Napolitano Backtracks; Now Says System Didn’t Work

Security of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is backtracking on remarks she made over the weekend regarding the attempted bombing of Northwest Airline flight 253:

Napolitano, appearing Monday on NBC’s “Today Show,” explained comments she made Sunday regarding an incident in which a Nigerian man allegedly ignited an incendiary device aboard a U.S. jetliner on Christmas Day were “taken out of context.”

During a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Napolitano said “What we are focused on is making sure that the air environment remains safe, that people are confident when they travel. And one thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked.”

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Out of context??? Nonsense, lets examine what she said on Sunday:

What we are focused on is making sure that the air environment remains safe, that people are confident when they travel. And one thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked. Everybody played an important role here. The passengers and crew of the flight took appropriate action.

Secretary Napolitano wasn’t just talking just about other flights, she was also talking about Northwest 253… She may have misspoken, but she was most definitely not taken out of context. Bottom line, DHS’s incident response systems may have worked properly, but their passenger screening measures failed miserably in this case.

Related

• Warning on Detroit suspect didn’t rise above the ‘noise’ – Washington Post
• U.S. Failed to Catch Suspect’s Active Visa – CBS News
• Al-Qaida in Yemen claims attack on US airliner – Examiner.com

Janet Napolitano: “The System Worked”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now: Janet Napolitano is an idiot who is completely unqualified for the position she holds. If anyone doubts the accuracy of that statement, her appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” today should remove any doubt:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday that the thwarting of the attempt to blow up an Amsterdam-Detroit airline flight Christmas Day demonstrated that “the system worked.”

Asked by CNN’s Candy Crowley on “State of the Union” how that could be possible when the young Nigerian who has been charged with trying to set off the bomb was able to smuggle explosive liquid onto the jet, Napolitano responded: “We’re asking the same questions.”

With all due respect Madam Secretary, the system failed miserably… a person who was on a terrorist watch list got on to an airplane with an explosive device sewn into his underwear. If it wasn’t for a failed detonator and the quick actions of passengers things would have turned out much differently.

Bottom line Madam Secretary we got lucky this time, the bad guys are going to try again, and again, and again and sooner or later they’re going to get lucky. The sad truth is our screening procedures place to much emphasis on trying to find weapons and not enough on trying to identify terrorists. Until we’re willing to place as much emphasis on preventing terrorists from boarding flights as we are on keeping weapons off we’re going to remain vulnerable.

Related

• Wealthy, quiet, unassuming: the Christmas Day bomb suspect – The Independent
• Missed Warning Signs – Gerald Posner, The Daily Beast
• Peter King rebukes Napolitano – Politico
• Video: Napolitano On Failed Terror Attempt: “The System Worked” – Real Clear Politics
• Poll: “The system worked”? – Hot Air
• Clown alert: Janet Napolitano says the “system worked” – Michelle Malkin

Washington Times: Firefighters lose large U.S. grant to ACORN

From the the Washington Times:

Nearly $1 million in Homeland Security funding typically earmarked for fire departments has been awarded to ACORN, despite a clear signal from Congress that it intends to cut off federal funding to the embattled group.

The grant to ACORN’s Louisiana office became public on Oct. 2, less than three weeks after the House and Senate voted to cut off ACORN funding after employees were caught on video advising a fake prostitute and pimp on scams.

It was one of only three such grants issued to the state and made up almost 80 percent of the firefighting money earmarked for Louisiana, prompting one of the U.S. senators from the state to demand that the funds be taken back.

“I request that you rescind this grant based on a history of abuse of federal dollars by ACORN and their clear lack of expertise in this area,” said Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican.

The group has headquarters in Louisiana.

When asked how the money would be spent, ACORN spokesman Brian Kettenring issued a statement criticizing the senator, who confessed in the past to having used an escort service.

“Senator Vitter knows a lot more about prostitution rings than anyone here does, so we’ll defer to him on any matters pertaining to the videos attacking ACORN,” the statement read. It did not explain how the group plans to spend the Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

Mr. Vitter, who was routinely notified of the grant before it became public, sent his letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Sept. 22, saying the money should be given “to a more deserving group of first responders.”

One such group might have been the St. Tammany Parish Fire District No. 3, which applied for a $120,000 grant to purchase smoke alarms for low-income families after a January fire killed four childrenin a home that had no working detectors.

Read the rest…

I really don’t know what to say here other than WTF??? Seriously WTF?!? I can’t think of single valid reason for the Department of Homeland Security to bypass firefighters and award a nearly $1 million grant to ACORN.

Me thinks Janet Napolitano has some explaining to do.

