The recent rise of Sadrist splinter groups is a sign of a major shakeup in the Sadrist movement, so far mainly dominated by Moqtada al-Sadr. These splinter groups represent a deep-seated change in the Sadrist faction in both ideological and militaristic terms, which could have major implications for the future of Iraq. The increase in the number of these splinter groups since 2005 is mainly due to al-Sadr's growing relations with the Iraqi government and Tehran. These groups view al-Sadr as a traitor who has forsaken his father's stance against foreign threats for personal and political gain. The participation of al-Sadr's representatives in parliament and his flirtation with Tehran since 2005 have directly led to the creation of two distinct breakaway groups. These two groups are millenarian-cultic in ideology and gang-like in the organizational sense. They are mostly formed in such locations as Baghdad and southern Iraq and are made up of young men who maintain anti-occupation or anti-Sunni sentiments.
The followers of Abu Maha and Ismael al-Zerjawi represent the first type of Sadrist splinter groups (Terrorism Focus, October 10, 2006; Terrorism Monitor, November 16, 2006). They are the most anti-Sunni faction of the Sadrists, who broke away from al-Sadr primarily after the increase of sectarian tensions in 2005 (although some even splintered earlier). These groups can be found largely in Sadr City, where most of the Sunni-Shiite fighting takes place. Al-Zerjawi, also known as Abu Deraa, is best known for his attacks on the Sunni district of Adhamiya in northern Baghdad (Terrorism Monitor, November 16, 2006). Other Mahdi Army officers, like Hassan Salim and Haj Shimel, are veterans of the 2004 Sadrist uprising in Najaf against U.S. forces. These former commanders all maintain anti-occupation and anti-Sunni ideologies with an on-the-field military background.
The second type of splinter group, such as the Hussain Army, led by Mahmud al-Hassani Sarkhi, and the shadowy cult of Dhia Abdul Zahra and his Soldiers of Heaven, is the most cultic and sectarian. As Mahdistic movements, these groups are mainly led by young or middle-aged clerics who seek to overcome any form of Shiite orthodoxy, with claims to worldly power through military force. The origin of these groups dates back to the late 1990s after the death of Moqtada's father, Ayatollah Sadeq al-Sadr, who is believed to have been the most perfect representative of the Hidden Imam on earth. The bases of these groups are primarily located in southern cities such as Karbala and Basra, which have long histories of millenarian-mystical movements with anti-establishment ideologies. They represent the most anti-Iranian and Arab nationalistic currents in the Sadrist splinter groups as they vie for followers among both the tribal and urban population of southern Iraq. It is interesting to note that Sarkhi has also found followers in Iran, despite his anti-Iranianism. The conservative clerical establishment in Iran, however, identifies Sarkhi as a false representative of the Mahdi and even as an Israeli agent (Baztab, May 17, 2006).
The implication of the growing rise of these movements is complicated. First and foremost, these splinter groups can cause major instability in the Sadrist movement that is being gradually pacified by the Najaf clerical establishment. As members of the Mahdi Army break ranks and join these new groups, al-Sadr begins to lose more control of his followers and lessens the prospect of containing his movement within the boundaries of the Iraqi political process. Second, these groups can also unleash a major attack on the Shiite orthodoxy in Najaf, creating new cultic and sectarian movements in the Shiite community of Iraq that could lead to a new religious civil war.
The Najaf clerical establishment will most certainly play a major role in quashing these groups, as it did in January when, on the eve of one of the holiest days in the Shiite calendar, Ashura, the followers of Zahra were crushed by Iraqi and U.S. forces, tipped off by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's informants who had infiltrated the group (author interview with a seminary student in Qom, January 29). The key is to recognize that this new phenomenon is an internal Shiite problem and that the clerical establishment in Najaf is best prepared to match the rise of these splinter groups.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
US: Iranian-made weapons were found in Afghanistan by A.P.
US forces in Afghanistan recently intercepted Iranian-made mortars and other weaponry in Afghanistan, although it is not clear they were shipped directly from Iran, the military's top general said Tuesday.
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that unlike in Iraq, where US officials say they are certain that arms are being supplied to insurgents by Iran's secretive Quds Force, the Iranian link in Afghanistan is murky.
"It is not as clear in Afghanistan which Iranian entity is responsible, but we have intercepted weapons in Afghanistan headed for the Taliban that were made in Iran," Pace told a group of reporters over breakfast.
He said the weapons, including mortars and C-4 plastic explosives, were intercepted in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan within the past month. He did not describe the quantity of intercepted materials or say whether it was the first time Americans forces had found Iranian-made arms in that country.
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that unlike in Iraq, where US officials say they are certain that arms are being supplied to insurgents by Iran's secretive Quds Force, the Iranian link in Afghanistan is murky.
"It is not as clear in Afghanistan which Iranian entity is responsible, but we have intercepted weapons in Afghanistan headed for the Taliban that were made in Iran," Pace told a group of reporters over breakfast.
He said the weapons, including mortars and C-4 plastic explosives, were intercepted in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan within the past month. He did not describe the quantity of intercepted materials or say whether it was the first time Americans forces had found Iranian-made arms in that country.
Sudan's young endure "unspeakable" abuse: report by Evelyn Leopold
Children in Sudan are press-ganged, coerced to join armed groups, raped and used as forced labor or sex slaves, according to a new report by humanitarian groups.
The report, Sudan's Children at a Crossroads, concentrates mainly on Darfur, where a conflict has been raging for four years, and southern Sudan, emerging from 20 years of war.
"Children in Sudan continue to endure some of the most inhumane treatment found anywhere in the world," said Kathleen Hunt, chair of the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, on Wednesday.
"Despite the end of the war in the south and recent signs of hope for a strengthened peacekeeping force in Darfur, many Sudanese children are not faring any better than they were four years ago," Hunt told a news conference on the report, compiled by six humanitarian organizations.
While Sudan's military continues to deny the presence of children in its ranks, the report said its representatives have acknowledged that youth from other armed groups have recently been incorporated into the government armed forces.
In Darfur, most rebel and militia groups recruit children, including the pro-government Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army.
While reports of rape and maiming are prevalent in Darfur, Sudanese girls from other areas have been forced into prostitution or into domestic service in and out of Sudan.
