On August 12, 2007, a report was published, warning that New York, Los Angeles and Miami were being targeted with a new threat of attack with "radioactive material" by al Qaeda. My family and I didn't pay much attention to the threat until we learned that the threat was discovered by the Israeli-based - "DEBKAfiles" and "Laura Mansfield", Zionists who know all there is to know about al Queda and other Islamist terror organizations.
Hearing that the al Qaeda threat was sourced to such credible, unbiased news sources, of course we took the threat seriously. We immediately retreated into the shelter we have under our home where rations, water, clothing and our high-speed internet service are always in supply. We've been waiting here for several days now, with a few essential belongings and our secure computer from which I write this article - waiting until the news agencies reduce the terror alert and send out the "All Clear" single. We admit that we became terrified when Laura Mansfield discovered the latest al Qaeda video and the editors of DEBKAfiles informed the world that they discovered the threat on "a rush of electronic chatter" on al Qaeda Web sites.
"The threat was picked up by DEBKAfile’s monitors from a rush of electronic chatter on al Qaeda sites Thursday, Aug. 8."
The only source that DEBKAfiles (Hereafter referred to as "Debka") provided for this report was its own "Debka monitors" of "al Qaeda's internal internet sites" and added this undocumented statement:
"In addition, a growing number of clips has been disseminated of late over al Qaeda sites instructing the faithful how to design remote-controlled gliders, pack them with explosives and launch them against predetermined targets."
Debka actually reported that it picked up 3 messages from Al Qaeda's rush of electronic chatter:
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One was a "videotape released by the American al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gaddahn" that states, "They will soon realize their mistake when American cities are hit by quality operations".
Comment: The single source found for the video was "Laura Mansfield" who edits a blog bearing her name (LauraMansfield.com). Laura describes herself on her blog:
"Laura Mansfield is your preferred source for up-to-date, credible information from professionals who speak the language and understand the religion, history, and culture of the Islamic world."
Laura links her website to a number of other highly credible and unbiased Zionist sites including, Jihad Watch, Daniel Pipes, Front Page Magazine, Operation Shiloh, Internet Haganah, "Confronting the Global Jihad Online", and others. "Recommended Reading" on Laura's blog includes, "Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe"; "Terrorist Hunter"; "Holy War, Inc"; "Future Jihad"; "The Osama bin Laden I Know"; "One Nation Under Allah: The Islamic Invasion of America; and Laura's own book, "Inshallah: My Journey into the World of Islam and My Escape". -
The second threat "picked up from a rush of electronic chatter states that "the attacks would be carried out 'by means of trucks loaded with radio-active material against America’s biggest city and financial nerve center'.”
Comment: This specificity of this second threat added to our fears. Knowing Debka's concern for the safety of our country and their excellent sources inside the Mossad, the world's most brilliant intelligence apparatus, we knew that they must have determined that New York City had to be the primary target of the dirty terrorists of the dirty al-Qaeda and their dirty bomb. So we thought we should sound the alarm to the rest of our fellow citizens. -
The third message Debka's monitors picked up "mentioned New York, Los Angeles and Miami as targets". This sinister communiqúe drew the following answer in the diabolical dialogue:
"The attack, with Allah’s help, will cause an economic meltdown, many dead, and a financial crisis on a scale that compels the United States to pull its military forces out of many parts of the world, including Iraq, for lack of any other way of cutting down costs.”
(On a more positive note, we are pleased to know that someone is concerned about the costs of the Iraq war.)
Comment: The second and third threats originated with Debka's Israeli-based, monitors who are not named and the messages they report are not sourced. But hearing it from Debka was enough for us. So we dug in. If the reader has any doubt about these threats or the quality of Debka's intelligence we think it's important for the reader to know just who the Debka editors and publishers are. In the following paragraph (an excerpt from their website) Debka tells us who they are:
"DEBKAfile is a self-supporting Internet publication devoted to independent, investigative reporting and forward analysis in the fields of international terrorism, intelligence, international conflict, Islam, military affairs, security and politics. DEBKAfile comes out seven days a week in English and Hebrew with additional language sites planned. We began publishing two and-a-half years ago. Our primary aim was to answer what appeared to be a crying need on the Web for strong content in the fields of our expertise based on cutting edge journalism ... DEBKAfile ... has proved also to be a viable business operation.
