The Zazi plea and the Patriot Act
Afghan-born jihadi Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty to terrorism charges related to his railway bombing plot hatched in Colorado and NYC:
Mr. Zazi appeared before Judge Raymond J. Dearie at Federal District Court in Brooklyn. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder overseas, and providing material support for a terrorist organization. He faces a sentence of life in prison.
Two people with knowledge of the case said that in recent weeks, Mr. Zazi had begun providing information to prosecutors as part of the initial stages of an agreement that led up to his guilty plea Monday. Such an arrangement suggests that prosecutors believe Mr. Zazi can provide valuable information, including evidence about the plot and the involvement of others, including those who may be overseas, and other intelligence on Al Qaeda.
Spokesmen for the F.B.I. and the office of the United States attorney in Brooklyn, Benton J. Campbell, declined to comment. Throughout the 45-minute proceeding on Monday, Mr. Zazi seemed unaffected by his circumstances, even smiling on several occasions. And when he spoke, he did so in an unapologetic, matter-of-fact manner. “I would sacrifice myself to bring attention to what the United States military was doing to civilians in Afghanistan,” he said to the judge.
Obama supporters will use the case to support civilian trials for Gitmo detainees.
Before they make that leap, they need to acknowledge how the case against Zazi was built. Remember: If you can’t collect the dots, you can’t connect the dots.
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) explained Monday that Zazi’s capture and indictment would not have been possible without the Patriot Act, the infamous 2001 anti-terrorism law that some lawmakers have signaled they hope to scuttle this year.
“All the layers of defense President Bush set up after September 11 are working. The FBI is working more closely with local police, the Patriot Act, which allows roving wiretaps… is essential,” King told Fox News. “We have to have this, it’s absolutely essential.”
The indictment of suspected terrorist Najibullah Zazi, who is charged with acquiring and preparing bombs similar to the ones deployed in the 2005 London subway attacks, rides substantially on Zazi’s Internet surfing habits.
Federal prosecutors say that Zazi was trained in Pakistan and shuttled between Queens, N.Y. and Denver in an attempt to prepare bombs. The Feds allege that Zazi was involved in an Al Qaeda conspiracy to attack the U.S.
As you read the indictment and order for permanent detention you can almost picture the various connected databases and monitoring techniques at work. Simply put, Internet surveillance and information technology sleuthing played a big role in the Zazi case. FBI agents arrested Zazi in Colorado.
Jeffrey Knox, an assistant U.S. attorney, tells the tale in the permanent detention document.
And where do CAIR and its sympathizers stand? Where they always stand on every last counterterrorism/homeland security measure:
For all their apparent success, the surveillance measures are overly intrusive, Muslim groups say, undermining the integration of an overwhelmingly law-abiding community.
“Almost everyone I know has been interviewed or knows someone has been interviewed by the FBI,” says Edina Lekovic, communications director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
At a time when arrests in Denver, Springfield, Ill., and Dallas are revealing intimate details about the threat of domestic terrorism, however, such tactics are often the subject of praise, not scorn.
“All the layers of defense President Bush set up after Sept. 11 are working. The FBI is working more closely with local police, the Patriot Act, which allows roving wiretaps … is essential,” Rep. Peter King (R) of New York told Fox News Monday.
He said the arrest of Najibullah Zazi, the Denver airport shuttle driver indicted in a plot to blow up New York subways with homemade bombs, is enough to justify renewing the Patriot Act.
On Tuesday, Mr. Zazi pleaded not guilty to charges of plotting terrorist attacks on New York. Meanwhile, New York police said none of Zazi’s accomplices, who have not yet been apprehended by law-enforcement officials, were now a threat.
Congress is currently reviewing three provisions of the Patriot Act that expire this year. Lawmakers have the chance to revise, eliminate, or extend without any revisions parts of the law passed in the aftermath of 9/11 that give law enforcement the ability access business records, conduct “roving” wiretaps, and track so-called “lone wolf” suspects not connected to terrorist groups or foreign governments.
…The FBI has repeatedly denied that it randomly targets any one group or person because of their religion or ethnicity and says they only begin an investigation when they have cause.
But the American Civil Liberties Union and many Muslim groups have asked Congress to add constitutional protections to the Patriot Act that would limit some of the FBI’s ability to begin wiretaps and collect information.
“The expiration of the three Patriot Act provisions is an opportunity to reexamine surveillance law and reject sections that waste law enforcement resources by targeting law abiding Americans without any suspicion of criminal activity,” said Faiza Ali, community affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in an e-mail. “We perceive that trust between the American Muslim community and the FBI remains an issue, especially given concerns of confidential informants and agent provocateurs in places of worship.”
We already know national security deputy John Brennan agrees with the Muslim grievance-mongers that homeland security programs have been “excessive.”
We already know corruptocrat AG Eric Holder sides with the grievance mob on profiling.
This is why the White House doesn’t have the balls to push stand-alone reauthorization of the Patriot Act — instead preferring to play hide-the-salami by stuffing it into the jobs bill.
Fecklessness as usual.
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Categories: Homeland Security,Islam,War
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At least they’re doing the right thing, even if they’re doing it the wrong way or for the wrong reason.
So here’s my one-handed clap for Hope-a-Dope. Now ‘scuse me, I’ve got to go wash my hand.
“But the American Civil Liberties Union and many Muslim groups have asked Congress to allow our enemies to attack us with impunity.”
What they really want.
Why not sacrifice yourself to bring attention to what the Taliban is doing to civilians in Afghanistan? That is a much simpler, and more horrifying case to make, dipstick.
He went on to say, “CAIR would like to see the provisions watered down to the point where they are about as useless as the airline screening procedures that allowed the underwear bomber to board the airplane on Christmas Day.
