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Wednesday, September 12, 2001

GIVE ME YOUR TIRED, YOUR
POOR, YOUR TERRORISTS
And this is just the beginning.

Los Angeles Times

"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities."

Theodore Roosevelt

"Foreign nationals who are terrorist operatives routinely utilize false identity documents to illegally enter the US and/or remain here once they have entered." 
Steven Emerson
Terrorist Expert and Investigator

See....
International Terrorism
and Immigration Policy

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Los Angeles Daily News

Las Vegas Sun

Security Tightened at Mexico Border
Following a U.S. request for stepped up border security, authorities in Tijuana said Wednesday they have rounded up 48 migrants from Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. --- Some analysts feared the attacks may have complicated Mexico's dreams of building truly open borders with the United States - especially with more would-be immigrants from distant countries showing up at border gates. -- "It's difficult to imagine that, at this point, President Bush would support a program to legalize millions of immigrants," wrote foreign affairs specialist Ana Maria Salazar in the newspaper Reforma.

From CNN.com
7:42 PM -- All clear given at Empire State Bldg., Penn Station

From CNN.com
7:32 PM -- Empire State Building being evacuated. Details soon.

From CNN.com - 7:17 PM -- VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Investigators have leads on four hijackers they believe commandeered the two airliners from Boston that destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center, CNN has learned. Two of the men were brothers apparently from Saudi Arabia who had most recently been living in Florida where they attended flight training school.

Drudge Report

MAG: All Four Terror Teams Had Certified Pilots
New York - U.S. officials told TIME they have evidence that each of the four terrorist teams had a certified pilot with them, some of whom had flown for Saudi Airlines, according to a report now on TIME.com, the website of TIME magazine. Tomorrow (Thursday) TIME will publish a memorial edition with the coverline, "September 11, 2001," about the terrorist attacks on Americans Tuesday. (TIME also will publish its regular weekly issue on Monday, September 17).

TIME Magazine

TIME Exclusive: Inside the Plot
Only God knows what kind of heroic acts took place at 25,000 feet as passengers and crews contended with four teams of highly trained enemy terrorists. But it is clear that the hunt for the culprits began way up in the sky, by the doomed passengers and crews themselves, minutes before the attacks took place. The victims on board at least two of the four planes whispered the number and even some of the seat assignments of the terrorists along with their final goodbyes in their brief and haunting Tuesday morning cell phone calls.

We Get
E-Mail --
THE
AFTERMATH
FED UP
9-12-01 - For years now, the Politically Correct set has waged a war on "hate". Their motto is "We simply can't stand intolerant people!" Hate, you see, was a "failure to celebrate diversity", and that was absolutely a bad thing, no matter how whacked- out that diversity happened to be. So, we don't yet know the exact identity of the individuals responsible for yesterday's acts of warfare. But, I ask, if we did, would it be OK to hate them? If it had been correct just three months less than sixty years ago to hate the Japanese, then assuredly it is OK to hate this enemy. The loss of life, by the way, was at least 10 times as great yesterday as it was on Dec 7, 1941.

Marietta Daily Journal

Experts say Marietta can legally open labor shelter
That revelation was made public Thursday night as a panel of experts spoke to the transformation along the Powder Springs corridor as an increasing number of Hispanic and Latin American residents have moved to the city over the past decade. -- "It's not a crime to be in the U.S. illegally," said Fred Alexander, the deputy district director for the INS. "It's a violation of civil law." [Note: This is nonsense. A reaction to this from the former Chief BP agent will be posted on Thursday.)

Associated Press

Canadian Border Remains Open
Long lines and stringent searches slowed traffic along the U.S.-Canadian border Wednesday, but vehicles moved freely in both directions a day after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. -- Officials warned the world's longest undefended border would be more tightly patrolled and travelers should expect to wait for hours. At some crossings, lines of vehicles stretched for miles. At others, traffic moved with minimal delays. U.S. officials said Wednesday they were investigating whether one group of hijackers crossed the Canadian border....

From CNN.com - WASHINGTON (CNN) 4:41 PM --- Congressional leaders and the White House agreed Wednesday to set aside $20 billion for rescue efforts, repairs and counterterrorism work after Tuesday's terror attacks on Washington and New York.

