the reports that there are substantial no bid contracts being handed out in this program in which our government is paying significantly higher than the going market rates for these choppers, there should be even a bigger concern -- Corruption.

All that said and done, why Russia? Pentagon officials have outlined a number of reasons why they believe that the Russian made choppers are best for Afghanistan, but are they? If we're using the same people to make that decision that allowed these no bids contracts with massive waste, cost over runs and delivery problems, we may want to take a serious second look at the requirements, and who can fill them. More so... IT'S RUSSIA! The same country with that has these cushy relationships with Iran, North Korea and Venezuela. At the rate we're going, maybe we can buy some helicopters from Iran given they have much of the same terrain as Afghanistan, NO?

This program and these contracts are stupid and should be stopped immediately.

Russia is not an ally, a friend or a business partner. Why are we giving them this business and worse, why are we spending more that we should.

This is a bad business, bad management and bad government.

UAE AMBASSADOR SPEAKS THE TRUTH

2010-07-11T08:44:00.002-04:00

Just last week, I stressed the importance of dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the threat they pose not only to Israel and Europe, but to the Arab countries as well.

The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial on July 9, 2010, which expounds on that theory specifically detailing the concerns of Yousef Al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to the United States.

According to Ambassador Al-Otaiba, the UAE and other Arab countries fear a nuclear Iran as much and perhaps more than Israel does. When asked if the Ambassador wanted the United States to intervene in Iran’s bomb program, he answered, “Absolutely.” He then went on to highlight a point that is not often addressed or mentioned by the pundits, and that was the immediate threat to the United States of a nuclear Iran, which in turn would have an enormous impact on the security of our Arab allies. That threat isn’t a threat against us here at home, but more so, a threat to military assets buried within the Arab region.

The Ambassador’s concerns for our assets obviously has a self-serving interest, that being that a multiple attack on the U.S. installations in the region would clearly diminish our ability to defend and support our allies like Dubai, Israel, the UAE, Jordan, etc. If that happened, many countries in the region would reluctantly cower and run for cover toward Iran if they lacked the assurance that the United States was willing or able to confront Iran.

The Ambassador and I concur that a nuclear Iran will never be deterred by sanctions, and that the U.S. or Israel needs to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities. We further agree that THE TIME TO DEAL WITH IRAN IS NOW.

Now is the time to deal with Iran

2010-07-02T06:02:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, June 27, 2010, CIA Director, Leon Panetta, appeared on ABC's News Show "This Week". The head of the Central Intelligence Agency made it perfectly clear that Iran has to be dealt with once and for all.

Mr. Panetta discredited the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that claimed Iran had stopped working on its nuclear weapons back in 2003, and he believes that they are close to acquiring multiple bombs. He further indicated that for Iran to make their systems viable, it may take up to two years, but they are moving ahead aggressively during this time and are continuing to develop missiles and warheads.

Panetta said he thought the recent United Nations Security Council sanctions "will have some impact" on deterring Iran's program. I strongly disagree. The sanctions are weak and both Iran and the international community know they are weak as well. Just to keep things in perspective, when have the United Nations Security Council sanctions ever made an impact (Iraq, N. Korea, etc.)?

I believe the current administration naively made a diplomatic attempt to deal with Tehran, and in doing so was ignored by Iran's leadership who has continually threatened Israel and any European nation that supports it.

The President of Iran, Mahmoud Admedinejad, is a sick demented terrorist that will not be deterred by the United Nations, the United States, nor the European sanction. He has ignored us at every juncture, focusing on creating Iran's nuclear capability and making Israel his prime target.

This is not Iraq or Afghanistan, nor is it questionable intelligence. This "clone of Adolph Hitler" has stood up in front of the entire world and proudly boasted that given nuclear capability, he intends to blow Israel off the face of the earth. The United States of America is one of Israel's greatest allies, and yet we are doing nothing to help them.

Israel needs our help - POST HASTE! So does Jordan, Iraq, the UAE, Europe, and any other country that may fall prey to Iran and its president. Sanctions will only work when the United Nations Security Council gets to work, gets serious, and grows a backbone!

IRAN MUST BE STOPPED AND STOPPED NOW! If the United Nations cannot or will not do it, the United States of America must step in and give Israel the support they need. Not just for the sake of Israel, but for something I pray for daily, WORLD PEACE.

Written BY BERNARD B. KERIK:

Petraeus Needs a Winning Strategy, Resources

2010-06-28T21:04:00.002-04:00

The debate over whether General Stanley McChrystal should have been relieved of his command over the comment revealed in a recent Rolling Stone Magazine by him or his aides will go on forever - however, there should be no debate that General David Petraeus is the right man to replace him. Patraeus' record speaks for itself and his military genius was demonstrated in northern Iraq in 2003 and then again in his strategy and success with the surge in Iraq in 2007. Petraeus' new command will come with terrain and operational challenges quite different from Iraq, however none of which he should not be able to overcome given the right resources to do the job. This is where he could run into a problem as his success strongly depends on his support by the President and this administration. Incompetent commanders, a lack of resources, untrained troops and a failed strategy, either combined or separate and apart, could result in a failure in battle. That being said, the President has now placed our best war fighter in command with what I believe is the best trained military in the world today. Now it's only a matter of strategy and resources. Last December the President said that, "after 18 months, our troops will begin to come home," when discussing the Afghan initiative. Petraeus, as politely as he could, disagreed with the Commander-in-Chief, saying that counterinsurgency is a "roller coaster experience," and does not lend itself to a strict timeline. Petraeus knows that the terrorists and Taliban will sit and wait us out and a timeline would embolden our enemies to change their overall strategies and sit tight until we're long gone. When Generals McChrystal and Petraeus put the Afghan initiative together, McChrystal asked for 40,000 additional combat troops to support his operation. The President on the advice of others on Capital Hill refused McChrystal's request and gave him far less than what he asked for. Why? Who knows better than the commanders on the ground as to what is needed for the mission? If the President has a real desire to win the Afghan offensive, he needs to allow General Petraeus to design the strategy and he must give him whatever he says he needs to carry out the mission. If the President refuses to do so, it will be his loss, but moreover a greater loss for the security of this country... one that we cannot afford. We have a proven winner in General Petraeus and we have the best troops money can buy. Now let's create a strategy that will win and give Petraeus what he needs to get it done. We must support Petraeus 100 % or we will be jeopardizing the lives of our brave men and women in harms way and that just cannot be.

Terror Threat Should Have Prevented Disaster

2010-06-07T20:47:00.002-04:00

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks of 9/11, Osama Bin Laden proudly announced that the damage they expected as a result of their attacks was far less than actually occurred. He continued to call for "spectacular" attacks against the United States both here and abroad. Since then, I along with several others had predicted that some of our greatest threats would eventually come from within, from home grown and naturalized citizens who were radicalized and hated this country. It is realistically our deadliest and most dangerous threat as these people are like chameleons amongst us. The most recent arrests of Mohammed Mohmood Allessa - 20, and Carlos Amonta - 24, both of New Jersey, is an example of just that threat. Two young men, radical Islamic fundelmentalists, living in suburban communities, was intent on joining Al Shabab, a radical extremist group believed to be connected with the bombings of the United States Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania is the mid 90s. According to reports, Allessa and Amonta were dead set on killing American troops. Both men were arrested as they were about to leave the U.S., on their way to Egypt and it is questionable as to what they would have, or could have realistically accomplished. Over the past several years, New York City alone, has been the target of at least 11 terror plots, the most recent being the attempted Time Square bombing. It should be clear to a blind man, that the threats still exits and continue to grow daily, but how long will it be before these maniacs succeed in an attack, or the radical leadership regroups and establishs a chatistrhophic plan with point men that have an IQ over 10. I strongly believe that that time is coming and the recent events in the Gulf of Mexico is a clear demonstration of the amount of damage they could cause with just one such event. What if there were two? To date, close to $1 billion dollars has been spent cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico according to sources, and that is just the beginning. The economic damage to the fishing and tourism industries is far worse and will last for years to come. It's hard for me to believe that Bin Laden and his barbarians aren't sitting back watching this in humor, plotting... based on what appears to be, by all accounts a disaterous response. What's frightening is that according to a source in the Washington Post who spoke on the condition of anonymity, "Nobody as ever done what we're trying to do." So, here lies my question; WHY NOT? Knowing Bin Laden and Al Qaeda's threats in the past and their track record on 9/11, why hasn't the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security anticipated something of this magnitude? Why haven't they planned, prepared and practiced for events like this and those that could be equally chatistrophic, anticipating that our new found enemy would love nothing more than to call this, their doing? What about our power plants, water resavoirs, mass transit systems, airline control systems and national power grids? What about our ports and shipping industry and cruise lines? A dozen strikes against these types of soft target at the same time on the same day could be spectacular, in the words of Bin Laden. For now, it is outrageous that BP has failed to get this leak under control, but the government's failure to step in and get the job done, is even more concerning. President Obama should find that person that admitted they had never done this before and then have them flogged. Then he should be asking the the rest of his administration: Why aren't we prepared?

It is Time to Move Forward…

2010-05-16T17:54:00.002-04:00

On December 3, 2004, after three decades of dedicated service to the City of New York and to our country, President George W. Bush nominated me to become the second Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

It was a privilege and an honor, and I accepted the president’s nomination with a strong belief that my experience and success as a public servant would make this country safer in the wake of a newfound enemy as we continued to defend ourselves in the war against terror.

A week after my nomination, I withdrew my name from consideration because the confirmation process was quickly deteriorating into a tabloid nightmare which threatened to make a mockery of everything I had ever accomplished. What began with failing to pay the payroll tax of my children's nanny -- which has plagued more than a dozen presidential cabinet nominees, past and present -- became a five and a half year nightmare of local, state, and federal investigations that resulted in a fifteen count criminal indictment against me.

For nearly three years, I prepared to go to trial to defend myself against substantially the same charges I had already faced in New York State Court. Then, just days before the federal trial was to begin, my bail was revoked and I was imprisoned. The judge threatened to disqualify my legal team, which both he and the government prosecutors had already done twice before and would have sent me back to square one for the third time with my savings now exhausted.

On November 5th, 2009, I was being held in pre-trial detention and financially helpless. I faced the prospect of remaining behind bars awaiting trial for what could have been more than a year while new court appointed lawyers prepared for my defense. As a result, I decided to accept a plea agreement offered by the government prosecutors. I pled guilty to eight counts in exchange for a sentence of 27 to 33 months, which many legal observers have opined as severe considering the allegations made against me in the case, especially considering my otherwise unblemished record of service to this country dating back more than 30 years to my days as a young GI in Korea.

Ignoring the signed plea agreement and recommendations made by the prosecutors, as well as the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Probation and my highly decorated service to the American people, the judge sentenced me to 48 months in federal prison – 15 months over the recommended and agreed upon sentence.

Words cannot express my disappointment in the prosecutors and the judge’s behavior, and his sentence that followed. I have repeatedly expressed remorse for what I may have done, however, unlike many, I can’t remain silent in the face of what I believe has been a gross injustice, which I pray will be remedied by an appellate court.

As I prepare to serve my sentence, I have had to likewise prepare Angelina and Celine, my seven and ten year old daughters for what is next to come and had to teach them that there are times when we are put in situations which are beyond our control and that no matter how undeserved, unsought, or unwanted, we must find the strength, courage, and perseverance to carry on and move forward.