The only reason he is putting the Patriot Act Reauthorizaiton in the jobs bill is to get bi-partisan support for the jobs bill.
I don’t doubt it. But a Patriot Act as sandwich filler in another bill beats no Patriot Act at all.
Feckless, indeed. Cowardly as well.
Is the Mosque he got his arse in the air to the moon god still standing? I wonder if his Imam misses their naughty relationship.
Whatever you do State Department, please, please keep allowing the enemy into America.
Actually, the first dot was Zazi flying to Pakistan. His travels triggered the investigation and the Patriot Act was a tool that was used to gather more information.
The Patriot Act was not integral in finding Zazi.
From ther linked article -
Zazi flew from Newark Liberty International Airport to Peshawar, Pakistan on Aug. 28, 2008. Something triggered in a database, given that Zazi, 24, was going to Peshawar, known as a terrorism hotbed.
And yes, he was read his miranda rights, was to be tried in a civilian court and is now providing information (intelligence) to the Federal Government, without the use of EIT.
“It’s not fair” says CAIR, “They’re kicking our a$$!”
But, you know, Bush was such a moron…
zzyzyg stated: “yes, he was read his miranda rights, was to be tried in a civilian court and is now providing information (intelligence) to the Federal Government, without the use of EIT.”
This is Obama regime spin…they say the same thing about Abdul Pantybomber that he continues to give actionable intel despite DOJ lawyered and mirandizing him up.
I suspect; this alleged intel gleaned isn’t worth a damn.
I suspect; if the totality of intel yielded by Abdul and Zazi were their mother’s falafal recipes, the Obama regime would still be claiming they’re getting actionable intel without those alleged EIT.
You’re not advocating that Republicans vote for the “jobs” bill just to get the Patriot Act reauthorized, are you?
Imagine that this was WW2. Headlines would be screaming about civilian casualties and, yet, quietly ignore the discovery of Nazi death camps. Taliban use civilians as shields. So, our military has both hands tied behind them (just like ‘Nam). If you’re going to war, go to war. Don’t force the military to obey unrealistic rules that the enemy knows anduses against you. Lord help you if you capture one of them with a cut lip.
This collateral civilian causality issue in the media generally drives me up a wall. I’m not indifferent or dispassionate of the fate of civilians in a war zone, but if they desire freedom or relief from oppression then they can’t have it both ways. You can’t rid yourself of evil without breaking some eggs, and that price often entails some (at least) shedding of blood. When I hear the Afghanistan prez expressing his appall and disgust at how many (actually relatively VERY few) of his countryfolk are being killed as we exorcise them of fanatics who openly beat their females and want to keep them as shackled cattle, I have to wonder whether he knows the intrinsic price of freedom and whether they really appreciate OUR sacrifice, and just why our media keeps harping this as though we were being callous in not waging a totally bloodless sterile zero-causality war.
James Greenidge
Queens New York
Like it or not, I have told the truth and spoken facts. You have suspicions and are guessing.
The Patriot Act, is un constitutional. It, at the Federal Level, takes away our fourth amendment rights. There have been thousands of abuses of the “Self Written” warrants. Andrew Napolitano reported on this. For a good look at just what is IN The miss named Patriot act:
The Constitution in Exile by A. Napolitano
A Nation of Sheep by A. Napolitono
New: The Lies The Government Told You by A. Napolitano
Many other books as well, will tell you about it, these I own.
Remember:
Those who would trade LIBERTY for SECURITY, end up with NEITHER.
It’s great to catch these people. It would be far more productive, however, to not let them in here in the first place. Yet, we have in the last few years, expanded Muslim Immigration, as well as Muslim Visas. Much better to take your rights away, or abuse those rights, than to keep these people out.
Sorry, I don’t agree.
Zyzzyg:
Alleged truths and facts reported by this Obama regime about Zazi, Hasan from Fort Hood, Abdul Pantybomber, Zazi or Abdulhakim the Arkansas recruiting center murderer; the truth is being spun for consumption without regard to the safety of Americans.
“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” – Mark Twain
___‹^›__‹(•¿•)›__‹^›___
THE REASON THIS (_*_) PLED GUILTY WAS THE GUBMINT THREATENED TO DEPORT HIS MOTHER BACK TO THAT CRAP HOLE CALLED AFGHANISTAN, WHERE HIS BELOVED TALIBAN AND HIS CORRUPT GOVERNMENT ARE KILLING EACH OTHER LIKE FLIES, AND HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR GENERATIONS.
Huh?
This thread is about Zazi. You are welcome to take a tangent, but I am going to remain focused on the topic.
What is untrue about what I said about Zazi? Miranda? Civilian trial? No EIT?
“What is untrue about what I said about Zazi? Miranda? Civilian trial? No EIT?” – zyzzyg
I take exception to your claim that Zazi is “now providing information (intelligence) to the Federal Government, without the use of EIT.”
Neither of us can prove or disprove your claim.
That the Obama regime claims that is so; in the same way they claimed Abdul Pantybomber likewise was providing intel AFTER lawyering and mirandizing him up 50 minutes after being apprehended, is not credible or believable.
It’s naïve and dangerous to trust the Obama regime when they would have us believe these terrorists (like Zazi) all of a sudden decided to cooperate, tell truths, are ratting out their own brethren and have done 180’s from that which they’ve sworn to and gladly were willing to sacrifice their lives for, to accommodate ‘infidels.’
___‹^›__‹(•¿•)›__‹^›___
Not my claim. The claim is made by AG Holder.
Yep, it is difficult to believe that Zazi may have done a 180, but it does happen. In time we may find out if Zazi is providing useful information.
If his Internet browsing habits played any part in his capture then he was more of an idiot then a real threat.