Boys as young as 4 or 5 years old "have been trafficked to Arab Gulf countries to work as camel jockeys and beggars," Watchlist said.
Education is also a horror in many parts of the country, with the south having the lowest rate in the world of only 25 percent of young people in school.
An entire generation in southern Sudan has missed out on education, said Jeannie Pearlman Robinson of the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children. She cited examples of children walking for two hours to school and untrained teachers working for low or no pay.
"Education cannot wait until the fighting is over," she said.
Francis Mading Deng, a former Sudanese foreign minister, U.N. envoy for displaced people, author and now a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said that children and civilians could only be spared through a political solution.
"The need for a political solution is the only way we can find peace," he said.
The six groups on the Watchlist steering committee are Care International, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, the Norwegian Refugee Council, International Save the Children Alliance, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, and World Vision Canada.
The report, Sudan's Children at a Crossroads, concentrates mainly on Darfur, where a conflict has been raging for four years, and southern Sudan, emerging from 20 years of war.
"Children in Sudan continue to endure some of the most inhumane treatment found anywhere in the world," said Kathleen Hunt, chair of the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, on Wednesday.
"Despite the end of the war in the south and recent signs of hope for a strengthened peacekeeping force in Darfur, many Sudanese children are not faring any better than they were four years ago," Hunt told a news conference on the report, compiled by six humanitarian organizations.
While Sudan's military continues to deny the presence of children in its ranks, the report said its representatives have acknowledged that youth from other armed groups have recently been incorporated into the government armed forces.
In Darfur, most rebel and militia groups recruit children, including the pro-government Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army.
While reports of rape and maiming are prevalent in Darfur, Sudanese girls from other areas have been forced into prostitution or into domestic service in and out of Sudan.
Boys as young as 4 or 5 years old "have been trafficked to Arab Gulf countries to work as camel jockeys and beggars," Watchlist said.
Education is also a horror in many parts of the country, with the south having the lowest rate in the world of only 25 percent of young people in school.
An entire generation in southern Sudan has missed out on education, said Jeannie Pearlman Robinson of the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children. She cited examples of children walking for two hours to school and untrained teachers working for low or no pay.
"Education cannot wait until the fighting is over," she said.
Francis Mading Deng, a former Sudanese foreign minister, U.N. envoy for displaced people, author and now a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said that children and civilians could only be spared through a political solution.
"The need for a political solution is the only way we can find peace," he said.
The six groups on the Watchlist steering committee are Care International, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, the Norwegian Refugee Council, International Save the Children Alliance, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, and World Vision Canada.
The Wrong Decision on Sudan by Douglas Farah
Yesterday President Bush was to unveil the long-anticipated “Plan B” for sanctioning the Sudanese regime for the genocide in Darfur. But at the last minute Bush accepted a plea to wait. The Sudanese government had again asked for more time to allow U.N. peacekeepers to arrive.
It is a trick that the Sudanese have successfully used for four years to avoid ending the slaughter of civilians, with the Islamist government’s blessing, guidance and support. It simply means more people will die while the regime of Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir drags its feet, backtracks, promises, hems, haws and generally buys several more months. Sooner or later, if he can drag it out long enough, there will be no one left to ethnically cleanse, and then peacekeepers can disembark without opposition.
After at least 450,000 killed and 2 million displaced, why does anyone take Bashir’s word on anything? He hasn’t done anything to lessen the slaughter since the carnage began. He has repeatedly promised, then retracted, support of peacekeepers.
“The brutal treatment of innocent civilians in Darfur is unacceptable,” Bush said. “The status quo must not continue.” And yet it is entirely acceptable. For a few weeks, then months, then years.
The irony is that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked the sanctions be postponed, even as he was presented with concrete evidence the Bashir government was illegally flying weapons to its forces and the janjaweed in Darfur. A U.N. Panel of Experts two days ago presented the UN Security Council with a report outlining the use of Antonov aircraft and helicopter gunships in the region.
In an MO that is the same as Viktor Bout used in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the aircraft were painted white with UN markings on the side. (Coincidence??)
It seems to me the solution is fairly simple. Slap the sanctions on (and even these are weak), with the promise to lift them as soon as the peacekeepers are on the ground. Enforce a no-fly zone. Are we afraid Viktor Bout will lose some old Antonovs?
Go after those who support genocide and terrorism, using the justification of Islam as a gruesome justification. Expose the shameless pandering and spineless refusal to condemn Darfur by Islamists and world power who put their economic interests (China, Russia) above the suffering of the region. Most troubling to me is the unwillingness of South Africa to support sanctions. Islamist states are protecting friends. China and Russia their investments. South Africa, once a beacon of true liberation, is protecting nothing other than a corrupt and brutal regime, as the Mbeki regime has continued to do in Zimbabwe as well.
The South African government’s behavior is a slap in the face not only to its own courageous people who struggled for freedom, but to all who supported that struggle.
It is a trick that the Sudanese have successfully used for four years to avoid ending the slaughter of civilians, with the Islamist government’s blessing, guidance and support. It simply means more people will die while the regime of Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir drags its feet, backtracks, promises, hems, haws and generally buys several more months. Sooner or later, if he can drag it out long enough, there will be no one left to ethnically cleanse, and then peacekeepers can disembark without opposition.
After at least 450,000 killed and 2 million displaced, why does anyone take Bashir’s word on anything? He hasn’t done anything to lessen the slaughter since the carnage began. He has repeatedly promised, then retracted, support of peacekeepers.
“The brutal treatment of innocent civilians in Darfur is unacceptable,” Bush said. “The status quo must not continue.” And yet it is entirely acceptable. For a few weeks, then months, then years.
The irony is that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked the sanctions be postponed, even as he was presented with concrete evidence the Bashir government was illegally flying weapons to its forces and the janjaweed in Darfur. A U.N. Panel of Experts two days ago presented the UN Security Council with a report outlining the use of Antonov aircraft and helicopter gunships in the region.
In an MO that is the same as Viktor Bout used in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the aircraft were painted white with UN markings on the side. (Coincidence??)
It seems to me the solution is fairly simple. Slap the sanctions on (and even these are weak), with the promise to lift them as soon as the peacekeepers are on the ground. Enforce a no-fly zone. Are we afraid Viktor Bout will lose some old Antonovs?