"Our articles are regularly quoted and credited by a host of international television, radio and print media. Frequent requests for specialist interviews are received by our editorial staff and experts. DEBKAfile has been cited as Best of the Web by Forbes, selected Hot Site by USATODAY and profiled in the New York Observer (A Web Site With the Inside Dope on the Middle East), Time Magazine, Le Monde, Paris Corriere della Sera, Milan, Wired News (Debka: Conflict's Drudge Report?), NEW MEDIA (For the real skinny on the Afghan story), Haaretz Magazine and Globes Digital. Articles are in preparation in Harpers and Rolling Stone. Giora Shamis is Chief Editor and CEO; Diane Shalem, English Editor and Head of Research. Both had long records as international correspondents with mainstream media before opening DEBKAfile in the summer of 2000. DEBKAfile's editorial desk, located in Jerusalem, Israel, is supported by half a dozen full- and part-time correspondents, contributors in world hot spots and a far-flung web of tried and proven sources. We have also developed informal swap and links connections with reputable writers and publications on most continents. DEBKAfile does not by-line its articles ... our articles represent diverse input and ideas from different sources as seen from various angles. Unlike the traditional “beat” approach to current affairs, this method broadens the scope of our articles, lifting their content out of the localized plane and reducing their susceptibility to local interests and bias. DEBKAfile is self-financed, has no axe to grind and speaks for no government, group, organ, institution, political party or interest."
Debka's claim, "Our articles are regularly quoted and credited by a host of international television, radio and print media" is borne out in the way this threat was picked up and passed on by other highly credible media corporations. The network of corporate news agencies including Reuters, Associated Press and many pro-Israel, pro-American websites picked up this latest al Qaeda threat and spread it around the world. Each of them source the terrorist threat back to the highly credible Debka.com.
Also, Debka's description of their staff should lay any remaining doubts about their credibility to rest: Debka is "... supported by half a dozen full- and part-time correspondents, contributors in world hot spots". Even more impressive is their "far-flung web of tried and proven sources".
In addition, Debka's funding and their impeccable, journalistic methods is proof enough that they have no political agenda and their only interest is in making the world safe from Islamofascists, Muslim Terrorists, suicide bombers and their jealous and hateful Arab cohorts. These vigilant sentries are the same reliable sources who informed us that the Muslim terrorists are only too happy to kill the infidel (that's us), intent on reaping the pleasures of their reward of 70 virgins in the afterlife.
- "DEBKAfile is self-financed, has no axe to grind and speaks for no government, group, organ, institution, political party or interest".
- "Our articles represent diverse input and ideas from different sources as seen from various angles. Unlike the traditional “beat” approach to current affairs, this method broadens the scope of our articles, lifting their content out of the localized plane and reducing their susceptibility to local interests and bias.
Debka's "self-financing" demonstrates that their journalism cannot be influenced by outside funding sources. We can be sure that the commercial advertisers on their website have the same commitment to fight terrorism as the full- and part-time editors and journalists employed by Debka. Also, having established their integrity in all the spheres, we have their word that Debka: "has no axe to grind and speaks for no government, group, organ, institution, political party or interest". The fact that they are based in Israel only tells us that they have the most experience and best intelligence for fighting terrorism in the world. Since 2003 their counter-terrorism experts have been protecting our country. On March 2, 2003, just before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Israeli-based Israel 21C reported:
Israeli counter-terrorism experts teams up with U.S. cyber-security firm
"A pioneer Israeli counter-terrorism consulting firm, GS-3 based in Tel Aviv and Virginia, is an international security solutions provider offering risk assessment, crisis management, training, recovery planning, and advanced technology solutions to airports, airlines, corporations, energy plants and public facilities."
Moreover, Debka's untraditional approach to current affairs and the "broad scope" of their articles, "lifting their content out of the localized plane" and their reduction of "susceptibility to local interests and bias" proves that their reporting is uncompromised.
So these Debka's warnings of a terrorist threat on 3 U.S. cities can and should indeed be taken seriously. Thankfully, at least one city in the U.S. responded immediately to Debka's warnings. New York City officials know very well what it means to ignore any threat of a terrorist attack. After all, they paid dearly for their lack of vigilance on September 11, 2001. When they received direct information from Debka this August about the impending Islamist attacks, they immediately rallied with "increased security" and set up checkpoints to inspect vehicles to secure their city. Since 9/11, New York City has served as a model of anti-terror preparedness. Consider their response to this Debka warning:
"... extra counterterrorism precautions Friday in response to what they said was an unsubstantiated radiological threat to the city. Police, fire and emergency management teams have been deployed around the New York City on Friday night in response to unverified online threats about a truck packed with radioactive material. Police are deploying extra radiological sensors on street, water and air patrols. They're stopping vehicles at checkpoints in lower Manhattan and around the city. An NYPD statement released Friday night says: "While the threat remains unverified, our counterterrorism posture, which is reconfigured daily based on intelligence from around the world, has been modified to include increased deployment of radiological sensors, including vehicle, marine and helicopter-mounted, as well as those carried by NYPD personnel. In addition, vehicle checkpoints are being established in New York City, including Lower Manhattan, and at certain approaches to the City from neighboring jurisdictions."
