Chertoff Fears Homegrown Terrorism Abroad

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Worries Europe Can Be A Staging Ground For Future Attacks

(CBS/AP)  The U.S. Homeland Security secretary said Wednesday that Washington fears Europe may be a staging ground for terrorist attacks on the United States.

Michael Chertoff said in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio that his fears were based on how easy it is for Europeans travel to the United Sates. He said there was also evidence of homegrown terrorism in European countries.

"One of the things we've become concerned about lately is the possibility of Europe becoming a platform for a threat against the United States," Chertoff said.

Washington has no plans to start asking Europeans to apply for visas to travel to the United States but they could be required to register online before traveling, Chertoff said.

"We have the visa waiver program, which allows most Europeans who come to be tourists to come without visas - that means the first time we encounter them is when they arrive in the United States, and that creates a very small window of opportunity to check them out," he said.

The U.S. concerns are based on cases of homegrown terrorism in Europe - such as the March 2004 bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people, the deadly 2005 transport bombings in London and a failed attempt to blow up two commuter trains in Germany in 2006.

"We have watched the rise of homegrown terrorism," Chertoff said. "We are obviously mindful of the Madrid bombings, the attempted bombings in Germany, and that suggests to us that the terrorists are increasingly looking to Europe as both a target and a platform for terrorist attacks."

He said there was a "certain sense of complacency" about terrorism in the United States, suggesting the Bush administration had been a victim of its own success in thwarting any attacks since the Sept. 11 attacks.

"But when I lift my eyes and I look around the world, and I look at what happens in Britain, in Germany, in Spain, in Bali, in Pakistan, I don't see terrorism going away; I see an al Qaeda that's evolving," he said.

Still, as the fifth anniversary of the creation of his Homeland Security department approaches, Chertoff told the BBC, "Our ability to know who is coming across our borders, and to check them and to take their fingerprints now, is far better than it was five or six years ago. We have deployed almost twice as many border patrols as we had five or six years ago. We've put up literally hundreds of miles of fencing and barriers. All of these are very concrete steps forward that have made our security much better than it was."

[rukindr]

Sweet! Does this mean we get to start holding Europeans prisoner too without due process for an indefinite period of time? It''s every dictators dream!

[sgtrds]

Be afraid! Be very very afraid! And then vote republican!

[b-easy63]

"One of the things we''ve become concerned about lately is the possibility of Europe becoming a platform for a threat against the United States," Chertoff said.

Washington has no plans to start asking Europeans to apply for visas to travel to the United States but they could be required to register online before traveling, Chertoff said."


LORD, truly help us, if we have to start profiling the avg. Euro for being a potential terrorist. Profiling only works when we can target a specific group based on physical differences--with most Europeans being white and looking like much of America--everyone will be a suspect. LOL

[catamount_78]

To quote Ronald Reagan "here we go again". America should wake up to the fact that we will never be safe, unless we protest our government on all levels. Fear is not liberty or it justification for taking away human and civil rights. We should not drink anymore of this kool aid. Mr Chertoff and other people that practice fear monger should not be allowed to speak unless they have difinite proof and it can be verified by others. America should read, listen and read again.

[gunownerdan]

Dr. Ron Paul is the only man capable of ending terrorism.
ronpaul2008.com

[liberalme]

Ok lets go to level orange now--this is the level to be on guard from our own government scare tactisc--what''s coming up that they want to diverit our attention from?

Its THEIR JOB to protect our boarders--get somebody on it Chertoff!

If we do suffer another attack, it will probably be with the arms Bush is selling to the Saudis! The turncoat!

At this point--I''m more afraid of this government than anything else!

[walt1944-2009]

The Great Emperor Bush II and the Fascist neocon Republicans have been criticizing FDR and his reforms of the 19930''s (which suceeded in taking us out of the Depression), stating that Roosevelt''s social programs began the process of bankruptng the country!

One of FDR''s most famous quotes used during the Depression and later in WW II was, "the only thing we have to fear, is FEAR itself"!

For the past 6 years, the Great Emperor Bush II and his Fascist neocon Republican allies have been having us live in FEAR of being attacked by "terrrrrorists" hiding beneath every rock and behind every tree. He also neglected to mention that we are also under attack by GREEDY businesses, UNCARING employers, CROOKED politicians, and FASCISTS dedicated to tearing up the Constitution and taking away our civil liberties!

If FDR were alive today and president, he would have every neocon arrested for treason, starting with the Bush family!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!

[forthepeopl1]

chertoff and bush/cheney better be more worried about the american terrorism accross america instead of worring about other countrys..

we the people have had it with washington

[random_radar]

FDR was a fascist. If you carefully study the parallels between Hitler and FDR on economic and political strategy, you will find them very comparable. Heck, they both even created concentration camps for ethnic groups they didn''t like--Jewish for Hitler, and Japanese for Roosevelt.