I sat with them and watched the movie Rocky Balboa, for the sole purpose of having them watch one scene where Rocky speaks to his son and says, “The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are….it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward!”

When Sly Stallone wrote those words, he was talking about the challenges in real life and the principles of courage, strength, and perseverance.

In my life, I have been confronted with extraordinary challenges, from the age of three when I was abandoned by my own mother who was later murdered, to gun battles on the streets of New York City, through the aftermath of 9/11, to my work rebuilding a shattered Iraq, these are the principles by which I have lived.

My friends say that because I have persevered in the face of great challenge, I became a convenient target of personal and political attacks, most of which were waged by people that have never met me and know nothing about me other than the media headlines that they have read. As I have listened to my critics, I have often wondered, how they would have fared under the same circumstances and the same scrutiny.

I have been blessed with tremendous support, friendships, and loyalties that I will never forget, and mean more to me than anyone will ever know. To those that have been in my corner and have spoken up for me, written letters of support and that have prayed for me, I offer my heartfelt thanks. It is a humbling thing to have such support, and I will forever cherish it and try to remain worthy of it.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross once said, “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” I’m not exactly a stained-glass window, I don’t think I’ve sparkled or shined, and I certainly don’t claim to be beautiful, but I do think there is a light within me!

That light is my love for my wife, my children, and my country. It is a light that they ignited; they sustain, and will guide me through the dark times ahead.

And now, as I have told Celine and Angelina, “It is time to move forward,” and end this nightmare.

I pray for God to watch over my wife, my two little girls, and my family in my absence. I also pray that he brings us together again much sooner rather than later.

I pray for our country, its leadership, and the men and women who like my son, are on the front lines and in harm’s way everyday, protecting us from evil and defending the very freedoms by which we live.

Finally, I can only hope that history will judge me based on my 30 years of public service to our great nation, and not by tabloid headlines, my imperfections, or the mistakes that I may have made.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T23:23:00.001-04:00

In May 2001, I began researching my own childhood for my autobiography, and learned a lot about my biological mother – a woman who as a child was physically abused and whose life consisted of alcoholism and abuse, that ultimately ended with her murder.

On this Mother’s Day, I think of her tragic life, and in doing so, I also think of how God has blessed me and my daughters with their mother; a woman who lives for her two little girls and who for the past 14 years has been a fabulous step-mom to my son.

At a time that life couldn’t seem more difficult for me and my family, I thank God that she is the mother of my daughters and will be there for them.

Happy Mother’s Day Hala... and to mothers all across this country, whose love and guidance, make our children the best they can be.

Nine Years Later, We Still Don't Get It

2010-05-06T12:39:00.005-04:00

Thank God for street vendors, the cop on the beat and an airline passenger that was willing to pounce on a would-be suicidal bomber with his underwear on fire, or we'd be in serious trouble right now. And just to be clear... The system did not work!

Could our national security credibility or economic stability survive such attacks if they were carried out? Sure, we would bounce back just as we did after 9/11, but had an airliner been blown out of the sky, and a bomb detonated in Time Square, we would have suffered a major hit in both areas.

We have got to give credit to the men and woman in our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and we also have to be quite thankful that the recent terrorists were without question, incompetent.

For the critics that attacked the FBI for losing the Time Square bomber during a surveillance, let’s just say it's not as easy as it looks. The objective behind a surveillance is to follow the target without being spotted, and often there are things that could happen outside of your control, that will cause you to lose the target. I've done more surveillances than any of the present day leadership that I have heard speak on the topic, and can honestly say that losing a suspect, although regrettable, is completely understandable.

However, what is also regrettable and yet not understandable, is why it has been nearly nine years since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and we still do not have the technology in place to assist in these investigations or to prevent attacks from happening; Why aren’t there legislation, laws and standards in place that outlines how terror suspects will be arrested, detained and prosecuted; and an intelligence system that works? And should I even address immigration?

Isn't anyone else as concerned as I am, that we are still debating if you should or should not Mirandize a terror suspect? Or, that had it not been for a U.S. Customs or Border Control Agent physically reviewing a flight manifest, a wanted terrorist would have escaped this country? Why doesn't Time Square have the cameras it needs and intelligent video solutions in place that would have alerted on a vehicle placed somewhere it should not have been, or because it's emergency flashers on?

I've been talking about the failures in our immigration system for years. You mean to tell me that we have not yet figured out how to flag or alert on someone like the Time Square bomber who according to reports has traveled to Pakistan eight times over the past few years. If you want to become a United States citizen, wouldn't you want your family living here as well? I would think so. How was this guy naturalized and why? There are so many loopholes in the system that it's pathetic. Here are just a few examples: http://thepillarofstrength.com/?p=236

Much of the political infighting over these issues and others are preventing us from doing what has to be done to secure this country and unfortunately, there will come a time when the street vendor and Good Samaritan aren't around.

Today, 16 months into the president’s term, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) has no administrator and that is the doing of our legislators, and no one else.

Erroll Southers, a 30 year law enforcement professional who worked and won respect for his work with the FBI, Santa Monica police, L.A. airport police and in academia was nominated for the job and slaughtered because of a mistake he made 22 years ago. Since that mistake, which he admitted to, he went on to become a highly qualified and respected law enforcement executive with close to an impeccable background that should have gained him the position he was nominated for, and yet it did not.

That man should have gotten the job and he didn't because of nothing more than partisan politics and that is wrong.

It was and is our loss.

Our system and our leadership is failing. With everyday that goes by, our enemy is learning and preparing for their next attack.

We need to act, before it is to late.

***Please click here: http://newsmax.com/Ruddy/times-square-al-qaida/2010/05/05/id/357998 and see what Al-Qaeda has learned by this most recent event.

Our Legislators and Leadership Needs to Wake UP

2010-05-04T10:05:00.005-04:00

Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen has been arrested for parking the bomb-laden SUV in Times Square, which could have killed hundreds if not thousands of people. Kudos to the members of the NYPD and Joint Terrorist Task Force.

Luckily for us, his concoction of explosives failed to detonate and a local street vendor notified a mounted police officer that initiated what appears to be by all accounts a textbook response.

Today, there are more than 100 definitions of terrorism, and they differ even within the United States government. However, at a bare minimum and according to the FBI, terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

From the outset of this event, there were still members of our government at various levels debating or showing reluctance to classify this as a terrorist act, and based on the contents of the vehicle, where it was placed and the damage that could have been done, I find that hard to believe.

After the arrest of Najibullah Zazi last year, the man who planned the attack of the New York City subway system, I wrote a column outlining just some of the loopholes in our immigration laws that could allow our enemies to infiltrate our borders legally. http://thepillarofstrength.com/?p=236. Given that Shahzad was naturalized just last year, and that his wife is living in Pakistan, it is evidently clear that the system is flawed and needs repaired.

Vigilance and intelligence is a must if we are going to be victorious over this enemy, but we need to address the immigration loopholes that presently exist.

The investigative abilities of the United States government at the local, state and federal levels are the best in the world, and our response protocols are getting better everyday as well. It is the leadership and our legislators that must catch up.

We still have leaders that are in denial or attempting to be politically correct when responding to events like this, and there are very few legislators, that truly understand the threats we face and are full steam ahead in creating new laws or amending old ones to keep us safe.

The frequency of the attacks against us are increasing and it is only a matter of time before a good Samaritan, like the Manhattan vendor is no where to be found.

We really really need to wake up.

Arrest Made in New York City Bomb Plot

2010-05-04T02:02:00.003-04:00

Reflections on the NYC Car Bomb

2010-05-02T14:30:00.003-04:00

For more that eight years, I have been stressing that vigilance and intelligence will be the most important factors in combating and winning over terrorism.

The public understanding the threats we face is extremely important as well, for not for them on Christmas Day and last night, both of these events could have had very different results.

Authorities are saying they’re not sure who and why the vehicle was placed there. As for Who? It makes no difference, be it Al-Qaida, a White Supremacist Group or a group like the Black Liberation Army or Weather Underground back in the 70s; It is 100 % terrorism.

Terrorism involves the threat of, or acts of violence to a society that are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.

As for Why? It was clearly a weapon of mass destruction based on it’s content.

It's been said to be “amateurish,” however, so was the the attacks on September 11th... A bunch of nitwits with box cutters... and were the bombings in Madrid, or Piccadilly Circus...

Amateurs can kill thousands of people... All they have to do is slip thru the cracks.

My fear is that eventually they will.

We’re not going to be able to stop every event (being right 100% of the time). For our enemy’s, if they’re on only 1% of the time, it could be devastating – that’s why vigilance and intelligence are so important.

As to the response: No one has the resources that the NYPD has, and no one has the response protocols that they do, dating back to 1996 when the NYC Office of Emergency Management was created. So, as unfortunate as we are that these things happen, in some strange way, it is fortunate in happens in a place that is best prepared to deal with them.

As to suspects... there is no doubt in my mind that whoever is responsible will be arrested - and unless they were highly sophisticated in the acquisition of their of equipment including the car, it will be days and weeks vs. months or years.

Again, as fate or luck would have it, it's being handled by the greatest police department in the world, the NYPD.

United Nations' Lunacy, Iran's Mockery

2010-04-29T19:48:00.002-04:00

In keeping with the United Nations recent decision to elect Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, they may want to now consider appointing Obama Bin Laden to their Security Council. Read Here: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/29/elects-iran-commission-womens-rights/

KERIK Speaks to New York's WPIX News - Part 3

2010-04-17T15:03:00.001-04:00

No Jail Time for Imam Convicted in NYC Terror Plot

2010-04-16T14:14:00.001-04:00

KERIK Speak's to New York's WPIX News

2010-04-16T12:02:00.004-04:00

NEW YORK (WPIX) - In his first interview since his February 18th sentencing, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik spoke exclusively with PIX 11 News for a candid one-on-one interview with WPIX reporter Monica Morales. Click on the headline above for Part 1 of that interview, and click here for Part 2 http://www.wpix.com/videobeta/?watchId=7c2a941b-76ec-4be0-9bbe-2ace7d882fc6

The Unfortunate Reality of Friendly Fire in Combat

2010-04-12T22:44:00.001-04:00

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday that he backs the troops on the Apache attack that killed 12 people, including two Reuters news staff members.

New Legislation for a New Enemy

2010-01-29T11:59:00.006-05:00

After nearly every terrorist attack by a radical Islamic extremist group, the cowards behind the attacks do their best to promote their deadly deeds by proudly taking credit for the death and destruction they have caused or attempted to cause.

Osama Bin Laden couldn’t refrain from going public after the attacks on the World Trade Center, just as he did this week in trying to claim responsibility for the attempted Christmas Day bombing of the KLM flight by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. While Bin Laden’s claim was widely described as a bit of nasty credit stealing, claiming responsibility, whether real or not, enables the group to instill fear into the minds and hearts of their enemy, which is a substantial part of what terrorism is all about.

The bigger the soap box terrorists can stand on to proclaim their message, the more effective they can be at instilling fear and furthering their agenda. This is one reason why the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind of the attacks on America on 9/11, should not be allowed to take place in New York City. The international press and media coverage would be every bit as intense as it was in the aftermath of the attacks on the Towers, and would be a inspiration to every maniac out there who thinks nothing of strapping on a bomb belt and blowing himself and as many innocents as possible into a thousand pieces, believing it’s the right thing to do.

