February 16, 2006

Only 325,000 Names on U.S. Suspected Terror List

The MSM is spinning the fact that the U.S. has placed over 325,000 names on the suspected terrorist list as an affront to civil liberties. However, because many of the names are simple variations of spelling, the actual list is closer to 200,000. And U.S. Citizens comprise "only a very, very small fraction" of that number.

So, you're going to tell me that there are only 200,000 potential terrorists in the world identified by the NSA's National Counterterrorism Center? In Britain alone 37% of Muslims agreed that Jews in the U.K. are "legitimate targets as part of the struggle for justice in the Middle East."

50,000 people in Pakistan rallied to suppress free speech in the world today. 3,000 Muslims in the Philippines were at a rally in which cartoon blasphemers were beheaded in effigy today. And you're telling me that 200,000 is a large number? Are you people out of your effing minds!?!?

It's simply amazing the depths of the denial going on in the world about the nature of Islam and the gravity of the threat it poses to Western liberalism. Alleged 'civil liberty' groups express outrage at this number as if there is no relationship between between Islam and terrorism.

For instance:

Timothy Sparapani, an expert on privacy rights at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the ACLU's response was one of incredulity, and alarm that many people are likely to be on the list by mistake, with serious impact on their lives and few, if any, means of getting themselves off it.

It's true, as Mr. Sparapani notes, that there probably needs to be a better vetting process so that innocent Muslims can be taken off the list quicker, but the solution to that problem is in increasing the NSA budget by leaps and bounds. I wonder how the ACLU would react should some one propose to double the NSA budget? Let me predict that they would be 'incredulous' and 'alarmed' at the potential impact on civil liberties.

While the list is problematic and should cause us some concern, 'Outrage', another word used by the ACLU, should be saved for those who support jihad and terrorism, not directed at those trying to prevent another 9/11.

More over-reaction:

LA Times: Names on U.S. Terror List Quadruple

San Francisco Chronicle: Roster of alleged terrorists swells to 325,000 names

The Standard: Fears over US terrorism list

Al Jazeera.com: 325,000 names on US “terror� list - Report (quote marks in original)