Mujahideen Youth Movement of Somalia

Here are a couple of images from the October 2010 graduating class of Al-Shabab. Forget gowns and tassles.

What does the Mujahideen Youth Movement have to do with the safety of the American citizen?

Anwar al-Awlaki: The Threat from Yemen

Explosives from Yemen. The scramble by intelligence agencies on three continents. These issues will be discussed again and again. Trust our government to maintain our safety. Don't engage vigilantism. It harms our community. But do educate yourself and gain perspective.

Tammy Swofford

The Tea Party: A Rowdy Mobilization of National Will

Yesterday, a telephone pollster wanted to know if our household was voting for a Democrat in a state election. It seems apparent the end-game polling for the Democratic party is not so much about winning, rather to brace for the impact of potentially monumental political loss.

I harbor both confidence and restraint. The Tea Party, an organic and expressive populist movement may prove a one-hit wonder. Organizational in-fighting and egos held in check until after the election are already apparent. Rowdy mobilization of national will may quickly convert to the power which seduces all but the few inside the Beltway.

My own work is done with the tweak of a political ad for the last minute campaign surge of an area judge. My early vote has been cast. All that remains is to see how America works and will continue to work on behalf of her citizens.

We the people, Baby!

And may God Almighty continue to bless this great land!

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Intolerance as the Rational Response

Intolerance: incapacity or indisposition to bear or endure

Is is possible the concept of intolerance has received bad press to the detriment of rational response?

There is cause for rejoicing.

A major website dedicated to anti-West hatred and concepts of democracy shuttered the windows yesterday. Freedom of expression as understood within an open society has lifted her torch. It seems best to consider for a moment when intolerance is the best course of action, because the coinage of freedom is etched on both sides.

Open societies must remain tolerant of her citizens. Yet we must remain intolerant of the individual citizen who seeks to destroy communal neighborliness.

Open societies must embrace the right for freedom of expression. Yet we must remain intolerant of the member who flaunts the right with disregard for the attached responsibility.

Open societies must trust that government policies work within a fluid evolutionary stream adapting to the needs of the decade. Yet we must remain intolerant of the citizen-agent provocateur who seeks anarchy as opposed to governance.

Open societies must support change through entrance into the political arena and legally recognized manner of play. Yet we must remain intolerant of experimentation with the system which seeks to supplant, subvert and destroy the foundational anchors which make for national greatness.

We must embrace tolerance as an aspect of national character with regard to compassion. But we must be intolerant of things which are intolerable with regard to rational thought.

As with the site in question, the principle applies across the board. Do not hang your intellectual hat for too long at any one site on line which supports vigilantism or tears at the fabric of communal good will. Avoid all sites which look like a one-string banjo player or well-worn scratching post.

Read all sites with perception. Understand the greater issues and policy challenges of our nation. Note that all sites, including my own, are based on personal opinion and open to dispute. Do embrace freedom of expression, a gift which sustains societal health. But with all sites which present as polarizing extremes may personal intolerance for such things be the rational response.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Juan Williams: From Nervousness to a Two Million Dollar Contract

NPR booted Juan Williams when he publically announced what makes him nervous. Fox News giddily placed a 2 million dollar contract on the table with quicker speed than it takes to fill out an application for unemployment. Noting my own need for additional streams of income I am now boldly going to declare the nature of my own nervous twitch.

Clowns: Yeah, men that dress up like clowns and walk down the hallways of a church entertaining the children make me nervous. I know the clown industry depends on the kiddie birthday parties too, but I just get nervous around clowns. Never trust anyone with what looks like a post-mortem smile plastered on their face.

Public safety officers: Sure, I have not had a ticket since my college days. But some of them just look too deconditioned and portly to be able to chase the average street urchin. They make me nervous.

Piano teachers: I had a piano teacher for three years when in elementary school. She never let me go beyond her parlor and the piano bench. The house never smelled like cookies baking or casserole in the oven when I spent my thirty minutes there after school. I don't even know if her home at a bathroom. She scared me.

Carpet sharks: You know what I mean. Those crawling little babies with four teeth make me nervous. They are ankle-biters and can't be trusted.

And as for Juan Williams, I wish him well. Not many of us are rewarded for our brutal honesty; and certainly not to the tune of a two million dollar labor contract.

Smiling,
Tammy

Adam Gadahn: A Jihad Video Panhandler Speaks

Never quite sure why Adam Gadahn decides to release his latest jihad news commentary I still force myself to give his thoughts a whirl. His current political pontificating is divided into four easily-digestible portions. The third of the four - now unavailable - due to copyright infringement for inclusion of footage from a news organization - is not a great loss to civilization. In fact, if YouTube would disappear tomorrow we might stand the chance of being as smart as our forefathers who drew crude depictions on cave walls. I hate YouTube. But as with NeroTimes and other venues, it provides an outlet for totalitarian agitprop mouthpieces. Excuse me for a moment while I go soak my head in a toilet in physical display of what my ears have heard. My own comments will be based on the first two of the four videos. Spending 0.5 hours listening to this trash is about all I can stand.