John McCain: 9-11 Hijackers Entered U.S. From Canada

Oh jeez… First it was Janet Napolitano now it’s John McCain repeating a the highly dubious claim that the 9-11 hijackers entered the United Sates through Canada:

What’s up with Arizona politicians?

Arizona Sen. John McCain made the dubious claim Friday that Sept. 11 hijackers entered the United States through Canada — just days after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona, said the same thing.

Napolitano retracted her claim on Thursday after Canadian officials chided her for the remark, calling it an unfortunate misconception. Napolitano admitted Thursday that she made a mistake — since the 9/11 Commission concluded that the hijackers entered the U.S. from overseas.

But when asked about the gaffe on FOX News Friday, McCain said: “Well, some of the 9/11 hijackers did come through Canada, as you know.”

This drew an instant retort from the Canadian embassy, which re-issued Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson’s public comments from Tuesday, in which he said:

“Unfortunately, misconceptions arise on something as fundamental as where the 9/11 terrorists came from. As the 9/11 Commission reported in July 2004, all of the 9/11 terrorists arrived in the U.S. from outside North America. They flew to major U.S. airports. They entered the U.S. with documents issued to them by the U.S. government. No 9/11 terrorists came from Canada.”

Idiot, Senator you might want to review the 9-11 commission report… The 9/11 hijackers DID NOT enter this country through Canada. They entered the country directly from overseas with documents issued by the U.S. Government.

Got it? Good.

Gaffestastic: Napolitano Strikes Again

The hits just keep coming… This time it’s Canadians who are wondering how an idiot like Janet Napolitano got the job of Homeland Security Secretary:

A diplomatic skirmish has broken out over suggestions by Janet Napolitano, the U. S. homeland security secretary, that terrorists have routinely entered the United States through Canada, including the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Napolitano’s remarks in a CBC interview earlier this week angered Canadian parliamentarians, who were in Washington on Tuesday to participate in a border conference attended by both the homeland security secretary and Ambassador Michael Wilson.

As the keynote speaker at the Border Trade Alliance meeting, Wilson said he was “frustrated” that the 9-11 myth has resurfaced once again, eight years after the terrorist attacks.

“Unfortunately, misconceptions arise on something as fundamental as where the 9-11 terrorists came from,” Wilson said.

“As the 9-11 commission reported in 2004, all of the 9-11 terrorists arrived in the United States from outside North America. They flew to major U. S. airports. They entered the U. S. with documents issued by the United States government and no 9-11 terrorists came from Canada.”

But Wilson later added that Napolitano’s handlers had reassured the Canadian Embassy that she simply misunderstood a question posed to her during the interview.

“Her comment from her people is that she misunderstood,” Wilson told a throng of Canadian media who descended upon the conference to hear what he had to say about the controversy.

“We’ve been in touch with her office a few times this morning and there’s no question in my mind she does not believe any terrorists came from Canada into the United States.”

Wilson also said he planned to sit down with Napolitano soon to discuss the issue face-to-face.

Can someone please explain to me how someone this incompetent got a job this important?

To our friends and allies in Canada, I’m Sorry. We’re all not as ill-informed as Sec. Napolitano we know the 9/11 hijackers entered this country directly from overseas not through Canada. We know that it was lax policing at our overseas consulates that opened the door to to them… and that is was poor interior enforcement in this country that enabled their stay.

Related

• Interview with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano – CBC
• U.S. security boss clarifies comments about border – CTV
• The border for dummies – The National Post
• Janet Napolitano screws up again – Michelle Malkin

Idiot: Janet Napolitano Doesn’t Know The Law Her Agency is Supposed to Enforce

Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is without a doubt the biggest idiot in Washington. Her remarks on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday demonstrates she has no clue about the laws her agency is supposed to enforce:

KING: A lot of Democrats in Congress want to you investigate [Joe Arpaio]. They think he is over the line. He says he is just enforcing the law and the problem is the federal government.

NAPOLITANO: Well, you know, Sheriff Joe, he is being very political in that statement, because he knows that there aren’t enough law enforcement officers, courtrooms or jail cells in the world to do what he is saying.

What we have to do is target the real evil-doers in this business, the employers who consistently hire illegal labor, the human traffickers who are exploiting human misery.

And yes, when we find illegal workers, yes, appropriate action, some of which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not a crime per se. It is civil. But anyway, going after those as well.