NEW YORK (CNNfn) 3:25 PM - U.S. stock markets will stay shuttered for a third day Thursday and may not reopen until Monday, though officials from the major stock markets and the government said trading could resume as early as Friday.

Editorial - Brownsville Herald

Immigration reform - Recognizing need for change is good, but don't expect results anytime soon
At his summit with U.S. President George W. Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox called for an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy by the end of the year. -- Fox would like to see the 3 million Mexican citizens who entered this country illegally gain some sort of legal status. Bush warned that the process will be extremely complicated. -- Of course, the problem of 3 million undocumented workers in the United States can't be solved overnight. And it can't be solved unilaterally. Most importantly, the United States should not focus solely on Mexican immigrants.

Washington Post - Opinion

To War, Not to Court
This is not crime. This is war. One of the reasons there are terrorists out there capable and audacious enough to carry out the deadliest attack on the United States in its history is that, while they have declared war on us, we have in the past responded (with the exception of a few useless cruise missile attacks on empty tents in the desert) by issuing subpoenas. -- Secretary of State Colin Powell's first reaction to the day of infamy was to pledge to "bring those responsible to justice." This is exactly wrong.

WorldNetDaily.com

What now?
The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, hundreds of thousands of young American men responded to a call from President Roosevelt to rally against an enemy that attacked the United States. -- While that enemy had a clear address ­ Japan, the enemy in 2001 is a little more ambiguous, a little more doubtful, a little more vague. -- Yet, make no mistake about it, there is an enemy out there ­ a very real and dangerous enemy that can strike the vulnerable United States at will in ways few Americans have ever imagined.

CNN NEWS ALERT - 2:25 PM - Gutted building (1 Liberty Plaza, approx. 60 stories or less) next to the WTC site is about ready to collapse. Area evacuated.

Press Release

FAIR: Better migrant screening needed
"The heinous terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. yesterday that cost the nation many lives demonstrate anew the need to defend our country better by stopping the easy entry into our country by terrorists said Dan Stein, executive director of FAIR. "The nation,s defense against terrorism has been seriously eroded by the efforts of open- borders advocates, and the innocent victims of today's terrorist attacks have paid the price.

Pacific News Service

Mexicans Stunned: Fear Consequence of Intimacy with U.S.
Many Mexicans are having second thoughts about their new-found intimate relationship with their neighbor to the north. With their border closed, they wonder about the financial implications of trade interrupted for more than a day. But more to the point -- could they be courting terrorism on their soil? PNS contributor Louis Nevaer is an economist and former newspaper publisher living in Mexico City.

1:53 PM - Transportation Sec. Norman Mineta says some airports to be reopened on a limited basis.

1:15 PM -- BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN.com) -- NATO has unanimously declared the hijack attacks on the U.S. to be an assault against all member states. Secretary-General George Robertson said the U.S. would receive support for military action from its 18 NATO partners if it is found the assaults were committed by foreign nationals.

Ananova.com

Police name two men wanted for US plane attacks
Police in America are hunting two men they believe were involved in the twin terror attacks on New York and Washington. One, Mohamed Atta, and the other, known only as Marwan, were named by the FBI in a bulletin sent to US law enforcement agencies. Their home was searched but it was not known if anybody was taken into custody. Police have released details of the cars both men were believed to be driving.

Associated Press

Border on 'highest state of alert' following attacks
Traffic and pedestrians trickled into the U.S. from Mexico on Tuesday afternoon as authorities heightened security in response to terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. -- Scores of INS agents inspected nearly every vehicle entering the U.S. at the San Ysidro crossing. Officials asked occupants to get out of the vehicles so they could search inside, including looking under seats and inspecting glove compartments.

12:25 PM - (CNN.com) - White House, Air Force One were targets of terrorists on Tuesday, administration official tells CNN.

CNN

Police pursue suspect leads
Police in Coral Springs, Florida, say they accompanied FBI agents to the home of a man authorities believe may have been one of the hijackers involved in Tuesday's attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. -- No one was taken into custody in Coral Springs, but police said they had detained several people in Venice and Vero Beach. And in Boston, where three of the four hijacked flights originated, heavily armed tactical police entered the Westin Hotel in Copley Square, where they took several more people into custody.