Go after those who support genocide and terrorism, using the justification of Islam as a gruesome justification. Expose the shameless pandering and spineless refusal to condemn Darfur by Islamists and world power who put their economic interests (China, Russia) above the suffering of the region. Most troubling to me is the unwillingness of South Africa to support sanctions. Islamist states are protecting friends. China and Russia their investments. South Africa, once a beacon of true liberation, is protecting nothing other than a corrupt and brutal regime, as the Mbeki regime has continued to do in Zimbabwe as well.
The South African government’s behavior is a slap in the face not only to its own courageous people who struggled for freedom, but to all who supported that struggle.
Russia Plans World's Longest Tunnel, a Link to Alaska (Update 4) by Yuriy Humber and Bradley Cook
Russia plans to build the world's longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.
The project, which Russia is coordinating with the U.S. and Canada, would take 10 to 15 years to complete, Viktor Razbegin, deputy head of industrial research at the Russian Economy Ministry, told reporters in Moscow today. State organizations and private companies in partnership would build and control the route, known as TKM-World Link, he said.
A 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) transport corridor from Siberia into the U.S. will feed into the tunnel, which at 64 miles will be more than twice as long as the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and France, according to the plan. The tunnel would run in three sections to link the two islands in the Bering Strait between Russia and the U.S.
``This will be a business project, not a political one,'' Maxim Bystrov, deputy head of Russia's agency for special economic zones, said at the media briefing. Russian officials will formally present the plan to the U.S. and Canadian governments next week, Razbegin said.
The Bering Strait tunnel will cost $10 billion to $12 billion, and the rest of the investment will be spent on the entire transport corridor, the plan estimates.
``The project is a monster,'' Yevgeny Nadorshin, chief economist with Trust Investment Bank in Moscow, said in an interview. ``The Chinese are crying out for our commodities and willing to finance the transport links, and we're sending oil to Alaska.''
In Alaska, a supporter of the project is former Governor Walter Joseph Hickel, who plans to co-chair a conference on the subject in Moscow next week.
``Governor Hickel has long supported this concept, and he talks about it and writes about it,'' said Malcolm Roberts, a senior fellow at the Anchorage-based Institute of the North, a research policy group focused on Arctic issues. Hickel governed Alaska from 1966 to 1969 as a Republican and then from 1990 to 1994 as a member of the Independence Party.
Alaska's current officials, however, are preoccupied with other issues, including a plan to develop a pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the lower 48 U.S. states, Roberts said.
The U.S. government's Federal Railroad Administration isn't directly involved in talks about the link, agency spokesman Warren Flatau said today.
Finance Agencies
Tsar Nicholas II, Russia's last emperor, was the first Russian leader to approve a plan for a tunnel under the Bering Strait, in 1905, 38 years after his grandfather sold Alaska to America for $7.2 million. World War I ended the project.
The planned undersea tunnel would contain a high-speed railway, highway and pipelines, as well as power and fiber-optic cables, according to TKM-World Link. Investors in the so-called public-private partnership include OAO Russian Railways, national utility OAO Unified Energy System and pipeline operator OAO Transneft, according to a press release which was handed out at the media briefing and bore the companies' logos.
Russia and the U.S. may each eventually take 25 percent stakes, with private investors and international finance agencies as other shareholders, Razbegin said. ``The governments will act as guarantors for private money,'' he said.
The World Link will save North America and Far East Russia $20 billion a year on electricity costs, said Vasily Zubakin, deputy chief executive officer of OAO Hydro OGK, Unified Energy's hydropower unit and a potential investor.
Transport Electricity
``It's cheaper to transport electricity east, and with our unique tidal resources, the potential is real,'' Zubakin said. Hydro OGK plans by 2020 to build the Tugurskaya and Pendzhinskaya tidal plants, each with capacity of as much as 10 gigawatts, in the Okhotsk Sea, close to Sakhalin Island.
The project envisions building high-voltage power lines with a capacity of up to 15 gigawatts to supply the new rail links and also export to North America.
Russian Railways is working on the rail route from Pravaya Lena, south of Yakutsk in the Sakha republic, to Uelen on the Bering Strait, a 3,500 kilometer stretch. The link could carry commodities from eastern Siberia and Sakha to North American export markets, said Artur Alexeyev, Sakha's vice president.
The two regions hold most of Russia's metal and mineral reserves ``and yet only 1.5 percent of it is developed due to lack of infrastructure and tough conditions,'' Alexeyev said.
Cluster Projects
Rail links in Russia and the U.S., where an almost 2,000- kilometer stretch from Angora to Fort Nelson in Canada would continue the route, would cost up to $15 billion, Razbegin said. With cargo traffic of as much as 100 million tons annually expected on the World Link, the investments in the rail section could be repaid in 20 years, he said.
``The transit link is that string on which all our industrial cluster projects could hang,'' Zubakin said.
Japan, China and Korea have expressed interest in the project, with Japanese companies offering to burrow the tunnel under the Bering Strait for $60 million a kilometer, half the price set down in the project, Razbegin said.
``This will certainly help to develop Siberia and the Far East, but better port infrastructure would do that too and not cost $65 billion,'' Trust's Nadorshin said. ``For all we know, the U.S. doesn't want to make Alaska a transport hub.''
The figures for the project come from a preliminary feasibility study. A full study could be funded from Russia's investment fund, set aside for large infrastructure projects, Bystrov said.
The project, which Russia is coordinating with the U.S. and Canada, would take 10 to 15 years to complete, Viktor Razbegin, deputy head of industrial research at the Russian Economy Ministry, told reporters in Moscow today. State organizations and private companies in partnership would build and control the route, known as TKM-World Link, he said.
A 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) transport corridor from Siberia into the U.S. will feed into the tunnel, which at 64 miles will be more than twice as long as the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and France, according to the plan. The tunnel would run in three sections to link the two islands in the Bering Strait between Russia and the U.S.
``This will be a business project, not a political one,'' Maxim Bystrov, deputy head of Russia's agency for special economic zones, said at the media briefing. Russian officials will formally present the plan to the U.S. and Canadian governments next week, Razbegin said.
The Bering Strait tunnel will cost $10 billion to $12 billion, and the rest of the investment will be spent on the entire transport corridor, the plan estimates.
