http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/homeland.php?id=1384942
Earth to the Department of Homeland Security: wake up and smell the coffee! FSM Contributing Editor Mike Cutler faults DHS for yet another colossal failure of operational capability in one more important co-venture they could have exploited, but ignored. Department of Homeland Security: We'd Like You to Meet Interpol By Mike Cutler According to their website, INTERPOL "is the world's largest international police organization, with <http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/Members/default.asp> 186 member countries. Created in 1923, it facilitates cross-border police co-operation, and supports and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime. "INTERPOL aims to facilitate international police co-operation even where diplomatic relations do not exist between particular countries. Action is taken within the limits of existing laws in different countries and in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. <http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/LegalMaterials/constitution/constitutio nGenReg/constitution.asp> INTERPOL's constitution prohibits 'any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.' " In order to more effectively combat terrorism, Interpol created its Fusion Task Force (FTF) in the wake of 9/11. FTF's primary objectives are to: * identify active terrorist groups and their membership * solicit, collect and share information and intelligence * provide analytical support * enhance the capacity of member countries to address the threats of terrorism and organized crime. Interpol's website also tells us that: "As terrorist organizations' far-reaching activities are inextricably linked, the task force investigates not only attacks, but also organizational hierarchies, training, financing, methods, and motives. "Interpol has identified public safety and terrorism as a priority crime area, and countries can benefit from Interpol's unique position in the international law enforcement community in the fight against terrorism. The Interpol officials involved with the FTF are all terrorism specialists seconded from their home countries." Sure sounds like Interpol is THE place where the Department of Homeland Security can go to solve many of its problems and keep Americans safe, right? Wrong. Recently, Ron Noble, Secretary General of Interpol and a member of the government of the United States, was interviewed on a TV news show. His revelations were utterly shocking as he unequivocally named our government for its failures in working with his agency. Below, I've highlighted the statements made by Mr. Noble about the failings of our government to assign personnel to Interpol and to implement a program two years later than it would appear they could have. When I worked for the former INS, we had a representative assigned to Interpol. Apparently this is no longer the case. According to the interview: Interpol has the world's only database on lost or stolen passports and travel documents. There are more than 15 million of them and every week 3,000 people try to use one to enter a country illegally. "Every significant international terrorist attack that's occurred has been linked in some way with either a fraudulent passport, an authentic passport that's been modified or with a counterfeit passport," Noble explains. "So by catching the people with stolen passports, you get yourself closer to catching terrorists." The system has been operational for more than two years, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is just now beginning to phase it in at some border locations. Noble says it's just one sign of U.S. reluctance to cooperate with international organizations, when it comes to terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security has 250,000 employees, yet Noble says none of them are based at Interpol. "We don't have any Department of Homeland Security employees here at Interpol. Except for a secret service agent. But none working on border protection," he says. Asked why he thinks that is, Noble tells Kroft, "You know, I ask myself that question. I just feel like they don't get it. They don't get it." The one question that has to run through your minds as it did through mine is simply "WHY?" We are waging a war on terrorism with the stakes as high as they can get. We witness the continual erosion of our freedoms and expectations of privacy in the name of national security, yet, once again the commonsense step of coordinating our efforts with Interpol is not being taken. This is especially impossible to comprehend when you consider, as was noted during the interview, that terrorists use fraudulent passports, altered passports, counterfeit passports and stolen passports in order to travel internationally in preparation for the attacks they plan to carry out. The use of such passports is one of the primary areas to responsibility of ICE and CBP. Apparently no one assigned to the critical mission of border security is currently assigned to Interpol. Add this serious failing to so many others and the picture that emerges is one of utter incompetence. Our nation still has a porous border, we have millions of illegal and undocumented aliens living among us and we have no idea as to their true identities or even nationalities. The wrong-headed Visa Waiver Program may be expanded from the current 27 countries to 39 countries. Cities around the United States have created "sanctuaries" for illegal aliens. The SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership) is poised to permit trucks driven by truck drivers from Mexico to barrel across our nation's borders and throughout out country. Governors such as Eliot Spitzer of New York are offering to provide illegal aliens with driver's licenses that would enable them easily to conduct business as usual within our country even though they are present here in violation of law and properly identifying them will be virtually impossible in many instances. USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) has created an abysmal track record with thousands of alien immigration files "lost" and tens of thousands of aliens having received lawful status and even United States citizenship, the "keys to the kingdom" by adjudicators who do not have access to those critical files. We the People have every right to expect better of our government especially where national security is concerned. We the People have got to make our concerns known to all of those politicians who are supposed to represent our interests in Washington. Democracy is not a spectator sport! Lead, follow or get out of the way! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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