Analysis:

Feeling the need to regain political purchase after the March 2010 conference of Islamic scholars in Mardin, Turkey, Adam throws down the first gaunlet. He makes an appeal of young versus old and layman versus ulama. In itself, this challenge is unacceptable to the Middle East culture at large. Whether Wahhabi, Sunni, Shi'a or any of the additional sects the preexistent culture of honor and respect for the elder has been violated. It is possible that the appeal of the lay person to rise up against the cleric community who are seeking a conciliatory stance will have the desired effect because for every level-headed cleric there exists the radical counterpart in multiples. To showcase this point, the videos splice in the thoughts of two additional well-known radical imam. So this appeal to jihad is a bit like raffling of arrows for a camel. It make take one hundred tosses instead of the prior standard of ten, for goal accomplishment.

What is not a gamble, is the peppering of the appeal with Qur'anic ayat. Platforming from "The Winds that Scatter" (51:55) Adam nails in his plank. He is about to teach the masses, and who is capable of standing against Al-Basa'ir? Naturally, this lout who has never done an honest days' work in his life is sadly lacking insight.

This particular video series is directed toward a specific geographic locale, the cradle of Islam, Saudi Arabia. Venturing out into the usual harem-scarem tactic of the need to protect their holy soil from marauding infidels it seems necessary to view reality. Non-Muslims cannot enter Makkah and Madinah, two of the three holiest sites of Islam. Any alliance, arms deal, cross-training of Saudi Arabia military components is never an endeavor of coercion rather mutual need to maintain the geopolitical chessboard.

Adam also draws his audience emotionally with the concept of "stationing" - the word given on translation - which would be "Ribaat" in Arabic. The need to maintain the frontier posts against invasion is understood by all.

Moving into the weird zone, Adam declares it is better to be called a "terrorist" than "lustful". Personally, I would rather catch my teenage son with a Playboy magazine than a battery, timer and C4 under his mattress. Both would merit discussion, but one would merit immediate action and notification of the proper civil authorities.

In discussion of the individual duty of jihad, the concept is well-worn with misapplication. Mr. Gadahn's glancing reference to Qur'an 9:39 and a tantalizing hint that the average Muslim will only understand the ayat in a strictly legal sense is an attempt to elevate his status in the eyes of his audience. The man who rails against the ulama at the Mardin Conference now becomes the ulama with clout.

His references including Bilad-a-Shaam draw the gaze to the Hadith Sciences and the importance of a geographic region noted within the cartography of the seventh century. All in all, Adam is like the flea jumping up again and again to hit the lid of the jar. His message is the stuff of boredom. But his message needs to be erased.

Predictive Analysis:

The capabilities of the jihad video industry will continue to impact poverty-stricken regions experiencing low-intensity conflicts. Where centralized government within the urban areas has lacked both will and funding to establish the legal and communal net into decentralized regions, jihad will continue to supplant governance.

The secondary impact of the jihad video industry is the ability to attract the Muslim within the Western diaspora. The lone wolf syndrome comes to mind. Adam Gadahn has as much common sense as the ostrich laying her eggs in the sand, running off and forgetting them. Sadly, he will continue to attract a few more ostriches. They are out there. And they will shed their blood by the tens of thousands for minimal political gain.

The Mardin Conference

Tammy Swofford

The C.I.A: Why the Elephant Can't Dance

I have not read "The Human Factor: Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture" by Ishmael Jones. But in a quote e-mailed to the AP, Mr. Jones includes this statement:

"CIA censors attack this book because it exposes the CIA as a place to get rich, with billions of taxpayer dollars wasted or stolen in espionage programs that produce nothing," Jones said. "Despite the talented work force, more than 90 percent of employees now live and work entirely within the United States where they are largely ineffective, in violation of the CIA's founding charter."

If his assertions are true then a few questions linger at the corners of my mind.

There is a flat dimension to technology in that no matter how many layers of information are added, the picture might be flawed and incomplete without HumInt. If we are spending millions of dollars to train C.I.A. agents who remain on sovereign soil tapping on laptops and doing analysis of satellite photos whilst never moving further than from desk to the coffee shop funding is being grossly misused. The analogy might be that of training a crack Air Force pilot and then assigning him to be the conductor of a trolley in San Francisco.