Brownsville Herald

Peso tumbles following attacks
The ripping effects of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. sent shock waves across the Mexican border Tuesday, tumbling the peso and creating high alert at U.S. consulates. -- "We're not buying or selling dollars right now," said Jaime Castro, a marketing manager for Money, an exchange house that specializes in note transactions in Matamoros. "We stopped buying and selling dollars because we deal mostly with New York banks in Manhattan. In fact, some of those banks are at the World Trade Center. We're still waiting to hear from those banks."

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN.com) 11:25 AM -- Officials of the Taliban, the hard-line Islamic rulers of Afghanistan, are appealing to the United States not to attack Afghanistan, CNN has learned. The plea came after an international message was passed along to senior Taliban officials, who were meeting Wednesday with Pakistan diplomats.

BOSTON (CNN.com) 10:32 AM -- The FBI has taken several people into custody in connection with the investigation into the deadly terrorist attacks against the United States. The individuals have not been arrested and they have not been described as suspects. Heavily armed police and FBI agents swarmed the Westin Hotel in the Copley Square area of Boston. Sources said several people were also taken into custody for questioning in Florida.

David Horowitz

This is War
Today is Pearl Harbor. -- The destruction of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon, the revelation to all the world that even the White House is vulnerable, should be a wake up call to Americans. -- This country is at war, and we are far behind in securing our citizens' safety and preparing for our defense. -- How was it possible to hijack 4 commercial airliners from major airports ­ one of them Dulles International ­ and to do so within a set time frame?

The New American

Fight the Right War
Within the space of about an hour, our nation was struck by three terrorist attacks that may eventually yield tens of thousands of casualties. Although the identity of the assailants is unknown at this time, our nation has endured a murderous act of aggression that simply cannot go unpunished. -- As Americans struggle to absorb the horror resulting from this morning's unprecedented attacks upon our nation, it is vitally important that we keep in mind several key principles.

VERO BEACH, Fla. (CNN.com) 10:23 AM -- At least 10 FBI agents were searching two houses in this city in Florida in what appeared to be part of the investigation into the deadly terrorists attacks against the United States. The immediate neighborhood was temporarily evacuated after FBI agents knocked on doors and said there was a bomb scare. Residents have been allowed back in their homes.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Navy warships patrol West Coast
Navy warships armed with anti-aircraft missiles have been ordered to patrol the West Coast, guarding San Diego and other major cities from further airborne terrorist attacks, military officials said yesterday. It was the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 that warships, guns and missiles at the ready, were posted off the American coast. Meanwhile, military jets circled near San Diego, Los Angeles and some unidentified West Coast cities as a further defense, the sources said.

San Diego Union-Tribune

33 Iraqis who seek asylum held in Tijuana
Mexican immigration authorities have detained a group of 33 people who say they are Catholics from Iraq hoping for asylum in the United States. -- Acting on a tip, inspectors found the group lodged at a hotel in Tijuana's Las Palmas section yesterday afternoon, said Raul Zarate, spokesman for the federal immigration office in Tijuana. -- "They were not carrying a single immigration document," Zarate said. "They said they were in the process of petitioning for (U.S.) documents, but we have not been able to verify this."

9:35 AM - Fox News
U.S. airports to remain closed until better security proceedures are in place.

Chicago Daily Herald
High-profile suburban sites shut down
Darkened storefronts and government offices throughout the Chicago suburbs Tuesday reflected the black tragedy that gripped the nation. -- By late afternoon, major shopping centers in Schaumburg, Skokie, Vernon Hills, Oakbrook, Aurora, St.(Charles, Lombard, West Dundee and Mount Prospect closed, citing security concerns.

8:59 AM -- Fox News reports that the Pentagon is being evacuated due to a fire.
LIVE WEBCAM - Pentagon

CNN.com ATLANTA -- 8:57 AM -- Losses from Tuesday's terrorist attacks against the United States are expected to run into the tens of billions of dollars. Insurance comanies tell CNN that the industry considers what happened an act of terrorism -- not an act of war -- so they do plan to honor their customers policies.bers of al Qaeda, an organization sponsored by suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.

CNN.com (8:30 AM) -- The United States intercepted two phone calls made after Tuesday's terrorist attacks against the Pentagon and New York's World Trade Center, and the conversations were between members of al Qaeda, an organization sponsored by suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.

