If this most recent foiled jihadist terror plot doesn't give you pause; if this recent near-incident doesn't clarify for you the nature of the enemy we are fighting, and if this evil, backwards, morally distorted plot to blow up synagogues and shoot down military aircraft, right here, - AGAIN on US soil - doesn't further drive home the fact that we are at war, we are at war with not just Al Qeada, and not with Islam, but with a radical ideology that would see your wives, daughters, and sisters raped and enslaved, and your husbands, sons, and brothers tortured, slaughtered, and beheaded. We are at war with a totalitarian ideology that doesn't believe in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or most forms of freedom of expression; a totalitarian ideology wherein it is more honorable for a father to shoot his daughters then let them have boyfriends, or where "prominent" members of the community behead their wives because the wife files for divorce.

For those of you who've been living in isolation for a week or more - or for those of you who get your news from the NY Times or CNN, briefly, this is what occurred (Source):

Three Americans accused of plotting to blow up New York synagogues and destroy a US military plane are fanatics "eager to bring death to Jews", a court heard... The three suspects - James Cromitie, David Williams and Onta Williams - were held in a raid as they planned to destroy two synagogues and fire a Stinger missile at a plane... New York police chief Raymond Kelly said the four, all US citizens who face life in prison if convicted, "stated they wanted to commit jihad," or Muslim holy war... The alleged plot was dismantled after a year-long FBI undercover operation in which the suspects were sold a fake missile... Snyder described the gang's intentions as "a plot to bring mass murder" and to "destroy military aircraft and kill military personnel".

There are many noteworthy items in the above quote - things that could written about at length. But to a certain extent, foiled terror-plots, and homegrown jihad are old news. Way back in 2005, the Bush administration claimed to have foiled at least 10 terror plots, and since 2005, I'm sure they'd claim even more.

So, as Americans, we've come to expect foiled terror plots. Thus far 9/11 has been the exception not the rule.

How long it remains the exception is a function of our vigilance as a population, but also as a function of a government - an internal security structure that takes these things seriously. With respect to the population: I think the populace would be concerned if they had an accurate picture of what is actually happening in this country. Let's start with the mainstream media. The above comment about the NY Times and CNN was half tongue-in-cheek. I say half tongue-in-cheek because those outlets certainly reported on this case, however - as is typical of the mainstream media - most news outlets, including the NY Times and CNN, refuse to acknowledge that this was a jihadist plot; the men who were going to carry out this slaughter of innocents were Muslims - homegrown petty thieves, converted to radical Islam while in prison.

Robert Spencer gives a great interview concerning jihadist recruitment in US prisons, and according to Spencer the problem is significant; it is in fact a large scale effort that is funded by not only the Saudis, but also the Islamic Society of North America, the former speaks for itself, while the latter have been associated with Hamas. According to Spencer not only are the prisons unaware of this, but wouldn't know how to look for it or detect it if and when it does occur.

The SkyNet article details that these men lived Newburgh, NY, which is about 60 miles outside of NYC. Newburgh, NY is also about 150 miles from Hancock, NY. For those of you not up on your Islamofascism in the USA, just outside of Hancock, NY there is a terrorist training camp, affectionately known as Islamberg. This camp is run by a group called Jamaat al-Fuqra, whom you may or may not have heard of. Perhaps the most noteworthy and notorious mention of Jamaat al-Fuqra is via beheaded journalist Daniel Pearl; when Pearl was kidnapped and subsequently beheaded, he was on his way to meet Pakistani Sheikh Muburak Gilani, the leader of Jamaat al-Fuqra.

Jamaat al-Fuqra, has a long and sordid history however. US officials have linked the organization to at least 17 homicides and 13 firebombings within the US; its targets were often rival Muslim leaders. In July of 1983, an al-Fuqra member named Stephen Paul Paster set off a bomb at the Hotel Rajneesh in Portland. In 2003, a member of Jamaat ul-Fuqra, Lyman Faris, pled guilty to plotting to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge. Perhaps even more frightening than this is that the US Department of Justice has reported that Jamaat ul-Fuqra maintains "more than 35 suspected communes and more than 3,000 members spread across the United States, all in support of one goal: the purification of Islam through violence."

The activities of Jamaat al-Fuqra, and the specifics of what occurs in these camps has been frighteneningly detailed in a new documentary from the Christian Action Network (CAN) called Homegrown Jihad: The Terrorist Camps Around the U.S.. According to this documentary, the CAN spent two years visiting many of these compounds, oftentimes with substantial personal risk. The documentary states that these camps run by Jamaat al-Fuqra are specifically dedicated to the training of Muslims in jihadist/terrorist activities. The camps are largely tucked away in remote rural areas where they can be left alone, and given what is happening on the inside, this is no surprise. A promotional/marketing video obtained by the CAN shows American Muslims learning how to fire AK-47's and other automatic weapons, how to use rocket launchers, mortars, and explosives, and also includes instruction in kidnapping, murder, and sabotage.