What about the fear factor? Minus fear, the profile of a cunning warrior/agent is an illusion. Minus personal sacrifice, what need for an oath which binds to service?

If the ninety percent employed on U.S. soil are trained in the art of espionage to highest level while being satisfied with retaining stagnant secrets with little operational value is it a travesty? And since cultural immersion cannot be learned from reading a book do the resident experts actually have expertise in their area of influence or are they paper tigers?

Is there a lack of willingness to keep the oath even if it hurts, sacrifice to the point of giving life and limb for mission, or willingly live in constant discomfort in a regional hotspot with an outer shell of daily fear? Does the CIA only smell the fear from afar now or have they bottled the molecular sweat to spray on their collars within the halls of corporate comfort? The elephant can't dance.

The Human Factor

Tammy Swofford

Tammy's Current Reading Stack

This selection:

The Dervish House

It is an excellent Sci-Fi thriller and the author moves quite adeptly within the dark arts of the life of jinn (smokeless creatures of light) as a double story. I am quite impressed with his understanding of jinn, albeit he leaves out a few of the more secret aspects of the ranking system, capabilities and powers. The movement of the story into robotics and nanotechnology is also fascinating. The tale is gripping, fast-moving and a wonderful adventure within a literary world where imagination and reality interface on a high level.

This selection:

The Arab of the Desert

My copy actually has a fairly undamaged dust jacket cover, and it is the second edition - which makes it one of the most valuable books on my library shelf. The book contains maps, and both black and white photography. This book is a treasure.

This selection:

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2008

Short, succinct and easy reading. This makes nice drowsy-time reading, something to tote along to the beach.

This selection:

Imamate and Leadership

Published in the city of Qom, one of the two strong bastions of Shi'a religious thought, the counterpart being Najaf in Iraq. This is classic Ahl-ul-Bayt writing. I don't recommend it minus a background understanding of the differences between Sunni and Shi'a doctrinal issues.

This selection:

Daughter of Persia

The author presents a heartfelt story of the life of Iranian women born into aristocracy riding the winds of change as misfortune and modernization, corrupt government and revolutionary zeal, consumed a nation.

My current reading stack includes two additional selections. Thank God for friendships and outside influences to keep me from becoming insufferably boring! smile

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Al Somood: Monthly News from the "Land of Jihad"

Forget "Inspire". The IEA has released the latest issue of Al Somood. It is monthly news straight from the cyber newsstand. As with "Inspire" the latest English translation is good and the editorial opinion pieces read as if coming from a major Western news organization. There are sections for weekly analysis, official date, and a section titled "resilience". The magazine is being sported on jihad sites under the English title of "Steadfastness".

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

GOP in Lead: And the Lollipop Kids are Trying to Dance

The WSJ had a headline this a.m. which almost caused me to add a dash of Kahlua into the morning coffee in celebratory manner.

"GOP in Lead in Final Lap"

President Obama has done his best with his teleprompter wizard. He has overextended himself in the comfortable community activist role, hence the vote-killing judicial opinion on gays in the military immediately prior to the election.

Across America voters have sought a brain, courage and heart moving into this election cycle. Dorothy may have led the way with her ruby slippers. But it is a more mature woman, Sarah Palin, who has galvanized the Tea Party. President Obama wanted change. We are going to give it to him.

Americans want to go home to Kansas. They don't want the razzle-dazzle of left wing socialist policy and the cultural engineering sought by the political elite within the Democratic party. It may have been a well-crafted tornado which sent Dorothy and Toto into the Land of Oz after election of a political construct with a murky past. But as stated in the Wall Street Journal today, "It's hard to say Democrats are facing anything less than a category four hurricane...."

The Lollipop Kids are still trying to dance. I am not buying it. See you at the polls.

The other guys

Tammy Swofford

America: A Nation Which Allows Little Girls to Dream

This is the place. We are a nation which allows little girls to dream, mature, and achieve their full potential.

America is a community where women are honored if they choose to stay within the boundaries of hearth and home. These women create the backbone of the homeschool movement and are highly involved in community outreach projects. They strengthen our neighborhoods.

America provides an economic environment for women in the workforce. We seat our women within our courts, train them to be M.D.'s, scientists, mathemeticians, astronauts and teachers. Women work within the defense industry, research labs and academic corridors. They strengthen our economy.

America has a berth for women in the military. Women work at the Pentagon, pilot our aircraft, hold command positions and take foreign duty assignments. We strengthen our national defense.

America welcomes women in the sports arena! Alana Gaither has mastered quite a kick! Enjoy the link below!

