Blog Entry 12

The FBI has many roles in society, and one of those roles is protecting the citizens of the Unites States from terrorists and threats. In a recent article, the extent of the roles of the F.B.I. on a terror case were put into words. "Before Mr. Pimentel’s arrest, for instance, an F.B.I. agent who investigates domestic terrorism cases, Greg Ehrie, sought a search warrant for Mr. Pimentel’s e-mail accounts, according to documents turned over to Mr. Pimentel’s lawyers.The prosecution of Mr. Pimentel by state authorities was the result of a sting operation by the Police Department’s Intelligence Division. Between 2009 and 2011, the Intelligence Division had two confidential informers and one undercover officer who monitored Mr. Pimentel. But documents show that police detectives assigned to the F.B.I.-led Joint Terrorism Task Force also interviewed the suspect themselves. Notes from their interview offer a fuller portrait of Mr. Pimentel, whom neighbors have described as a somewhat lethargic figure who was often seen sitting on a bench, with a blank look, for hours at a time."

The FBI wants nothing more then to protect us and make sure we are safe and comfortable in our home. If you have ever seen movies or videos of a Presidential figure, you can see why we have the FBI. But with the Terrorism Task Force, there are many more things to be put into place. The JTTF are our nation’s front line on terrorism: small cells of highly trained, locally based, passionately committed investigators, analysts, linguists, SWAT experts, and other specialists from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. When it comes to investigating terrorism, they do it all: chase down leads, gather evidence, make arrests, provide security for special events, conduct training, collect and share intelligence, and respond to threats and incidents at a moment’s notice. They look out for people like Pimentel. "When Mr. Pimentel was arrested in November 2011, the police said he had accelerated the planning for his bomb plot after a man was killed in September in a drone strike in Yemen." He was creating a bomb and because the FBI took action and had help from the JTTF, he was put behind bars.



Time: 4:20 pm
Date: 11-16-12
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/nyregion/fbi-had-greater-role-in-jose-pimentel-terrorism-case-documents-show.html?ref=terrorism&_r=0

Blog Entry 10

Men and women are not born to be terrorists. They become terrorists through the actions they see displayed all around the world, or through observational learning. Many people assume terrorists have always been the "bad guy", which 9 times out of 10 is not true. Something happens in ones' life to where all they can think of is destruction or killing. But in the end, it is the person that decides to be the terrorist.

A man by the name of Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested Thursday, November 1st, 2012, for admitting to planning to blow up the Pentagon and the United States Capitol using remote-controlled planes laden with explosives. "Government prosecutors said Mr. Ferdaus had worked with undercover agents to obtain materials to equip F-86 drone aircraft with C-4 explosives and conducted surveillance in Washington, developing plans to detonate them there. He also devised and built detonation mechanisms for improvised explosive devices that would allow cellphones to trigger an explosion, they said. Mr. Ferdaus gave 12 of the devices to F.B.I. agents who he believed were members of Al Qaeda, prosecutors said." 

Mr.Ferdaus has had a fine life. His family lives in the upscale suburban side of Boston. He speaks proper English and went to Northeastern University in Boston to study physics. He is a normal human man. But when one thing goes wrong, everything changes. His family wants to blame his work with explosives and terrorism on mental illness and government entrapment. But truly only one thing/person is to blame. Mr.Ferdaus himself. "Prosecutors said Mr. Ferdaus was given dozens of opportunities to back out of the plot, took his own initiative to develop the cellphone detonators and had looked into illegally obtaining weapons before he was ever contacted by the agents. “He’s a person who decided that he wanted to become a terrorist,” Jack Pirozzolo, first assistant United States attorney, said after the hearing." 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/us/rezwan-ferdaus-of-massachusetts-gets-17-years-in-terrorist-plot.html?ref=terrorism


Date: 11/02/12
Time:

