No, Janet, it didn’t.
Luckily for the innocent people aboard the plane, the detonator apparently failed, but so did our security systems. The sheer luck of the failure of the detonator, combined with quick action by passengers and flight crew, prevented the loss of almost three hundred innocent lives after the systems set up to protect them failed.
How much, if any, of the blame for the failures — most obviously for the very presence of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on that flight — should be laid on Napolitano and her department is unknown at this point. For example, Abdulmutallab’s father says he warned the US embassy about his son — did the State Department pass on the warning? We don’t know.
But we do know that the system did not work, and for Janet Napolitano to say it did is sheer idiocy. Unfortunately, her statement is typical of her performance throughout the year she has held this important position as a payoff for her early endorsement of Obama.
Update: Now she admits that the system “failed miserably” and whines that her earlier comments were taken out of context. In the initial interview, the CNN interviewer gave the chance to backtrack, asking follow-up questions.
December 27th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
It seems that none of her systems are working. Let me tell you what she is doing to a friend of mine.Janet is in charge and she will not even answer my letters.I am a citizen of the United States and I have a friend that is from
Paris, France here on a student visa to finish his degree. Noureddine
Feddane has been here since 2005. His visa is valid until March of
2010, his passport is valid until 2014, and his I-20 is current. He is
not what people call an ‘illegal immigrant.’ In 2008, he fell in love
and married a U.S. citizen that just happens to be addicted to
prescription medications. Noureddine knew nothing about this. But he
was arrested due to her mistakes.
He was placed in detention and scheduled for deportation. My friend
has been in detention center in Pompano Beach Florida for 5 months
now. This couple has lost all there savings on lawyers, she lost her
job, and they are in the process of losing their home. All this was
caused because ICE has the wrong person in jail.
I have written many letters to Janet Napolitano, Senator Bill Nelson,
Representative Ginny Brown-Waite and even President Obama. But no one
will listen. What is illegal in this case is the way DHS is treating
this guy, who is 51 and has never had a traffic violation. While in
detention center, they have abused him, denied him food and proper
medical treatment. Noureddine is diabetic and they will not give him
the proper food or medical attention. The phone system is very poor
and hardly works. I suspect that they plan it that way so the
detainees cannot contact their lawyers and family. I fear he will be
next on the long list of persons that have died while in detention.
Until you go to one of these detention centers and see with your own
eyes, you will not believe what America is doing. I was shocked, on my
first visit and after almost 6 months of seeing what happens and how
they have to live, I am still in shock. It is all about the money
. My friend has never
cost America anything until they locked him up. He is in a private
prison owned by a company called GEO
based near Miami, Florida. They are paid very well by our tax dollars,
but the treatment is unbelievable. I wonder how many politicians have
stock in this company. They are doing quite well even in a bad
economy.
Six months ago I had no idea that we treated immigrants in this way,
especially when they are here legally and have done nothing wrong. I
knew nothing about ICE and how they operate illegally
. I was under
the impression that DHS was here only to protect us from terrorists.
And I had no idea of the millions of our tax dollars were being wasted
to imprison people that could be out of detention and have their
family support them until a decision is made in immigration court. I
do not understand why we have to pay our hard earned tax dollars to
house and feed persons that are not dangerous.
When they have to lock up a man who has done nothing wrong, make him
spend thousands in fees, ICE is giving way too much importance to
themselves. How can we turn such educated people away simply to boost
the ego of ICE officers and add another number to the Janet Napolitano
deportation list, so that the Obama Administration can look like it is
doing its job of ‘cracking down on criminals?’
Something has to change soon. I feel it is my duty as an American to
let as many people as possible know the truth. I visit the detention
center every Saturday and spend the rest of the week writing letters.
This Christmas, let’s do something worthwhile. Let’s go back to
protecting the country rather than making up stories to justify the
expansion of a national security complex. Let’s end businesses
profiting from immigrant detention and restore our image as a nation
of immigrants.