Article link

Smiling,

Tammy Swofford

Al-Qaida in Yemen: Tethers to the Past which Complicate Current Political Realities

Yemen. It is a complex piece of real estate with strategic interest for the United States. Access to the Aden port and Yemeni straits, the (diminishing) oil resources and mounting worries regarding terrorism allow the diplomatic staff of the Embassy of Yemen in D.C. their valuable position on the geopolitical chessboard. Military aid as opposed to intervention by U.S. forces is the current wisdom. Perhaps we are doing the best we can, given the circumstances. But the cultural importance of Yemen with a sweep through seventh century literature and political thought is necessary to understand the difficulties which we face.

Yemen. It is the land which Allah flooded as punishment for unbelief; the home territory of Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba; and the land to which the feathery protaganist of Manteq-ut-Tair was send during the reign of Suleiman. It is the place from which Malik bin Murrah Ar-Rahawi traveled to deliver a message from the Yemeni kings to Prophet Muhammad regarding late tribute to be paid to the treasury of a nascent Islamic state. It is also the land to which the newly appointed Muslim governor, Mu'adh, was sent after answering three critical questions regarding Islamic jurisprudence. His answers satisfied Prophet Muhammad and they are still considered foundational benchmarks of the various schools of jurisprudence. It was also from Sana'a that an elderly woman traveled with her bag of gold, playing her own part in prophetic Islamic tradition.

But it is the manner in which Yemen figures within Sunnah literature which is the most important piece to the puzzle. It is not the oblique rather the straightforward references which make the nation of Yemen the ideal locale for a modern insurgency base. During the seventh century armies were to be prepared: for Sham (Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon) for Iraq, and Yemen. 'Abdullah bin Hawalah was given the task. But whoever was unable to go to Sham was to go to Yemen. The land of Yemen was noted to be a place of refuge. And belief, was said to be there. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of Military Expeditions) The call to "go to Yemen" rang out then and it is resonating again today from a 21st century platform of asymmetrical warfare. Yemen: a place for battle and a land of safety. The bifurcated message is plain.

Predictive Analysis:

As with all things concerning Islam current realities must include a look over the shoulder from the seventh century forward to gain perspective. The successful rise of Al-Qaida in Yemen is partially a product of a transnational military vise moving across Muslim-majority regions to contain the growth industry of asymmetrical jihad. But it is also borne on the wings of sentimentality.

Addressing our security concerns minus an understanding of the strategic history of this piece of real estate within Islam's literary traditions will continue to hamper our efforts to establish political partnership. The collective cultural memory and oral traditions are deeply embedded within the tribal regions. They have been carried along through the centuries, surviving in just as hardy a manner as the Yemeni survive the harsh elements of their terrain. If the trail has grown cold for those we seek it is because the trail is carefully covered by those who believe they are walking in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad. In providing protection to Al-Qaida in Yemen it is not only about protection of the individual, but also protection of vital traditions. Our successes will possibly be modest, and the continued need for an investment in foreign policy which thinks outside of the traditional box seems necessary.

Article Link

Tammy Swofford

Without Love?

Where would we be now?


Yeah, baby! Enjoy!

I am working on a piece with a different angle, now that the 2nd edition of "Inspire" has been released and I have read some of the analysis out for public view. The anti-jihad armada maintains a news aggregation column sporting the usual web vultures. They circle above the remains of the day to bring you their brand of "fresh meat". I prefer to educate you. wink

So, Yeah baby! Enjoy the music. smile

Tammy

The Pentagon and Gays in the Military: Opening Pandora's Box

As a judicial insurgency moves into the ranks of the Pentagon regarding openly gay service members there are larger looming questions which must be considered.

*The UCMJ is our corpus juris. There will need to be a complete deconstruction of our morality and fraternization clauses. Without equality regarding sexual expression the married heterosexual or single heterosexual military member will suffer discriminatory punitive measures while the gay service member can openly co-habitate. Minus implementation of changes to the UCMJ good order and discipline and platoon morale will suffer. The judicial branch has created a morale problem for the military. Morale and welfare problems which are the burden of leadership should be borne within our ranks, not bestowed from outside our ranks. Are we ready to change a primary military document which has served us well?

*Housing and base allotment will take the next hit. An openly gay military member will begin to push for accompanied status, especially for OCONUS duty stations. This will effect the manner in which base housing and allotments are administrated. As it stands, military sponsorship is limited to legally married spouses and their biological offspring. How will this affect the DEERS system?

Is the Pentagon ready for this Pandora's Box?

President Obama can back-pedal on this issue but as a military officer I am taught to look to the top of the chain of command for guidance. As an officer it is my duty to respect and comply with the lawful orders given by chain of command. It is also my duty to display respect for the office of the POTUS. But I place this current cluster directly into the lap of my Commander-in-Chief and his administration bent on cultural engineering of our military ranks.