``The project is a monster,'' Yevgeny Nadorshin, chief economist with Trust Investment Bank in Moscow, said in an interview. ``The Chinese are crying out for our commodities and willing to finance the transport links, and we're sending oil to Alaska.''
In Alaska, a supporter of the project is former Governor Walter Joseph Hickel, who plans to co-chair a conference on the subject in Moscow next week.
``Governor Hickel has long supported this concept, and he talks about it and writes about it,'' said Malcolm Roberts, a senior fellow at the Anchorage-based Institute of the North, a research policy group focused on Arctic issues. Hickel governed Alaska from 1966 to 1969 as a Republican and then from 1990 to 1994 as a member of the Independence Party.
Alaska's current officials, however, are preoccupied with other issues, including a plan to develop a pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the lower 48 U.S. states, Roberts said.
The U.S. government's Federal Railroad Administration isn't directly involved in talks about the link, agency spokesman Warren Flatau said today.
Finance Agencies
Tsar Nicholas II, Russia's last emperor, was the first Russian leader to approve a plan for a tunnel under the Bering Strait, in 1905, 38 years after his grandfather sold Alaska to America for $7.2 million. World War I ended the project.
The planned undersea tunnel would contain a high-speed railway, highway and pipelines, as well as power and fiber-optic cables, according to TKM-World Link. Investors in the so-called public-private partnership include OAO Russian Railways, national utility OAO Unified Energy System and pipeline operator OAO Transneft, according to a press release which was handed out at the media briefing and bore the companies' logos.
Russia and the U.S. may each eventually take 25 percent stakes, with private investors and international finance agencies as other shareholders, Razbegin said. ``The governments will act as guarantors for private money,'' he said.
The World Link will save North America and Far East Russia $20 billion a year on electricity costs, said Vasily Zubakin, deputy chief executive officer of OAO Hydro OGK, Unified Energy's hydropower unit and a potential investor.
Transport Electricity
``It's cheaper to transport electricity east, and with our unique tidal resources, the potential is real,'' Zubakin said. Hydro OGK plans by 2020 to build the Tugurskaya and Pendzhinskaya tidal plants, each with capacity of as much as 10 gigawatts, in the Okhotsk Sea, close to Sakhalin Island.
The project envisions building high-voltage power lines with a capacity of up to 15 gigawatts to supply the new rail links and also export to North America.
Russian Railways is working on the rail route from Pravaya Lena, south of Yakutsk in the Sakha republic, to Uelen on the Bering Strait, a 3,500 kilometer stretch. The link could carry commodities from eastern Siberia and Sakha to North American export markets, said Artur Alexeyev, Sakha's vice president.
The two regions hold most of Russia's metal and mineral reserves ``and yet only 1.5 percent of it is developed due to lack of infrastructure and tough conditions,'' Alexeyev said.
Cluster Projects
Rail links in Russia and the U.S., where an almost 2,000- kilometer stretch from Angora to Fort Nelson in Canada would continue the route, would cost up to $15 billion, Razbegin said. With cargo traffic of as much as 100 million tons annually expected on the World Link, the investments in the rail section could be repaid in 20 years, he said.
``The transit link is that string on which all our industrial cluster projects could hang,'' Zubakin said.
Japan, China and Korea have expressed interest in the project, with Japanese companies offering to burrow the tunnel under the Bering Strait for $60 million a kilometer, half the price set down in the project, Razbegin said.
``This will certainly help to develop Siberia and the Far East, but better port infrastructure would do that too and not cost $65 billion,'' Trust's Nadorshin said. ``For all we know, the U.S. doesn't want to make Alaska a transport hub.''
The figures for the project come from a preliminary feasibility study. A full study could be funded from Russia's investment fund, set aside for large infrastructure projects, Bystrov said.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thousands Of Iraqi “Refugees” May Be Coming To US by Bill West
On April 18, the Washington Times reported the US Government has agreed to “accept” up to twenty-five thousand Iraqi “refugees” who fled Iraq as a result of the war there. The report quoted Ellen Sauerbrey, assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration as saying, "It's fair to say that, if we get the referrals [from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees], we could resettle up to 25,000 Iraqi refugees within the president's determination this year."
Apart from the questionable legitimacy of accepting large numbers of “refugees” from a supposed democracy the US has essentially established, helping genuine refugees is, of course, noble and important. Making certain those accepted for admission into the United States under any conditions, including refugee status, are not a threat to America is the most important function the Government can and should do in its immigration related operations. Unfortunately, the Government has not performed well in such matters in the past. While surely Federal bureaucrats from DHS and the State Department will assure us that “all necessary measures” will be employed to insure that no persons who are security threats will be allowed to enter the US as a result of any refugee processing, as this report cites, it is likely that process will not differ much from prior similar efforts.
This is how that process will likely work. Officials will run the known names and fingerprints through available databases. If anything "hits," US officials will presumably do some form of follow up. There is one report out indicating US Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) is soliciting processing teams to volunteer for temporary duty in Damascus. If this refugee processing will occur in Syria, how cooperative will Syrian officialdom be with US authorities if asked to conduct any kind of thorough background inquiry? That follow up, at most, would result in denial of admission. Would the Syrians really arrest a terrorist suspect for us? We may have somewhat better luck conducting a background inquiry in Iraq where US agencies exert some degree of control and authority; but, how much effort will really be put into backtracking the bonafides of a refugee claim in-country by US authorities who are strapped simply trying to maintain some modicum of security and self protection?
As far as the interview process, that will amount to asking a standard battery of questions through a translator (provided by and vetted by whom?) and essentially taking those answers at face value. There will be only a minimal degree of face-to-face interrogation skills applied to any of this to determine if an applicant is being truthful. The USG personnel doing the processing will mostly not be veteran law enforcement or Intelligence operatives but will be benefit givers from USCIS and State Department Consular Officers...essentially social workers for aliens who know the path to their success is to grant immigration benefits. There may be a some small contingent of ICE, FBI and CIA personnel monitoring and reviewing what's going on, but the sheer numbers of potential refugee applicants will only allow for mere "spot checking" by those cops and Intel Officers and most likely they will be under orders to only interrupt the flow in the most egregious and obvious bad-guy cases. In reality, there will be virtually no ability to request or conduct any kind of meaningful follow up background investigation on suspects beyond, perhaps, the posting of a lookout notice. Virtually everything will be rubber-stamped as “approved” unless there is a glaring bad-guy "hit" in the record systems. Bad guys who happen to have an otherwise clean ID record will probably get through.