The security concerns for a trial like this would come close to shutting down southern Manhattan, as we did in the aftermath of 9/11. Businesses, government agencies, and residents alike would suffer greatly, as caution dictates that abundant security elements would be needed to secure areas around the courthouse, detention center, FBI headquarters, other government buildings, and a myriad of soft targets.

The reality is that it would be in the best interest of New York City and the American people that this trial does not happen in New York City or, for that matter, in any other major city in our country.

If the reports that the venue for the terror trial has been changed from New York City are true, this should be broadened to “Any American city.” A trial in DC, for example, would provide a tremendous backdrop for pro-terrorist propaganda. Los Angeles would provide Hollywood contrasts. Kansas City would let them set their propaganda against the Heartland. All cities would suffer tremendous security costs and risk being targeted for revenge attacks.

Consideration should be given to situating all trials of suspected terrorists and enemy combatants against the U.S. on a secluded military installation that can provide the perimeter security required for such an event and that can accommodate the security requirements for detention and court proceedings. Indeed, it wouldn’t be foolish to keep the location secret for as long as possible.

I strongly believe that it’s time we change the way we are handling the enemy altogether. Forget what the Clinton or Bush Administrations have done in the past and who was tried when and where or how prior incidents were handled. Forget what Bush or Obama has or hasn’t done and just face the reality, that terrorism is here to stay, and here in a bigger way than ever before in our history.

We need to prepare now, for how we will handle terrorism and attacks against the United States by enemies foreign and domestic.

Does new legislation need to be drafted, to outline how suspected terrorists will be detained – where and by whom – and where and how they will be tried? If those detained are truly enemy combatants, as I believe they are, then are there laws on the books to provide the necessary funding, resources and tools we need to get us from point A – Z, once they are captured and taken into custody?

If there are grey areas in the law, now is the time to turn those areas into black and white, and get it over with. We can’t continue to play political hot potato every time one of these guys is taken into custody in the United States or abroad.

An enemy is at war with us in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Africa, and even right here, right in our own backyard. Just because they don’t wear the uniform of another country or follow the orders of its leader doesn’t mean a terrorist shouldn’t be considered an enemy of the state. That’s what the terrorists are and the tactics they employ, exploiting out society’s freedom of movement and protections of individual rights, are especially dangerous.

These people are malicious chameleons, that can’t be seen; they are especially deadly because they can’t be seen – something we may have to address with legislation as well. This is the terrible dilemma that we face:we have an enemy that exploits our freedoms and then turns them against us.

We must continue to defend our freedoms but we need to learn how to balance our right to privacy against the dangers we face and our God given right to live in a safe and secure environment.

If the Geneva Convention no longer fits the kind of warfare in which we are now engaged, then let’s amend it. If the United Nations is incapable of enforcing its own rules, then we must ignore it to save ourselves.

Let’s not worry about what other people around the world think because history has clearly demonstrated that, when it comes to our national security, we’re on our own.

We need to fix a system that’s obviously broken before it is too late.

This is a new enemy that we must learn how to deal with. It’s time to face the fact that we’re going to have to carve out a new path to victory over those who are attempting to use our own constitution and institutions to destroy us.

Crisis in Haiti

2010-01-14T12:07:00.004-05:00

Every disaster, natural or man-made, demands a response tailored to its particular challenges, but the lessons learned through handling past disasters can help avoid predictable mistakes.

The most substantial difference between the response to the attack on the World Trade Center and Katrina disaster was the management of the crisis. It remains an open question how well disaster relief for Haiti will be managed and coordinated.

In New York City, after the attacks of September 11th, there was a unified command structure, with the Mayor or Governor sitting in charge at executive management meetings three to four times a day. Those meetings consisted of all of the agencies responsible for running the city or state. Anything and everything that had to be done was coordinated in those meetings and delegated to the appropriate agency for handling. There was constant follow-up at these meetings to insure that the tasks assigned to agencies were carried out.By having so many regularly scheduled, highly focused meetings, crisis management strategies could be quickly modified as conditions changed or new information became available. If additional follow-up was required, it was only a matter of hours before the next meeting would be held, and any problems not taken care of in the field could be resolved quickly.

Coordination of volunteer assistance and resources is essential, and, just as there must be a unified executive command, the operational areas must also have a defined chain of command and mechanisms to promptly communicate necessary information from the executive command center to the operational or event commanders in the field.

In contrast to New York’s handling of September 11th, this kind of executive leadership never happened during the Katrina crisis. Although all parties were well intentioned, the Governor was going one way and the Mayor of New Orleans another, with the Mayor failing to communicate with federal assistance personnel. This chaotic absence of coordinated management only added to the crisis at hand.

September 11th and Katrina posed immense management challenges. The situation in Haiti, however, is far worse. The Haiti crisis is of epic proportion. All the issues we had to deal with in the United States during 9/11 or Katrina will be multiplied a hundred-fold, perhaps a thousand-fold. The importance of a unified command that efficiently manages the flow of information and resources to operational commanders in the field cannot be overstated. These are absolutely essential components for the best outcome for Haiti catastrophe relief efforts.

Haiti needs all the resources they can get through charitable contributions and foreign governments. Collecting, transporting, storing, and distributing resources poses an immense, complex challenge.

First and foremost, getting water and food and medical supplies to the people is a top priority. Relief leaders must do whatever it’s going to take to prevent the spread of disease. To minimize risk, supplies should be delivered within the first 72 hours – and the quake struck last Tuesday. Every passing hour in an area with contaminated water, insect-borne disease, and insufficient sanitation facilities puts survivors and rescuers at greater and greater risk.

For those interested in donating money to a Haiti-related charity, there are two things to keep in mind. You want to make sure that as much of your charitable dollar as possible reaches those who are suffering, rather than to support the administrative costs of whatever charity you’re considering giving to. A good rule of thumb is to choose a charity whose administrative fee does not exceed 10%. You can find this information for free online, through the searchable database at Charity Navigator. You don’t want to donate money to a life-and-death cause like Haiti relief, only to find that 50% of your money is going toward the charity’s administrative costs and employee salaries.

The other thing you should be aware of is that you must make sure the charity you’ve chosen will direct the full amount of your donation to Haiti relief. Even with a legitimate charity, you want to direct and to verify that all that the money you donate is going to Haiti relief, not to a bigger pot with only a portion of it going to Haiti.

We saw an historic problem of this kind in New York after September 11th. The Red Cross set up a fund to provide relief to the victims of the terrorist attacks.By November, 2001, the fund totaled $564 million in donations. Red Cross officials then decided to use 2/3 of these donations for other purposes, such as upgrading Red Cross computer and phone systems, which resulted in public outrage and Congressional hearings. So it’s important, even with the most trustworthy charity, to write your check so that the charity is obliged to use your money in the way you intend.

The President has already committed $100M in support to the government of Haiti and other governments should be doing the same. However, under no circumstance do I think that we should do so without conditions being put on that money, as to where it goes and how it should be spent, with methods of accountability installed to insure that it is used for the purpose it was granted.

I believe Haiti is going to be a test case for international compassion and coordination, and already it is pretty evident that the United States once again will lead the way. Where are Russia, China, and some of the other countries on the so-called world stage? China has pledged $1 million – a far cry from the $100 million the U.S. has pledged.

If other powerful nations can’t produce at times like this, when an entire country is on the verge of extinction, then we and the rest of the world need to seriously re-evaluate what we do for them, and with them.

God bless the people of Haiti, and Godspeed to those who go there to help the Haitian people.

Learning from the Christmas Attack

2009-12-28T12:12:00.006-05:00

On Christmas Day, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian national, boarded a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. He had one thing in mind: to murder everyone on the plane.

Luckily for the people on the aircraft, his explosive chemical concoction failed, and courageous passengers took him into custody. Because of their courage, we don’t need to sift through a destroyed aircraft and a bunch of body parts to learn what happened. The experts will undoubtedly produce recommendations and policy changes based upon what this incident reveals about weaknesses in air travel security, but we know some things even now.

First, this is not just about the terror organization called Al Qaeda. The threat is much larger. The bloody hands of Islamist terror reach out from Iraq and Afghanistan, from Europe, from Africa, even from right here in our backyard, perhaps from a local mosque where a radical imam preaches a hatred of the West that most Americans can’t fathom.

We also need to dispel the stereotype that radical Muslim extremists are underprivileged and poorly educated. Like Osama bin Laden and the doctors who attempted to detonate a car bomb in Scotland, they can be college graduates who grew up with wealth and privilege. Abdulmutallab’s family is among Nigeria’s elite. His father, the chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria and a former minister in the Nigerian government, sent him to the finest schools in Nigeria and England, where the terrorist studied engineering. So wealthy is the family that they maintain a $4 million flat in London’s posh West End, where Rolls Royces are more common than Hondas are in most neighborhoods.

Just as the terrorists don’t fit the common stereotype, we should also remember that most Muslims are not pro-terrorist. Most are law-abiding and good religious people who want nothing more but to live in peace. These folks, however, aren’t the threat. Those who have created a perverted form of Islam that characterizes the West as its evil enemy are. They, unfortunately, dominate governments and sway public opinion in the Islamic world. Their ideology of hate must be confronted and those who believe in tolerance encouraged.

Perhaps the most important lesson we must learn is that we must put the gathering and dissemination of accurate intelligence ahead of concerns about political correctness. If we intend to prevail or even just survive in this battle against radical Islam, we must put an immediate and complete end to political correctness – period! In this case, as with Major Nidal Hassan, the Fort Hood terror assassin, we had information indicating that there may – just may – be a problem with these people, yet one way or another, they slipped through a crack. That this may have happened because some in positions to take preventive action felt they would be stigmatized as not politically correct and damage their careers is appalling.

The airlines and the Transportation Safety Agency, which reports to the Department of Homeland Security, follow a rigid set of guidelines to insure our safety and security in and around the airports and on aircraft. There is, however, a general suspicion that these rules are subjectively applied. We have all heard stories of a 90-year-old woman being searched before boarding a flight while a passenger who would fit the identical profile of Mohammed Atta, one of the 9/11 bombers, is less likely to be confronted because no one wants to be subjected to an allegation that they were racially profiling.

In the case of Major Hassan, although people were alarmed by his behavior, no one acted, and he was able to pull off a jihadist attack, killing 14 people. For Abdulmutallab, the procedural error occurred after his father went to the United States Embassy in November, concerned about his son’s radical beliefs and worried that he might attempt to do something bad to the United States.Abdulmutallab was allowed to board the KLM flight without even a second round of screening.

There are at least three separate watch lists that the U.S. security agencies maintain and monitor to track suspected terrorists, terror sponsors, and terror sympathizers. Evidently, Abdulmutallab was on the list that is supposedly the most minimum threat level. According to the authorities, his being on that list did not call for any additional screening over and above any other airline passenger. If that’s true, then what exactly is that list for? More importantly, if his father did, in fact, notify the U.S. Embassy of his concerns, then why did that not raise a flag somewhere, that this man should be looked at? If Dad thinks you’re nuts and murderous, then maybe you are and someone should look into it.

In the past 36 hours, I’ve watched all the reports on CNN, FOX, and NBC, about airports enhancing their security measures, and looking at new screening equipment and approaches to security in the airline industry.