LCDR Tammy Swofford, USNR, NC

Operation Active Denial: The Need for Tech Arrest

The release of the 2nd edition of "Inspire" by Al-Qaida in Yemen was worth a cursory scan. yawn It presented as a repackaged product with good graphics and the usual bad news. But it is now time to deliver the bad news to the webmasters of jihad sites. For too long they have promoted their dark arts under the banner of freedom of expression. They move within the corridors of open society unimpeded and with deadly calm. It is time to confront their brand of evil.

On the highest level of intervention, I remain fully supportive of strategic targeting of men who are capable of "digital conversion" of their audience. These are men who are capable of moving their audience from an inert and passive role to an active status to commit acts of proxy violence on their behalf. When giving an interview with Al Malahim Productions in January 2010, Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki was queried regarding his role in fourteen separate attacks. His response?

"The reason for these attacks is that I am Muslim and I call to Islam."

While his response does not resonate with the majority of Muslims it has obviously hit the emotional bullseye with more than a few after reading through comments on a site dedicated to his bilge. We need to cease clamoring regarding citizen status. At the point an American seeks to target and kill his fellow Americans on sovereign soil universal laws of kindness and legislative concerns no longer apply in Swofford's rule book. Let his (or her) status be "prey". Let the hunter become the hunted before the next thumbs-up-the-ass attack like the one at Fort Hood. Read my lips. I am supportive of strategic targeting of vicious scum who seek to evade justice by turning tail and hiding out in Yemen. America is a democracy, hence it is government by consent of the people. We also happen to be quite peacable amongst ourselves. Any American who seeks to orchestrate acts of anarchy against his fellow citizen is seditious and dangerous. Bon voyage, al-Awlaki and any others who share his drink.

The internet has allowed for artificial platforms and voice magnification capabilities which are being used adeptly within the asymmetrical battlespace. We lack the policies to confront current realities. So for the remainder of the mass, jihad webmasters who brainwash and poison the minds of their audience while showing a lack of capability for moving their audience into an operational status we must consider the concept of tech arrest. Let the tools of their trade be administratively silenced and the individual placed under a "tech arrest" which forbids their use of artificial platforms, hence internet technology. Strip them of their laptop, take their damn phone and let them start a carrier pigeon farm to scatter their poisonous seed to the wind. But let them not continue to poison the minds of the foolish.

It is time we demand a legislative shield. Follow my lead!


Tammy Swofford

OPERATION ACTIVE DENIAL: Part IV

"Raytheon has developed the active denial system, an energy weapons system that holds great future promise for non-lethal options in the combat environment. Active denial technology uses millimeter wave electromagnetic energy to put the hurt on the enemy. Using a beam of 95-gigahertz millimeter waves, the antenna directs energy toward the targeted individual or population via a beam transport system.... Active denial technology has the potential to contain, deter, and stop - dead in their tracks - an advancing enemy."

_Force Protection in the Non-Lethal World_ LCDR Tammy L. Swofford, USNR, Marine Corps Gazette, July 2005, pp. 50,51

It has been over five years since I wrote an article on electromagnetic-based weapons systems. But the principles and applications for lasers, millimeter waves, and non-ionizing electromagnetic energy can cross over the threshhold of thought when considering a new suite of legislation needed to eradicate the growing cyber jihad industry. Just as the directionality and dispersion of the transport beam is under the control of the operator to accurately engage the target with accuracy, I believe we are also capable of accurately engaging the ideological target with carefully crafted legislation.

As an American who fully embraces freedom of expression this issue has been a tough one. Here are some of the questions I have had to work through prior to adjusting my belief system. These reflect a few of the questions posed in _Gestalt_, written for a military and analyst community audience.

*Should a legislative shield be applied within narrowly pre-determined parameters which set a new standard for healthy speech? Free speech is a right. But the elder brother of "right" is "responsibility".

*In nations which are not inherently totalitarian can administrative policies be encouraged and a categorical definition be developed with "targeted totalitarianism" against a specific and violent demographic?
*Can restrictions actually protect the right to freedom of expression for the greater responsible societal mass?

The final blog may surprise you. Please consider my thoughts.

Tammy Swofford

tammyswofford@yahoo.com

Al-Qaida in Yemen Releases 2nd edition of Inspire

Just a little break between posts to send the flag up. Al-Qaida in Yemen just released their second English edition e-magazine "Inspire". I am sure it will inspire me as I read it.

Tomorrow - a continuation of "Operation Active Denial", a discussion on legislative changes needed to counteract the ideological jihad flank. Feel free to hide your head in the sand. I prefer face forward and eyes wide open.

