Mumbai: Deadly Numerology

Terrorists didn’t need to conduct a detailed reconnaissance. The commuter trains of Mumbai (Bombay), India, classify as a “very soft target.”   This article,  Mumbai: Deadly Numerology,  was reposted with permission from the editors of TSC Daily.

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views of TSC Daily or it’s contributors are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

By Austin Bay,  : BIO| 12 Jul 2006

According to Indian government statistics, 6 million people a day ride Mumbai’s commuter trains. Checking every bag and briefcase is simply a logistical impossibility.

As an operation, India’s 7-11 repeats methods and techniques exploited in London’s 7-7 and Madrid’s 3-11 — serial bombs detonated on mass public transportation. The Madrid Method is a proven, blood-soaked concept — scatter a few time bombs on city trains, and high explosive wreaks its deadly evil. The Mumbai attack also echoes the 9-11 attack on lower Manhattan, for Mumbai is India’s financial center. Bombing a financial center exacts an immediate international economic cost.

As I write this column, no terrorist organization has “claimed responsibility” for what Indian police describe as a “coordinated” terrorist act. Initial police reports indicated the bombs exploded over a six-minute period during the evening rush hour. Several Indian states placed their police and security forces on high alert to prevent further attacks.

Americans will immediately think of al-Qaeda and point to the hideous numerology — 9-11, 3-11, 7-7, 7-11 — as a clue. Roll sevens and 11s on the dice table, and the shooter wins. Terrorists use mass murder to create fear and chaos. If the public begins to dread seven and 11 on the calendar, international terrorists will consider that a psychological victory.

Al-Qaeda, or an al-Qaeda affiliate, may well be involved in the murders. Polyglot, poly-ethnic India, however, confronts an array of homegrown ethnic, religious and political zealots with track records in terrorism.

Violent Hindu separatist groups have been implicated in past bomb plots. The terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are based in Sri Lanka — the island nation off India’s southern coast. The Tigers tend to focus their terror on fellow Sri Lankans. In May 1991, however, they assassinated Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi. The LTTE arguably invented modern suicide terror attacks. The Tiger assassin wore a suicide explosive belt. Ghandi was killed while campaigning in India’s state of Tamil Nadu.

Islamic radicals have repeatedly attacked India. For 50 years, India and Pakistan have been battling over Kashmir — and in 1965, the two nations fought a full-scale war over the religiously divided region. In December 2001, Islamist gunmen attacked India’s parliament building in New Delhi. Islamist radicals consider Kashmir to be one of the holiest of holy wars. They seek to derail any Indian and Pakistani diplomatic rapprochement. Launching attacks in India stymies any peaceful resolution.

Mumbai attracts attention in India. The city is wealthy. It’s a media center and the headquarters of the Indian “Bollywood” movie industry. In the early 1990s, Mumbai suffered a series of bomb explosions that Indian government later blamed on criminal gangs. In 2003, a bomb killed 11 people on a train there. In August of that year, two car bombs killed 60.

In the last decade, India’s economy has grown — at times spectacularly. As the world’s largest democracy, India serves as a political example to other developing nations who confront ethnic divisions, illiteracy and poverty.

Terrorists of all stripes despise democracy, for democracy means having to respect the interests of human beings who are political opponents. Rattling India seeds doubt in the fragile nation-states of the developing world.

But don’t expect India to waver. New Delhi is already an ally in the War on Terror. In fact, Indians argue that the United States is the Johnny-come-lately to the war against Islamo-fascists.

In a public statement following the attacks, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowed to “fight and defeat the evil designs of terrorists.”

Believe him.

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Update on Man Allowed to Board Aircraft

In yesterday’s Houston Chronicle story, ‘HPD, airport security at odds over incident ‘, a traveler at the Houston Hobby airport was apparently deceptive when Transportation Security Agency (TSA) screeners asked if he had a laptop computer in his baggage, an X-ray machine operator detected a laptop after he apparently indicated that he did not.

Upon further examination, screeners claimed that they found a clock with a 9-volt battery taped to it in his luggage and examined the man’s shoes. The shoes were described by the TSA screener to be “hollowed out.”

