Can someone explain to my why carry-on baggage from Canada -> USA flights are banned?

[-Jrabbit]

Can't wait for the first full-body-scan pr0n sites to appear...

[Drake Tungsten]

Full-body scans will be ****ing sweet. I've wanted to run through a full-body scanner wearing a piece ever since I saw Total Recall.

[KrazyHorse]

I'm worried about full body scanners. Legally, my **** is registered as a lethal weapon in 19 states and 6 provinces.

[KrazyHorse]

Hey, HL's CIA conspiracy-theory does explain why top Al-Qaeda bombmakers in Yemen would equip Abdulmutallab with a bomb that wasn't nearly large enough to destroy the plane, as KH has claimed. I think HL and KH might be on to something here; this may have been a CIA false-flag operation meant to scare the public and build support for the further reduction of our civil liberties.

I just know the difference between science and "science".

[Darius871]

Legally, my **** is registered as a lethal weapon in 19 states and 6 provinces.

You have AIDS?

[Asher]

I made my post before that report came out and I didnt post it as a fact just a supposition. In any case, I stand by the gist of it. Based on my experience as an analyst (many years ago) and on observations of the current sytate of affairs, the most likely place for an intel breakdown is between different agencies of the government ie between the state department and CIA. As for Obama's news report, I wouldn't trust it further than I could throw it since its all about damage control at this point.

WTF? How can you stand by your assertion that this is the state department's fault and not the intel agencies? The intel agencies were properly alerted to the issue and even interviewed the guy's father AS WELL as being warned that Al Qaeda wanted to use a Nigerian during the holidays to cause an attack. That's a pure, unadulterated CIA failure.

If you used to be an intel analyst like you claim, I guess that makes sense. You can't put the pieces together here, either.

[KrazyHorse]

You have AIDS?

I have superAIDS

I'm actually the first AIDS zombie

[Drake Tungsten]

I have superAIDS

One teaspoon of that in your butt and you're dead in three years.

[KrazyHorse]

WTF? How can you stand by your assertion that this is the state department's fault and not the intel agencies? The intel agencies were properly alerted to the issue and even interviewed the guy's father AS WELL as being warned that Al Qaeda wanted to use a Nigerian during the holidays to cause an attack. That's a pure, unadulterated CIA failure.

If you used to be an intel analyst like you claim, I guess that makes sense. You can't put the pieces together here, either.

I think he's saying that you're right in this case: the failure was on the intelligence side. He's just claiming that in general the problems are usually between departments (State to DHS, for example)

[SpencerH]

I think he's saying that you're right in this case: the failure was on the intelligence side. He's just claiming that in general the problems are usually between departments (State to DHS, for example)

No, I'm not agreeing that the failure was on the intel side. In fact the CIA has come out and said they passed the intel on to other agencies. My first thought was that the problem was between state and CIA. Since the CIA DID apparently interview the father, then I agree that my first thought was wrong. OTOH, the fact that the CIA interviewed the father does not mean that the failure was theirs. That's simply another typical knee-jerk reaction by puerile minds such as Asher who routinely regurgitate the first reports that suit their opinions.

At this point, it's become a case of fingerpointing and everybody who has a part to play will be looking to pass the buck including Obama and the administration (especially Napolitano). For all we know, the Justice dept may have to some extent reinstated 'the wall' ie the separation between CIA and police functions that was a major cause of the intel breakdown prior to 9/11. Given the move toward treating terrorists as criminals, it wouldnt surprise me.

What I would like to know is who actually puts names on the various lists? It may seem obvious that the CIA is responsible, but it may in fact be a function of the justice or state departments since the CIA has no legal authority to act within the USA (of course the CIA is a source of names).

He's just claiming that in general the problems are usually between departments (State to DHS, for example)

Yes. There are intra-departmental problems but the biggest problems are between different governmental branches.

[Asher]

No, I'm not agreeing that the failure was on the intel side.

W.T.F.

Proof positive that intel analysts are the dumbest sacks of **** this side of Kentucky.

Look at what the CIA knew:
1) Al Qaeda was planning to use a NIGERIAN to commit a terrorist attack soon
2) A NIGERIAN father contacted the authorities, who then put him in touch with the CIA. He told of his NIGERIAN son becoming RADICALIZED and spending time in YEMEN, a country with known Al Qaeda operatives and training camps. The man making this accusation was both reputable and in a position to judge the character of his son, its integrity was never in doubt.

Any person with a shred of analytical ability (which apparently does not include you, a self-professed former 'intel analyst', nor current intel analysts) should've put two and two together. 6-year old boys have been placed on No Fly lists, but not this guy given what we knew about him and Al Qaeda's plans.

No, Intel is 100% to blame here.

FWIW, this is precisely why I didn't give the CSIS recruiters any serious thought. The kind of ********* who work for the government are staggeringly stupid, I could never handle working with so many mental midgets.

[DaShi]

It's obvious that the CIA guys in charge were republicans who ignored this information hoping that the attack would destroy Obama's reputations. They were probably under a direct order from Dick Cheney.

[Dinner]

This thread sucks.

[HalfLotus]

The kind of ********* who work for the government are staggeringly stupid, I could never handle working with so many mental midgets.

Intelligence agencies hire very bright people. The DMV hires idiots, the CIA does not.

How do Americans reconcile such apparently obvious errors in judgment and execution? I ask this question sincerely, if anyone can power down their trolling motors for a moment.

For me, the government's old, "Woops we messed up again, sorry!", got old a long time ago. Especially when you're talking about very capable, very well staffed, and very funded agencies like CIA, NSA, etc. The people that work at those places are not stupid.

[Asher]

They clearly are.