Yet another naturalized citizen pleads guilty to assisting al-Qaeda

Hi Gang:

I have provided links to a couple of articles that once again illustrate a number of critically important issues. The news articles report on how a naturalized citizen of the United States and a native of Morocco has pleaded guilty to laundering money and providing funds to al-Qaeda.

This goes back to a point I have been making for a number of years- terrorists do not necessarily carry out terrorist attacks, they may provide material or logistic support to terrorist organizations that carry out the deadly attacks. In making this point I have often noted that only a very small percentage of our men and women in the Air Force are actually pilots and an even smaller number of our Air Force personnel actually perform their duties from within the cockpit of an airplane. The great majority of those who proudly wear the Air Force uniform provide the Air Force with essential work that enables the pilots to carry out their important missions.

For terrorist organizations a similar situation exists. There are many more adherents to terrorist organizations who will never hijack an airliner, detonate a bomb or carry out some other overt act. These individuals, however, are essential to the ability of terrorist organizations to kill and maim people all over the world, including, potentially, within the United States. Additionally, often fund raising activities, vital for the generation of essential funds that make the terrorist goals achievable, involve criminal activities ranging from white collar crimes to trafficking in narcotics to arson.

The news reports I am addressing today focus on Khalid Ouazzani, a 32 year old Moroccan native naturalized just 4 years ago and was in the United States laundering money and funding al-Qaeda.

According to the Washington Times article that quoted Associated Press:

“He (Khalid Ouazzani) also admitted that in June 2008, he swore to an unnamed co-conspirator an oath of allegiance to al Qaeda, prosecutors said.”

This was about two years after he had sworn allegiance to the United States when our nation provided him with the most precious honor a nation can bestow upon an alien- citizenship!

I am not certain if Mr. Ouzzani committed immigration fraud, but I would love to see his immigration file! I wonder if his was one of the 30,000 applications for United States citizenship that were, according to the GAO adjudicated without the relating immigration alien files that were purportedly “lost.”

I will remind you that immigration benefit fraud was determined by the 911 Commission to be a tactic employed by terrorists to enter our country and then embed themselves in our country.

The GAO issued a report about its findings where the “loss” of those immigration files were concerned. That report was provided with a deceptively understated title:
“Immigration Benefits: Additional Controls and a Sanctions Strategy Could Enhance DHS’s Ability to Control Benefit Fraud”

Here is a link to a portion of that report:

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-259

Here is the introduction to the material available online: (Please pay special attention to the highlighted first sentence of that report- for you convenience I have copied it immediately below:)
In 2002, GAO reported that immigration benefit fraud was pervasive and significant and the approach to controlling it was fragmented. Experts believe that individuals ineligible for these benefits, including terrorists and criminals, could use fraudulent means to enter or remain in the U.S.

In July of 2006 I testified before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims on the national security implications of the proposed legislation that was being considered by the United States Senate, S.2611 (Comprehensive Immigration Reform). Here is a link to a portion of the video of my testimony at that hearing:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4127670560538123883&ei=UMKGStSPFs-mlQeJsZ2vDg&q=michael+cutle&hl=en&client=firefox-a

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 the GAO has issued a number of reports that were written following investigations into the issue of immigration fraud. Here is a link to nine such reports:
click here

An additional GAO report worth reviewing was entitled:
“Immigration Benefits: Additional Controls and a Sanctions Strategy Could Enhance DHS’s Ability to Control Benefit Fraud”

Here is a link to a portion of that report:

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-259

Here is the introduction to the material available online: (Please pay special attention to the highlighted first sentence of that report- for you convenience I have copied it immediately below:)
In 2002, GAO reported that immigration benefit fraud was pervasive and significant and the approach to controlling it was fragmented. Experts believe that individuals ineligible for these benefits, including terrorists and criminals, could use fraudulent means to enter or remain in the U.S.

Meanwhile the administration and a number of members of both the House of Representatives as well as the United States Senate are drumming up support for “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” a program I believe should bear a more accurate and descriptive title. I believe it should be referred to as the “Terrorist Assistance and Facilitation Act!”

Senator Schumer and his cohorts in the Congress are now touting the idea of providing “tamper proof” identity documents that include biometrics. What they will have no answer to, however, is what name do you put on an identity document you provide to an illegal alien whose true identity- induding his name, date of birth, place of birth, citizenship, date, place and manner of entry are unknown and unknowable?

The other issue is that It is amazing that various newspaper articles describe this bum as a “United States citizen” or a “Missouri man!” Heaven forbid that this terrorist be accurately described as a native of a foreign country who was admitted into our country and then provided with the “Key to the kingdom” by our inept government!

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.

Later this year, each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection. Later this year 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-

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