Anyone who thinks FDR was a good president is the fascist we need to fear. FDR alone couldn''t have made America into the fascist state it has become anymore than Hitler alone could have converted Germany to a fascist state. They both needed the popular support of millions of misguided people. America is fascist because rank and file Americans have embraced fascism.

By the way, Benito Mussolini (an expert on fascism if there ever was one) defined fascism as the merger of government and business into all-encompassing State control. He said that fascism should really be called Corporatism. By his definition, America is certainly fascist.

[joyous88]

"Theocratic reactionaries, "we''re an Empire now" imperialist strutters, war profiteerS, Uber-parriotic demagogue bullies, nutbars and loony-tunes of sundry stripe, the bellicose Nerds at their basement kerboards, the functional illiterates over at blogs for Bush, the vile Coulter and Renew America, deniers
of Evolution, believers in Satan, the Rapture-ready, and Tom Delay, the REPUBLICANS

[prinzowhales]

Chertoff, po russki, means ''of the devil''...and he looks the part...Mr. Death-warmed-over is the head of the Police State...he is a Zionist, an Israel-firster, a member of the Regime that has contracted for the services of Marcus Wolf, former head of the East German STASI and KGB''er Primakov--do these sound like resumes for men who will fight for your freedom, or the resumes of men who are seeking to establish a Police State?

[prinzowhales]

Notice how the lying pig Chertoff ignores the fact that a consulting firm was conducting anti-terror drills at the very same stations at the very same times as the attacks in London...He ignores the head of the exercises, Peter Power, who admitted to this on the BBC and now flees in panic from WE ARE CHANGE, London, rather than repeat his gaffe.

He ignores the fact that witnesses in London testified to the fact that the floors of the carriages were blown upwards...from explosions under them--not from explosives in back packs as the Official London Lie goes.

This liar was a Federal Attorney and helped cover up the Federal involvement in the running of the 1993 attack on the WTC, where the feds trained the driver, cooked the bomb, provided the detonator and timer and refused permission to their agent provocateur inside the conspiracy to replace the explosives with a harmless powder...making the FBI responsible for the murder of 6 New Yorkers...there would have been more if the driver was smart enough to follow the FBI''s instructions and park by a major support column.

[gunownerdan]

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
-- James Madison

[gunownerdan]

"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
-- James Madison

[gunownerdan]

"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifist for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."
-- Hermann Goering, Adolf Hitler''s Reich-Marshall
at the Nuremberg Trials after WWII

[inventagod]

Chertoff - wasn''t he Brownies boss when Katrina attacked the USA?

Promoted, wasn''t he???

Did he make this announcement at a faux press conference?

Jeeze, this administration has nothing left but fearmongering...

[hypnotoad72]

Europe is technically closer to where the bulk of terrorists come from, but Mr. Chertoff''s hypothesis is a justifiable one.

What we, the American public, need to do is stop shilly-shallying on political forums knocking every politician, left or right or inbetween or way-out and be vigilant -- but not cross the line into paranoia. Or, to rephrase, when out and about to keep an eye out for suspicious events, but without descending into paranoia and finger pointing. We''re not 10 anymore, though many people prefer to act like they are.

Some terrorist attacks in other countries (e.g. the one in Heathrow from several months ago) were thwarted because somebody DID see something odd and reported it.

[hypnotoad72]

canyoutellme - were you being serious or facetious when claiming the US is going to attack Europe?! After all, that doofus Scott Ritter keeps saying "July 200_". Been 3 years now, maybe he will be right one year... "July 20__"?

I''m assuming you were making a funny, but no doubt some (usually the uber-left-winged pests) would take you seriously. :(

[prinzowhales]

Comrade Chertoff will not examine why good agents of the Federal Bureau of Incompetence were ordered off of the trail of the bin Ladens...He will not address the fact that many of the 9-11 patsies gained admittance to the US through a CIA-controlled visa mill in Saudi Arabia...He will not address the CIA rendition/drug smuggling planes that went down in Mexico...he will not address the cut columns at the base of the WTC which could not have been precision cut by aviation fuel burning dozens of floors above...Chertoff and his gangsters are not protecting the border which is wide open...he is not investigating why the FBI prevented patriotic agents from checking the hard drive of the "20th hijackers''s" computer...

...Chertoff is a facilitator of terrorism...He refuses to deal with the revelations of Sibel Edmonds the FBI translator who named the treasonous dogs who betrayed America and is now under a national security gag order from the black-robed bench monkeys of the Regime.--She has their pictures with no captions on her web sites...This is what Freedom of Speech has devolved into under the Bush/Chertoff Reich!

[missingamerica]

What''s the big deal, Chertoff? Just wiretap every citizen in the rest of the world, like you do us.

[gunownerdan]

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
-- George W. Bush, Sept. 13, 2001

"I don''t know where (Bin Laden) is. You know, I just don''t spend that much time on him....I -- I''ll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."
-- George W. Bush, March 13, 2002
6 MONTHS AFTER 9/11/01

[terrapin78]

I don''t care what Skelator fears.

[gkc99]

And after the trashing of the Bill of Rights by the Darth Bushit regime is complete, Chertoff may fear homegrown terrorism right here in the good ol'' USA!

[gunownerdan]

"Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom. The cause of liberty, the cause of American, cannot succeed with any lesser effort."
-- President John F. Kennedy, January 29, 1961

[fibonacci_]

Every man, woman and child should be required to carry a firearm.

[fibonacci_]

Interesting quote gunownerdan - strikes me as ironic that he was gunned down by a sniper.

[rohink-2009]

gkc99

Just curious, how old are you?

[rowdytexan2]

He said there was a "certain sense of complacency" about terrorism in the United States, suggesting the Bush administration had been a victim of its own success in thwarting any attacks since the Sept. 11 attacks."

Oh this is priceless, considering Bush sent Al Queda over to Iraq to promote chaos in the middle east and then up to Pakistan to ummmm...take care of business.

Now he''s sending more troops to Afghanistan and basically refusing to bring troops home of Iraq.

Chaos and panic is Bush/Cheney''s goal! Chertoff''s comments pro''bly came straight from Bush''s veto pen!

Chertoff looks like a spook himself! Gads!

[liberalme]

Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom. The cause of liberty, the cause of American, cannot succeed with any lesser effort."
-- President John F. Kennedy, January 29, 1961

Posted by gunownerdan at 01:46 PM : Jan 16, 2008

I''ll say it again ---This is not the Same America as is was in 1961!

There are more guns on the street now than ever though of in 1961!
Today it would turn into a showdown at the OK Corral!

Nope, can''t compare 1961 to today--I was a lot younger and better looking then too.

[fibonacci_]

I am surprised that it doesnt strike him as ironic that JFK was gunned down by a sniper.

[truthheals]

cherti is such an inept little shihead

send him back to his homeland!

[liberalme]

He said there was a "certain sense of complacency" about terrorism in the United States, suggesting the Bush administration had been a victim of its own success in thwarting any attacks since the Sept. 11 attacks."

Ok we''re not stupid anymore--

911 was planned

The towers were rigged to implode when the planes hit.

Bush never intended to go after (complicit) Bin Laden.

And I''m positive everyone in America can state more fact to what I wrote.
Get over yourselves Washington--you''re dealing with people who now have "the rest of the story".

[klifton2-2009]

Just because there is no terrorist attack(s) on the US does not mean that Bush is doing helluva job. On the contrary. It could mean that the terrorists are waiting and planning. Massive attacks take time and meticulous planning.They will strike when you least expect them to in places you thought would be safe and in circumstances that you could not possibly conceive. They have the advantage of surprise while you gloat over false accomplishments. There is no perfect security, only safeguards. If the collective wisdom of the American people is tapped, you might find the answer to the question of why they want to hurt America. Terrorism is a state of mind. It is an ideology without army fatigues. It rears its insidious heads across all spectrum of society and professions.

[arakaczky]

Fortunately, we haven''t had a water buffalo stampede, either. Thanks a lot, Mike Chertoff. If he''s so worried about people getting into the country, why are they still dragging their feet on border/port security? This has been going on for 6 years, and still nothing has been done of any substance.

[prinzowhales]

If you go to prisonplanet.com you will see an article on fluoride...a deadly poison used by the Nazis to keep the prisoners in the concentration camps docile...that the government puts in your water...SCIENTIFIC AMERICA did a huge article on it that did not tell half the story...it is a deadly poison and forms part of many of the major psychotropic drugs...it also lowers intelligence...it was shown by a Harvard study to increase your chances of getting cancer and it causes bone brittleness which leads to countless fractures in our elderly.

Your government commits more terrorism against YOU and kills more of you everyday than all of the terrorists attacks against America in the history of the Republic.

[Con Mohrat]