On the other hand, we are alarmed by irresponsibility demonstrated by the Los Angeles police who did not respond to Debka's warnings. Xinua, a Chinese news agency, reported:
"But unlike authorities in New York, Los Angeles police had not beefed up security in response to the report. In Los Angeles, the terrorist threat level was not raised and no increased security or extra patrols were ordered because the report was unverified, said Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department's media relations office. 'We always hope to be prepared if anything should happen, but there is no special alert at this time,' Lopez said."
But this unbelievable disregard of a clear and present danger to the people is not limited to the city of Los Angeles. There has been similar abrogations by certain media outlets. The Times of India, for example, played down the video discovered by Laura Mansfield. India's Minister of State for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal stated:
"There is no confirmed news of any such threat till now. However, our forces and the state machinery are always ready to face such threats. Our forces are alert to avert any such attempt. I want to appeal to the people that they need not worry about such threats."
Times of India also reported that the terrorists' video warns of the "targeting of Tel Aviv, Moscow and Delhi" and that the targeting of these cities is the terrorists' "legitimate right" and it accuses India of "killing more than 100,000 Muslims in Kashmir with US blessings". The evil of these terrorists obviously no no bounds. The bastards!!!
Other media networks handled Debka's warnings responsibily and with much greater respect. Associated Press (since updated), for example, led this story with a photograph of Osama bin Laden and distributed the Laura Mansfield's video Debka's discovery. AP included a brief question about authencity but was at least responsible enough to source their report to Laura and Debka:
"The threat was picked up by DEBKAfile’s monitors from a rush of electronic chatter on al Qaeda sites Thursday, Aug. 8. ... The authenticity of the video, which was first carried on the Web site of terrorism expert Laura Mansfield, could not be independently confirmed but it featured the logo of al-Qaida's media production house, as-Sahab."
Then Associated Press sounded the warning to the world:
"DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources and monitors say there is no way of gauging for sure how serious these threats are, how real, or whether they are part of a war of nerves to give the Gaddahn tape extra mileage. But it is important to note that the exchange of messages took place over al Qaeda’s internal Internet sites and that they contained the threat of radioactive terror and specific American cities for the first time after a long silence on these subjects.
"In addition, a growing number of clips has been disseminated of late over al Qaeda sites instructing the faithful how to design remote-controlled gliders, pack them with explosives and launch them against predetermined targets."
Associated Press then "obliquely" suggested that al Qaeda is on the side of Cuba and Venezuela which doesn't surprise us at all - "birds of a feather" you know. We're not sure why the terrorists support Japan, however:
"There is also a message which speaks obliquely of the approaching attacks easing the heavy pressure America exerts on countries like Japan, Cuba and Venezuela.
Breaking News! Oh this is wonderful! We just received breaking news from Debka that New York City has now lowered their threat level. When New York feels safe - we all feel safe. We can now bring our family out of our shelter and get back to normal living - more or less... We know we will be safe with our RSS to DEBKAfiles and Laura Mansfield who are watching the terrorists for our nation -the true guardians of world security.
Addendum - August 14, 2007. We received another communiqúe today that now tells us that Debka is an "unreliable" news source. AP Writer Aron Heller writes:
Terror threat Web site called unreliable
"JERUSALEM - The reported threat of a dirty bomb attack in New York City that led to heightened security this weekend came from a Jerusalem-based Web site that claims more than a million daily readers, but is criticized by intelligence experts as unreliable.
"Giora Shamis and his wife, Diane Shalem, launched DEBKAfile (Debka.com) in 2000 to focus on security, terrorist activities and military affairs in the Middle East. Shamis claims he and his wife predicted the al-Qaida attack on the World Trade Center.
"Shamis says Debka, which is financed by subscriptions and ad revenue, has a daily readership of 1.3 million. But its reports, published in English and Hebrew, rely on anonymous sourcing and often prove untrue ..."
It looks like the terrorists may have finally silenced Debka, an important watchdog for world peace and security and even though this terrorist threat didn't pan out, we think New York City's money was spent well. Besides, everyone is the wiser by living with a little fear. Fear brings vigilance and we would be fools to let down our guard. We will still keep our RSS on Debka and remember, we still have Laura Mansfield and other Zionist terror experts, employed by Homeland Security to be on the lookout for remote-controlled gliders, packed with explosives sailing into our cities. We can sleep well, knowing that the terror-experts will be on constant watch against Islamist terrorists who continue to threaten to our country and world peace.
© Copyright 2007 by AxisofLogic.com
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Biography and additional essays by Les Blough
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