Today marks the six-year anniversary of the assassination Ahmad Shah Massoud, killed by two Al Qaeda operatives posing as journalists just two days before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Massoud was a commander during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. After the Soviets left, Massoud was the long-standing leader of the opposition party to the ruling Taliban. He was forty-eight years old.

 Four months before 9/11, in April of 2001, Massoud was invited to address the European Parliament. He spoke at length of the dangers of Al Qaeda, specifically warning the west of a looming terrorist attack against the United States and Europe. He called upon President Bush for help. His warnings were ignored. 

The assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud is believed to have been part of Al Qaeda's 9/11 plot. Massoud was the Taliban's greatest opposition threat inside Afghanistan and likely to assist the U.S. military in hunting down Osama Bin Laden and overthrowing the Taliban in response to 9/11.  

(Photo left: Massoud addresses the European Parliament, April 2001. Photo credit: Robert Sanchez/Black Star. Photo right: Massoud's mausoleum in the Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan. Photo credit: unknown)

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I spent last week in New York City. The last time I was there, the Twin Towers were standing. This time, I went to Ground Zero. As I stood at the edge of the hole watching the giant red cranes move cement blocks back and forth, my cell phone rang. I felt too sad to answer it and let it go to voice mail. When I checked the message, it was from Debra Burlingame. 

"I'm sorry to call you so early," Debra said, "but the John Doe legislation news is breaking right now and I'm going to write about this for a paper in New York…"

Debra's brother, Captain Charles "Chic" Burlingame was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77. A group of five terrorists from Saudi Arabia killed him, killed First Officer Dave Charlebois, took over the controls of the 757 airplane and crashed it into the Pentagon on September 11th. Standing at the edge of the Ground Zero abyss last Thursday, it was impossible for me not to think about that, and all the other human beings who lost their lives that day. And here Debra Burlingame was, calling to say that Congressional leaders were now blocking the John Doe Amendment — eliminating a provision of the 9/11 Security Bill that would protect Good Samaritans who report suspicious behavior from being sued. 

There are signs all over New York, in the subways and on the trains, that say, "If you see something, say something." The signs don't mention that for saying something, you could get sued. 

By the time I returned to Los Angeles two days later, it looked like the John Doe Amendment had been killed. Audrey Hudson wrote about this for the Washington Times, and Debra Burlingame's piece ran in the New York Daily News. Andrew McCarthy detailed some of the Congressional leaders sneaky cowardice in National Review Online. It seemed outrageous, tragic, typical. But then something remarkable happened: John Doe and Jane Doe and John Public and Jane Public got wind of what was happening and now it appears that John Doe is still kicking. The John Doe Amendment is not dead yet. 

Michelle Malkin has been covering the story, linking to today's newest report by Audrey Hudson on the status of the amendment. Hudson writes, "Democrats have been backed into a corner by public outrage over their efforts [to kill the amendment]." Malkin encourages John Doe supporters to "take heart and take action…In other words don't let up." Malkin lists these important numbers to call and voice support for John Doe legislation (officially called the Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act).

Be a Good Samaritan. Support John Doe.

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Former FAA Special Agent Brian Sullivan raises an abundance of fascinating questions in his widely-circulated opinion piece, "What's Going on at the TSA?"

"What is going on at the TSA?" is a question that citizens, Senators, little old ladies and children ask every day. We're still waiting for answers. Until then, Sullivan's questions raise more questions. As Vonnegut said, so it goes. 

If the children can't answer that, the little old ladies can explain: the TSA is on its own side. In the meantime, the battle marches on with Sullivan explaining that the FBI is moving toward releasing these TSA-protected state secrets (ie: the contents of Atta's suitcase et al.). But here's where Sullivan's article gets really interesting:

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The Pentagon has released partial transcripts of the confessions of Al Qaeda's Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. There are lots of things I think about when I consider Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and what he's said he's done. There are even more things to think about when I consider what Mohammed's followers and fellow fanatics are willing to do. But my first thought, when I think about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is this: even Hermann Göering got a trial.

Göering, for those whose memory needs a nudge, was Hitler's second in command. Call me old fashioned, but there's something important to be said about putting a criminal on trial. A trial, for those whose memory needs a nudge, is the formal examination of evidence by a judge, typically before a jury, in order to decide a person's guilt. The result of a trial is a verdict. And then there's the trial transcripts that result, each and every word.

You can read Göering's trial transcripts at the Harvard Law School Library Nuremberg Trials Project. History's madmen who get put on trial have a tendency to exaggerate, lie, declare, recant, profess, deny and so on. But in the end, after the evidence is presented and the witnesses are cross examined, it's the people that decide.

The Pentagon has released a partial transcript of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's confession. Why partial? Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's confession about Plot #3 got left out in entirety. Why?

To read: Unclassified: Verbatim Transcript of Combatant Status Review Tribunal Hearing for ISN 10024, click here.

Further reading: USA Today:Documents Show How Al Qaeda Tested  Airports Ahead of Failed Jet Bombing Plot. Robert Baer, a former CIA field officer writes about KSM for TIME Magazine. Jack Cashill, for World Net Daily, wants to know what DOD thinks we can't know. The Wall Street Journal editorial team points out what a formidible enemy we face.  

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Just in time for that fashionable Iranian family who wants to spend their vacation in sunny Caracas, beginning in March, Iran’s national airline has announced that it will begin non-stop flights between Iran and Venezuela. The Islamic Republic News Agency is reporting that this business partnership will improve and enhance the “communications and exchanges” between the two anti-American countries. In the past couple of years, Iranian President Mahmound Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, have developed a brother-in-arms friendship, and have both stated they wanted to save the human race together by completely eliminating the U.S. empire.

According to Saeed Hessami, the Managing Director of Iran’s Islamic Republic Airlines, 250 million dollars has been set aside for the business endevour, and the airline plans to purchase a fleet of brand new Airbus 340 aircraft, which are manufactured and assembled in both Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany. The United States has in place numerous economic sanctions against Iran, but the government sponsored airline doesn’t appear to be concerned in the least, and seems to be doing business as usual with numerous European governments.

The Financial Times recently reported:

The Associated Press reported that globe-trotting in their brand new high-tech airplanes isn’t the only interest both leaders currently have on their minds:

“The two governments, which already plan to jointly produce everything from bricks to bicycles, and develop oil fields in Venezuela, signed another 11 accords Saturday to explore further opportunities for cooperation in areas like tourism, education and mining.”

It might be wise for President Ahmadinejad to begin ramping up those bicycle manufacturing factories as soon as possible. If Israel gets the urge to flex its military muscle any time soon, bicycles –– and not that new fleet of Airbus planes –– just might be the only mode of transportation in and out of Tehran for the next 50 or so years.

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In covering the Homeland Security & Aviation Security beat, there are no shortage of excellent articles on the web. These three stood out this week. In case you missed them, they are well worth the read:

• Why Do They CAIR about Jack Bauer? Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser explains why.
• Was 9/11 Really That Bad? Tim Sumner comments on David A. Bell’s Op-Ed piece, Putting 9/11 Into Perspective (ie: History Says We’re Overreacting) in the Los Angeles Times.
• Lawmakers Target Newark Airport: Reporter Ron Marsico’s ongoing efforts for the New Jersey Star-Ledger illustrates the power of the pen in getting Congress to act.

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