In today’s follow-up article, ‘Screeners’ actions at Hobby questioned‘, it appears to people in authority are looking at TSA screener’s actions or inactions instead of analyzing if this incident was a probe or a dry run on airport security, except for Representative John Culberson, R-Houston.

Representative Gene Green D-Houston did his typical liberal tolerant act by asking the question (and insinuating blame on TSA), why did (TSA) baggage screeners defer to a Houston police officer instead of using their authority to keep a man (they suspected of carrying bomb parts) from boarding a plane at Hobby Airport.

Staffers for Representative John Culberson, R-Houston, went a step further and are seeking explanations from the FBI and TSA about what happened. Thank you for trying to get to the bottom of the problem, Representative Culberson.

In the meantime, a TSA spokeswoman indicated that TSA security officers acted in accordance with their training and protocols. The Houston Police Department chimed in that the shoes were old and worn, not “hollowed out” like the screener claims. The police officer defended his actions and his representatives indicated that the clock worked when the battery was inserted, but did not ask why the battery taped to the outside of the clock to begin with.

According to the news article, nobody asked why the man originally indicated that there was no computer in his carry-on baggage.

Now others are also second guessing the TSA screener.  A security expert commented that: “The idea that TSA is going to stop, randomly, people who happen to be carrying an alarm or a laptop or are not wearing brand-new shoes seems a bit excessive, ……… It sounds like they need to revise their training procedures of who and what to look for.” Remember, the famous Shoe Bomber, Richard Reid, was originally questioned and missed his flight from Paris to Miami on December 21, 2001, after French security agent becomes suspicious because he (Reid) was traveling without checked luggage. Those security agents cleared Reid to board the next days flight. On December 22, 2001, about 90 minutes into the flight, Reid tried light explosives hidden in his shoes. Reid had successfully eluded airport security procedures when they were already suspicious of him. Could this scenario happen again?

Sounds to me that what we have here is an old standoff between the Houston police, TSA, and other government agencies in Houston. Everyone is looking for a fall guy and the TSA screener is a likely candidate. Perhaps the man in Houston had a legitimate reason to act the way he did, perhaps he did not.

Were the man’s shoes “hollowed out” or worn out? Was this current situation a probe or dry run on airport security?

TSA has been on the job for three years. Now we have to answer the question, “Do they (TSA) have the authority and backing of their officials to deny a traveler from boarding a flight or not?”

One has to hope that the authorities involved have learned from this situation and will fix any flawed procedures that they have discovered.

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Technorati Tags: Airport Security… TSA … Security Screeners … Bomb Components … Airline Safety … Travel … Houston Police … Friendly Skies … Shoe Bomber … Richard Reid … Delta Airlines … HPD

Rick Roberts and assault victim on Hannity and Colmes

Reposted with permission from Rick Roberts, 760 KFMB AM radio, San Diego, California. For further information about Rick or his points of view, please visit Rick’s Blog at 760 KFMB.

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views on the Rick Roberts Blog are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

RICK ROBERTS AND ASSAULTED SD MINUTEMEN ON HANNITY AND COLMES TONIGHT!

By Rick Roberts, July 11th, 2006

THE MINUTEMEN VIDEO ASSAULT GOES NATIONAL…BUT STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE LOCAL MEDIA.

Our phone lines have not stopped ringing since breaking the story of how San Diego’s Minutemen, and those throughout the country, are being routinely physically assaulted by illegals and amnesty activists.

We showed you the video yesterday…the first in the local media…and now it’s being picked up nationally.

Rick Roberts and Minuteman Clint Hamilton, who was assaulted on the video, will both be guests on Hannity and Colmes – FOX NEWS NATIONAL.

Make sure to WATCH FOX and then come to THE RICK ROBERTS BLOG and talk about it.

You know Alan Colmes will do something memorable!

We are still waiting for a local media outlet to pick up this story.

Again, we wonder, IF an illegal day laborer had been hit 3 times, or PURPOSEFULLY hit by a car, or any of the numerous physical assaults ACTUALLY happening on the Minutemen, WOULDN’T THAT BE FRONT PAGE/ LEAD STORY NEWS?

Is there a LOCAL MEDIA BLACKOUT because it doesn’t fit the pro-illegal agenda?

Just remember, what the LAME STREAM MEDIA won’t tell you… YOU’LL HEAR ON THE RICK ROBERTS SHOW.