Blog Entry 9

Presidents. The men that have and are running our country. They make mistakes. But the biggest mistake of all is about to be put in place and impact our world more than anyone can imagine. Obama is moving to make the War on Terror across seas PERMANENT.
Some may argue that Obama has done good in Washington. Some say that he has done all wrong. Then, there are some that just don't know what side to turn to. I am one of the people in the middle. With the election going on, I really have no idea where to turn. Both candidates give valid points. But with Obama trying to make this War permanent, I really am at a loss.
It was stated in a recent article, "Based on interviews with "current and former officials from the White House and the Pentagon, as well as intelligence and counterterrorism agencies", Miller reports that as "the United States' conventional wars are winding down", the Obama administration "expects to continue adding names to kill or capture lists for years" (the "capture" part of that list is little more than symbolic, as the US focus is overwhelmingly on the "kill" part). Specifically, "among senior Obama administration officials, there is broad consensus that such operations are likely to be extended at least another decade." As Miller puts it: "That timeline suggests that the United States has reached only the midpoint of what was once known as the global war on terrorism".
Terrorism and War are two BIG crimes that occur in our world each and every day. Rates in Terrorism have increased greatly in the past decade. If Obama goes through with having the War on Terror be permanent, I feel the rates in Terrorism will only increase more. Since 9/11, rates have increased more than 200%. If the War on Terror continues, more and more men die and more and more families lose a loved one. The world was a unified place at one time, now we have become corrupt and violent with Terrorism that happens in and around our country. The President needs to fix this problem, not make it worse by continuing war.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/24/obama-terrorism-kill-list

Date: 10-26-12
Time: 2:18pm

Blog Entry 8

Do you not think after all of the terrorism and mass murder that has occurred throughout the past few years that the groups of terrorists would stop forming and try to find peace in the world? I know I do, and I also know that is not the case. Not even close.

10 years after the Bali bombings, local militants in Indonesia still pose a threat. Even after security forces arresting and killing off almost 800 people that they thought to be militants, the groups keep forming and creating more chaos. "In the 10 years since Islamic militants blew up two nightclubs on the resort island of Bali, killing 202 people, Indonesian security forces have arrested more than 700 people on suspicion of being militants and killed around 60. All the major suspects believed to have participated in the Bali attacks on Oct. 12, 2002, have been killed or imprisoned. Analysts say operations by Detachment 88, the elite U.S.- and Australian-trained counterterrorism squad formed shortly after the Bali blasts, have helped cripple Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian offshoot of Al Qaeda responsible for the bombings. But while the security forces’ efforts and internal rifts have left Jemaah Islamiyah weakened, some disaffected individuals and members of vigilante groups have moved to form new cells and seek new recruits." With the training that came right after the attacks, the groups only became stronger and more dominant. Their skill sets are sometimes beyond what we can handle and fight. What it all boils down to is the Qaeda-like groups just want revenge. That want back what was once theirs. 

I have mentioned in previous posts that terrorism is all around us. I want to reinforce that. Although we think some are not intelligent enough to make their own bombs and to sell drugs and to create chaos around the country, there are so many people out there that will turn their back on the country in an instant. Weapons of mass destruction are becoming easier to make, which causes not only our country, but countries all around the world to be in harms way. Whether it is for revenge or for absolute carelessness, some people could bomb their own neighborhoods without even taking a second thought. It is scary, but it is true.

The world needs to find a better way to hide weapons and to find more ways to make getting items to make weapons harder and harder. If the world keeps allowing easy access to such harm, our world will go into an infinite total war. We need to save ourselves from what can become the end of the world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/world/asia/10-years-after-bali-bombings-local-militants-still-pose-threat.html?ref=terrorism&_r=0



