The Noodle

Is another 9/11 set to unfold?
By Lee Benson Deseret News
Published: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 9:32 p.m. MDT 

    Earlier this year, quite by happenstance, I read a book written by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter James B. Stewart. “Heart of a Soldier” tells the story of two men who, well before it happened, foretold not only of the terrorist attack of 9/11 but also the 1993 bombing in the World Trade Center parking garage that preceded it .One of the men, Rick Rescorla, was chief of security for Morgan Stanley with an office in the World Trade Center. He died on 9/11, but not before he shepherded all but six of Morgan Stanley’s 2,700 employees to safety because of a well-prepared and well-executed evacuation plan. He’d have made it out, too, had he not gone back in the building looking for those six. The other man, Daniel J. Hill, is still alive.

    With another Sept. 11 approaching I wanted to talk to The Man Who Predicted 9/11.Although the primary focus in Stewart’s book is on Rescorla — a bona fide hero for his actions on 9/11 — I found Hill to be an even more fascinating character. It was Hill who converted to Islam as a young U.S. Army paratrooper stationed in
Beirut in 1958. It was Hill who learned fluent Arabic. It was Hill who joined the Mujahedeen Freedom Fighters in Afghanistan and fought the Soviet invasion there in the 1980s. It was Hill who personally met Osama bin Laden. It was Hill who used information from Islamic extremists to warn Rescorla that terrorists would use the underground parking garage for a car bomb attack on the World Trade Center. It was Hill who asked the U.S. government to assist him in an assassination attempt on bin Laden in 1998 (the request was rejected). And it was Hill who warned the FBI just weeks before Sept. 11, 2001, that his Mideast contacts told him “something big” was about to happen in the United States, in New York, Washington, D.C., or Philadelphia — maybe all three. 

    Through the Internet I managed to contact Hill at his home in Florida. He’s 71 now. I asked him if his reputation as a terrorism prognosticator without parallel has changed his life much. “Oh, that blew over pretty fast,” he said. “Most of the people even in my hometown don’t know any of that stuff. “He didn’t want to talk about the past. He wanted to talk about the future. The very near future. The man who predicted 9/11 is worried that its sequel is imminent. “Muslims that I talk to say things like, ‘America thinks they’re safe now. They’ve forgotten about 9/11. But watch, Daniel. Stay near your TV. It’s going to be bigger than 9/11,’ ” he said Hill said the next terrorist attack will involve suitcase nuclear bombs that will be detonated in small, low-flying two-seater private airplanes manned by men hanging onto the belief that, like the 9/11 hijackers, they are about to die as martyrs and enter paradise. He is not alone in suggesting such a scenario. A 2007 book, “The Day of Islam,” spells out the details, as do any number of Internet sites about a plot called “American Hiroshima.” The nukes, he said, will be detonated over New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Miami, Houston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I asked Hill, “Why now?” “Eight years from 1993 to 2001, eight years from that 9/11 to this 9/11,” he said. “Symbolism. They’re big on symbolism.” Ramadan started two weeks ago Saturday,” he said, referring to the Muslim holy month of fasting. “It always hits around Ramadan.” Eight years ago, Hill predicted the attack would come on Oct. 16 — almost in the middle of that year’s Ramadan (the timing of Ramadan varies from year to year). He was about a month off.” I don’t know the second, hour or day. I just know they have the means, will, motivation and desire to do it,” he said, noting that it’s believed that years ago the suitcase nukes, acquired from former USSR operatives, were smuggled into America across the Mexican border.

    Hill said he has warned the FBI, the CIA and others in government. For the past two years, he’s sent out proposals for a book on the subject. All he’s gotten back are rejections.” To most people, I am a deviant personality,” he said. But there’s no arguing his credentials.” I’m a Muslim,” he says. “I’m a special ops expert, I’m a terrorist and I’ve lived among Muslims. I fought the Russians with the same guys we’re now fighting in Afghanistan. I met Osama. I volunteered to assassinate him. I know (the enemy) so well because I’ve worked, slept and prayed alongside them for years. I’ve become one of them. I know their nature, I know their culture, I know how they think. I can quote the Koran like a Southern Baptist minister can quote the New Testament. I know these are people who do not tire, who do not quit. There are odds this won’t happen, but they aren’t big odds.”

“I hope you’re wrong,” I told him. “Yeah. I hope so, too,” he said.

How can I possibly hand out just one idiot of the week when it seemed as if so many tried to top each other?
First there’s the obvious: Kanye and Serena.