This is insanity. If there’s anyone in the security business who is surprised by this attempted attack, they need to find another line of work. If they don’t get it by now, they aren’t going to.

El Al Airlines, Israel's national carrier, is by far the safest airline in the world despite its being one of the biggest terrorist targets in the world. Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv is the world’s safest airport, so why aren’t we mirroring their security protocols?

Passengers at Ben Gurion are spared the hassle of having to remove their shoes and don’t have the luxury of curbside check-in. Here in the United States, a passenger is barely spoken to, with the exception of continuous instructions on getting through the screening process. In Ben Gurion, however, you’re spoken to constantly. From the second you enter the terminal, security and airline agents alike are looking for clues that raise a red flag, such as bulky clothing or nervousness. There are also profilers who monitor your behavior and interview travelers for anything out of the ordinary. If they are intrusive or politically incorrect, it’s just too bad. Their approach saves lives, and to them, that’s what counts.

This morning, I listened to an airline official say that, based on this recent event, they were now looking at screening equipment that could x-ray clothing to determine if something were concealed beneath it.

That’s great, but that equipment has been out for years, so why isn’t it being used now? The answer is the same as to why we aren’t using Israeli type profilers at the airport. We don’t want to insult anyone or hurt their feelings.That’s the wrong approach, if we intend to do the job that has to be done. We have to concentrate on security first, and feelings second.

But changes inside the security profession aren’t enough. We, as a country, have got to understand that the terror threat is real and is here to stay, and we need to proactively take steps to address it. President Barack Obama’s order for a review of the watch lists requirements and protocols couldn’t come at a better time. In addition to this and the improved screening equipment, we must understand the threat posed by radical Islam.

In numbers, those who seek to destroy us through terror are smaller than the millions America faced in World War I and II, but, unlike those enemies, who could be recognized on the battlefield by their uniforms, our present enemy exploits civilian guise. There is no single face or uniform or color or ethnic background that identifies them. The single trait they all share is a sick and demented hatred that drives them to use themselves as the weapons of their war and to happily die in its cause. This makes them formidable enemies, but not enemies than can’t be resisted.

We need to fix the flaws in a system that has to be as close to perfect as we can possibly get it because this enemy will keep on coming.

This time we were lucky. The next time, we may not be.

Give Our Troops Resources

2009-10-08T14:51:00.006-04:00

Between the New York City Police and Correction departments, I led a combined staff of nearly 70,000 men and women, and I oversaw a $4 billion dollar budget.

In the jail system, I had the responsibility of overseeing the 125,000 inmates who entered the system annually; in the police department, I had to worry about the 8 million to 12 million people who lived in, worked in, or visited New York City daily. In both departments, we had enormous successes, much of which I received the credit for, but the reality is that the men and women in the field are responsible for the real successes or failures of any administrator or executive.

An enormous part of leadership is getting the right men and women in place to do the job, knowing and understanding those people, inspiring them to do the job, and then providing them with the tools, and staff they need if you intend to succeed.

Be it a grocery store in New Jersey, a car wash in Florida, a Walmart anywhere in the country, or the NYPD – the principles are all the same. And that goes for our military as well.

Wednesday marked the eight-year anniversary of the U.S. and coalition invasion of Afghanistan after the attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001. A few days earlier, hundreds of Taliban insurgents armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades overran two outposts near the Pakistan border, killing eight U.S. soldiers and capturing more than 20 Afghan security troops.

It was one of the deadliest assaults against U.S. forces in more than a year.

Almost simultaneously, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said that the situation in Afghanistan is serious and growing worse — and without more boots on the ground, the United States risks failure in the war it has been waging. That said, we have two choices to make: Give him what he needs to do the job, or pull our troops out and get them home.

Continuing this battle understaffed and ill-equipped is a guarantee for heavier losses that no one wants to see.

Let’s not forget the Soviet–Afghan War, which lasted more than nine years involving the Soviet Union and India, supporting Afghanistan at its request, against the Islamist Mujahedeen Resistance. Supporting the mujahedeen were the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and a few other Muslim nations.

This war ultimately was labeled the Soviets' Vietnam because of the interminable nature of the war and the Soviets' inability to achieve any sort of victory. And that was the Soviet Union, a world power whose idea of the Geneva Convention is using tanks to run over protesters at an antiwar rally.

The U.S. troops and coalition forces in Afghanistan today are fighting a battle in terrain that is nearly impossible, and their enemy is like mountain rats that live in the rocks and caves. What is worse yet is that the enemy likes those conditions.

This is no easy job.

McChrystal said he needs more troops to get the job done. He is the man on the ground tasked with a strategy to accomplish a mission. There’s no better example of this type of exercise than the merger in Iraq and the successes Gen. David Petraeus had in 2008. There’s no need to speak to the members of the Armed Services Committee for advice unless that advice is how to expedite the logistical request and get McChrystal the tools and resources he needs to get that job done.

It's now or never — for every day we waste, we put the lives of those fighting for us on the line even more than they already are. If we are not going to grant the general his request, then call him and his troops home, salute each and every one, and thank them for a job well done.

If we are, then let’s get on with it. McChrystal and the men and women under his command deserve no less.

Until the decision is made one way or another, God speed to all.

Take Out Iran's Nuclear Facilities - Now

2009-09-27T22:14:00.008-04:00

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s threat to world peace grows stronger by the day with new evidence that Iran is building an underground plant to enrich uranium that can be used for an atomic bomb.

When asked if Iran had sufficient uranium to manufacture nuclear weapons, Ahmadinejad sidestepped the question, saying the new facility won't be operational for 18 months, so Iran has not violated any IAEA requirements.

However, the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpayegani, who heads the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as saying: "This new plant, God willing, will soon become operational and will make the enemies blind." That doesn’t sound like they will be using this facility for energy, does it?

Iran, its president, and Khamenei jeopardize global nonproliferation, the European nations, the Middle East and in particular, Israel — a country that Ahmadinejad has already identified as his principal target that should be blown off the map.

In their spare time when they are not working on their own atomic bomb, Iran is also helping Venezuela detect uranium deposits which experts suggest that their reserves could be significant.

This insanity must be stopped, and stopped now.

President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Tehran to open the site to the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency or face consequences.

The head of Iran's nuclear program suggested that United Nations inspectors may be allowed to visit the site, but history has shown that depending on the U.N., its inspectors, or sanctions have never been effective.

The threats of isolation and increased pressure by the international community will not work when China and Russia are saying publicly that they will not support sanctions against Iran.

Anyone who believes that Ahmadinejad is worried about denying his country the resources that would come with international or U.N. sanctions are a bit naïve. We have seen what he thinks of the Iranian people during his last election, when he basically took his position by force, deadly and otherwise.

Ahmadinejad and Iran’s manufacturing of nuclear weapons must be addressed, and addressed now. We cannot negotiate with a madman and we cannot wait until it’s too late or we or others might be taken by surprise.

Our allies in Europe and the Middle East are in danger, and Israel could face complete annihilation. We can’t afford another Iraq, but we don’t have to have one. Either we take out these sites, or give Israel or someone else the help they need to get the job done.

It is the right thing to do, and now is the time to do it.

New Mindset to Defeat Terror

2009-09-25T22:22:00.000-04:00

On Sept. 20, 2001, President George W. Bush addressed a joint session of Congress following the attacks on America on 9/11. I sat two rows behind first lady Laura Bush as the president spoke of “a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom.”

He spoke of a new and unconventional enemy and said, “They are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan where they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction.”

He said, “These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against us because we stand in their way.”

Well, for the past two weeks, we have learned of a carefully organized and massive plot to bomb a number of targets across the United States by a 24-year-old, Afghan-born Al-Qaida operative named Najibullah Zazi, precisely the enemy Bush spoke of in 2001.

Throughout the course of this investigation by the FBI and New York City Police Department, we have heard that Zazi had several pages of hand-written notes of bomb-making instructions inside a computer that he kept in his possession. He allegedly wrote those notes last year when attended an al-Qaida training camp in Pakistan.

"You're talking about subway stations, public places where potentially thousands of people could be killed," said former FBI agent Brad Garrett. "And in addition to that, when you add multiple locations, you're talking about potentially a horrendous number of people dying.”

Since Zazi’s arrest, federal agents have tracked down a number of beauty supply stores in Colorado where Zazi and accomplices purchased unusually large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and acetone, which would be used to create improvised explosive devices and weapons of mass destruction.

Attorney General Eric Holder said in a prepared statement that, “We believe an imminent threat arising from this case has been disrupted,” and added, “we are investigating a wide range of leads.”

Based on reports, it appears that Zazi was the ringleader of this al-Qaida cell and had a number of co-conspirators in Colorado and New York, and that the principal targets were probably in New York.

That being said, perhaps it’s time to look at things a little differently when it comes to keeping our country safe and free from the threats of this new and unconventional enemy.

Immigration, criminal profiling, and the Patriot Act are just for starters.

Our immigration laws have loopholes the size of Texas. Putting aside our inability to prevent intruders from illegally crossing our borders, many of our immigration policies are no better.

For example, a military commander from Saudi Arabia comes to the United States to attend a military course and brings his wife, who is eight months pregnant. Their baby is born a U.S. citizen, the family travels back to Saudi Arabia, and the child can return anytime during their lifetime with no restrictions. If by chance that child is raised or infested with the radical Islamic beliefs of Osama Bin Laden and his followers, there is nothing we can do about it. That child has the same rights and any other U.S. citizen.

Another example, based on a true story, is that a naturalized Pakistani father living in Georgia takes his two U.S.-born teenage sons to Karachi, Pakistan, drops them in a madrassa (an Islamic learning center) for four years to be indoctrinated in radical extremists beliefs. The two young men return to the United States with an incredible hatred for our country and there is nothing we can do about it.

Another example: A family from Syria is chosen thru the U.S. immigration lottery to acquire a green card. They come to the United States and acquire their green card with the understanding that they will live in the U.S. However, as soon as they receive it, they head back to Syria (using their Syrian passport) and return every six months to show up for immigration interviews until they become U.S. citizens. They then live in Syria and keep the U.S. citizenship in a drawer in case they need it.

Since political correctness has scared our legislators to death, they can’t find the courage to say publicly that we as a country must begin profiling to identify the new enemies we face, both here and abroad.

Call it criminal profiling, terrorist profiling, or whatever you wish, but don’t confuse it with racial profiling. Take the sex, age, religion, education, place of worship, travel history, and an assortment of other things that resemble the personal pedigree of Najibullah Zazi, Mohammed Atta (one of the 9/11 ring leaders), and a few of the Islamic extremist bombers in Madrid and London, and throw them into a massive super computer of every public and law enforcement data base in the U.S., and I promise you will identify a number of people we should be watching that we are not.

The civil rights advocates will scream constitutional violations, racial profiling, big brother watching, and on and on. So what! I’d rather find these people before they strike than be conducting investigations after a device was activated somewhere in the New York City mass transit system.

As for the Patriot Act, every time we hear of a plot that involves an extremist group that intends to attack our country from within, I look at how the Patriot Act has helped in the investigation. This one probably takes the cake.