Date: 10/19/12
Time: 2:29 pm

Blog Entry 7

How often do you think of terrorism? Do you know how much terrorism is going on around the world? Even though we live in America, "The Land Of The Free", we are not free of terrorism. There is terrorism happening right in front of our eyes right now, even though we do not notice it. We need to be aware of what could be happening around us and the impact it can have not only in our communities, but around the world.
In a recent article in the New York Times, French Terror Investigators found bomb-making materials in buildings and garages in the eastern Paris suburb of Torcy. In the article, it is stated that, "the searchers found 'components useful for bomb-making,' as well as a shotgun and a handgun, Mr. Molins said in the statement, adding that the materials found included bags of potassium nitrate, sulfur and saltpeter, along with pressure cookers and headlight bulbs, 'all products or instruments useful in the making of what we call improvised explosives.'" Grenades and hand guns were found afterwards and some suspects shot down policemen and killed them. The article also states, "Though that evidence indicates he (the main suspect Mr. Louis-Sidney) handled the grenade, it was not clear whether he was the one who threw it, Mr. Molins said. “It has not yet been established that the two individuals who carried out the attack by throwing the grenade into the grocery have been apprehended,” he said."
Though most think the other countries of our world are the ones that are being targeted by terrorists does not mean we won't be either. Bomb-making could very possibly be happening right before our eyes in someone's home or garage or in a local abandoned factory. We need to start taking these things into perspective and not blowing off security any longer.



http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/world/europe/french-terror-investigators-find-bomb-making-material.html?ref=terrorism&_r=0

Date: 10-12-12
Time: 2: 45

Blog Entry 6

Another wave of bombings has occurred in Iraq this past week. With the war and violence always happening in Iraq, it doesn't seem like a big issue. But bombings are occurring more and more, killing off the people in Iraq. I feel soon there may be only a select number of people still living in Iraq if the war keeps going.
A recent article in the New York Times stated, "The frequent bombings have raised concerns about the government’s ability to contain the violence, since the last American troops left in December after more than eight years of occupation and civil war that upended Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led minority power base and empowered Iraq’s long-repressed Shiite majority." If the government cannot contain the violence, who can? Bombings are becoming a major problem all over the world, so much that governments cannot control and protect their communities/personal societies from terrorism because their men (police or "armies") are killing and getting killed.
Attacks are still being put in place by Al Qaeda stronghold. Since Osama Bin Laden's death, Al Qaeda has been anything but under the radar. They are still planning attacks and committing terrorism to let the world know they are "still in business". The article also stated, "No one immediately claimed responsibility for the violence, but car bombs are a hallmark of Al Qaeda. The insurgents have vowed to take back areas of the country, like Taji, from which they were pushed before American troops withdrew." Al Qaeda knows the mess they are getting themselves into, but they don't care. They just want to have their leader back and be a true organization again. Multiple car bombings have happened in the past couple of weeks and government is now concerned that Al Qaeda is back, full force, and ready for revenge. It isn't just innocent lives being killed by Al Qaeda, the police are also being affected. "And in northern Iraq, a police officer was killed when security forces were trying to defuse a car bomb parked on the main highway between the cities of Kirkuk and Tuz Khormato, the Kirkuk police chief, Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir, said. A second officer was wounded in the explosion, General Qadir said. Kirkuk is about 180 miles north of Baghdad." It almost seems like Al Qaeda and all of Iraq are experiencing/enforcing a sense of capital punishment.
"Violence has dropped since the height of Iraq’s bloodshed a few years ago, but Iraqi forces have failed to stop the attacks that continue to claim lives almost daily." It is time for war to stop and government to gain control again. 

Time: 1:55 pm
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/world/middleeast/another-wave-of-bombings-across-iraq.html?ref=terrorism