That, sadly, is the likely reality of what will happen if the Government moves forward with this Iraqi refugee plan. Most unfortunately, among those admitted into the US will probably be some genuine terrorists who will be provided with very genuine and official US immigration and identity documents allowing them to live and work in the United States. This is nothing new. So many other terrorist aliens have similarly gained entry into the United States and “lawfully” remained. The sad truth is little has changed to prevent it from occurring all over again and it appears history is about to repeat itself.
Apart from the questionable legitimacy of accepting large numbers of “refugees” from a supposed democracy the US has essentially established, helping genuine refugees is, of course, noble and important. Making certain those accepted for admission into the United States under any conditions, including refugee status, are not a threat to America is the most important function the Government can and should do in its immigration related operations. Unfortunately, the Government has not performed well in such matters in the past. While surely Federal bureaucrats from DHS and the State Department will assure us that “all necessary measures” will be employed to insure that no persons who are security threats will be allowed to enter the US as a result of any refugee processing, as this report cites, it is likely that process will not differ much from prior similar efforts.
This is how that process will likely work. Officials will run the known names and fingerprints through available databases. If anything "hits," US officials will presumably do some form of follow up. There is one report out indicating US Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) is soliciting processing teams to volunteer for temporary duty in Damascus. If this refugee processing will occur in Syria, how cooperative will Syrian officialdom be with US authorities if asked to conduct any kind of thorough background inquiry? That follow up, at most, would result in denial of admission. Would the Syrians really arrest a terrorist suspect for us? We may have somewhat better luck conducting a background inquiry in Iraq where US agencies exert some degree of control and authority; but, how much effort will really be put into backtracking the bonafides of a refugee claim in-country by US authorities who are strapped simply trying to maintain some modicum of security and self protection?
As far as the interview process, that will amount to asking a standard battery of questions through a translator (provided by and vetted by whom?) and essentially taking those answers at face value. There will be only a minimal degree of face-to-face interrogation skills applied to any of this to determine if an applicant is being truthful. The USG personnel doing the processing will mostly not be veteran law enforcement or Intelligence operatives but will be benefit givers from USCIS and State Department Consular Officers...essentially social workers for aliens who know the path to their success is to grant immigration benefits. There may be a some small contingent of ICE, FBI and CIA personnel monitoring and reviewing what's going on, but the sheer numbers of potential refugee applicants will only allow for mere "spot checking" by those cops and Intel Officers and most likely they will be under orders to only interrupt the flow in the most egregious and obvious bad-guy cases. In reality, there will be virtually no ability to request or conduct any kind of meaningful follow up background investigation on suspects beyond, perhaps, the posting of a lookout notice. Virtually everything will be rubber-stamped as “approved” unless there is a glaring bad-guy "hit" in the record systems. Bad guys who happen to have an otherwise clean ID record will probably get through.
That, sadly, is the likely reality of what will happen if the Government moves forward with this Iraqi refugee plan. Most unfortunately, among those admitted into the US will probably be some genuine terrorists who will be provided with very genuine and official US immigration and identity documents allowing them to live and work in the United States. This is nothing new. So many other terrorist aliens have similarly gained entry into the United States and “lawfully” remained. The sad truth is little has changed to prevent it from occurring all over again and it appears history is about to repeat itself.
DARPA's Surface Navigation Concept - without GPS by M.T.
Imagine the United States attempting to fight a war if the Global Positioning System (GPS) were suddenly unavailable. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has obviously thought about it has just awarded a concept development contract to a team of corporations led by Boeing. The objective of the Robust Surface Navigation (RSN) program is to develop technologies that can exploit various "signals of opportunity" -- electronic waves emanating from satellites, cell phone towers and even television transmission towers -- to provide precise location and navigation information to ground troops when GPS signals are being electronically jammed or blocked by natural or man-made obstacles, such as foliage or buildings. The team includes ROSUM, the only company that has used broadcast television signals to locate mobile assets. It's also the first company to combine television and GPS signals for truly robust situational awareness in all environments.
"The challenge is to develop an integrated system that can use all available signals -- not just GPS -- to provide accurate navigation information through one small receiver, thereby eliminating the need for an expensive, fixed infrastructure," said Bart Ferrell, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for Precision Navigation Programs.
The Boeing-led Robust Surface Navigation team is beginning its 15-month Phase 1 concept development contract.
The team includes ROSUM, NAVSYS and Shared Spectrum. "Leveraging the technical expertise and capabilities of this exceptionally strong team will help ensure the development of a very robust integrated system for surface navigation," Ferrell said.
ROSUM is the only company that has used broadcast television signals to locate mobile assets. It's also the first company to combine television and GPS signals for truly robust situational awareness in all environments. ROSUM's leadership comes from GPS, cellular and television industries.
NAVSYS provides high-quality technical products and services in GPS hardware design, systems engineering, systems analysis, and software design. Founded in 1986 by Dr. Allison Brown, NAVSYS is dedicated to promoting the use of GPS in a wide variety of commercial and military applications. It offers services in three primary areas: GPS, Inertial Navigation Systems, and Communications Systems.
Shared Spectrum has developed innovative cognitive radio technologies for government and commercial customers with challenging radio communications and networking needs. The company's expertise includes defense communications in extremely challenging RF conditions and commercial communications involving novel approaches to sharing and managing spectrum access.