Now for the real genuine idiots like WOLF BLITZER. This past week on celebrity jeopardy the CNN “journalist” got one of the worst scores ever, a negative 4600 being soundly beaten by late night side kick Andy Richter. Wolf Blitzer, you are an idiot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcWs-MFOQWQ&feature=player_embedded#t=420

Next we have the smug, “genius”, talking head Charlie Gibson who when asked about the corrupt former employer of Barack Obama, ACORN, he was clueless as to who they are…IDIOT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3QS7PgoTao

Michelle Obama is next on the list for her beyond selfish act of shutting down parts of
Washington DC to go get certified Tuscan kale. For those of you so fooled by the climate change bs, why are you not up in arms over the fact that she left a carbon footprint of a few tons.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091703679_pf.html

Jimmy Carter you irrelevant moron, you are either that stupid or are one of 3 people that actually watches CNN  and thinks they have a clue (see Wolf Blitzer) This week you accused anyone that disagrees with the person that is battling you as the worst president ever as racists. You race bating piece of dirt, the Congress should censure you.

Lastly I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the biggest moron, idiot of the week, President Barack Obama who may have made one of his downright stupidest moves in a list of many in his short career as dictator. The decision to remove missile defense from Poland without anything in return from his comrades shows how weak and pathetically ignorant this many is. 2012 can’t come soon enough.

The Smartest people of the week go to he almost 60% of the country that are against the Healthcare plan the Liberals are trying to shove down our throats.

Look for my NFL picks tomorrow!

Dear Congressman Lance,

I am disappointed and outright disgusted in your decision to vote for the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill. The Carbon Tax you voted for is an outrageous power grab by the federal government that will greatly expand government control and increase energy costs for my family. This system of “allocations” has failed in Europe and will politicize
America’s energy policy. Especially in these difficult economic times, the fact that you sided with the tax and spend Liberal wing of Congress is beyond disturbing. I voted for you in the past election mainly because you ran against those very principles you sided on for this vote. Personally I am sick and tired of out-of-touch Washington politicians taxing me and my family. The Cap and Tax bill you and 7 other Republican Congressmen and women voted for has nothing to do with helping the environment, it is a huge tax hike that will hurt American families, kill American jobs and cripple our economy as it struggles to emerge from the recession. Environmental extremists have convinced big government politicians that they can seize control of the energy sector by claiming this bill helps the environment but nothing could be further from the truth. The EPA even admits that cap-and-trade could increase global carbon dioxide emissions as jobs flee the country to produce goods overseas safe from business-killing carbon regulations. During the campaign President Obama famously said “under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” But he also pledged not to raise taxes “even one dime” on middle class Americans. Well it looks like he may be poised to break that promise. House Minority Leader John Boehner was absolutely correct when he said “This is the biggest job-killing bill that’s ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives, right here, this bill”. When your term is up I will not forget how you sided with taxing and taking my hard earned money from my family.

Regards

ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE
Tue Jun 16 2009 08:45:10 ET

Developing…

President Barack Obama has delivered on his promise of real change in at least one respect: The volume of gaffes and miscues sputtering forth from his Oval Office is unprecedented. For those who just can’t wait to hear what the president’s teleprompter will say next, here’s a recap of the Obama gaffe machine’s most remarkable – and disturbing – utterances:

• Sacrifice good for others:  In his inaugural address, Obama calls on Americans to adopt a spirit of sacrifice, which apparently doesn’t include his own coronation. The $49 million cost of his swearing-in ceremony is triple the cost of Bush’s first inaugural.

• Ooops! Obama stumbles badly over the oath of office, inadvertently led astray by Chief Justice
  John Roberts. A day later, the duo conduct a do-over, safely removed from TV cameras and press photographers. It’s hardly an auspicious start for the Obama administration.    

• Keep the change? Obama promised a new era of openness and honesty in government, but his administration began under a cloud. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had withdrawn from consideration for commerce secretary because of a federal probe of campaign donations, and Treasury secretary nominee Tim Geithner was being skewered for failing to pay $34,000 in back taxes

• Lobbyists, go home. Uh, wait, come back! Obama pledges lobbyists won’t work in his White House, then makes 17 exceptions during his first 10 days in office, including Attorney General Eric Holder and Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn, a former lobbyist for Raytheon.    

• Daschle, heal thyself! Just two days after Obama professes he “absolutely” supports former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle for Health secretary, Obama accepts his resignation. Daschle couldn’t heal the political wounds caused by his failure to pay $146,000 in taxes.    