Blog Entry 5

Many Americans thought that with the demise of Osama Bin Laden and new American ways being born that the major terrorism and threats would vanish. All Americans have been proven wrong.
In a recent article from The New York Times, Marisa L. Porges made a statement that after Sept. 11 when an Ambassador was killed, Al Qaeda made a statement that they would kill more American diplomats in the region, and all over Arabia. The killing and threatening was far from over. Al Qaeda is not just confined to Afghanistan, which is the scariest part. They are stationed in Pakistan, North Africa, Yemen, and beyond. Last week, it was stated that "new evidence emerged suggesting that an attack had been planned by Al Qaeda — and was linked to Sufian bin Qumu, a Libyan who had been detained at the American prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. In 2007, Mr. Qumu was transferred to Libyan custody and held in a Libyan prison; he was later freed by the Qaddafi government and rejoined terrorist groups." If this is true, how do we know what other countries do with captured terrorists who remain a threat? Especially America. America has been known to be a bit of a failure in keeping terrorists contained and unharmful to the citizens. Many terrorists have escaped and we have lost many lives because of the escapes.
The article also talks about the ways of terrorism and killing. "It’s true that drone strikes and other tactics that aim to kill, rather than capture, terrorists are an effective tool for combating serious threats. They increase America’s ability to quickly attack targets in remote regions where American troops cannot easily operate. Such strikes allow the United States to respond quickly to time-sensitive intelligence about a known terrorist’s location or plans. They avoid the political risks and the costs, in money and lives, of supporting a large-scale military operation on foreign soil. And they help the White House avoid controversial issues of long-term detention and interrogation, which remain a political liability at home and abroad."
But this one-sided approach — always opting to kill instead of capture — is a major weakness of America’s current approach to counterterrorism. It prevents us from high intelligence and using our resources to their fullest abilities. After all, it was intelligence from a detainee that helped American forces track down Bin Laden. These situations cause the troops and officials in Washington to want to just kill off the competition and threatening people. But, is that really the best way to handle it?
As the election approaches, we need to start asking both candidates how they would handle high-profile terrorists. “Kill them” should not be the only answer. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/opinion/dont-kill-every-terrorist.html?ref=terrorism&_r=0
September 28,2012 12:  pm

Blog Entry 4

It is a good day when a man can be caught and arrested for Terrorism before they can even set the plan in action. But, what if the Police Departments and Terrorism Forces start not getting along? This has recently been as event in New York.
Having conflicts or friction between Police Departments and Joint Terrorism Task Force is never the right way to go. When having friction between two departments with such power causes major chaos. It was recently stated in an article from the New York Times, "In the case of Mr. Ferhani and his co-defendant, Mohamed Mamdouh, the task force chose to participate in the Police Department inquiry. The task force also did not join a case last year against a Hamilton Heights man whom the local authorities accused in a bomb plot." Once the departments start butting heads, they start not working together and making situations worse for the country. The guilty are not put behind bars and the innocent are due to lack of investigation and detailed research. 
An inquiry was recently published about a man named Ahmed Ferhani who was arrested last year on charges of planning to attack a synagogue. Two years earlier, in 2009, Ferhani was tried for other terrorism investigations. In a recent article, the detectives stated, "When the New York Police Department informed federal terrorism investigators about the inquiry, a task force led by the F.B.I. was “reportedly critical” of one detail of the police investigation: that during a meeting with the men, the detective “raised the subject of Hamas before anyone else did,” according to the letter, written by a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The investigation involving the Turkish men had not been previously disclosed."
Terrorism is an awful thing. When the country works together to stop terrorists, great changes happen. But when we have two major forces fighting against each other, it becomes a real problem.
Article:   http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/nyregion/fbi-criticized-officers-role-in-terror-case.html?ref=terrorism
Time and Date: 4:48 pm;  9-21-12

Blog Entry 3

What would you say if I told you that the White House was warned about 9/11 before it even happened? That we would have been able to possibly prevent it if President Bush would have taken the notice seriously?
I'm sure most would not be pleased with this news. In a recent article in the New York Times, author Kirt Eichenwald stated, "The direct warnings to Mr. Bush about the possibility of a Qaeda attack began in the spring of 2001. By May 1, the Central Intelligence Agency told the White House of a report that “a group presently in the United States” was planning a terrorist operation. Weeks later, on June 22, the daily brief reported that Qaeda strikes could be “imminent,” although intelligence suggested the time frame was flexible." This means that, long before the attack was in the works in New York, President Bush and the White House Administration [WHA] had full knowledge of what could happen. They thought what any American would think. 'That is too awful of an event to ever happen.'
It was said that Bin Laden was planning this attack to distract Intelligence from the threat that had already been put upon them, Saddam Hussein. Laden and Hussein worked together in a sense and Laden knew the threat from Hussein was greater than any other.
Many officials and intelligence personnel tried warning Bush and WHA that this planned attack needed to be taken seriously. Even though the day of the attack was flexible, they needed to be ready. The Bush Administration did not want to reason. No matter who confronted them, they kept denying anything would happen and never took action.
After all the terrorism that has occurred throughout the years, 9/11 is the worst thing that has been bestowed upon this country. It killed thousands of people and brought us into another war. I do not believe this war will ever be resolved. When we are not looking, the teams behind Bin Laden and Hussein will strike again, causing another mass destruction. If only Bush would have listened to all the sources his own agents and intelligence gave him. He truly could have prevented 9/11.