The CIA observed Zazi in Pakistan frequenting a location known to be a hangout for al-Qaida operatives. The CIA relayed that information to the FBI in the United States and a target is born. Roving wiretaps, CIA-FBI communications and coordination, local and state involvement in the federal investigation, and more led to the arrest and uncovering of what could be the most substantial al-Qaida attack plot in the U.S since 9/11.

Since the details continue to filter in, only time will tell how big this plot was, but one thing is for sure: the Patriot Act was a viable tool in allowing the federal agents to accomplish their goals of taking down this cell.

Unlike World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, or even the first Gulf War, this is a new enemy that far surpasses the others in numbers. It’s an unconventional enemy and must be fought by unconventional means. Immigration, the Patriot Act and profiling are just some of the tools that local, state, and federal authorities will need to do their job.

If we are going to beat them, we must think like them, create laws to combat them, and understand that the days of battling a foreign enemy through conventional means are over. Our military must change, our local, state and federal law enforcement must change, and most importantly, our political leadership on both sides of the aisle must change.

In concluding his speech in 2001, Bush said he was “confident of the victories to come.”

For your sake and mine, I just hope he was right.

The Terror Threat Increase

2009-09-18T22:25:00.002-04:00

Be it Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colorado or New York City, the past week has demonstrated that al-Qaida and radical Islamic extremism are alive and ever present and still pose a significant threat to our homeland, U.S. targets abroad and our international allies.

According to published reports, U.S. Special Operations personnel killed a terror suspect in Somalia that U.S. intelligence sources said was a link between and Islamic militia in Somalia, al-Qaida in Pakistan and a group of young Somali-Americans from Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis boys told authorities that they recognized the suspect as one of their instructors at an al-Qaida training camp in Somalia.

On Wednesday, federal agents searched the home of a Colorado man that the FBI said might have possible links to al-Qaida. According to another source, authorities believed that he was involved in a potential bomb plot involving hydrogen peroxide-based explosives that led members of the New York Joint Terrorist Task Force to raid several apartments in Queens, New York.

Both the NYPD and FBI said there were no specific terrorist threats, however, their investigation is continuing in New York City and halfway across the country on home-grown chameleons that appear to be far more educated than we have dealt with in the past.

The Taliban continues to trouble coalition forces in Afghanistan, and a number of Islamic extremists have moved into east Africa where British and American Special Operations groups are attempting to hunt them down.

Federal authorities are reporting increased chatter, and we’re witnessing international training and links between training camps abroad and cities all across this country.

At a time when political divisiveness, healthcare and the economy are dominating the airwaves, let’s not lose sight of what appears to be an increased terror threat against us.

Gadhafi is not Welcomed in New Jersey

2009-08-27T22:27:00.006-04:00

On May 15, the United States removed Libya from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. It now looks like a bad decision.

The resumption of diplomatic ties with the U.S. should have never occurred as has been evidenced by Moammar Gadhafi’s recent hero’s welcome and support for Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the Libyan intelligence agent and lone man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 in Lockerbie, Scotland.

If you are supporting terrorists, in my book you are a terrorist. Although Gadhafi has made a concerted effort to scam his way back into the good graces of the international community, his transparent support for the Pan Am 103 bomber is a clear demonstration that he is the same man he was in the 1970s when he established terrorist training camps on Libyan soil, provided terrorist groups with arms, and offered safe haven to terrorists.

He aided Spain's ETA, Italy's Red Brigades, and Palestinian groups such as the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Libya was also suspected of attempting to assassinate the leaders of Chad, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, and Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo).

Gadhafi’s regime was also implicated in the 1989 bombing of a French passenger jet over Niger in which 171 died. In 1986, Libya sponsored the bombing of a Berlin disco popular among U.S. servicemen, killing two U.S. soldiers.

Gadhafi is planning to attend the United Nations General Assembly next month. In doing so, he intends on setting up camp in Englewood, N.J., just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan.

New Jersey was home to 38 victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing. Allowing him stay here while visiting the U.N. is a disgrace and a slap in the face, not only to those who died from New Jersey, but to all the victims from Flight 103.

At 11 a.m. on Aug. 30, Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes will hold a rally in protest of Gadhafi’s expected stay.

Every American should join him to send Gadhafi and others like him a message: Terrorists and sponsors of terror are not wanted in the United States.

Europe Must Stop Cowering from Terror

2009-08-22T22:31:00.005-04:00

In 2005, Germany's high court ordered the release of a Syrian-born Mamoun Darkazani, who was being held in a German prison in connection with the 2003 Madrid bombings. He was also allegedly seen in a 1999 wedding video with two of the 9/11 suicidal attackers, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.

Spanish authorities investigating al-Qaida, along with 41 other suspects, including Osama bin Laden, indicted Darkazani. He was released because a German federal court thought it would be illegal for him to be extradited against his will.

A notorious Spanish terrorist, Inaki de Juana Chaos, a member of the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna terrorist group, or ETA, was sentenced to 3,000 years in prison for the murder of 25 people in the 1980s.

He was released after 21 years, benefiting from a 1973 law that allowed reductions of sentences for good conduct. His good conduct in prison included making death threats to prison governors. In a letter written after one of the killings, he said of the victims: "Their tears are our smiles, and in the end we will roar with laughter."

In 1985, four armed Palestinian terrorists hijacked the cruise ship, Achille Lauro, killing a defenseless elderly man in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer, and then dumping his body overboard.

As the hijackers attempted to escape, then-President Ronald Reagan ordered U.S. fighter jets to intercept the plane carrying the terrorists. Their plane was forced to land in Signolia, Italy, where they were taken into custody.

They were sentenced to 25 years for kidnapping and murder but later released for good behavior.

European nations as a whole, have committed to fighting global terror and have talked a good game, until it comes to having the backbone and courage to stand strong in the face of threats or political influence.

The recent release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the lone man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland, is just another example of a European nation cowering to terror.

There were 270 victims of that attack, and the person responsible was released, only to receive a hero's welcome in Tripoli, Libya.

This raises two questions: Why was he released? And should we be revisiting our decision to remove Libya from the U.S. State Department’s list of terror sponsoring states?

His sentence alone was totally outrageous! A 27-year sentence equaling 36.5 days in prison for each person he killed. However, it’s far worse since he only served eight years, meaning that he only served 10.8 days per person that he killed.

Were the lives of Susan Cohen and Joanne Hartunian’s daughters or Bert Ammerman’s brother worth no more than 11 days of al-Megrahi’s time?

Scottish officials said that they were bound by Scottish values to release al-Megrahi because he had prostate cancer and was diagnosed to only have months to live.

Were they not bound by Scottish values to ensure that he was held accountable for the murders he committed? If not, that is a disgrace.

One of my all time favorite movies is “Braveheart” – the major motion picture directed by Mel Gibson, which was based on the life of Sir William Wallace, one of Scotland's greatest heroes.

In the late 1200s, Wallace fought passionately for Scotland’s freedom from English rule, and eventually died for his cause. Be it legend, rumor or actuality, Wallace knew more that 800 years ago that you had to fight for freedom and that that fight could never end.

Here we are in 2009 fighting an enemy that despises those very freedoms that Wallace fought for and that we so often take for granted. Be it the U.S. or U.K., Spain, Germany, Italy or Scotland, the enemy today is a global network of those like al-Megrahi who have found joy in the murder of innocent civilians all around the world.

They have no remorse for their actions, nor do they care for those left behind, and if given the opportunity to do it all over again, I promise you they would not hesitate a minute.

al-Megrahi should have remained in prison until his death. It is the least that the Scottish authorities could have done to demonstrate to the world, their determination to fight terrorism.

Releasing him is nothing but a slap in the face to the victims of Pan Am 103 and all those in the war against terror today.

Armed Protests Jeopardize the President, Public

2009-08-18T22:40:00.006-04:00

According to a number of press reports, about a dozen people carrying guns, including one with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, stood among protesters outside a convention center in Arizona where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Aug. 17.

This appears to be the latest incident in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president.

In Arizona and several other states, it happens to be legal for people to purchase and carry these types of weapons without a permit. Gun-rights advocates say they are exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest; others who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

I happen to be a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and strongly believe in our constitutional right to bear arms. However, I also have had the responsibility of overseeing the protection of several heads of state, including at one of the world’s largest gatherings — the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in September 2000.

I believe that there is no greater responsibility in this country than that of the men and women in our federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations charged with protecting the life of our president.

In order to protect the president, the Secret Service recruits other federal, state, and local agencies to assist them daily. The military supports the Secret Service through the use of explosive ordnance disposal teams and communications resources. When the president travels, an advance team of Secret Service agents works with host city and state law enforcement, as well as public safety officials, to jointly implement the necessary security measures.

Knowing and understanding the threats we face from terrorism alone is reason to ensure that the security arrangements for the president is of the highest standard. In addition to those possible threats, there are reports that the threats against this president are 400 percent higher than that of any other. If the threat and vulnerability assessments are accurate, this president and vice president should have the highest levels of security in the history of the Secret Service whether they like it or not.

There are reports that the vice president has ordered his protective detail be minimized during certain travel. We have also seen President Barack Obama mix it up with a crowd from time to time, and I assure you it was against the wishes of their detail leaders responsible for keeping them safe.

What principals like the president and vice president sometimes do not understand is that they have the responsibility to stay alive, just as the Secret Service has the responsibility to keep them alive.

If they intentionally or unintentionally interfere with or preclude the Secret Service from doing its job, they jeopardize their own lives as well as the lives of those charged with protecting them. Perhaps more importantly, they could jeopardize the stability of our country if something were to happen to them.

Allowing armed protesters to show up where the president is speaking is irresponsible and could cause a catastrophic security nightmare for those charged with protecting him.

It endangers the protective agents, the protesters, the public, and the president. It creates an immediate distraction as each armed protester then becomes a focus of observation for the agents.

Although Arizona and other states may allow the possession of these weapons, who can tell that the person carrying them at the time is not a threat to the president or others? An unidentified man who had a rifle slung over his shoulder told a reporter for the Arizona Republic, that “I still have some freedoms,” and he may be right. But freedom to create alarm and a possible threat to the president is not one of them.

Use some common sense.

That man may have no ill intent and possess his weapon legally, but what if someone not so nice takes it away? Why create scenarios where the protective agents focus is instinctually aimed at the weapon’s carriers? What if there is an accidental discharge by someone who is not that proficient with his or her weapon that creates a stampede or serious distraction?

No responsible gun owner, law enforcement executive, or public official should endorse or allow these armed protests anywhere near the president.

The president and his staff should let the Secret Service do its job, regardless of political correctness, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano should ensure that the president is protected at all cost . . . and if that includes stepping on some protester’s toes, so be it.

I’m all for the Second Amendment and our right to bear arms, but not at the cost of endangering the president. This is a dangerous practice and it must be stopped.

The job of protecting the president is hard enough. . . let’s not make it any harder for the men and women who have to do the job.

9/11 Anniversary a Sober Reminder to Be Ready

2009-08-11T22:50:00.012-04:00

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, just minutes after two jetliners slammed through towers I and II of the World Trade Center, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, I, and several others stopped at a temporary command post on West Street to survey the damage of the two buildings.

We met with Sgt. John Coughlin of the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit and three of the most experienced men in the New York City Fire Department: First Deputy Commissioner William Feehan, Chief of Department Peter Ganci, and Chief of Operations Raymond Downey. They were standing beneath two of the largest buildings in the world that had just been devastated by terror, yet didn’t blink an eye. I was encouraged by their determination and humbled by their bravery. As we walked away from them, the Fire Department’s legendary chaplain, Father Mychal Judge, blessed us with the sign of the cross.

