NYPD Commissioner Touts Counter-Terrorism Unit

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Tuesday at the Center for National Policy the New York Police Department has handled numerous terrorism threats in the wake of the September 11 attacks, including the recent terror scares on the New York Subway and in Times Square.

The NYPD has stopped “11 terrorist plots in eight and a half years,” said Commissioner Kelly, but noted that “NYPD has not given up an inch in its fight against crime,” citing a decrease in crime rates since 2001, despite losing around 6000 officers during that same period.

Kelly credited positive results to NYPD’s extensive counter-terrorism unit, noting that New York was “the first police department in the country to have [its] own counter-terrorism unit.” The commissioner said New York’s counter-terrorism unit has “hired a team of civilian analysts, experts in military intelligence and foreign affairs [who] follow trends in terrorist tactics.”

Notably, Kelly said that NYPD’s counter-terrorism unit has recruited from within their own ranks “some 700 certified speakers of 45 sensitive languages,” to assist in counter-terrorism measures.  In addition to the multi-lingual counter-terrorism unit, NYPD has sent senior officers to “11 international cities [who] work closely with the local police agencies if a terrorist attack occurs.”

Kelly stressed the importance of inter-agency cooperation, which he called “a must,” for combating terrorism, using NYPD’s information sharing strategy, where data is despersed to agencies across the country, as an example.  Kelly also said that the NYPD’s advanced surveillance systems, which have software that can seek out suspicious items or persons, and a random screening net in the subway has helped keep New York safe.

When asked if the New York model could be implemented with success in other large cities, Kelly said that “he could only speak for New York,” and that it was first necessary to “take the pulse of the local community,” to see if they feel threatened, noting that New York City had already been attacked twice.

Military Action Against Iran Not Imminent, Says Expert

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

Michael Adler, a public policy scholar with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., today dismissed recent worries of military intervention in response to Iran’s growing nuclear program.

Adler said that the Iranian nuclear crisis is nearing the “endgame,” and that while an agreement is not likely to occur soon, it likely will in the “coming months or years.” Adler added that military action by the West against Iran is “not imminent” and “not on the table.”

Adler also highlighted new data showing that the Iranian nuclear program has been greatly stalled. The expert cited US officials, who have said that the nearly 5,000 spinning centrifuges found in Iran in June of last year, is down to under 4,000. Adler said that this can be credited to the outdated centrifuges that Iran uses, which break down frequently.

According to Adler, with the current levels of low-enriched uranium, the Iranians could one day develop 1-2 atomic bombs. But, Alder said, if Iran was to “kick out international inspectors, and go full bore to raise its uranium stockpile from its low-enriched state to the high level needed to make a bomb, it would take 18 months to two years to make enough of this high-enriched uranium for one weapon.”

Adler suggested that the US strategy going forward should be to try to negotiate with the Iranian government, adding that the Iranians “might deal if their right to enrichment is honored.”

Axelrod, Farrell Hail Financial Reform Bill

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to the president, and Diana Farrell, Deputy Director of the NEC, told reporters in a Friday conference call that they are pleased to see the financial regulatory bill pass the Senate.

Farrell said that the reform bill was almost perfect and contained “90% of what the president wanted.” She also said that the Obama administration’s second major victory of the year will bring financial security to Americans nationwide and will help boost economic recovery.

Axelrod agreed and expressed his approval of the Wall Street bill, but he also admitted he was “surprised” with remarks from Republican members of Congress who have already begun the fight to repeal legislation.  Early Thursday afternoon, House Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters that he believed the bill to be “ill conceived” and suggested it be repealed.

“We’re not moving backwards, we’re moving forwards,” Axelrod said in response to Republican criticism.

Vilsack Touts Recovery Act Before Budget Committee

By Phillip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack told the House Budget Committee that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is helping the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) make strides in creating jobs and modernizing American agriculture.

Chair John Spratt, Jr. (D-SC) and Ranking Member Paul Ryan (R-WI) opened with contrasting messages concerning the Recovery Act. Spratt touted it as saving America from a far worse economic downturn and saving millions of jobs. 

Ryan called the act “a failure,” blaming it for increased national debt. 

“Proponents will tell us that we should all be grateful that the pain is not more acute, and that it’s not fair to hold policy makers accountable for the failures of their policies,” he said.

Secretary Vilsack emphasized that the Recovery Act “is doing good,” and was “a must,” saying that the “stimulus is successful.”  Vilsack said that the increased funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp program) produced $9.50 for every $5.00 invested by the USDA, and that the Recovery Act has allowed for expanded agricultural trade with Panama, South Korea, and Columbia.  Vilsack also said rural communities are receiving subsidies, water treatment facilities, and broadband Internet service, all of which help modernize and support the American farmer, are reaping the benefits of the extra funding.

Vilsack credited the Recovery Act for the recent growth in GDP, and countered Republican criticism of the high unemployment rate by stating that the stimulus had created “a sense of opportunity,” and that it had saved “millions of jobs.”

Uganda Bombings Highlight Need For Vigilance In Africa, Says Administration Official

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

The U.S. must maintain vigilance over the Horn of Africa following an upswing in violence from the Somali terrorist organization Al Shabbab, an Obama administration official told reporters Tuesday.

The briefing came in the wake of Al Shabbab’s July 11 bombings in Kampala, Uganda during a World Cup party.  The official said that this is the first time the terrorist group has carried out attacks outside of Somalia.  

“Al Shabaab has always engaged in domestic terrorism,” said the administration official, “but have now manifested outside of Somalia.”

Al Shabaab has been fighting the weakened Somali transitional government for control, and has hijacked foreign aid and launched attacks against African Union forces assisting the Somali government, of which Uganda is a part of. The official emphasized that “we need other countries in the region to know that the United States stands by them,” and noted that it is imperative to “stabilize the transitional government” in Somalia, and “continue to provide assistance to Uganda, Burundi, and Somali refugees.”  The official also said that the FBI has sent a team to assist Ugandan law enforcement in their investigation, and that there was no advance warning of the attack, saying that the United States is “working very closely with countries in the region.”

The administration official also voiced caution concerning Al Shabaab’s ties to Al Qaeda, noting that “their agenda is similar to Al Qaeda.”

“Ties have always existed… Individuals in Al Shabaab have associations with Al Qaeda in East Africa and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. There is a lot of bundling together of individuals at the top of these organizations,”according to the official.

The official said that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the most operationally active group and that the administration was concerned about Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and the Horn of Africa.

The official also touched upon several United States citizens who have travelled to Somalia and joined Al Shabaab, saying that the FBI and law enforcement agencies have watched those citizens “very closely.”  Several Somali-Americans from Minnesota have joined Al Shabaab, including one who participated in a suicide bombing.