March 12, 2010

Rusty Vindicated? Watchdogs Important in Catching Some Terrorists

And yet more naval gazing for Rusty in which I link an article in which I'm quoted extensively. It's here in the Philly Enquirer. Instead of quoting myself from the article, how about I drop this quote in for the sake of "righterthanyou"?

Philadelphia FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver would not confirm whether a tip from the Web watcher led to the LaRose investigation.

But former U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan said last night: "I'm aware and know that there certainly was a role in this case served by such a group in alerting the federal authorities."

Meehan, who left office in 2008, said online tipsters are natural descendants of the "eyes and ears" community contacts who tipped off police to crime rackets, drug deals, and other impending crimes.

"With the amount of things that fly around online, it is impossible for law enforcement to be all things to all people," Meehan said. "This relationship is supportive and, in cases such as this, has proved to be vital in leading to an arrest."

A federal official involved in counterterrorism who did not want to be identified said the volume of Internet traffic "is insane," adding, "The question is, how do you know which posts are for real? You don't. You just have to hope you are right."

READ THE REST.

PS -- You guys at the Inquirer don't know how to link?

Note to righterthanyou below

By Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. at 02:10 PM | |