It was the last time I would see them alive.

As we approach the eighth anniversary of the attacks of 9/11, I think of those men and the other men and women like them, who sacrificed their lives to save others. I think of the innocents in the buildings and planes, and those we lost at the Pentagon and in Shanksville.

More so, I think of how this particular anniversary should be an overwhelming reminder to all of us that an attack like this can happen again, even eight years later!

It was just over eight years between the first bombing of the World Trade Center on Feb. 26, 1993 and the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. It was eight months into President George W. Bush’s first term, when we realized that the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans no longer protected us from the elements of war. We also learned of a new enemy that very few Americans had even heard of.

Osama bin Laden, radical Muslim extremism, and al-Qaida became household words overnight, as the fear of another attack lingered. We learned that this evil and unconventional enemy does not differentiate between civilian and military targets and has no limits in when it comes to mass murder and the annihilation of its enemy, including innocent women and children. We have since learned that it has no real leadership, is not run by an identifiable government, is larger in numbers than our enemies of World War II and has the ability to penetrate our international borders as well as to infiltrate our communities within.

So, here we are eight years after the infamous attacks on 9/11, and eight months into a new president’s administration, exactly where we were in 2001. Al-Qaida and Muslim extremism still threaten our nation, and our war against terror continues, both here and abroad.

Are we better off today than we were on Sept. 10, 2001?

The answer is yes we are — much better. But as we approach this eighth anniversary, we must also admit that we could be in a far better position today if our political leadership would put an end to partisan politics and look out for us as much as they do themselves.

The information age has brought us a far more educated terrorist, one who has access to the Internet and the international press and media so they are watching every move we make, just about in real time.

Our government’s operational secrecy seems almost impossible at times due to leaks of classified information and material. Some blame the journalists; I blame the traitors who release the information in the first place, because besides breaking the law, they jeopardize our national security as well as the lives of the men and women on the front line in this war.

As if that isn’t frightening enough, our political leadership today seems determined to keep the halls of Congress in chaos, focusing on partisan politics while failing to get anything accomplished. The better and brighter members of the House — Democrats and Republicans alike — are being stymied by those whose efforts are focused more on looking out for themselves, ingratiating themselves with a new president, or getting themselves re-elected.

The CIA director is complaining that partisan politics are interfering with operational capabilities and deteriorating the morale of the men and women who place themselves in harms way daily in their fight for our freedom, and the freedom of others.

The Department of Defense has been requested to redirect funds intended for the war, to fund such things as four jets at a total cost of over $500 million that would be used specifically for House members to travel around the world. Some of the same members of Congress who endorsed the purchase of the new aircraft ridiculed and lambasted senior officials of the auto industry when they traveled to Washington, D.C. for hearings. Talk about a hypocrisy.

If reports are accurate, 10 lawmakers — six Democrats and four Republicans — spent 11 days on an international junket in some of the most breathtaking spots on earth, diving and snorkeling at Australia's Great Barrier Reef, watching New Year's fireworks in New Zealand, and sleeping in a luxury Hawaiian hotel. They claimed it was a fact-finding mission to study climate change.

The cost to taxpayers: $500,000.

If House and Senate members are accountable to no one in their own organizations or parties, perhaps the American people need to pay closer attention to what’s going on. Perhaps we should be looking at term limits in the House and Senate . . . maybe we would get a lot more done, particularly by those politicians who in their second term would have nothing to lose. Perhaps then they would act in our best interest.

As it stands today, the ruling party blames the other for past and present failures, and when their incompetence becomes so transparent that their political poll numbers begin to plummet, they all blame the president.

Failure and incompetency in government should not be tolerated at any level, particularly when it comes to our national security. However, our present system seems to allow incompetency through this blame game, preventing real results.

If we learned anything from the attacks of 9/11, we learned that the people and groups that carried out the attacks have enormous patience. They toyed with us between 1993 and 2001 with the bombings of the Al Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the USS Cole in Yemen.

Today, North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela continue their threats against us and our supporters, while bin Laden and his band of thugs pursue their promise of an attack far more spectacular than Sept. 11.

With that in mind, I have to wonder if our national security is where it should be today and are our domestic and international intelligence programs running efficiently? Are there accountability programs in place to ensure we’re not missing things as a result of interagency strife or turf wars as we have in the past? Do the men and women in our armed forces have the equipment they need to fight this war and keep them safe? How about our federal and local law enforcement agencies — do they have the tools they need to get the job done? And can we guarantee that the president is going to be given accurate and real-time information to make the decisions he must to protect our homeland?

Personally, I find it amazing that President Barack Obama’s directive to close down Guantanamo Bay hasn’t already been accomplished because we still don’t have a plan in place as to what we are going to do with the prisoners.

Are we going to try them in special military courts or civilian courts on U.S. soil? Are we trying them as enemy combatants of the U.S. — which they are, or are we trying them as violators of U.S. criminal law? If we’re not holding them at Guantanamo, where are they going and more importantly, do we then have the right by law to hold them?

What are the real answers and what takes so long to create a plan?

Have we seriously looked at our constitution and the laws of our land, when it comes to dealing with this new enemy and the war against terror? The answer is no, we have not. If we had, the Guantanamo Bay issue and others like it could have been resolved by now.

Our political leadership should have addressed and resolved many of these issues over the past eight years but its self-serving and partisan interests have prevented it from doing so, just as it is today.

When it comes to our national security, this must stop.

As we approach the eighth anniversary of the worst terror attack in our nation’s history — more damaging than that of Pearl Harbor — you have to ask, did we learn our lesson the last time and have we fixed our flaws to make sure it cannot happen again?

We have tried, but not enough.

Just as it was for Bush in 2001, it has been eight years since the last attack on the World Trade Center, and we are now eight months into Obama’s first presidential term.

Will history repeat itself? As someone who lived through it the last time, I pray and hope not.

But being a realist, I know that the enemy, both here and abroad, continues to wait — testing our patience, our courage, and our leadership. It is not if but when the next attack on our country will come. We ignored the warnings after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and never imagined an attack like that of Sept. 11, 2001.

Insist that our lawmakers stop the partisan in-fighting and put our national security before their own self-interests so they can fix the flawed programs and systems before it is too late.

The lives of the American people depend on it.

Obama's Criticism of Police Sergeant Unfair

2009-07-23T22:56:00.008-04:00

The recent controversy over the arrest of a prominent black Harvard scholar, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., by Cambridge (Mass.) Police Sgt. James Crowley who happens to be white, should be looked at with a little more common sense and for what it is, based on the police report prepared by Officer Carlos Figueroa, a Latino male.

At 12:44 p.m. on July 16, the Cambridge Police were dispatched to a house as a result of a 911 call that someone was breaking into the residence. The police arrived and found a black male in the house, who according to Figueroa was confrontational and refused to show the police his identification. Figueroa reported that he overheard who was later identified as Gates, yelling, “this is what happens to a black man in America,” and “you don’t know who you’re messing with.”

Based on Gates confrontational behavior, he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct by Crowley, who appeared to be the supervisor on the scene.

The race card was played by Gates at the scene and then thrown into the national spotlight by the press and media when they asked President Barack Obama his opinion of the arrest.

Giving the president the same benefit of the doubt that I would give the cops, I think he was blindsided by the press. The president indicated that he didn’t know all the facts in the case, but then went on to say that anyone would have been angry if treated the way Gates claims the police treated him.

I’m sure the president didn’t have the police report in front of him, or had he, he may not have been so quick to say that the police acted “stupidly when there was already proof’’ that Gates was in his own home. But was there? Not according to Figueroa’s report, which indicates Gates was refusing to provide the responding officers with identification.

Any politician or police executive will tell you that there are two sides to every story and unless there is some substantial reason to believe otherwise, your public servants should get the benefit of the doubt.

I believe Crowley confronted Gates because he was dispatched to that residence when a neighbor reported it was being burglarized. He didn’t confront Gates because he was black — he did so because Gates was in the residence that the sergeant was told was being burglarized. If Gates was confrontational, refused to identify himself, and acted disorderly — the sergeant had the right to arrest him.

Racial profiling is wrong and the president was right in his remarks that it has happened in the past and may be happening today — but for anyone to relate this event to racial profiling, they could be equally wrong. If they were not there, I would suggest that you refer them to the neighbor who reported the burglary and to Figueroa, one of several witnesses to Gates’ behavior.

The one thing that concerns me more than anything above, is the echoing of Gates’ alleged statement, “you don’t know who you’re messing with,” and boy was he right! Crowley responded to that burglary, not knowing the dangers that could await him. One burglar or two, armed or not — he responded just like any other radio run he had been on in his 11-year career. But I am absolutely positive, that he never thought he and his performance and actions in the line of duty on that afternoon would be judged or criticized by the president of the United States.

Some will blame the president . . . some will blame some in the press and media.

Either way, a dedicated police sergeant who went to work that day doing the job he was sworn to do, will remain criticized forever.

Iraqi Policies Must Not Endanger U.S. Troops

2009-07-09T23:01:00.007-04:00

The Iraqi government has recently moved to restrict the movement and activities of U.S. forces in what appears to me to be an amended version of their 6-month-old U.S.- Iraqi security agreement. Hopefully, there is something lost in translation because if there isn’t, commanders on the ground as well as the president’s cabinet should be deeply concerned.

Under no circumstances should we be agreeing to any condition that could jeopardize the safety and security of the men and women who are defending us here or abroad, be it Iraq or anywhere else.

Under the initial agreement that consisted of three milestones, June 30 was the deadline for moving U.S. troops out of Iraqi towns and cities, the intent being a reduction in troop size from 130,000 to 50,000 next year around this time.

U.S. commanders have began the pullout in accordance with the agreement, but have kept several combat battalions assigned to urban areas to remain engaged in training Iraqi security forces, meeting with paid informants, attending local council meetings, and supervising U.S.-funded civic and reconstruction projects.

In an order dated July 2, Iraq’s top military commanders told their U.S. counterparts to "stop all joint patrols" in Baghdad and advised them that the U.S. resupply convoys could travel only at night, almost like they intend for the Americans to become invisible.

Joint patrols benefit both the Iraqis and the Americans in the event that they must engage in combat or respond to threats, and adherence to the new order would strongly limit our supporting role and perhaps jeopardize our troops. Limiting the U.S. troop movement for resupply convoys to nighttime could also be extremely dangerous if we agreed to it.

Our troops are still in Iraq at this point to assist the Iraqis in securing and stabilizing their country, by means of collecting intelligence, responding to threats, or engaging in combat operations when necessary.

The strict application and adherence of this new agreement could limit our ability to do any of the above, not to mention could place our troops and commanders in serious jeopardy.

The radicals and extremists, who appear to have recently increased their attacks with the use of Iranian support, will quickly realize the new limitations on the U.S. troops and make every effort to use them to their advantage, placing our men and women in danger.

We cannot let that happen.

Iraq today is a free and democratic country, based strongly on the blood, sweat, and tears of U.S. forces and other coalition countries that have gotten them to where they are today.