CNN.com (8:00 AM) -- President Bush calls attacks 'acts of war;' asks Congress for emergency funding. Details to come.

CNN.com (7:40 AM) -- NATO considering guarantee of military, intelligence support if U.S. responds to terror attack, sources tell CNN.

Loose Borders
Suspected terrorists may have entered from Canada
Two of the men, whose passports were traced to the United Arab Emirates, were brothers, one of whom was a trained pilot, a source told the Herald, speaking on condition of anonymity. -- At least two other suspects flew to Logan yesterday from Portland, Maine, where authorities believe they had traveled after crossing over from Canada recently.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- 7:10 AM -- The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has sent rescue teams known for pulling survivors from earthquake rubble to the terrorist-disaster sites at the Pentagon and in New York City.

L.A. Times

Muslims in Southland Brace for Retaliation
American Muslims joined a stunned nation Tuesday in denouncing the attacks in New York and Washington -- and then braced themselves for an anti- Islamic backlash. From Washington to L.A., Muslim leaders quickly mobilized to put out the word that they stood united with other Americans. At the same time, Muslim parochial schools were being closed, Islamic centers and mosques were being shuttered, and Muslim workers were staying off the job out of fear that they would be targeted amid an upturn in e-mail and telephone threats.

San Jose Mercury News

Experts: California vulnerable to terrorists
Even though all of Tuesday's devastation occurred on the East Coast, the West Coast has many potential terrorism targets of its own and protecting the thousands of lives vulnerable to such an attack here is a major challenge for authorities. -- California has scores of government offices, airports, schools, shopping malls, military installations, electricity operations centers, businesses and tourist spots that could be vulnerable. Indeed, many of those were closed or put on alert as a precaution Tuesday.

Orange Co. Register

Traffic crawls across the border
Traffic from Mexico into the United States was reduced to a crawl Tuesday as word of the attacks in New York and near Washington, D.C., prompted a massive escalation in border security and discouraged all but essential travel in either direction. -- Customs and immigration officers waded into the sea of cars waiting to enter the United States, making drivers open engine compartments and trunks for inspection 50 yards inside Mexico before permitting them to move on to the border- control kiosks.

New York Post

Suspect set free in snafu
The Defense Department is investigating a frightening incident in which the feds let a suspected terrorist slip through their fingers after he was caught snapping photos of security operations at four downtown federal buildings, The Post has learned. -- "This is a very intriguing and very important story right now," said a source in the DIA - an intelligence gathering and analysis branch of the DOD. The source told The Post that DIA agents are seeking the pictures the suspect snapped and the fake documents he provided to authorities.

Reports: Boston Investigators Find Evidence in Attacks
Investigators in Boston found a copy of the Koran, a videotape on how to fly commercial jets and a fuel consumption calculator in a pair of bags meant for American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the World Trade Center on Tuesday, the Boston Globe reported on Wednesday.

Office of the Press Secretary

Statement by the President
Bush's address to the nation - 9/11 - Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.

Associated Press

BP Steps Up Coverage of Borders
With only some exceptions, U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada remained open Tuesday in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, but security was stepped up markedly. At border crossings in El Paso, Texas, people waited in line up to an hour and a half - twice the usual delay - as officials thoroughly inspected nearly every car at the bridges. Inspectors lifted hoods, opened trunks and looked under floor mats....

Arizona Daily Star

UNTHINKABLE
A pall of smoke, dust and sadness settled over lower Manhattan at nightfall Tuesday as rescue workers, police and firefighters pressed their desperate search for survivors of the worst terrorist attack in United States history, a coordinated airborne assault that destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center and left a portion of the Pentagon in Washington in smoking ruins. -- In New York alone, it was feared the death toll could reach the thousands. Officials said at least 300 firefighters and 78 police officers were missing and presumed dead at midday.

The News - Mexico City

Davidow: border still open
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Jefferey Davidow on Tuesday denied reports the border was closed after terrorist attacks devastated the financial and political capitals of the United States. -- "Obviously there is more security. Crossing is slower, but the borders are open," Davidow told reporters at a makeshift news conference in a side street adjacent to the U.S. Embassy. The ambassador confirmed that all flights between the two countries had been cancelled. He said flights would resume at the earliest at midday on Wednesday.


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