September 14th, 2012
 12:18pm
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/opinion/the-bush-white-house-was-deaf-to-9-11-warnings.html?_r=1&ref=terrorism

Blog Entry #2

Terrorism is in action all around the world. But, when most people hear terrorism, they immediately think of Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Iraq. Yes, these countries are known for terrorism and because terrorism is so apparent in these countries, the citizens are forced to deal with shootings, military personnel, bombing, and so much more. Sometimes the citizens think it would be better off for them if they were dead instead of having to be scared and threatened 24/7 and they normally try to take someone else down with them. 
In a recent article in the New York Times, a suicide bomber killed himself and at least 25 other citizens at an Afghan funeral. The funeral was in an area that was highly populated by the Shinwari tribe, who had conflict with the Taliban tribe. The man was said to be targeting the district governor. But instead he only injured the governor and killed his son and 20 or so other people. A spokesman from the Taliban clan stated this in the article: “We are not claiming credit for the attack, though we have a strong presence in the area,” he said. “What we think, based on our investigations, is that it could be an attack based on personal or tribal disputes.”
So, why do terrorist acts happen more so in these known terrorism countries? Some reasons are : 1.because of many micro-perspectives from one person turning into a huge problem causing a disturbance in society, 2. inequality, 3. military force, 4. globalization and 5. power/class issues. Globalization and power/class issues are very big in terrorism because the members of society do not want their jobs to be taken from them, dropping them lower in social class and making it harder to climb to the top. So, they take violent actions and kill off their competition, knowing that they will be able to stay where they are or even become more happy and higher in class rank.
The world knows terrorism is not the way to solve global problems, but some citizens cannot help but to turn to violence. If the environment you have always known has been invaded with death and shooting, you will never know any better. Personal issues can explode and be taken out in society, just like the article showed. Terrorism is a scary thing that I am afraid will never end as long as we have any type of war in the world. 

Date: September 6th, 2012
Time: 1:04pm
Article link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/world/asia/bomber-kills-at-least-20-at-afghan-funeral.html?_r=1&ref=terrorism

Blog Entry 1

Terrorism: the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes. It is sad to see the violence and threat that our world is facing in present day. It is used for war, political campaigning, to create a diversion, and to simply be heard. Terrorism has become a major problem around the world and many people do not even know about it. The people that I speak of are mainly in impoverish and poor countries spread out across the globe. The citizens that are aware of the harm of terrorism want to help create a solution to the violence.

To stop Terrorism, you have to have knowledge of where terrorism is happening. The only problem with this is that citizens in poor countries/provinces like Punjab, Sindh, and Karachi, (just to name a few), aren't receiving this information because the world does not portray terrorism problems well through any accessible sources. The reason they do not have access to these sources is because in these countries/provinces, they do not have computers or newspapers or really any form of media to be able to receive and be warned about these problems all around the world. A majority of the news comes by print media and rarely by electronic media. This is a major problem because they are ignorant to the fact that there is danger. By being unaware of the danger they may not take measures to defend themselves. For example they would not be on the look out for suspicious activity, or would not be aware that there was a problem until it was to late. What media they have available to them is mainly accessible through paper not through the media on T.V. This creates the major problem which is that the paper can't get around to everyone. For example: A reliable article recently stated, "The print media reported as many as 123 such incidents from Balochistan from January to March this year but on TV, the number of related news items was only 15."
Terrorism is a well known problem in the US, but not around the world. People need to be aware of violence and threat, but if the current media method doesn't change, I fear that will never happen.

CITATION: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-129178-Study-shows-terrorism-hit-areas-get-less-coverage-on-media 

 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism

TIME & DATE: 9:55pm on August 30th, 2012