Shared Spectrum Company (SSC) is currently demonstrating its neXt Generation (XG) radio system at the IEEE Symposium on New Frontiers on Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks (DySPAN) in Dublin, Ireland - the first time that SSC’s technology has been demonstrated in an open public forum. The XG system employs cognitive radio technology developed for DARPA. At a DARPA test last summer, SSC demonstrated for the first time that multiple frequencies can be accessed automatically and dynamically without interference to various legacy radios using the same frequencies. The Company’s research is expected to revolutionize military field communications, making it possible for commanders and soldiers to make optimum use of limited spectrum capacity in battle conditions. Potential commercial and public safety applications will similarly improve spectrum efficiency, radio range and user density. As part of the demonstration in Dublin, SSC engineers will perform an analysis of spectrum use in the city, establishing a baseline measurement for the operating frequencies provided by the conference organizers for the SSC tests. The demonstration will highlight the capability of SSC’s current XG radio prototype to detect available spectrum, avoid hostile attempts to jam the network, conform to policy commands, and network with other XG nodes. The company’s next version of its XG radios will also be shown for the first time. In addition to the demonstration, SSC engineers and regulatory experts will present papers on policy-based network management, dynamic spectrum sharing detectors and regulation of “smart” radio technology. Along with SSC, the DySPAN demonstrations will feature other emerging wireless communication techniques and involve many of the leading companies, universities and research institutions focusing on this topic worldwide. The conference is sponsored by the Communications Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
"The challenge is to develop an integrated system that can use all available signals -- not just GPS -- to provide accurate navigation information through one small receiver, thereby eliminating the need for an expensive, fixed infrastructure," said Bart Ferrell, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for Precision Navigation Programs.
The Boeing-led Robust Surface Navigation team is beginning its 15-month Phase 1 concept development contract.
The team includes ROSUM, NAVSYS and Shared Spectrum. "Leveraging the technical expertise and capabilities of this exceptionally strong team will help ensure the development of a very robust integrated system for surface navigation," Ferrell said.
ROSUM is the only company that has used broadcast television signals to locate mobile assets. It's also the first company to combine television and GPS signals for truly robust situational awareness in all environments. ROSUM's leadership comes from GPS, cellular and television industries.
NAVSYS provides high-quality technical products and services in GPS hardware design, systems engineering, systems analysis, and software design. Founded in 1986 by Dr. Allison Brown, NAVSYS is dedicated to promoting the use of GPS in a wide variety of commercial and military applications. It offers services in three primary areas: GPS, Inertial Navigation Systems, and Communications Systems.
Shared Spectrum has developed innovative cognitive radio technologies for government and commercial customers with challenging radio communications and networking needs. The company's expertise includes defense communications in extremely challenging RF conditions and commercial communications involving novel approaches to sharing and managing spectrum access.
Shared Spectrum Company (SSC) is currently demonstrating its neXt Generation (XG) radio system at the IEEE Symposium on New Frontiers on Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks (DySPAN) in Dublin, Ireland - the first time that SSC’s technology has been demonstrated in an open public forum. The XG system employs cognitive radio technology developed for DARPA. At a DARPA test last summer, SSC demonstrated for the first time that multiple frequencies can be accessed automatically and dynamically without interference to various legacy radios using the same frequencies. The Company’s research is expected to revolutionize military field communications, making it possible for commanders and soldiers to make optimum use of limited spectrum capacity in battle conditions. Potential commercial and public safety applications will similarly improve spectrum efficiency, radio range and user density. As part of the demonstration in Dublin, SSC engineers will perform an analysis of spectrum use in the city, establishing a baseline measurement for the operating frequencies provided by the conference organizers for the SSC tests. The demonstration will highlight the capability of SSC’s current XG radio prototype to detect available spectrum, avoid hostile attempts to jam the network, conform to policy commands, and network with other XG nodes. The company’s next version of its XG radios will also be shown for the first time. In addition to the demonstration, SSC engineers and regulatory experts will present papers on policy-based network management, dynamic spectrum sharing detectors and regulation of “smart” radio technology. Along with SSC, the DySPAN demonstrations will feature other emerging wireless communication techniques and involve many of the leading companies, universities and research institutions focusing on this topic worldwide. The conference is sponsored by the Communications Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
God speed.
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name' sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
- The 23rd Psalm
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name' sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
- The 23rd Psalm
Asian Journalist Group: Don't Mention VT Shooter's Ethnicity by Ken Shepherd
Isn't there something a tad, I dunno, hypocritical about a group of journalists who associate with each other on the basis of race and ethnicity issuing an edict to fellow journalists to ignore the race and ethnicity of the Virginia Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui?:
Like the rest of the nation, we at the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) are stunned at the news of today's shooting at Virginia Tech. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends as they cope with this horrific incident.
As coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting continues to unfold, AAJA urges all media to avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or germane reason. There is no evidence at this early point that the race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman has anything to do with the incident, and to include such mention serves only to unfairly portray an entire people.
The effect of mentioning race can be powerfully harmful. It can subject people to unfair treatment based simply on skin color and heritage.
We further remind members of the media that the standards of news reporting should be universal and applied equally no matter the platform or medium, including blogs.
The advisory doesn't say anything about naming Cho's national origin, which is pretty much germane to any instance of news coverage.
But race, ethnicity, and national origin seem to be "compelling and germane" considerations to the AAJA for increasing "diversity" in American newsrooms. Witness their March 27 news release:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 26, 2007) - With newspapers across the country experiencing dramatic changes in recent months due to consolidation, convergence and staff downsizing, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) today called for the nation's newspaper editors not to lose sight of the importance of diversity in newsrooms and in the coverage of the country's diverse communities.
"Now more than ever as we navigate tremendous challenges, it is crucial for industry leaders to ensure diversity at all levels. Diversity is fundamental to fair and accurate coverage of communities of color, which are growing exponentially nationwide," said AAJA President Jeanne Mariani-Belding, attending the convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), held March 27-30 in Washington, D.C.
[...]
"While it's encouraging to see the number of Asian Americans in our newsrooms increase, clearly there's much more work to be done in terms of attaining diversity in our management ranks, particularly at the highest levels. Having journalists of color in key decision-making roles not only enriches our journalism, but also reflects a true commitment from media companies to reflect America's demographics and properly serve our core audiences," said Mariani-Belding, who is also editorial and opinion editor at The Honolulu Advertiser.
In other words, according to the AAJA, it's good journalism to avoid mentioning race or ethnicity of a mass murderer while at the same time the race and ethnicity of reporters and editors are crucial factors to promoting good journalism.
Like the rest of the nation, we at the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) are stunned at the news of today's shooting at Virginia Tech. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends as they cope with this horrific incident.
As coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting continues to unfold, AAJA urges all media to avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or germane reason. There is no evidence at this early point that the race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman has anything to do with the incident, and to include such mention serves only to unfairly portray an entire people.
