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30 Dec 2009 09:12

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Politics: Slate all weirded out by its al-Qaeda equivalent, Sada al-Malahim

  • There’s even an Explainer-like feature that answers reader questions about current topics in jihadism. (Here’s one: The prophet commanded us to expel infidels from the Arabian Peninsula. Which countries was he referring to?)
  • Slate writer Brian Palmer • Discussing the existence of Sada al-Malahim, an online magazine for terrorists. He compares it to Slate, saying that the publications have quite a few things in common. Palmer notes that while it’s not the terrorist organization’s first foray into long-form publications, “it is the first to be released on a fairly reliable schedule over a number of years.” source

29 Dec 2009 21:06

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U.S., World: New Year’s fireworks: U.S. could strike back in Yemen. WHOO!

  • why? Because al-Qaeda’s new loft is in sunny Yemen, where the unemployment is high and the government is weak.
  • plans Right now, the U.S. is reportedly looking at targets, biding their time until Obama gives the OK. Get yo popcorn ready! source

29 Dec 2009 20:22

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U.S.: Quick question: Did the U.S. blow the underwear bomber case?

  • YES that’s what Obama is saying, not us source

28 Dec 2009 21:41

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Politics: DHS head Janet Napolitano’s getting resignation calls already

  • Does she not realize how sick we are of government officials responding to obvious mistakes, errors and failures by bragging about what they did get right?
  • Andrew Sullivan (our second link to him today!) • Regarding the perceived ineptitude of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano, who took credit for getting the job done regarding the underwear bomber, only to get trashed by everybody around because, well, she didn’t. Her second half-apology on Today this morning has people calling for her head all around the table. source

28 Dec 2009 21:24

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World: Don’t turn away from Yemen, because that’s where the threat is

  • 29 reported al-Qaeda members were captured by Yemeni forces today
  • 30 more were reported killed after a raid in the country last week; the U.S. is paying for this
  • 30 more beyond that were killed in a raid Dec. 17; then the undie bomber stepped in source

28 Dec 2009 20:58

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U.S.: This post features scanned-in hardcore black-and-white nudes

  • Oh yeah, that’s right. Take a look at what those full-body airport scans are gonna look like. What did you think we were talking about, anyway? source

28 Dec 2009 20:41

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U.S.: Underwear bomber: About time this terrorist guy had a nickname!

  • There was a technical problem that resulted in a non-complete explosion.
  • A statement from al-freaking-Qaeda • Regarding the underwear bomber, who we’ll also refer to as the “undie bomber,” the “tighty-whitie bomber” and” the guy about to ruin security checks for everyone.” Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, as his mother named him, was in fact working with al-Qaeda, who claim great success in actually getting the explosive device through security. They claim that the bombing attempt was retribution for bombings in Yemen that screwed their stuff up. Dudes, this guy got way closer to blowing something up than any guy since the Shoe Bomber. source
 

28 Dec 2009 10:35

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World: Amsterdam’s airport says Nigerian terror suspect passed security

  • Was he checked? Yes, Dutch authorities say Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab went through security checkpoints. In fact, they note that Nigerian travelers go through strong security when flying because of fears of fraud.
  • What was the weak point? From the sound of things, airport security could not detect the materials on him because they weren’t made of metal. Which means that we’re going to start seeing full body scans soon. source

27 Dec 2009 23:27

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Politics: Max Headroom: Two Peters make a homeland security sandwich


  • Finger-Pointing Rep. Peter Hoekstra seems ready to stick a fork in Obama’s handling of terrorism on Fox News, blaming his staff for downplaying the threat. We think it’s a bit overblown.

  • “The System Worked” Of course, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano disagrees with Rep. Hoekstra’s assessment, and she was on CNN trying to calm the American public’s frayed nerves.

  • “No it didn’t, Janet” Rep. Peter King, looking like he’s going to rip someone to shreds, totally disagrees with Janet Napolitano’s assessment, but says that they need to work towards a bipartisan solution.

27 Dec 2009 15:26

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World: Is the Detroit terror attempt part of a larger plot, guys?

  • ? Who knows? We’ll update this post as it happens source