"Homegrown Terrorists"

Oh how we would like to believe that the exposure of the fledgling “plot” of “Homegrown Terrorists” is actually a product of a successful criminal justice and anti-terrorist investigation. As odd as it may sound, we should be hopeful that the men charged actually posed a potential threat to homeland security.

The federal authorities, led by a public appearance of no less than the Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, announced the indictment of seven men who convened in a warehouse in South Miami and allegedly conspired to bomb key sites and “kill as many devils” as they could. The group was infiltrated by a government informant who posed as an Al Qaeda operative and offered the group assistance and potential affiliation with the highly publicized terrorist group. Most of the quotes used from the indictment are from the informant, including hearsay statements from an alleged leader of the Miami group. When captured and arrested, the group had no weapons or any explosives in their possession, the only photographic material they were reported to have was from equipment that was given to them by the government informant who asked them to make the videos and photos.

Again, it is impossible to look into the minds and hearts of these men accused of the nefarious plot of terror. There were apparently no detailed plans or evidence of communications setting up any terrorist activity, other than communications with the government informant. Perhaps these men intended, at some time in the future to hatch a plot to actually bomb the Sears tower and the Miami FBI Building. If we are to have any faith in the integrity of our government, we can only hope that is the case. One can fairly predict that the legal case for these alleged “terrorists” will not be decided before November of this year. It would be disheartening to find out that the government case was weak or without merit and that the case of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts pursued against these men must be thrown out of court. So we can only hope that there is some validity to the case.

From external appearances, however, this seems to be more oriented toward creating publicity and the appearance of a successful event. As late as May 24, according to the indictment, the government informant was in contact with the group and aware that they were not progressing toward any concrete activity that posed a threat. Even at the time of arrest, the government concedes that they posed no imminent threat. The public hoopla thus reminds us of the “yellow alerts” that were issued during the GOP Convention in New York, designed to manipulate the media and public hysteria, but having no basis in any credible or tangible threat to public safety.

The timing of the spectacular arrest is also a bit disconcerting. The activities of the group were known since the beginning of the year. Yet only after the announcement that Karl Rove was off the hook for federal indictment in the Plamegate matter, and public announcement that he is back in the driver’s seat to direct GOP public strategy, do we see this event. What would normally be a small time bust of low level wannabe terrorists, similar to the many busts of gangs and criminal theft rings in Miami, has been blown up into a national news event warranting an appearance by the Attorney General. One will have to forgive a mild bit of skepticism. Clearly, Rove needs to do "something" to try to prop up the abysmal ratings clinging to President Bush for months. We also know that Rove is capable of anything in pursuit of that mission, no matter how illegal or or unethical the tactic may be. And, after all, Gonzalez is about to be called on the carpet by the Senate Judiciary Committee so he can again refuse to answer questions about the administration's policy of ignoring civil rights, statutory protections and even specific statutes enacted by congress [through the President's use of "signing statements"]. So a bit of positive PR is needed at this point.

To demonstrate how warped our sensibilities have become, however, this small group of seven unarmed individuals, who authorities concede did not pose any "imminent threat," did pose more of an actual threat to the US and its citizens than did Saddam Hussein and his regime. At least they were located in the Unites States and there appears to be some credible evidence that they may have been attempting to secure a weapon of mass destruction [ie materials to bomb a federal building]. In the case of Saddam Hussein, neither factor was evident or proved to be true. But for the fact that his brother is the Chief Executive Officer of the State, the Bush administration may have sought an invasion of Florida and regime change. In the “war on terror” we seem to be seriously divorced from reality and to have lost all rational sense of proportionality. But all we can do now is grasp at straws, and hope that there is some basis for convicting the Florida "Homegrown Terrorists" of criminal conspiracy. If that is not possible, maybe we can convict them of something, even if it is only trespassing in an industrial warehouse or spitting on the sidewalk.