Terror Targets

We should all take a moment to be grateful and to be angry as hell!
We should be extremely grateful that our Federal authorities were able to identify, penetrate, track and derail the Muslim terrorist cell that was plotting to blow up jet fuel tanks and pipelines at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The alleged ringleader, Russell Defreitas, a U.S. citizen from Guyana and a retired JFK air cargo employee, was motivated by hatred toward the U.S., Israel and the West. Defreitas was caught on tape following one surveillance mission to JFK exulting over the airport’s symbolic importance.
“Anytime you hit Kennedy, it is the most hurtful thing to the United States. … It’s like you can kill the man twice,” Defreitas said. In another recorded conversation with his co-conspirators, Defreitas said of the plan to attack JFK, “This can destroy the economy of America for some time.”
We should all be angry as hell at these chilling words, the chilling plot, and irrational announcement on May 31 that the Department of Homeland Security is slashing anti-terrorism money for New York again.
Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff must be fired over this outrageous decision to further reduce New York’s anti-terror funding from $207 million to just $124 million. Chertoff, in defending the cut of $83 million, brashly acknowledged that New York City was still at the top of the U.S. threat list. Thanks a lot Michael!
Chertoff points to the $500 million that New York has gotten in the years since 9/11 and cut the funding to Washington D.C. as well. Additional funding is being sent to cities like Jacksonville, FL, Louisville, KY, Charlotte, NC, St. Louis, MO and Omaha, NE. The only gain in the Northeast was in the Jersey City-Newark area where the grant went from $19 to $34 million.
Even before the announcement of the JFK plot, local politicians were outraged, as we are, over this latest slap in the face to New York.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “When you stop a terrorist, they have a map of New York City in their pocket. They don’t have a map of any of the other 45 places,” commenting of the decision to cut the grants.
Congressmember Peter King charged that the Bush administration had “declared war on New York.”
Senator Charles Schumer said that President Bush “should not come back to New York and stand with us.” “This is wrong and unfair, but also outrageous. The bottom line is, this is abandoning New York.”
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, “If we learned anything from this latest plot, it’s that they keep coming back to New York.”
Again, chilling words.
It is time to remove Chertoff.
New York’s Homeland Security grants must be restored immediately.
The fact is that we remain a target area. In light of this latest plot, our funds must be increased so that our law enforcement officials, local, state and federal can continue to thwart would be terrorists no matter where they hail from or whatever their motives are.
We can accept nothing less.