The effect of mentioning race can be powerfully harmful. It can subject people to unfair treatment based simply on skin color and heritage.
We further remind members of the media that the standards of news reporting should be universal and applied equally no matter the platform or medium, including blogs.
The advisory doesn't say anything about naming Cho's national origin, which is pretty much germane to any instance of news coverage.
But race, ethnicity, and national origin seem to be "compelling and germane" considerations to the AAJA for increasing "diversity" in American newsrooms. Witness their March 27 news release:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 26, 2007) - With newspapers across the country experiencing dramatic changes in recent months due to consolidation, convergence and staff downsizing, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) today called for the nation's newspaper editors not to lose sight of the importance of diversity in newsrooms and in the coverage of the country's diverse communities.
"Now more than ever as we navigate tremendous challenges, it is crucial for industry leaders to ensure diversity at all levels. Diversity is fundamental to fair and accurate coverage of communities of color, which are growing exponentially nationwide," said AAJA President Jeanne Mariani-Belding, attending the convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), held March 27-30 in Washington, D.C.
[...]
"While it's encouraging to see the number of Asian Americans in our newsrooms increase, clearly there's much more work to be done in terms of attaining diversity in our management ranks, particularly at the highest levels. Having journalists of color in key decision-making roles not only enriches our journalism, but also reflects a true commitment from media companies to reflect America's demographics and properly serve our core audiences," said Mariani-Belding, who is also editorial and opinion editor at The Honolulu Advertiser.
In other words, according to the AAJA, it's good journalism to avoid mentioning race or ethnicity of a mass murderer while at the same time the race and ethnicity of reporters and editors are crucial factors to promoting good journalism.
Virginia Tech Tragedy: Human Nature & Networks by Aaron Mannes
While the Virginia Tech tragedy has spawned the predictable media frenzy, there has – so far – been an admirable lack of speculation about the killer, his motives, or what this event says about American society. Leftist philosopher Herbert Marcuse once observed, “Not every problem someone has with his girlfriend is necessarily due to the capitalist mode of production.” Humans are complicated and there are dark places in the human soul that will emerge. Sometimes ideologies and causes will spark these evil inclinations. But they exist and have emerged in every time and place.
Knowing that tragedies are part of the human experience – whether from natural or man-made causes – it is essential to take proper steps to ameliorate their impact. Dwight Eisenhower once observed, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” Predicting the exact shape of the next tragedy is rarely possible. But the processes of preparing for some kinds of disasters and attacks will help develop the systems and habits necessary to respond to whatever fate throws. Lives were saved on 9/11 because some WTC tenants had consistently practiced evacuation techniques in the wake of the 1993 bombing.
University Presidents are akin to mayors. Universities are attractive targets and favorable locations for a variety of adverse events (violent attacks, disease outbreaks, criminal activity, and mass disturbances.) Undoubtedly yesterday’s tragedy will increase interest in disaster planning at universities. One factor that should become central to planning is the ubiquity of mobile communications technology. Students texted each other to stay abreast of events and of course, there is the now famous celphone video. Properly harnessed this technology could have been an invaluable resource – not only for informing the students and public about evolving events - but for helping authorities locate the injured and track the killer’s movements.
This is the age of the network, and the ability of people to quickly form networks and exchange information is an integral part of disaster response and mitigation. In the wake of Katrina, evacuees formed online communities to support each other emotionally and also through practical measures. We have seen the bad guys (terrorists and criminals) and commercial interests make creative use of communications technology to organize internally and get their message out externally. There is no reason the good guys can’t do the same.
Knowing that tragedies are part of the human experience – whether from natural or man-made causes – it is essential to take proper steps to ameliorate their impact. Dwight Eisenhower once observed, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” Predicting the exact shape of the next tragedy is rarely possible. But the processes of preparing for some kinds of disasters and attacks will help develop the systems and habits necessary to respond to whatever fate throws. Lives were saved on 9/11 because some WTC tenants had consistently practiced evacuation techniques in the wake of the 1993 bombing.
University Presidents are akin to mayors. Universities are attractive targets and favorable locations for a variety of adverse events (violent attacks, disease outbreaks, criminal activity, and mass disturbances.) Undoubtedly yesterday’s tragedy will increase interest in disaster planning at universities. One factor that should become central to planning is the ubiquity of mobile communications technology. Students texted each other to stay abreast of events and of course, there is the now famous celphone video. Properly harnessed this technology could have been an invaluable resource – not only for informing the students and public about evolving events - but for helping authorities locate the injured and track the killer’s movements.
This is the age of the network, and the ability of people to quickly form networks and exchange information is an integral part of disaster response and mitigation. In the wake of Katrina, evacuees formed online communities to support each other emotionally and also through practical measures. We have seen the bad guys (terrorists and criminals) and commercial interests make creative use of communications technology to organize internally and get their message out externally. There is no reason the good guys can’t do the same.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Israeli Professor Killed in US Attack by Haviv Rettig
As Jews worldwide honored on Monday the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust, a 76-year-old survivor sacrificed his life to save his students in Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech College that left 33 dead and over two dozen wounded.
Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter when the man attempted to enter his classroom. The Israeli mechanics and engineering lecturer was shot to death, "but all the students lived - because of him," Virginia Tech student Asael Arad - also an Israeli - told Army Radio.
Several of Librescu's other students sent e-mails to his wife, Marlena, telling of how he blocked the gunman's way and saved their lives, said Librescu's son, Joe.
"My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu said in a telephone interview from his home outside of Tel Aviv. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."
Librescu was respected in his field, his son said.
"His work was his life in a sense," said Joe. "That was a good place for him to practice his research."
Librescu was sent to a labor camp in Russia as a child and saved by the townspeople. His father was deported by the Nazis.
As a scientist working under Nicolae Ceaucescu's oppressive regime, Librescu was forbidden to have any contact with sources outside Romania. He defied the ban, continuing to publish scientific articles secretly.
His Zionist affinities eventually caused him to be forced out of his job. In 1978, the Librescus emigrated from Romania to Israel, where they raised two sons. In 1986, the family moved to Virginia for Librescu's sabbatical. While they only planned to stay in the United States a year, but have lived there ever since.
Librescu's second son, Arie, told The Jerusalem Post that his father had served as an "ambassador" for Israel in a community with many Muslim residents, but few Israelis.