Whether or not these four Muslim converts were associated with either Islamberg or Jamaat al-Fuqra, or if they were just 'freelance' terrorists is not currently known, but the proximity between Newburgh, where the terrorists were based, Riverdale, where the targeted synagogues are located, and Hancock, where the Jamaat al-Fuqra camp is located is noteworthy; Newburgh is roughly between Riverdale and Hancock. Perhaps it's a coincidence, perhaps it's not. But the mainstream media doesn't detail this kind of information; we can't even rely on the mainstream media to accurately report the facts any longer. This is overwhelmingly clear in that for the most part, the media has refused to mention that these terrorists are Muslims.

We could reasonably infer this based on their choice of target; overt Jew hatred is generally confined strictly to Muslims and Neo-Nazis, and while the former - for some reason - are simply not mentioned by the media, the latter would be harshly condemned for their 'extremist' and 'hateful' views. Not that they aren't extremist or hate filled, I was just pointing out the inconsistency in the way the media portrays evil, and noting that it is a reasonable assumption that these were Muslim terrorists. So consider the populace uninformed. As for our security infrastructure:

We should probably give both the FBI and the NYPD a pat on the back for their hard work and the innocent lives that were saved. Great job!!

What's noteworthy here is not only the law enforcement entities that were involved, but also those that were not involved. The CIA is not mentioned, and this is not unreasonable given that there has always alleged to have been some territoriality between these intel outfits. The fact that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wasn't mentioned, and doesn't appear to have been in on this really bothers me. The DHS, as most of us will recall, was put into place shortly after 9/11 and was chaged with the primary responsibilities of both protecting the territory of the U.S. from terrorist attacks, and to respond to natural disasters.

Where the hell was the Department of Homeland Security in all of this?

It's possible that DHS played a role in foiling this operation, and simply is not taking credit for it... maybe they were operating in a behind the scenes fashion. Probably not. It's likely being swept under the rug now, but less than 3 months ago, the DHS released a statement claiming that the chances of a homegrown terrorist attack occurring were "very low". This statement was released a few short hours following FBI director Robert Mueller's statement that his agency was "particularly concerned" about a homegrown terrorist attack.

"We are not immune to an attack from a home-grown terrorist, but the probabilities and sustainability of such an act are very low," said DHS spokesman Michael Keegan. That assessment came just hours after FBI Director Robert Mueller said his agency is "particularly concerned" that young men living in the United States could be recruited to attack the very country they call home.

Of course it's no secret that the DHS has been more-or-less an ineffective, wasteful, boondoggle; indeed, since September of 2008, the US Congress estimates that the DHS has wasted about $15 billion via failed contracts, the GAO accused DHS members of more than $2 billion in credit card fraud, and the chief of DHS cyber security obtained her advanced degrees from a diploma mill. So, while the DHS was out spending your hard earned tax dollars on items to make this nation more secure such as plastic dog booties, beer-brewing kits, and iPods, the FBI was putting at least some of your tax dollars to work actually trying to catch criminals and terrorists.

Thank God, Obama hasn't replaced Robert Mueller. Perhaps the DHS was unable to thwart this particular terrorist attack, as they were too busy assessing the threat posed by anti-abortion activists and returning war veterans. A document released by the DHS entitled "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," and dated April 7, claims "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts..." but goes on to suggest that a declining economy, and potential new legislative restrictions on firearms coupled with "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks." This document further indicated that law enforcement agencies should be on the look out for suspicious individuals who may have bumper stickers for third-party political candidates such as Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin.

So while the FBI is out solving real crimes, that involve real criminals, the DHS is busily constructing ideological fantasies that have no basis in reality. To the detriment of the security of this nation, and - one can only speculate - for the purposes of political correctness, the DHS has taken their sights off of the real threats, and the real terrorists both within this country and without, and has boldly turned those sights on you. Indeed, the DHS has prompted law enforcement officials to act on those allegations. Human Events reports the following via email:

Rosemary from Louisiana alerted "him that her brother-in-law was stopped by small town Louisiana police and detained by the roadside for half an hour. A background check was conducted to determine whether he was a member of an “extremist” group. Why? Her brother-in-law (name not disclosed for privacy) had purchased a conservative “Don’t Tread on Me” bumper sticker..."

According to this report, this individual was harassed and detained - as a consequence of DHS's backwards report regarding right wing extremism, simply for having a right-wing bumper sticker (Please see my previous blog entries: The Emergence of the Thought Police, Update: Emergence of the Thought Police, and Drudge Report Banned). In other words, the DHS has become Big Brother, and Janet Napolitano is Big Sister. And while Big Sister keeps her watchful eye over our returning military veterans, those opposed to illegal immigration, and Ron Paul supporters, the jihadists are recruiting in our prisons, training thousands of terrorists right under our noses, and carrying out assassinations, firebombings, and other assorted mayhem.

Who's better prepared in this war? Who's taking this war seriously? Who has clearly identified their enemy, and is actively struggling against them? The jihadists have, but not the DHS.

I'll say it again, Thank God for Robert Mueller and the FBI.