The Department of Homeland Security was quite possibly the largest expansion in the federal bureaucracy since the New Deal. And, bureaucracies are the farthest possible from the necessarily efficient and well coordinated organizations we need managing our fragile counter-terrorism, immigration and customs systems.

The proof is now in:

Growing numbers of noncitizens, including legal immigrants, are held unnecessarily and transferred heedlessly in an expensive immigration detention system that denies many of them basic fairness, a bipartisan study group and a human rights organization concluded in reports released jointly Wednesday.

If DHS can’t properly manage detention policies for immigrants, who are conceivably not terrorists, how can we expect it to do any better when it comes to people who want to harm us all?

Maher Arar, courtesy BBC

Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen, was forcibly transferred by US authorities to Syria, where he was allegedly tortured. It was claimed he had links to terrorism, but was later exonerated.

A New York court has now ruled that he cannot sue the U.S. for his mistreatment.

Arar claims:

He was a victim of “extraordinary rendition”, a process in which terrorism suspects are transferred to foreign countries for harsh interrogation.

The court claims:

it was not authorised to intervene in the case…

If a civil remedy in damages is to be created for harms suffered in the context of extraordinary rendition, it must be created by Congress

Read on »

Yes, according to the TSA. These are the people “protecting” us from terrorists. Who will protect us from the TSA?

From the DOJ:

On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned a sealed seven-count indictment against the following defendants:

• Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, a U.S. citizen and resident of North Carolina
• Zakariya Boyd, 20, a U.S. citizen and resident of North Carolina
• Dylan Boyd, 22, a U.S. citizen and resident of North Carolina
• others

According to CNN:

Officials said one of the men, identified as North Carolina resident and U.S. native Daniel Patrick Boyd, had traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he trained in terrorist camps to carry out “violent jihad.”

Boyd, 39, who went by the name Saifullah, was charged along with two of his sons: Dylan Boyd, 22, also known as Mohammed, and Zakariya Boyd, 20.

The problem with people like Boyd is that they convert to Islam for the wrong reasons. Their hatred for western culture and American society prompts them to adopt a religion that is perceived as being antagonistic to the West.

For whatever reason, Boyd is probably disenchanted with his upbringing, his family and his environment, much like John Allen Muhammad. I bet Boyd’s from a broken family and has had trouble in his married life. His economic standing is probably not much better either.

Converting to Islam provides an easy psychological escape from this hell and creates a justification for fighting against the Great Satan. His associates in Islam, especially those who helped him convert, must be abetting and encouraging this hatred for the West for their own perverted reasons.

I am always wary of 2 kinds of converts:

1. People like Boyd who plan to use the religion for justifying their own perverted campaigns against the society that has hurt them at some level
2. People who convert because it is “cool” and “happening,” such as celebrities like Wesley Snipes

Switching religions is a serious matter that requires much introspection as to the real reasons behind the conversion. Religion is not like buying a TV; you can’t try it out and exchange it for another. If you are, you’re disrespecting the religion, yourself and the people who are helping you.

Religion is also not like a computer that you purchase for work, but use it mostly to surf pornography on the web.

Religion has a purpose, that may be different for different people. One must understand this before converting to or from any religion.