If the Iraqis now feel that they can do it on their own, then so be it — get our people back home where they belong. But if the Iraqis still feel a need for the added security element or supplies that we provide or the use of the intelligence we collect, then they cannot restrict us in any way, shape or form that could jeopardize our people on the ground.

This isn’t a political issue and our political leaders have to do something they rarely do – listen to the commanders in theater. If they feel that the application of this new agreement hinders them in anyway from keeping our men and women safe, then it’s time to pack it up.

It’s just the right thing to do.

Obama Speech Good in Context

2009-06-07T22:16:00.006-04:00

Over the past 96 hours, the international press has published one article after another regarding President Barack Obama’s visit to the Middle East. Promoted by the White House and his supporters, and denounced by the neo-cons and right wing conservatives, the speech has generated opinions galore.

What’s most disturbing for me is the political nitpicking and dissecting of the president’s speech, the hanging onto every word without taking into consideration his audience, his overall goals and objectives, and the possible outcome in its deliverance. More annoying are the academics and policy wonks who analyze the most, yet have never set foot in a mosque or synagogue. They wouldn’t know the difference between an Israeli or Arab dish and their firsthand and personal knowledge of the Middle East is out of the classroom or a guided tour with a school or foundation.

During the recent media hype over CIA policies on harsh interrogations during the Bush administration, the Democrats tried to do everything in their power to go back in time to analyze and criminalize the policies involved. The White House, the president and even his critics said that we should be looking forward and not backward when it comes to the CIA’s interrogations.

In the recent articles concerning the president’s visit to the Middle East, his critics are ripping him to shreds for his efforts, citing prior attempts by former administrations and then going back in time trying to analyze and break down the history of the region dating back to when Arabs and Jews lived as one, before British and French rule.

Why aren’t we looking forward instead of backward – again?

As an outsider looking in, trying to put politics aside and honestly thinking about what’s best for our country – I think there may be a chance – a real chance – that this president can negotiate and accomplish a peace plan when others could not. More so, in the course of working his magic (as many have called it), Obama may accomplish something far more important to me than just peace itself, and that is the neutralization of the radical extremist leadership, their supportive following and the threats of terror to the western world and Muslims alike.

The president has called for a redoubling of efforts towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying he would like to see progress within a year. Be it a year or four or eight, it is all going to depend on one thing: trust!

The Arab world must trust him, which has been a crucial problem for the peace process in the past and perhaps rightfully so. We promote freedom and democracy around the world and I believe we should.

However, we need to realize that through that process could come results not to our liking, such as Hamas in Palestine or Hezbollah in Lebanon. We can’t turn around then and say, “Oh sorry, that doesn’t count.” It doesn’t mean that we then have to continue our financial or diplomatic support for that country. There should be a law in place that absolutely prohibits us from funding any state sponsor of terror in any way. Anything other than that, we’re sending mixed messages and that is what creates that distrust.

When it comes to trust, it all but it appears that, at least for now, the president has cleared that hurdle.

In his speech in Cairo, Obama was criticized for not mentioning "terrorists" or "terrorism," just "violent extremists," and for using frequent references to the "Holy Koran" and echoes of Muslim phrases - but given the audience and his agenda, I don’t blame him.

In discussing the Arab-Israeli conflict, the president was both resolute in expressing support for Israel which we must be, and sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians.

He talked about America's "unbreakable" bond with Israel and condemned anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, obviously referring to the president of Iran and his demented anti-Israeli rhetoric. The president seemed to equalize the Jewish and Palestinian suffering, noting the daily humiliations that come with occupation.

Many Palestinians said he “made everyone feel close and at home" when the he quoted from the holy books of all three faiths - Islam, Christianity and Judaism. But, naturally he drew mostly on the Koran as well as other Islamic religious teachings to provide the spiritual underpinnings of his speech, given the audience. Most importantly, he used verses from the Koran to support his arguments, allowing them to realize that although they were his ideas, the actual words had come from their own religion.

For the audience he wanted to address, his speech appeared by all accounts to be a success and now that audience will now be looking for action rather than dialogue.

The key now is whether he can have the same impact on Israel and the Israeli leadership. Will they trust him, as do the Muslims - an American president with Muslim roots and an understanding for the Muslim religion and culture that perhaps surpasses any president during our time?

Like him or not, Obama may be able to pull this off and accomplish something that no one else has been able to do. Trust and dialogue will begin to set the stage and moving forward and not backward will be equally as important. Getting Israel to agree to a two-state solution may be the sticking point, but think of the benefits to world peace that can come of this.

Lastly, and what I see as equally if not more important, could be the grand prize!

The Palestinian issue is the primary “cause” that Islamic extremists, supporters and sympathizers continually rally around. It is the one excuse that they all turn to in their attempts for recruitment for suicide bombers and soliciting funds.

What if that rallying cry was eliminated and the extremist leadership like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri had no movement to sell? The Muslim population who has historically supported the extremist groups based on the Palestinian issue would decrease their support and question their motives for such activity. This could be one of the greatest accomplishments in combating global terror for the entire international community including Israel.

However, it all has to play out for us to win the grand prize.

On Oct. 3, 1960, His Late Majesty, King Hussein of Jordan spoke before the United Nations in New York City. He later wrote in a memoir that one of the most important reasons behind his decision to speak that day was the “still unanswered problem of Palestine.” Think about it; one of the greatest leaders in the Middle East in our time was concerned about the “unanswered problem of Palestine” 49 years ago and that problem still haunts us.

Democrats or Republicans; Christians, Jews or Muslims . . . we should all pray and hope that this works. For world peace and the safety and security of our children and theirs as well… let’s hope that President Obama has what it takes to get this done.

The whole world is depending on it.

Deal with Korea, Iran Now - Not Later

2009-06-01T22:20:00.001-04:00

On Friday, North Korea threatened that it would act in "self-defense" if provoked by the U.N. Security Council, which is considering tough sanctions over the country's recent nuclear test.

They then followed the threat with the test launch of another short-range missile. This was the sixth short-range missile North Korea has test fired in the past week.

As a result, South Korean and the 30,000 U.S. troops stationed there, have been placed on alert at their highest levels since 2006 when the north test fired their first nuclear weapon.

As the U.S. and South Korea continues to monitor the North Korean movement, the United Nations Security Council is meeting to discuss possible sanctions for the nuclear test, but history has demonstrated that that doesn’t mean too much. The U.N. Security Council’s sanctions and resolutions have come up pretty short in dealing with countries like Iraq, the Sudan and Iran to say the least, so I have no confidence at this point any of that will change in the near future.

Senior officers in the Pentagon have expressed confidence that the U.S. can deal with North Korea and have said that U.S. ground-based interceptor rockets could knock out a long-range North Korean missile before it could reach our western shores. As concerns rise, Defense Secretary Gates recently said that he didn’t think anyone in the Obama administration thought we were entering a “crisis,” but I’m not sure South Korea and Japan would agree for they have the most to lose, knowing that the threats against them is the hands of a psychotic lunatic.

In the mean time, the entire world is watching North Korea as the U.S. and its Asian neighbors try to determine what’s coming next. However, there is one country that really doesn’t care about North Korea, South Korea or Its Asian neighbors. In fact, their probably snickering as they watch the events unfold, knowing that the inept U.N. Security Council is on the case.

Iran is not interested in North Korea other than to see how the United States responds as the Asian communist country continues to defy all, in their quest for nuclear capability.

There is the real threat!

A country of nearly 80 million people run by a madman who has threatened to annihilate entire countries in the Arab region once he obtains the nuclear capability.

Iran will not be as easy to deal with as their Asian counterpart, and the consequences for world peace could be seriously jeopardized.

North Korea, Iran and other threats like them have to be sent a message when they impose a nuclear threat against others and endanger world peace.

This is no time to test the waters with touchy feely politics or depend on the United Nations to accomplish something that they haven’t been successful at in years. Ending this non-sense with North Korea will send the right message to Iran.

Without that … no one or no country is truly safe.

Forget Partisanship - Remember 9/11

2009-05-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

After listening to former Vice President Cheney’s speech yesterday on national security, I was a bit taken aback as to why his speech was even necessary.

Then it dawned on me what the problem may be with those who attempt to make believe that the events of 9/11 never happened, criminalize the prior administration, or try their best to ignore the threats we face by radical Islam today.

Maybe they just had to be there! And for those that weren’t and just don’t get it, perhaps they don’t feel the threats we face, or need for us to do everything within our power to make sure it never happens again.

As I listened to the vice president’s speech, there came a point that I was virtually knocked back in time, nearly eight years to the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Cheney said that one of the defining moments for him on 9/11, was when radar caught sight of an airliner heading toward the White House at 500 miles per hour. It was American Airlines Flight 77, the airliner that ended up hitting the Pentagon.

While the plane was still inbound, Secret Service agents rushed into his office and I imagine with his feet barely touching the ground, he was evacuated, finding himself moments later in a fortified White House command post somewhere within the compound. Confined to this bunker, he listened to the reports and watched the images that so many Americans remember from that day.

His reflection of those events is more than mere words to me as I lived through those moments, standing in front of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who was waiting for the vice president to come to the phone.

The mayor and I and our staff were all huddled inside a small office at 75 Barclay Street, just two blocks north of the towers on West Broadway.

After acknowledging someone on the other end of the phone, Giuliani slowly placed the phone back on its receiver. He then repeated what he had just been told, they “think the Pentagon has been hit,” and they’re “evacuating the White House.”

Cheney didn’t make it to the phone because he himself was being dragged into that bunker, and just as that moment is etched in his mind, it is etched in mine as well. It was 9:49 a.m., and although I wasn’t looking at a clock, I’m positive of the time because within 30 seconds after Giuliani hung up that phone, the building we were in began to shake as if a freight train was colliding into the side of it.

The windows in the hallways began to shatter as someone kicked open the door and yelled for us to get down to the ground. For the next 15-20 seconds, there appeared to be an endless explosion, saturating our temporary headquarters with dust, gas, and debris.

We were almost suffocating. It was now 9:50 a.m., and the unthinkable and unimaginable has just happened. Tower II of the World Trade Center had just imploded with enough force to vaporize almost everything and anything in its path.

For me and those who were there, and for those brave men and women that responded and worked day and night at ground zero for months, the events of 9/11 are very personal as we witnessed firsthand, the evil of the enemy and threats we face.

We must realize that most of the people impacted worst, like those who lost friends and family members on 9/11 or the men and women in our armed forces and their families at home; take the events of that day and our country’s national security very personal.

I believe President Bush and Vice President Cheney also took it personal. It happened on their watch; they lived through it and then most importantly, had to ensure that it wouldn’t happen again.

Now it’s President Obama’s watch, and I believe he himself has gotten a firsthand look at the threats we face, which resulted in an appointment of a much stronger National Security team than anyone would have predicted. But besides those threats, he must deal with a House and Senate, loaded with a partisan obsession to criminalize the former administration for what they felt was right and necessary at the time.

Second guessing and Monday-morning quarterbacking from the outside looking in does no one any good. At the end of the day, it’s the man in the seat who calls the shots and must deal with the outcome. We can only hope he makes the right call, and when he’s wrong, he learns from his mistakes.

Like it or not, the shots were called, and we’ve learned from what mistakes there were. Now move on and move forward. The president has a hard enough job as it is, but the partisan politics and attacks by the House and Senate serves in no one’s interest — except for those out to see us fail.

We’ve been through one 9/11 — and take my word for it — we do not want another one.

The Pledge of Allegiance by Red Skelton

2009-05-16T22:27:00.002-04:00

From the 1950's to the 1980's, there was a very famous comedian here in the United States by the name of Red Skelton who was enormously funny and extremely patriotic. At one point in his career, he had his own weekly show that as I recall, ran on Sunday evenings.

One evening in 1969 and quite out of character, he touched on a serious note and reflected about a grammar school teacher he once had by the name of Mr. Laswell. He explained that Mr. Laswell was concerned that his students were losing their interest in our flag and that it appeared that their reciting of the pledge of allegiance to our flag was becoming monotonous. So, in an attempt to demonstrate to his students the importance of our pledge... he began to explain the pledge in detail - what each and every word meant.

Country singer and star Charlie Daniels later took the Skelton skit and turned it into a song.

In today's world of political correctness and political BS... perhaps we should go back to the basics in teaching our children about our flag and the country it represents. They should learn from Mr. Laswell and Mr. Skelton, all the things that many in this country sometimes forget or so often take for granted.

The Skelton skit was a very cute story but the meaning behind it, is one that as American's we should never forget. I urge everyone to take a minute and click on the title above and listen to it.

Obama Risks National Security with CIA Scrutiny

2009-04-23T22:35:00.007-04:00

In the past week, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said in a television interview, that the Obama administration would not support prosecutions for "those who devised policy" regarding the CIA interrogations.

The same interrogations that President Barack Obama’s top intelligence adviser, National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair, recently admitted had resulted in "high-value information" as well as a "deeper understanding" of al-Qaida.

Attorney General Eric Holder offered an assurance that the CIA officials who were involved in these acts would not be targeted, as long as their actions were in line with legal advice at the time.

General Holder also told the CIA that the government would provide free legal representation to its employees in any legal proceeding or congressional investigation related to the program and would repay any financial judgment. He said, "It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department."

President Obama’s current CIA Director Leon Panetta recently wrote in a message to his employees that, “the CIA responded, as duty requires,” and the president himself said in a letter sent directly to CIA employees that the nation must protect their identity "as vigilantly as they protect our security."

These are the right responses for all the right reasons.

For example, with the exception of Rahm Emanuel, each one of these men has to lead some of the most courageous men and women in the world into an indefinite war against an evil that surpasses any enemy we have ever had to deal with before.

These agents or operatives need the inspiration and support of their leaders and their country.

They shouldn’t have to work with a fear of reprisal or criminal prosecution by politicians who are obsessed with the previous administration, particularly when their actions were deemed legal and necessary at the time and resulted in valuable intelligence that we may not have acquired otherwise.

The politicizing of this and other issues involving our national security has to stop as it is weakening our ability to protect ourselves.

It is amazing to hear our congressional leaders call for one investigation after another when in fact members of Congress repeatedly signed off on the CIA’s enhanced interrogation methods (such as waterboarding) that many of them today decry as torture.

That’s right — Director Blair recently revealed that from 2002 through 2006 when the use of these techniques ended, “the leadership of the CIA repeatedly reported their activities both to executive branch policymakers and to members of Congress, and received permission to continue to use the techniques."

Will those members of Congress too be investigated?

In their zeal to politically persecute President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and others, it appears they have lost their objectivity. It appears they have no concern over the release of national security related information, past and present, that in no way should ever be released publicly or more so to our enemies.

If Congress sincerely wants an accurate report on the National Security policies or the CIA’s interrogation methods used during the Bush administration, perhaps they should hire an independent body to do so for they can’t investigate themselves.

More importantly, we should not and cannot impede our ability to secure this country and fight the war and enemy we face.

The president said himself that he worries about “getting so politicized that we cannot function effectively, and it hampers our ability to carry out national security operations."

Perhaps Congress should take heed and stop politicizing our National Security before it is too late.

Our Security Depends on Missile Defense

2009-04-07T22:38:00.004-04:00

President Barack Obama made his first visit to a Muslim nation on Monday as leader of the “free world” and declared that the United States "is not, and will never be, at war with Islam.”

In his address to the Turkish parliament, he called for a greater partnership with the Islamic world and said that Turkey was an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism.

He called for a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, and said that terrorist groups such as al-Qaida did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.

"Let me say this as clearly as I can," he said. "The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical . . . in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."

At the same time the president was speaking in Turkey, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he planned to cut 15 percent of the missile defense program, and recommended stopping production of the F-22 fighter jet and scrapping a new helicopter for the president as he outlined deep cuts to many of the military's biggest weapons programs.

Gates said his $534 billion budget proposal for the Department of Defense represents a "fundamental overhaul" in defense acquisition and reflects a shift in priorities from fighting conventional wars to the newer threats U.S. forces face from insurgents in places such as Afghanistan.

He said that we must "fight the wars we are in today and the scenarios we are most likely to face in the years to come, while at the same time providing a hedge against other risks."

As I see it, the message from President Obama is the right one, and although it’s been said almost verbatim by President George W. Bush and the preceding three or four presidents, the mainstream media is acting like it’s the first time they’ve ever heard it.

We are not at war, and we should not be, with the Muslim world or Islam; however, we cannot forget or ignore the fact that radical Islamic extremists are at war with us and will stop at nothing, including death to themselves, to achieve victories in their war.

Secretary Gate’s plan to restructure the Defense Department to address the unconventional threats against us is a must, but we need to very careful not to lose sight of the conventional threats we face; countries like Venezuela, Iran, Russia, and North Korea — three of which are being run by egotistical lunatics that would like nothing more than to see the collapse of the mighty United States of America.

If we’re going to slash defense spending, I think we really need to rethink cutting funds for the missile defense shield program.

I may be a bit “gun shy” if you will, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea to announce we’re cutting missile defense just one day after North Korea launched the longest-range three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile they have yet to build, coupled with its troubling nuclear program, which by all accounts is being developed for capabilities required to strike the United States.

With North Korea and Iran in a marathon race to acquire nuclear capabilities, the reality is that we could be placing our allies and ourselves in serious jeopardy.

An immediate problem scenario is that our allies may feel that we are losing our ability to come to their aide in the event of an attack and they seek that protection elsewhere. This could be devastating to our friendships in the Arab region and Eastern Europe that have taken years to foster.

I am all for cutting government spending and management accountability, but not at the cost of our national security.

North Korea’s recent act of defiance in launching that missile, coupled with the fact that the United Nation’s Security Counsel has proven time and time again that is has neither the courage or capability of holding rouge states and their leadership accountable for egregious violations of U.N. resolutions, is a clear demonstration why we must not cut this program.

The New Freedom Tower

2009-04-03T16:36:00.012-04:00

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey made a decision last week to change the name of the tallest new skyscraper slated for the site of the worst terror attack in United States history, from "Freedom Tower" to "One World Trade Center".

I think it’s wrong and I believe that the name should stay, “Freedom Tower.”

The original Twin Towers were two of the greatest economic symbols in our country and the enemy that attacked us then and stalks us now, loathes our economic and religious freedoms and our support for human and women’s rights. Those principals of freedom and many others, are exactly why we were attacked in the first place.

Given the events of that day and its aftermath and reflecting on the innocents we lost and heroes that perished, I believe that this building must be one of the most symbolic and patriotic structures of just about any in our country, and that includes in name.

We owe it to the memory of those we lost – innocent people from more than 100 countries and every walk of life. We owe it to the men and woman from the PAPD, FDNY and NYPD that ran into those buildings and defended our freedoms in one of the greatest rescue missions in world history.

As the Twin Towers imploded and the five surroundings buildings collapsed, there was an overwhelming feeling of denial and anger. But within moments after the dust settled in what appeared to be hell of earth, something began to happen. Freedom began to ring out loud and clear… from every window, building, car antenna and street post… American flags in every size and shape began to appear and the message to the terrorists was clear…

We will not be defeated!

When officials announced 7 years ago, that the tallest of the five planned towers at the site would symbolize the nation’s triumph over terrorism, I thought of those flags, I thought of our freedom and I thought of the message that we would be sending the animals that attacked us.

This building should remain the “Freedom Tower;”

It’s just the right thing to do.

No More Lip Service on Darfur!

2009-02-28T16:40:00.001-05:00

Last week, Oscar award winning actor George Clooney was granted a private meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Clooney, a United Nations messenger of peace, asked the President to help end a long and bloody conflict that has killed or displaced millions of innocent refugees.

The actor, recently toured the African nation of Chad and said: "We want him (Obama) to appoint a high-level, full-time diplomat to negotiate and work hard every day for a peace treaty," noting that the situation in Darfur has not improved since he first visited the region in 2006.

As admirable as Clooney’s intent and demand for action may be, is it equally if not more naive and unrealistic?

A few years back, Clooney told an audience at the National Press Club that "It is the first genocide of the 21st century," and what the people in Darfur "need now is the American people and the world's population to help them." However, the reality is, that wasn’t exactly true.

Long before the international community focused on Darfur, in another part of the world there were atrocities were being committed against millions of people who were killed or displaced by a sick and demented dictator, much like the Janjaweed leadership in Darfur. The United States, the UN Security Counsel, and the international community thought diplomacy was the solution but Saddam Hussein laughed in their face.

In the aftermath of 9/11, we finally did what should have been done years before, yet have been criticized ever since. Intelligence failures and our failure to find weapons of mass destruction have over shadowed the fact that Saddam Hussein and his murderous regime were removed and today there is a free and liberated Iraq.

They should have been removed years before and yet the UN, the United States and the international community did nothing – exactly what their doing in Darfur today and it’s wrong.

"What we cannot do is turn our heads and look away and hope that this will somehow disappear," Clooney said, and I agree. However, the United Nations doesn't want to step on the toes of the African Union, our political leadership here in the United States doesn’t have the courage to do what has to be done and Americans for the most part, don’t understand the problem, can’t afford the cost and definitely don’t have the patience to fight this battle.

Clooney’s trips to Darfur, lip service by politicians and protests at the UN are not helping the people in the Sudan. President Obama appointing a “full time diplomat to negotiate and work hard everyday for a peace treaty” will not work. A peace treaty with who, the terrorists like the Janjaweed who continually attack ethnic black Africans, raping women, pillaging villages and committing widespread atrocities with the support of the government? That’s like saying we want a peace treaty with Osama Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda. It’s a joke.

Terrorist groups and governments that sponsor them must be stopped and stopped by force if necessary.Until we as a world leader are willing to do what it takes to hold them accountable without worrying about world opinion or being politically correct, the people in the Sudan will continue to suffer.

If George Clooney wants the genocide and atrocities in Darfur to end, then he has to say it and mean it. He has to understand it will come at a cost, it will take time and it will not be easy. He must understand that although the international community voices their condemnation for what is happening there, they themselves don’t have the courage and perhaps the money to do the dirty work. Is Mr. Clooney, his friends in Hollywood and the political leaders standing on the Darfur soap box, prepared for that? Do they really want to do what it takes to stop the atrocities and genocide?

I feel we must. I strongly believe that as a world power we are obligated to save an entire generation of people from extinction, which is exactly what will happen without our intervention. Unfortunately, it will probably lie solely on the shoulders of The United States of America – leader of the free world.

Is Mr. Clooney and Hollywood prepared for that and would they support it to the end? I surely hope so.