• Obama’s revolving door. Good-government advocate Obama loses another nominee. Nancy Killefer steps down from consideration to become the government’s first chief performance officer, when it is learned her past performance includes failure to pay taxes for her household help.   

• Accuracy is not job one. Obama promises workers at Caterpillar Inc. that his stimulus bill will save their jobs. Uh, not exactly, Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens later clarifies. “The truth is we’re going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again,” he says, to Obama’s chagrin. 

• Partisanship you can believe in. The White House manages to politicize the 2010 U.S. Census by announcing it will be directed by the White House under the auspices of Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Republicans warn it will politicize apportionment of House seats, redistricting, and distribution of federal aid.

• Review gets jettisoned. Obama’s promise of a 48-hour review period for all legislation is tossed by the wayside. During debate over the revised stimulus bill, House Minority Leader John Boehner dramatically throws the 1,100-page document to the ground, charging that not a single member of Congress has had time to read the $787 billion spending measure.

• Bipartisan — not! Obama’s stimulus package squeaks through the Senate because of GOP defections from Senators Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Arlen Specter. Specter, a two-time cancer survivor, wins a $6.5 billion federal subsidy for cancer research.

• Obama’s urgent weekend. Obama says approving his $787 billion stimulus package is urgent. Congress gets its work done on Friday, but Obama and wife Michelle fly off on Air Force One to Chicago. There, they relax over Valentine’s Day weekend and dine at a romantic restaurant, before flying back to the nation’s capital on Monday to sign the bill finally.

• Bipartisan nightmare. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tells ABC’s “This Week”: “If this is going to be bipartisanship, the country’s screwed. I know bipartisanship when I see it.”

• Selling low. Obama likens the stock markets to political “tracking polls,” suggesting they’re unimportant. When Obama speaks, Wall Street listens — and sells. The market hits a seven-year low as the Dow dips below 7,000.

• The check’s in the mail. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Obama still hasn’t paid the $1.74 million bill his campaign owes his hometown for his victory celebration in Grant’s Park.

• Tooting the wrong horn. Inexplicably, during his first address to a joint session of Congress Obama states: “And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.” Gaffe alert: A German invented the automobile.

• Spurned billet-doux. In a letter to Dmitri Medvedev, Obama offers to drop plans for a missile shield in Europe, if Russia can help in resolving the nuclear weapons issue in Iran. Medvedev says he will not “haggle” over Iran and the missile shield.

• Taxing times at Treasury. Another Obama appointee bites the dust. This time, it’s Annette Nazareth, who was nominated for Deputy Treasury Secretary to give Timothy Geithner help he desperately needs. Nazareth withdraws for undisclosed “personal reasons,” following a month-long probe into her taxes and other matters.

• Not-so-special relationship? In their first meeting, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave Obama a carved ornamental penholder from the timbers of the anti-slavery ship HMS Gannet. Obama’s gift in return: 25 DVDs that don’t work in Europe. His gift a month later to Queen Elizabeth doesn’t quite make up for the snub, either: It’s an iPod full of his own speeches.

• High-profile political surgery. The administration flirts with naming CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, as Surgeon General. The TV personality pulls his name back out of the hat, withdrawing for reasons unknown.

• Overly vetted. Caroline Atkinson withdraws as Obama’s nominee for Undersecretary of International Affairs in the Treasury Department. She blames the long vetting process.

• Veterans go to war. “President Obama’s plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for the treatment of troops injured in service has infuriated veterans groups who say the government is morally obligated to pay for service-related medical care.”

• Gold-medal gaffe. In the first appearance ever by a sitting president on late-night television, Obama cracks wise with host Jay Leno about his poor abilities as a bowler. Obama remarks his bowling is “like Special Olympics, or something,” and soon issues an apology for his insensitive remark.

• Don’t alert the media! When The National Newspaper Publishers Association named Obama its ‘Newsmaker of the Year,’ the Obama White House closed the press-award ceremony to — who else? — the press. Didn’t want the news to leak out, perhaps?

• Bobbing and weaving on 60 Minutes. There’s nothing like a near brush with economic depression to bring a case of the giggles, so 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft dares to ask the president: “Are you punch drunk?” Obama explains he’s just maintaining a sense of “gallows humor” over the meltdown.

• Prompting a president. Obama carries an oversized teleprompter into the White House East Room for a news conference. He opens the session reading prepared remarks, and the device is visible in some camera shots. Later, jokes abound on the Internet regarding Obama’s teleprompter dependence.