Tammy

OPERATION ACTIVE DENIAL: Part III

On October 6th a eulogy of sorts was offered up by a jihad site webmaster for a sister site denied site hosting for harmful content. A nice little thumbnail of the blocked page was included with the announcement. I somewhat sat around filing my nails and whistling a tune. There was really no reason to rejoice.

Bingo! Yesterday the blocked site was up and running again with congratulatory messages pouring in from the loyalists. The webmaster was also quite smug:

"We once again thank God, who made the content of our site so odious to the infidels, that they go to such gross violations of business ethics...."

It somewhat surprised me to see a site resurrection in such rapid time frame. The last portal shutdown I followed allowed for a good week of relief from the rants of the webmaster. Forget bacteria. These guys have a greater semblance to fungi. The problem is apparent. We are working the problem like a mathematical equation and solving what is inside the brackets first. The sites are jammed and blocked. Good enough. But the webmasters remain. As it seems their primary goal in life is to stir up trouble I believe it is time that we engage a bit of reciprocity. It is time to make their lives a living hell!

Last year I tracked a file sharing site which added videos on a semi-weekly basis. My brain handled it fine until an individual posted a brutal beheading. Trust me. Words are inadequate. Sending up a distress call to a professional acquaintance the site was effectively removed. I remain grateful.

What measures should be considered to provide both legislative gladius and spatha? How can this be accomplished in a manner which assures freedom of expression for the responsible majority?

It is time to quit spitting on the fire.

OPERATION ACTIVE DENIAL: Part II

Narrated Abu Huraira: One day while the Prophet was sitting in the company of some people (the angel) Gabriel came and asked, "When will the Hour be established?" Allah's Messenger replied, "When the shepherds of black camels start boasting and competing with others in the construction of higher buildings. And the Hour is one of the five things which nobody knows except Allah." *Taken from Sahih Al-Bukhari

The buildings grasp for the sky from Dubai to Qatar in the 21st century. But it is an additional technological advance not mentioned in Hadith which complicates global relations. Communication technology presents as both friend and foe of American policy. The inhabitants of the globe are entering dialogue in ways both beneficial and destructive because of the mesmerizing world of internet technology.

Part of the stream of destructive voices moving across the transmission lanes are individuals adeptly moving obscure aspects of the Qur'anic Sciences to the forefront in manipulative manner to secure new political realities. They seek political change. But it is not via evolution of domestic models of governance or perhaps the vigorous foreign policy adaptations required for this century. They seek changes through asymmetrical warfare and more specifically, urban guerilla warfare.

Although hardliners decry "bi'dah" or "innovation" it is indeed the innovation of information technology which has allowed the birth of transnational jihad journalism.

Our Founding Fathers gave us the gift of freedom of expression. This gift has expanded considerably since the early days when it mirrored British common law. Our ancestors envisioned the right to speak freely and the right to peaceful assembly and protest as necessary components of healthy society. The unfurled ribbon of freedom of expression serves the average American well. But it is this very freedom which now provides an avenue for incremental ideological threat.

Technology has allowed for the rise of two distinct dynamics regarding freedom of expression in the 21st century. These dynamics are the creation of *artificial platforms and *voice magnification. The manner in which artificial platforms and voice magnification impact societies (whether healthy or functioning under the duress of low intensity conflict) can no longer be ignored. Let's take a moment and examine one man who has a gift for sophistry, brainwashing and recruitment. He is a seditious American bent upon the destruction of democratic principles of governance. He is also a grand master of orchestrating acts of proxy violence.

Profile: American citizen Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki

Artificial Platform: High intensity jihad site dedicated to Fallujah insurgency operations, Taliban jihad site, private file sharing sites, message boards and forums, etc. But it is the beauty of an audio-visual platform which provides the best means of mass indoctrination. Providing a barrage of sensory stimulants with a potent message and attached photographic "evidence" can quickly brainwash the victim.

Voice Magnification: Yemeni broadcast using NeroTimes, YouTube messages translated into multiple languages.

Target Audience: Muslims within the West, citizens of Muslim-majority nations, any individual with an anti-government, anti-imperialism or conspiratorial mind-set. Throw in anyone with their optic nerves wired to the back of their heads and with an anti-West chip in their personality software.

How serious should we consider this type of threat? What are your thoughts regarding the slow seepage of poison into the ground water? Is incremental threat allowable as long as it can be contained? Is it supportable as long as the token F.B.I. agent is hanging around a message board working his fishing net? Do you support a few legislative mongoose to confront the snakes?