" Chertoff said in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio that his fears were based on how easy it is for Europeans travel to the United Sates. "
~~~~~~~~

He still mentions "Europeans". Did he mean EurAbians?

1. Eurabia East - The U.K., 4 1/2 million immigrants mostly from Pakistan, which is in the news, usually spectacular, almost daily.

2. Eurabia Central - France, 5 1/2 million immigrants many from Algeria, home of the GIA and GSPC, both Salafi Groups. Muslim fundamentalists won the election but are not permitted to take control; last month set off a bomb near the UN building.

3. Eurabia South - Spain. Immigrants from all their former colonies in N.Africa. Train bombing in Madrid killed 190 in a few minutes, and they dumped their President within the week.

4. Eurabia East - Germany. Bombing attempt failed. Muhammed Atta and the 9/11 boys lived free in Hamburg.

These four would-be colonial conquerors wanted hegemony over Arabs and North Africans so much, and got far more than they bargained for.

Sit back and watch Chertoff, Cheney and Bush try to tackle this one. Luck to them all.

[gunownerdan]

Many Muslims in Europe do seem to be very hateful and out of control, but never forget these wise words from one of America''s founding fathers:

"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
-- James Madison

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
-- James Madison

[gkc99]

"Chertoff told the BBC, "Our ability to know who is coming across our borders, and to check them and to take their fingerprints now, is far better than it was five or six years ago. We have deployed almost twice as many border patrols as we had five or six years ago. We''ve put up literally hundreds of miles of fencing and barriers. All of these are very concrete steps forward that have made our security much better than it was.""


What a hoot! Chertoff''s boss tossed a couple hundred new Border Patrol positions at ICE and told the American public "mission accomplished", while millions of Mexicans on foot simply walk across our border, not to mention millions of other foreigners who waltz in on student and tourist visas.

No, this is just a first softening bombardment of propaganda for the coming police state in America.

Warrantless snooping and searching, thanks to Bushit. "Real ID"--a national ID card. "Sneak and peek". This is what Chertoff and the Bushits are going to drive home, even if it takes some manufactured "terrorist" attacks.

[liberalme]

Everyone is our enemy now! Everyone is a terrorist! If you listen to these paranoid a-holes long enough, they''''ll have you afraid of your own shadow.
Posted by matvei1107 at 02:43 PM : Jan 16, 2008

But we know--it''s only Bush & Co--family-extended family--close friends--not so close friends and terrorists he hires.
+ report abuse

[jyu1915]

Last summer, with no credible evidence, Chertoff engaged in fear mongering when he said he had a "gut feeling" that terrorists were going to attack the U.S.
This is more of the same. I suppose he''s trying to use that fear to push his National I.D. agenda on us.

He was like a deer in the headlights when it came to organizing the Federal response to Hurricane Katrina. If he was so incompetent regarding that, why should we trust his judgment on other matters?

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by klifton2 at 02:16 PM : Jan 16, 2008

Yes, especially when the terrorist and terrorist hirers are the very people running our government.

[tylenol6]

Fear, fear, and more fear..Chertoff is the terrorist.

[gunownerdan]

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
-- George W. Bush, Sept. 13, 2001

"I don''t know where (Bin Laden) is. You know, I just don''t spend that much time on him....I -- I''ll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."
-- George W. Bush, March 13, 2002
6 MONTHS AFTER 9/11/01

I guess Bush realized early on that he needs his bogeyman Osama Bin Laden to keep us all good and scared.

[liberalme]

I don''''t know where (Bin Laden) is. You know, I just don''''t spend that much time on him....I -- I''''ll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."
-- George W. Bush, March 13, 2002
6 MONTHS AFTER 9/11/01

I guess Bush realized early on that he needs his bogeyman Osama Bin Laden to keep us all good and scared.
Posted by gunownerdan

That was Bush''s friend and "hired hand" and we all know how loyal Bush is with his friends the Bin Ladens.

[tylenol6]

The fact is most americans are not doing anything wrong.
I think what the american people have to worry about is
the Bush Administration and CONgress. We need to ID them
with verichip. We need to keep an eye on these IDIOTS.

[nyckate]

Things must be bad folks - the Bush crowd usually try and blame someone/anyone else AFTER the ***** hits the fan - Chertoff is already blaming Europe for his failures and incompetence -- this is not a good sign.

[arakaczky]

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 - 1956)

[watcher269-2009]

How much money did this guy donate to Bushit?

[tibu987]

And why shouldn''t foreign visitors to the U.S. have to prove themselves?
Everything should be in computers and all of the safety venues used to verify their right to visit the U.S.
For pete''s sake, everything must be done to avoid another 9/11.
To h^ll with inconvenience.
To h^ll with civil liberties.
Let''s just be safe.

[watcher269-2009]

It''s time to beat the FEAR drums again - the Republicans fear speeches are not working anymore.

FEAR, FEAR, FEAR - YOU NEED TO BE AFRAID - YOU NEED TO BE VERY AFRAID - YOU NEED TO BE A-SCARED.

There''s a Terrorist under you bed and a Communist in your Closet! Or is that a Communist under your bed and a Terrorist in your closet.

Well one thing is for sure - your government is tapping all your communications!

You are the Threat! A free America is a Liberal America.

A Republican America is a Controlled America!

Do you want Freedom or Control?

Did you see that Pope Benedict basically declared the Earth Flat again by stating that "as saying the Church''s verdict against Galileo had been "rational and just"

Thus - the Earth is Flat! And the Earth is Stationary! How else would Jesus find us?