Al Qaeda’s new hit list, ‘Lone Wolf’ and the southern border

Updated on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 8:59PM by Kay B. Day, Editor

Al Qaeda has once again used the Web as a front in its war on the West, publishing a hit list complete with names and pictures of US business people, think tank leaders, media and military contractors. Many other issues factor into this latest news. Media will probably not bring them up.

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Al Qaeda calls for 'lone wolf' in West, 'use of force' in East

Map of Saudi Arabia. [CIA World Fact Book]The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) said al Qaeda has called for “lone wolf” attacks in the West and the “use of force” in protests in “the Muslim World.” MEMRI said those calls were published in the winter and spring issues of Inspire, the English version of al Qaeda’s official magazine.

In the winter, 2011 issue, MEMRI said an “anonymous Muslim living in the West” wrote to the magazine to seek information about joining the jihad. The response was given as a ‘letter from the editor.’

The editor advised the aspiring jihadist to “carry out a personal jihad mission with a lone wolf attack in a crowded area in his country in the West…”

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US leadership lapse in quran burning

Updated on Monday, April 4, 2011 at 2:32PM by Kay B. Day, Editor

Many of us in the U.S., regardless of our faith, viewed with despair the Quran-burning pastor’s actions —we knew innocents would likely die. President Barack Obama and others have spoken about the pastor, in the fall when he first threatened the burning and recently after he carried through with it.

There is however a lapse in US leadership regarding appropriate responses to the burning. The lapse creates a dangerous window that should concern all Americans.

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Government must drop partisan politics on national security

By Chris Carter

Cover of the government report about Ft. Hood. Finding 2.2 is one of several that should alarm even the most complacent Americans: “Background checks on personnel entering the DoD workforce or gaining access to installations may be incomplete, too limited in scope, or not conducted at all.”In an opinion piece for a major newspaper, a White House official lashed out at critics of the Obama administration's ability to defend against terrorism. John Brennan, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, wrote in a USA Today op-ed on Tuesday, "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda."

Does Brennan truly think criticizing government's self-admitted "shortcomings" and "systemic failures" constitutes serving the goals of al Qaeda? And with the spate of al Qaeda attacks on our homeland, our concerns are anything but "unfounded fear-mongering."

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September 11 observed—like it or not it is a war on terror

Updated on Friday, September 11, 2009 at 4:27PM by Kay B. Day, Editor

By Kay B. Day

View of New York City from the Empire State Building. A George Washington University report said Manhattan experienced $50-70 billion in insured losses after the September 11, 2001 attack on America. There is no way to gauge the exact cost for all sectors and interests. [Photo by Kay B. Day, 2005]

This morning networks showed footage of planes crashing into buildings, a moment etched into personal history 8 years ago for every one of us. It’s similar to the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated—we remember where we were and what we were doing. I had just returned from taking my youngest daughter to school.

Over the next couple years I read the books that emerged. Lawrence Wright’s ‘The Looming Tower’ is one of the best. For newly established president George W. Bush, the day was the defining moment of his presidency. Bush’s administration was delayed by Al Gore’s court challenges and a lack of cooperation from President Bill Clinton’s minions in the transition. Meanwhile the welfare of the Republic hung in the balance. Terrorists had planned their attacks for years.

Leftwingers blame Bush for America’s global image. Nothing could be less truthful. Wade through foreign and domestic newspaper archives, read analytical books and talk to experts in national security. Our image began to erode long before Bush, even before Clinton.

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