Excuse me??? With all due respect madam secretary you might want to review 8 USC Sec. 1325:

(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection;
misrepresentation and concealment of facts
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States
at any time or place other than as designated by immigration
officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration
officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United
States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the
willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first
commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or
imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent
commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or
imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
(b) Improper time or place; civil penalties
Any alien who is apprehended while entering (or attempting to
enter) the United States at a time or place other than as
designated by immigration officers shall be subject to a civil
penalty of -
(1) at least $50 and not more than $250 for each such entry (or
attempted entry); or
(2) twice the amount specified in paragraph (1) in the case of
an alien who has been previously subject to a civil penalty under
this subsection.
Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not
in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be
imposed.
(c) Marriage fraud
Any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage for the
purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be
imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than
$250,000, or both.
(d) Immigration-related entrepreneurship fraud
Any individual who knowingly establishes a commercial enterprise
for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws
shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined in accordance
with title 18, or both.

Call me crazy but shouldn’t the Secretary of Homeland Security know that illegal immigration is a crime?

Unfortunately, I suspect Sec. Napolitano knows all to well what the law is, and like administration she serves, has chosen not to actively enforce it.

Related

• Napolitano: Illegal Immigration NOT a Crime? – Jena McNeill, The Heritage Foundation

Dept. of Homeland Security Issued ‘Extremist’ Report Despite Objections

The Department of Homeland Security apparently pushed out it’s report “Right-wing Extremists” despite objections from their internal civil liberties watchdogs:

Homeland Security Department officials disregarded warnings from their internal civil liberties watchdogs before releasing a security assessment of “right-wing extremism” that had Secretary Janet Napolitano apologizing to veterans Thursday.

A spokeswoman confirmed that the department’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties raised objections about some of the language in the nine-page report before it was sent to law enforcement officials nationwide.

The office “did object to a part of the document, which was not resolved before the product went out. This was a breakdown of an internal process that we will fix in the future,” said spokeswoman Amy Kudwa.

Homeland Security officials declined to elaborate on or describe in detail the objections of the civil liberty officials, or say whether Ms. Napolitano was made aware of the objections when she was briefed on the general nature of the threat before the report’s release on April 7.

However, Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is demanding answers on how the report was cleared with privacy and civil liberty officials.

My problem with the report (PDF) is not that it doesn’t contain valid information, in a broad sense it does. It’s that it it provides no new information or specifics on potential threats and uses overly broad generalities that effectively, even if unintentionally, lump mainstream conservatives and veterans in with extremists. Simply put it’s not a particularly useful intelligence assessment.

That said the report does provide a stark reminder that certain fringe elements on the right, and the on left, are using the current political and economic climate to boost their recruiting efforts. There is a very real possibility that one or more these groups could turn to violent action. The hyper partisan and/or populist rhetoric being used by many of our elected leaders and by some in the media is simply adding fuel to the fire.

I should note the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the FBI has tracked a small number of veterans for extremist activity… Because they joined extremist groups, not because they were veterans:

Michael Ward, FBI deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, said in an interview Thursday that the portion of the operation focusing on the military related only to veterans who draw the attention of Defense Department officials for joining white-supremacist or other extremist groups.

“We’re not doing an investigation into the military, we’re not looking at former military members,” he said. “It would have to be something they were concerned about, or someone they’re concerned is involved” with extremist groups.

Mr. Ward said that the FBI’s general counsel reviewed the operation before it began, “to make sure any tripwires we set do not violate any civil liberties.”

That’s how the system should work — and it highlights the problem with this report… Just compare it to the report on left-wing extremism (PDF). One relies on broad generalities, the other on specifics.

Update: I doubt this will go anywhere but:

The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced that yesterday evening it filed a federal lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.  The lawsuit claims that her Department’s “Rightwing Extremism Policy,” as reflected in the recently publicized Intelligence Assessment, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” violates the civil liberties of combat veterans as well as American citizens by targeting them for disfavored treatment on account of their political beliefs. Read the rest…

Realated

• 7 Senate Republicans Reply to DHS ‘Rightwing Extremists’ Scaremongering – Red State
• Napolitano Backpedals On Homeland Security Report Wording – The Bulletin

Janet Napolitano: This Week’s Biggest Idiot in Washington

From Newsmax.com:

The new term for terrorism being used by President Obama’s secretary of Homeland Security would be comical if it were not so scary.

Instead of referring to threats from terrorists, Janet Napolitano is referring in her speeches to “man-caused disasters.” In an interview, a reporter for Germany’s Spiegel Online asked Napolitano whether her avoidance of the term terrorism means that “Islamist terrorism suddenly no longer pose[es] a threat to your country?”

“Of course it does,” Napolitano replied. “I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word ‘terrorism,’ I referred to ‘man-caused’ disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.”

Man-caused disasters??? Huh???

Idiot...