December 28th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Flight 253 passenger: Sharp-dressed man aided terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab onto plane without passport
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/12/flight_253_passenger_says_at_l.html
25 Brits in jet bomb plots
Cops fear that 25 British-born Muslims are plotting to bomb Western airliners.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2785733.ece
More Questions on Why Terror Suspect Was Not Stopped
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/us/28terror.html?pagewanted=print
Nigerian in aircraft attack linked to London mosque
Probe into bomber’s contact with UK radical groups and visits to East London mosque / Suspect had attempted to obtain British visa in time for potential Christmas attack
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/nigerian-in-aircraft-attack-linked-to-london-mosque-1851452.html
Learning From Abdul Mutallab
by Victor Davis Hanson
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjdlOTU5OTkyNDhmYmI0MDc1MTM1ZjI5MTFkOTNkNmY=
Uninvestigated terrorism warning about Detroit suspect called not unusual
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/27/AR2009122700279_pf.html
Global Probe of Bomb Suspect
Nigerian Was on Terror Watch List; Emergency Security Steps Cause Flight Delays
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126192334798506391.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories#printMode
For Airline Passengers, Pat-Downs, Searches and Restroom Monitors
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/us/28security.html?adxnnlx=1261976684-TBxbSpUYTv1iqUtXRbxdCw&pagewanted=print
U.S. Widens Terror War to Yemen, a Qaeda Bastion
In the midst of two unfinished major wars, the United States has quietly opened a third, largely covert front against Al Qaeda in Yemen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/world/middleeast/28yemen.html?pagewanted=print
Airliner plot raises fears about al-Qaida in Yemen
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/6788440.html
White House warns foes on terror politics
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g9A6rJbI-Ygz9cC4nmNL5PW-7n-A
Terror Watch Lists Come Under Scrutiny
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126196454972906951.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_us#printMode
Obama “Likely” to Speak About Flight 253
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/12/obama-likely-to-speak-about-flight-253.html
December 28th, 2009 at 3:21 am
1. The US Embassy in London issued a multi-entry visa to the suspect in 2008, while the UK government refused to let him back into their country. No one said anything about this glaring problem.
2. Janet Napolitano runs a hugely budgeted department and she relies on average Americans and foreigners to protect themselves during the attempted bombing and refers to the incident as “The system works”. The White House Gibbs used exactly the same words! Are they delusional?
The public can read and follow the news online, television, and newspapers.
3. Ms. Napolitano did not seem to think that the suspect’s father’s warning was “credible” enough to be treated it seriously. The father was concerned and worried about his son and it took courage to report on his son. Did the DHS even know about this before the news came out that the elder Dr. Mutallab had reported his son to the US authority?
It is very troubling that Ms. Napolitano is overseeing the security of a nation when she could not grasp Yemen’s role in this and possibly the Fort Hood’s massacre.
In light of this and Fort Hood, Ms. Napolitano has shown that she is not qualified to be in charge of homeland security.
The tightened security measures before landing are completely absurd because if Ms. Napolitano had done her homework, the suspect would not have had a chance to even get a chance to be on the airplane, given his father’s warning, the suspect would have been on the no-fly list.
Now, the entire country is affected and any visitors coming into the US are inconvenienced beyond belief.
Mr. Obama doesn’t seem to be concerned since he’s golfing and couldn’t be bothered to speak to the nation. Instead, we get to see Ms. Napolitano’s bumbling her answers to the press!
December 28th, 2009 at 8:58 am
I congratulate Napolitano on saving the dumbest statement to come out of a politicians mouth of the decade until the last week of it. Bravo.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:06 am
[...] however, is the reaction from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolatino. “The system worked,” according to Napolatino. Given that it took a failed attempt plus civilian passengers to [...]
December 28th, 2009 at 9:07 am
[...] however, is the reaction from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolatino. “The system worked,” according to Napolatino. Given that it took a failed attempt plus civilian passengers to [...]