• Friendly questions only, please. The media lavishes Obama with praise for holding an innovative town meeting that includes online questions. A few days later, news leaks that only devout Obama supporters were chosen to ask questions from the live audience, however.

• Pressing the royal flesh. Although British authorities insist it’s technically not a breach of protocol, Michelle Obama causes quite a stir during the G-20 conference by giving the queen a hug. Queen Elizabeth handles the matter with her usual aplomb.

• Bowing to Big Oil. Obama genuflects so low to Saudi King Abdullah that he just about scrapes his chin. Later, an Obama aide insists: “It wasn’t a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he’s taller than King Abdullah.” Footnote: Abdullah presides over a dictatorship that outlaws Christianity, forbids women the right to vote or drive a car, and flogs gay people.

• Spurning shelter dogs. Obama irritates animal rights activist by adding a new family member to his household: Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog who does not come from a shelter.

• Too slick for Castro. Obama eases travel and remittance restrictions on Cuba, and considers dropping the embargo on Cuba. Fidel Castro later expresses his exasperation with Obama’s way with words, saying Obama “misinterpreted” what his brother Raul had said. Cuba would not be willing to negotiate about human rights, Castro insists.

• Covering up Jesus. For an April 14 speech at Georgetown, the administration asked the university to cover up all signs and symbols, including the gold letters “IHS,” a symbol for Jesus. The administration later explains it simply asked that all distracting symbols and images be covered, and wasn’t trying to conceal Jesus specifically.

• Tea parties? What tea parties? When untold thousands rally nationwide to protest excessive taxation, the White House tries to ignore the whole issue, hoping it will go away. ABC News reports the president “is unaware of the tea parties.”

• To prosecute, or not to prosecute. Obama and his staff vacillate on whether to prosecute those who carried out “enhanced interrogations,” first saying that CIA operatives carrying out orders are in the clear, then later saying it’s up to Attorney General Eric Holder to decide whether some officials should be prosecuted for trying to keep America safe

• Cornered by Chavez. At the Summit of the Americas, Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez grabs Obama’s hand and presents him with the anti-American screed “The Open Veins of Latin America.” Despite Obama’s winsome ways, Chavez says later: “Nobody should be mistaken. The empire is there, alive and kicking.”

• Sowing dissention. In the Senate and on the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised to redress the grievances of black farmers who suffered from racial discrimination to the tune of $4 billion. Once in office, Obama’s Justice Department moves to cap the payments at $100 million in addition to prior settlements. This draws the ire of the Congressional Black Caucus.

• Warming the globe on Earth Day. In celebration of Earth Day, Obama takes two flights on Air Force One and four on Marine One to reach his ultimate destination, Iowa. He burns up more than 9,000 gallons of fuel in the process.

• Teleprompter dependence. In an address to the National Academy of Sciences, Obama introduced members of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Then he introduced them again, thanks to a teleprompter malfunction. Obama looked at the machine, which he relies on for most public appearances, and asked for help.

Courtesy of Newsmax.com

During the fundraising benefit for the Dean Michael Clarizio Cancer Foundation this past Friday night, a local reporter asked me “why do we do this”. The answer to that could not be more evident in the faces and reactions of the two families that Dean was able to donate to. First as Billy Kenny accepted for his parents who were too ill to be there and than in the courage displayed by Melissa Ernst. Accompanied by her husband and the young couple’s 3 year old daughter, Melissa, whose body is riddled with cancer, refused to use a wheelchair as she was instructed. Instead she walked up to the podium and graciously accepted the donation and just asked that someday soon there is a cure so she can see her little girl grow up. Later on in the evening as the little girl danced on the dance floor her proud mom sat there with a huge smile on her face. They would also win a toy set in the tricky tray; it was like winning the lottery for the 3 year old. It might not be much but the little support that each of you gives with a few dollars really goes a long way in showing that people do care and are willing to help. That is why we do this. Before his body left us Dean Clarizio asked that we do whatever we can to help people that are going through what he did. For more information on the foundation and what we are all about please go to www.dmccf.com . It can also be found on facebook by searching for the group or organization DMCCF.

The benefit which was held at the Richfield Regency in Verona, NJ on March 7th was yet another huge success thanks to the over 200 people that were there, the many people that sent in donations prior to the event and all of you that donated your time and items to the tricky tray and auctions. Not to mention those of you that got into the bidding wars for the big items, thanks again Jimmy, Carmine and Billy!
Thank you again to Lebron James for signing and donating a jersey!
It was great seeing everyone and being a part of such a great event and I for one look for to the golf outing in June.