The Foreign Ministry has taken charge of flying Librescu's body back to Israel. The funeral is expected to take place in Ra'anana on Thursday, although that date has not been confirmed.
Meanwhile, police on Tuesday afternoon identified the gunman as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a South Korean citizen who was studying legally in the United States as an English major at Virginia Tech.
Earlier, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said that the gunman in the second of two campus attacks was a student at the university, also defending the school's delay in warning students about what became the deadliest shooting rampage in US history.
While Steger did not explicitly say the student, who he identified as an Asian male, was also the gunman in the first shooting, he said he did not believe there was another shooter. The gunman struck down two people at a dormitory Monday before killing 30 more people at a campus building and finally killing himself with a shot to his head.
"We do know that he was an Asian male - this is the second incident - an Asian man who was a resident in one of our dormitories," said Steger in an interview with CNN, confirming for the first time that the killer was a student.
Some students said their first warning came more than two hours after the first shooting, in an e-mail at 9:26 a.m. By then the second shooting had begun.
Steger said the university was trying to notify students who were already on-campus, not those who were commuting in.
He said investigators did not know there was a shooter loose on campus in the interval between the two shootings because the first could have been a murder-suicide.
Two students told NBC television's "Today" show they were unaware of the dorm shooting when they reported to a German class where the gunman later opened fire.
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush were planning to attend a 2 p.m. convocation Tuesday, and people sought comfort Monday night at a church service.
That question promises to haunt Blacksburg long after Monday's attacks. Investigators offered no motive, and the gunman's name was not immediately released.
Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter when the man attempted to enter his classroom. The Israeli mechanics and engineering lecturer was shot to death, "but all the students lived - because of him," Virginia Tech student Asael Arad - also an Israeli - told Army Radio.
Several of Librescu's other students sent e-mails to his wife, Marlena, telling of how he blocked the gunman's way and saved their lives, said Librescu's son, Joe.
"My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu said in a telephone interview from his home outside of Tel Aviv. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."
Librescu was respected in his field, his son said.
"His work was his life in a sense," said Joe. "That was a good place for him to practice his research."
Librescu was sent to a labor camp in Russia as a child and saved by the townspeople. His father was deported by the Nazis.
As a scientist working under Nicolae Ceaucescu's oppressive regime, Librescu was forbidden to have any contact with sources outside Romania. He defied the ban, continuing to publish scientific articles secretly.
His Zionist affinities eventually caused him to be forced out of his job. In 1978, the Librescus emigrated from Romania to Israel, where they raised two sons. In 1986, the family moved to Virginia for Librescu's sabbatical. While they only planned to stay in the United States a year, but have lived there ever since.
Librescu's second son, Arie, told The Jerusalem Post that his father had served as an "ambassador" for Israel in a community with many Muslim residents, but few Israelis.
The Foreign Ministry has taken charge of flying Librescu's body back to Israel. The funeral is expected to take place in Ra'anana on Thursday, although that date has not been confirmed.
Meanwhile, police on Tuesday afternoon identified the gunman as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a South Korean citizen who was studying legally in the United States as an English major at Virginia Tech.
Earlier, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said that the gunman in the second of two campus attacks was a student at the university, also defending the school's delay in warning students about what became the deadliest shooting rampage in US history.
While Steger did not explicitly say the student, who he identified as an Asian male, was also the gunman in the first shooting, he said he did not believe there was another shooter. The gunman struck down two people at a dormitory Monday before killing 30 more people at a campus building and finally killing himself with a shot to his head.
"We do know that he was an Asian male - this is the second incident - an Asian man who was a resident in one of our dormitories," said Steger in an interview with CNN, confirming for the first time that the killer was a student.
Some students said their first warning came more than two hours after the first shooting, in an e-mail at 9:26 a.m. By then the second shooting had begun.
Steger said the university was trying to notify students who were already on-campus, not those who were commuting in.
He said investigators did not know there was a shooter loose on campus in the interval between the two shootings because the first could have been a murder-suicide.
Two students told NBC television's "Today" show they were unaware of the dorm shooting when they reported to a German class where the gunman later opened fire.
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush were planning to attend a 2 p.m. convocation Tuesday, and people sought comfort Monday night at a church service.
That question promises to haunt Blacksburg long after Monday's attacks. Investigators offered no motive, and the gunman's name was not immediately released.
After Imus? Now What by Oprah Winfrey
Dr. Robin Smith says the Imus controversy exposes a "hole in the soul of this country." "Don Imus—he's a symbol. He's a symbol of how sick we are. He's a symbol of the self-hatred, not just in African-Americans, but in white America," she says.
According to Dr. Robin, the acceptance of racism and sexism is kind of like having garbage for dinner every day. "At first it tastes awful, it stinks, it makes you sick," she says. "But when you have it long enough, and I serve it to you well enough and sometimes even dress it up with pretty plates and fine linen, it begins to trick your mind and your spirit and make you think that, that which is toxic and poison actually starts to taste okay."
Dr. Robin says we should all examine the nature of freedom. "As we look at what it is to be emancipated, it is not emancipation to tear down another human being," Dr. Robin says. "If I eat away at [another person's] soul, what I don't know is that my own soul is being poisoned at the same time."
Rev. Sharpton agrees that the issue has spiritual implications. "I think that at the end of the day, this is about how people affirm themselves," he says. "You can't let anyone define you and limit you. Those that define you can confine you."
According to Dr. Robin, the acceptance of racism and sexism is kind of like having garbage for dinner every day. "At first it tastes awful, it stinks, it makes you sick," she says. "But when you have it long enough, and I serve it to you well enough and sometimes even dress it up with pretty plates and fine linen, it begins to trick your mind and your spirit and make you think that, that which is toxic and poison actually starts to taste okay."
Dr. Robin says we should all examine the nature of freedom. "As we look at what it is to be emancipated, it is not emancipation to tear down another human being," Dr. Robin says. "If I eat away at [another person's] soul, what I don't know is that my own soul is being poisoned at the same time."
Rev. Sharpton agrees that the issue has spiritual implications. "I think that at the end of the day, this is about how people affirm themselves," he says. "You can't let anyone define you and limit you. Those that define you can confine you."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)