OPERATION ACTIVE DENIAL: Part I

Readers,

It is time. It is long overdue. Domestic policy has not kept pace with the jihad journalism threat. As I am a Navy gal, moving operationally requires an operational title. Thus involvement in cold weather training during a frigid Wisconsin winter was bequeathed with "Operation Badger Blue". One of the men secretly renamed it "Operation Blue Balls" for obvious reasons. smile

There is a reason for the choice of "Operation Active Denial" as the title of this series. This theme of active denial will be explored further during the week as I move you into the Minotaur's Labyrinth - the world of jihad journalism.

It is time. It is long overdue. Americans must be willing to embrace innovative domestic policy which is carefully crafted in a manner which preserves freedom of expression for the average citizen. Ideological bastards dipping their pens in poison must not be allowed to strip our peaceful societal mass of liberty. Neither should their actions create an environment of self-censorship amongst the brightest of our own intellectual lights.

Please move into the blog May archives and reconsider my earlier thoughts. The six part series "Assassin's Creed" will put the skunk on the table. It is now time to deal with the skunk.

Follow my lead!

Assassin's Creed I: eFactories of Hatred

LDCR Tammy Swofford, USNR, NC
tammyswofford@yahoo.com

From Margaret Hassan to Linda Norgrove: When Compassion births Uncommon Courage

The news of Margaret Hassan's death by the hand of her captors broke across the news when I was at work. The video release of this frail and frightened woman speaking, fainting, and being sloshed with a bucket of water caused many of us emotional pain. The video of her death was deemed "too graphic" for public view. The soil of Iraq which she loved became the place of her death.

Linda Norgrove was highly educated and undoubtedly as talented as she was determined. She also paid the price for her passion when a failed rescue attempt caused her hasty (but not unanticipated) death by her captors.

These deaths are bookends for the stories of other remarkably compassionate women who lived with courage amongst a people they loved. American citizen Cyd Mizell taught at Kandahar University and also taught embroidery at a girl's school prior to her abduction and subsequent death.

The International Assistance Mission lost three female humanitarian aid workers returning from a project providing eye care to the indigenous poor of Afghanistan. Cheryl Beckett, Daniela Beyer and Dr. Karen Woo died alongside other members of their international team.

Beautiful women. Compassionate women. Courageous and paying the price of their convictions. Why do women who live in relative safety move outside of their comfort zone to travel or live in conflict-ridden regions? Why did Dr. Woo risk it all when her next big event was her forthcoming marriage and the start of a family?

I think there is an unseen set of bookends in existence within the universe. They are called by the names Light and Darkness. And in between both worlds reside the mass called humanity. Those who choose to move with compassion give birth to courage. And from the best within the bundle of the living is the seed which falls to the ground and dies. From death springs renewed life. May the hope and vision these women dispensed remind each of us of the choices we face. Life or death? Good or evil? Choose. It is in your hand to make a difference.

Margaret Hassan

Linda Norgrove

Tammy Swofford

Mayor Bloomberg: Welfare Reform for the Good of America

Whilst a senior policy adviser shows the usual angst over ethics and not wishing to "stigmatize" the poor, Mayor Bloomberg seeks to tackle a heftier issue. Approximately forty percent of public-school children in kindergarten through eighth grade within his city are overweight or obese. Forget the stigma of being poor, possibly both monetarily and culturally. Add to it the stigma of wearing a tent to school in the fifth grade.

We ask the wrong questions of course.

* Question: Do the poor have the right to a sugary, possibly carbonated drink?

*Answer: Sure.

*Can a person live the sum total of their life without a sugary drink?

*Answer: Yep

* Question: Should tax dollars subsidize the growing epidemic of childhood diabetes?

*Answer: Of course! I also want to pay for these kids bilateral knee surgeries in their late thirties, their disability payments in their forties, and their diabetes-induced neuropathy in their fifties. I wish to continue the trend of seeing pudgy dumplings waddling down the welfare walkway at age twelve wearing size sixteen bloomers and what looks like a standard nursing mothers' bra. I want to see a few more little guys with triple-decker muffin tops and double chins. I want to pay for their big boy wheelchairs, fancy scooters and their insulin syringes. Let them keep making poor choices. I can work another forty years.

Our government can ill-afford to subsidize poor nutritional choices which lead to a lifetime of consequence for both the recipient and the donor providing assistance for the lower socioeconomic class. Guidelines must be modified regarding the menu selection available for food assistance programs. Let the list be streamlined and the worst culprits for childhood obesity removed from the list of options where the use of tax dollars provides needed assistance. It is a travesty for the government to allow the trough as opposed to the plate of food for the poor.

Article link

Tammy Swofford

NATO Tankers Burn in Pakistan

The Wall Street Journal has covered Pakistan-USA relationships with front page articles both yesterday and today. Their coverage is excellent. I merely provide a few additional shots of the NATO oil tankers releasing their supply into the atmosphere.

