“Aafia Siddiqui, alleged Al Qaeda associate, gets 86-year sentence”

Hi Gang:

I have provided you with two news reports [click here for one] [click here for two] that appeared in the media on Thursday, September 23rd, reporting on the sentencing of Aafia Siddiqui, a citizen of Pakistan who is purportedly associated with al Qaeda, who was arrested in Afghanistan two years ago. At the time of her arrest she was found to be in possession of bomb making instructions, chemicals and a list of key landmarks in New York.

While being questioned by our military she grabbed a rifle and opened fire on our soldiers. Fortunately they were not hit by the gunfire but she was wounded.

What is of particular concern is that Ms Siddiqui had received an extensive, first rate education at Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she earned post graduate degrees in science. In essence you could say that our country educated and trained a terrorist who was determined to cause mass casualties in our country.

What is equally worrisome is the fact that various aspects of the immigration enforcement program that should track the entry and departure of aliens into our country is not yet completed and there are fewer than 300 special agents at ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) who are seeking aliens who violate the terms of their admission. Meanwhile Janet Napolitano is now making a big deal about “home grown” terrorists while absolutely ignoring the way that visas are issued to aliens including aliens who seek to attend schools in our country. She also ignores the ever expanding Visa Waiver Program and even appears to refer to naturalized citizens who become involve in terrorism as being “home grown!”

The arrest and conviction of Aafia Siddiqui, who, incidentally is apparently through marriage to Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (KSM) believed to have been the primary “mastermind of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Consider this paragraph that appeared in the news report below:

She has variously said that she was kidnapped and held secretly by the US during that time, that she’d been kidnapped and held by Pakistan, and that she was a secret agent for the Pakistani intelligence services. US court filings say she told FBI agents that she’d married Ammar al-Baluchi, a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the man who carried out most of the planning for the 9/11 attacks and who is in US custody in Guantánamo Bay.

I have noted on ever so many occasions that our nation has whittled away many of our expectations of privacy and freedom in the name of “National Security” and the so-called, “War on Terror.”

Yet efforts to secure our nation’s borders and create and immigration system that has real integrity have, in my judgement, accomplished virtually nothing except squander billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars and waste far too many years even as the threats to our nation’s security and the safety of our citizens continue to plague us.

It is time for the politicians in Washington to live up to their oaths of office!

They must take to heart the statements made by the union leaders who represent the employes of Immigration and Custom Enforcement and do whatever is necessary to address these massive deficiencies as quickly and effectively as possible. The security of our nation and the safety of our citizens must, without equivocation take priority over any political goals or agenda.

It is unacceptable that the citizens of this nation be alienated by their own government especially where border security and the enforcement and administration of our nation’s immigration laws are concerned!

A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!

November 2nd cannot come fast enough!

We the People, throughout this nation must seek opportunities to make it clear to our political “representatives” that we understand their game plan and won’t tolerate it!.

I believe our nation’s is greatly benefited by the rich diversity of our people which is why I could never imagine living anywhere except New York City, arguably the most diverse city in our nation if not, in fact, the world. However, my idea of diversity most certainly does not include members of MS-13, the Mexican drug cartels and members of al-Qaeda!

If reading this makes it difficult for you to sleep now- perhaps you could do something worthwhile- perhaps you might spend a couple of your sleepless hours writing letters to your elected representatives this evening and remind them that Election Day is just months away!

We the People can add to the consternation of these politicians who are failing to live up to their oaths of office by contacting them and making it abundantly clear that election day is coming and they should think of election day as their personal “Day of Reckoning!”

Our government must live up to its obligation of protecting its own citizens and, indeed, all who are present in our country from the criminals and terrorists who would threaten our lives and the survival of our nation and our way of life. In the end, the government is actually those who are elected to act as our “leaders.” Those who fail to truly lead and look out for those they are supposed to represent, need to be sent packing this coming Election Day!

If our country is to survive and if our children and their children are to get their share of the “American Dream” the citizens of this nation must take their citizenship seriously!

We the People must be the best citizens we can be, citizens who are worthy of the gallantry demonstrated by our valiant men and women in the military, law enforcement and firefighters, who routinely go in harm’s way in defense of this nation and our citizens.

My goal in writing this and other commentaries is to point out our nations many failings before more victims pay the ultimate price for the incompetence and ineptitude of our government.

The first step in problem-solving is to first identify the problems and vulnerabilities and then devise strategies to overcome them.

Any politician who refuses to work to secure our borders and create an immigration system that has integrity is either corrupt or too dumb to keep his (her) job. Any politician, irrespective of party affiliation who favors Comprehensive Immigration Reform and the outrageous betrayal that this would represent given the national security implications that this program would have, should be shown the door at the next election!

If you find yourself to be in agreement with this commentary, I ask that you forward it to as many of your friends and family members as possible and encourage them to do the same. We need to create a “Bucket Brigade of Truth!”

In just 6 weeks each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection and more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for us, We the People!

However, the practice of good citizenship does not end in the voting booth, it only begins there.
The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines!

The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians.I implore you to get involved!
If this situation concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional “Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation!
All I ask is that you make it clear to our politicians that we are not as dumb as they hope we are!
We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance.
This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue!
You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!
Democracy is not a spectator sport!
Lead, follow or get out of the way!

-michael cutler-

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *