FBI terror-cops inventing terrorists to bust
But a closer inspection of the cases brought by JTTFs reveals that most of the prosecutions had one thing in common: The defendants posed little if any demonstrable threat to anyone or anything. According to a study by the Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law, only ten percent of the 619 "terrorist" cases brought by the federal government have resulted in convictions on "terrorism-related" charges —a category so broad as to be meaningless. In the past year, none of the convictions involved jihadist terror plots targeting America. "The government releases selective figures," says Karen Greenberg, director of the center. "They have never even defined 'terrorism.' They keep us in the dark over statistics."...Link (via Schneier)
When I express skepticism at the nature of the cases being brought by the JTTF, and the wild-goose chases that seem to occupy its time, Fowler says people don't understand the "threat stream" facing the nation. There are two reasons, he insists, that cases brought by the JTTF end up being discounted. First, defense attorneys manipulate the public to create the impression that the accused are hapless —but since very few cases actually go to trial, this explanation is unlikely at best. Second, Fowler says, the FBI itself minimizes threats to prevent panic. As an example, he cites the case of "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, who pleaded guilty to terror-related charges. Reid, Fowler insists, was a much greater danger to America than is commonly appreciated —a refrain that requires the word of the JTTF be taken on faith.
"The public is never going to see the evidence we have," Fowler says. "We don't want to reveal our hand or tip our sources. You cannot judge the nature of the terrorist threat to the United States based on the public record."
the latest
latest episodes
So basically they say: "We won't show you what we know, but you've gotta believe us if we tell that the threat is big"... right
The sky is falling, guys!
The day we start believing this crap, is the day the real terrorists have won.
"We have evidence, but you can't see it. And we can't give you evidence that we have evidence. You get our word, but hey- we're from the government, and we're here to help. Would we ever lie to you?"
Wow. I'd already figured America's foreign policy was creating terrorists. I just never suspected that it was such a profoundly literal truth.
please --> pleas
"We don't want to reveal our hand or tip our sources."
Shouldn't it be 'tip our hand' and 'reveal our sources'? Maybe Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gregory Fowler needs a spokesperson.
Regardless, the amount of money spent and the eventual result, even including these fabricated terriers, demonstrates a very poor cost-benefit ratio. Billions spent to catch how many? In the mean time, all manner of the rights of citizens are diminished and the rights of the government (the executive branch in particular) are increased.
Maybe put some of that money into education, instead? Can we get some funding to stop the terrorizing of evolution and science in general?
"All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
Hermann Göring, 2nd in command in Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.
I'm not saying that there aren't those that represent *real* threats to the safety & security of the country, but all this fear-mongering just keeps us cowering in a corner.
We need to be alert, but not afraid; prepared, but not paranoid.
Last time I checked, the Constitution was still in effect.
@ #5 posted by certron
You have that backwards certron. Expanding the power of the executive, Cheney's unitary executive theory, was the objective. Fabricating terror was the means to that end. From that point of view the cost-benefit ratio is looking very good.
Those who shout "terror" without proof are no different from terrorists.
The original article is amazing. Some poor loser with no home and no car, who works as a clerk at EB Games, is disaffected and has fantasies of blowing up the mall - but only when nobody's there, doesn't want to hurt anybody. An informant - a crack dealer who was convicted of attempted robbery - is paid by the FBi to invite this guy home and egg him on. The loser has no money either, so the informant encourages him to trade his stereo speakers to an undercover agent for fake hand grenades and a gun with fake ammo. Loser is arrested, America is once again saved from "lone wolf" terrorists!
There are a lot of folks out there who feel grudges but would never actually follow through on them unless encouraged. Heck, when I was an angsty pubescent, I had fantasies of blowing up my school!
So now our government is luring harmless nutjobs into criminal acts and then arresting them. What a waste of lives and tax dollars! But it's a lot easier to jail the local kooks and claim victory than to do something genuinely useful, like finding Bin Laden and bringing him to justice.
"The public is never going to see the evidence we have,"
hee hee , heh heh heh , Ho HO HO HOHOHOHOO!!.....ahhhhhhh, you guys are fucked.
i have not read article yet, but i do know those guys in miami were a joke, wanting the contact to get them uniforms and boots to be terrorists. and the ones with the JFK fuel tanks? what a lot of nothing that turned to be also. but hey, its the best most of our cops can do. and we are really suppose to believe that they have had all these great successes and not tell us? right, they build up the stupidest things into big success stories all the time.
Quietly and patiently hoping that the 99% of the brain missing from our leaders does not enable another self serving attack before they are given access to therapy.
"when I was an angsty pubescent, I had fantasies of blowing up my school"
Fuck, when I was an angsty pubescent, I had plans for blowing up my school. Detailed ones.
I read that excellent article last week. Don't forget, "terrorists" like these are the reason you can't bring a bottle of shampoo in your carry-on luggage anymore.
@13 you too?
I was going to use fuel oil and fertilizer. This a generation entire before Oklahoma.
Just like the Warondrugs Industry The Warofterror Industry needs to be fed.
Build more prisons, you will need them.
Circular reasoning indeed. It's like they are inventing a reason for their job to exist. In other words, if they were monitoring suspected terrorist activity, and didn't find any terrorists, they'd be out of a job, and so they think: "Dammit, we better find some terrorists pronto, or we can kiss that govmint pension good-bye!"
Not much different than the state troopers who have speed limit lowered in one section of highway designed to nab tourists, except in this case they've gone the extra mile to actually build a sign that changes on their command to only nab the people they want, and instead of a fine they are kicked out of the country.
We may not know if America is truly a fascist country until they come for us.
anyone questioning anti-terrorist measures, is a terrorist.
In other words, if they were monitoring suspected terrorist activity, and didn't find any terrorists, they'd be out of a job, and so they think: Dammit, we better find some terrorists pronto, or we can kiss that govmint pension good-bye!
The medical industry works in a similar fashion.
c'mere,don't worry, this syringe only contains a vitamim b shot....
They don't need to do anything to you, just tell you that you're damaged and need to be repaired.
@ #5
If they educate the sheeples, they'll be out of a job. It's all part of the master plan.
So the FBI gives them money to buy fake bombs and ammo? That makes sense because I've read and seen mainstream news reports that federal agents set-up one of their terrorist in training with a van load of explosives to park at the bottom of very tall buildings. I've even read those that the Feds would assist in letting planes fly into the same tall buildings and different ones as well.