Tammy Swofford

The USA and Pakistan: Diplomatic Sadomasochism

Pakistan sits atop a nuclear arsenal which must remain secured, is the recipient of approximately 18 billion dollars of U.S. economic and military aid since 9/11, and sustains a population which is virulently anti-West.

Welcome to the world of diplomatic sadomasochism. We pay, you inflict the pain. We pay, you derive the pleasure. Sure, it is not that simple. But on small scale the relationship does have a dynamic of sadomasochism.

Pakistan has monumental hurdles and deep sectarian trenches. The illiteracy rates which plague the nation are most evident within the NWFP and Balochistan where female literacy ranges from three to eight percent. While male literacy rates are always higher within populous and poverty-stricken nations, illiteracy remains both the curse of the masses and the savior of administrative mismanagement. Legends of Western dominance as the source of all of the Muslim world's societal ill effectively redirects the gaze of the poor to the Boogey man in the closet. They can't see "us" but they know "we" are there.

Terror camps within Pakistan which equip citizens from the West to commit acts of carnage against the West have given birth to calculated and measured warnings across Europe of a "Mumbai-style" attack. The warnings are crafted to remind citizens to be vigilant and not evoke a sense of panic. The panic will come soon enough. It will erupt when such an attack is not effectively averted and the players make take it to the street.

There are elements within Pakistan's military and intelligence commands which work effectively with their U.S. counterpart. But recent studies have also noted a significant and worrisome corrupted strain of ideologue within both military and intelligence (officer) ranks.

As NATO fuel tankers burn along the Pak-Afghan border the Quetta Shura is negotiating with the Karzai administration. This is the khitbah. It will be followed by the nikah when the U.S. leaves Afghanistan. After 9/11 the U.S. offered a vigorous aid package as the advance mahr to Pakistan for our diplomatic marriage. Nine years later, the belated mahr has been paid to the tune of 18 billion dollars. What can I say? The unhealthy aspects of our relationship with Pakistan should concern us.

But when corruption marries cruelty, as will be the end result in Afghanistan, what will be the eventual fate of Pakistan?

Article link

Tammy Swofford

Politics, Politics!

The last few days I have done a bit of scouting in area neighborhoods to assess campaign impact using the primitive statistical science of counting yard signs sporting my candidate's name. After all, I did take college statistics during a five-week summer session at U.T. Arlington and absolutely earned that average grade! smile

It is easier to pick up the phone and contact the judge. I am part of his volunteer staff. But it is kind of fun to see the signs and have a somewhat comfortable feeling regarding the election results. Talking with him yesterday I noted a level of confidence. He smiled broadly and there was a twinkle of victory in his eyes. This election is in the win column.

But I like the idea of voting for an illiterate clown for Congress. The citizens of Brazil just showed their clout. An illiterate clown would certainly do less damage than some of the educated thieves who currently scamper down the halls of the Beltway like flea-bitten rats dispensing the plague. I am voting for my favorite judge. But the Brazilian's have a great plan. Vote for the clown and send a message to the ringmasters.

Congressional Clown

Tammy Swofford

Travel Alert and Terror Plots in Europe

2:1:2

Two videos by Osama bin Laden, (audio with graphic) one by Adam Gadahn, and now two posted today with Ayman al-Zawahiri (audio with graphic). All five up for view on a fairly active jihad site. The latest two a bit of a departure from the "compassion" for Pakistan's flood victims. They are agitprop against the nation of Turkey and a call to jihad against the "armies of the cross".

If video releases count for "operational tempo" then the cadence is quickening a bit. May we all remain safe, the scoundrels caught, and prayers be answered.



Tammy Swofford

Adam Gadahn Video: We all Know Why a Donkey Brays

A couple days ago I viewed a video release of "sheikh" and "mujahideen" - of which he is neither - Adam Gadahn. The views have only nudged from 28 to 142, so perhaps he has lost his audience.

His look is a bit updated with what looks like the Sarah Palin glasses. He is too clean. His fingernails look nicely trimmed and hands soft and unburdened by real work, like the rest of us. The guy was a lazy oaf before, and a lazy oaf he remains.

He tossed a signal to his audience using a mannerism for which his master is noted. "October surprise?" But I do have to say that positioning the business end of a weapon toward his chin while speaking seems a bit imprudent. I am sure he knows why a donkey brays, Qur'anic whiz kid that he is....

Here's to you, Adam.

*As an editorial addendum, it is interesting to note that the second release of a video by Osama bin Laden in as many days is now showing with both Arabic and translation to the language of the camp. (Urdu, which is spoken in Pakistan) Oct. 2, 2010

Tammy Swofford