Feds: Somali-born teen plotted car-bombing in Ore

[Danno 1,228]

Immediate or long term?

however you want to run the numbers.

[slim 1,525]

I'd rather offend the 1.1% of Arab Americans, than offend the 98.9% of all other Americans...

That makes sense. Especially when we start locking up all black people because it'd be better to jail an entire 12% of the population than inconvenience the rest of the 87%. (Arabs are in jail already too, mind you.)

For a dude that supports the constitution and freedom, liberty, etc., you're pretty guick to condemn folks based on looks instead of protecting the minority against illegal government action. Remember, when you waive protection for those folks.... you waive your own.

"But I'm a white guy. You can't do this to me!"

[peejay 327]

however you want to run the numbers.

Yeah...and while you are at it...compare that to aspirin vs medicinal marijuana for your common headache.

[slim 1,525]

If you'll notice, the feds aren't stopping "real" crime. They're setting folks up and then catching them in stings. Wow, way to go in setting up a 19-year-old. I bet they had to work really hard on that one.

Where were they when the dude was gonna blow up Times Square?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

2 threads on the same topic merged

[sandinista! 1,816]

If you'll notice, the feds aren't stopping "real" crime. They're setting folks up and then catching them in stings. Wow, way to go in setting up a 19-year-old. I bet they had to work really hard on that one.

Where were they when the dude was gonna blow up Times Square?

Should the FBI really be baiting sad-sack homegrown terrorists?

i wonder if he was offered a quarter of a million dollars and a bmw like the fbi plant offered the lead guy in the "newbourgh four" case.

[slim 1,525]

That's exactly my point. If you "offer" folks stuff, you're going to get some takers. Had this kid not been offered a fake bomb, where would he have found a real one? If he can't find a real bomb, what's he going to do then?

My guess is he'd go play Call of Duty like all the other 19-year-olds.

[Danno 1,228]

That's exactly my point. If you "offer" folks stuff, you're going to get some takers. Had this kid not been offered a fake bomb, where would he have found a real one? If he can't find a real bomb, what's he going to do then?

My guess is he'd go play Call of Duty like all the other 19-year-olds.

FRom what I read, he wasn't a typical 19yr old playing call of Duty.. he was shopping the web trying to hook up with like minded Jihadist.

If reports are true.. it was "his" plan... it was he who didn't back out when he had lots of doorways.

I certainly don't want the cops recruiting people... but when people are fishing around on-line for Bad-Muslim connections, I don't mind one bit if the FBI baits him to see what the scope of his intentions are.

[peejay 327]

FRom what I read, he wasn't a typical 19yr old playing call of Duty.. he was shopping the web trying to hook up with like minded Jihadist.

If reports are true.. it was "his" plan... it was he who didn't back out when he had lots of doorways.

I certainly don't want the cops recruiting people... but when people are fishing around on-line for Bad-Muslim connections, I don't mind one bit if the FBI baits him to see what the scope of his intentions are.

No sh*t. He didn't just appear on the feds radar screen out of nowhere. It's not like the feds decided to pick some unfortunate village idiot out of the phonebook just for the fun of ruining his life.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

He probably wasn't Muslim though. Islam is the Religion of Peace.

FRom what I read, he wasn't a typical 19yr old playing call of Duty.. he was shopping the web trying to hook up with like minded Jihadist.

If reports are true.. it was "his" plan... it was he who didn't back out when he had lots of doorways.

I certainly don't want the cops recruiting people... but when people are fishing around on-line for Bad-Muslim connections, I don't mind one bit if the FBI baits him to see what the scope of his intentions are.

There are no "bad Muslims"

[spookyturtle 9,465]

however you want to run the numbers.

Well, if you believe the American Heart Association, the number of smoking related deaths in the US is over 400,000 per year. Far more than killed by bombs. I would venture to guess that the same holds true elswhere. So bombs are less dangerous than cigarettes.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

That makes sense. Especially when we start locking up all black people because it'd be better to jail an entire 12% of the population than inconvenience the rest of the 87%. (Arabs are in jail already too, mind you.)

For a dude that supports the constitution and freedom, liberty, etc., you're pretty guick to condemn folks based on looks instead of protecting the minority against illegal government action. Remember, when you waive protection for those folks.... you waive your own.

"But I'm a white guy. You can't do this to me!"

Profiling isn't just about the way you look. There's much more to it than that. If you understand human beings and their mannerisms, then you can pick the needle out of the haystack without attacking the entire group. However the initial profile has to start somewhere.

[Danno 1,228]

Well, if you believe the American Heart Association, the number of smoking related deaths in the US is over 400,000 per year. Far more than killed by bombs. I would venture to guess that the same holds true elswhere. So bombs are less dangerous than cigarettes.

But we are not comparing totals ... or I could make the case that jumping off the Empire State Building is "safer" than bombs simply because fewer people die that way.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I'm gonna go with Slim here. I always am a bit disturbed when they bust someone for child sexual abuse by luring them with a young looking 19 year old. I mean there IS NO young girl. There is only a legal age girl ACTING like a young girl. Where could that lead?

I have no problem when the Staties send in a young kid to purchase cigarettes or beer and then they bust the store owner because there REALLY IS an underage kid involved. The sote owner REALLY DID violate the law doing what he normally does. Busting a middle aged guy because he THOUGHT about haveing sex with an adult posing as a child is another matter.

Again, take a kid playing at being a "secret agent", give him a fake bomb and a lot of cash and what do you get? Do we NEED to be out there trying to purchase terrorists? Is that the best use of our resources? Maybe they need to keep an eye on someone getting to interested in internet terrorist stuff, but actually tryning to hire terrorists that do not otherwise exist...silly. It would be different if the kid said "I have a bomb and I want to do somethig with it..." You get the point. Maybe not.

[sandinista! 1,816]

FRom what I read, he wasn't a typical 19yr old playing call of Duty.. he was shopping the web trying to hook up with like minded Jihadist.

If reports are true.. it was "his" plan... it was he who didn't back out when he had lots of doorways.

I certainly don't want the cops recruiting people... but when people are fishing around on-line for Bad-Muslim connections, I don't mind one bit if the FBI baits him to see what the scope of his intentions are.

he was attempting to go to pakistan. the homegrown plot for doing something on us soil was suggested by the fbi.

The law-enforcement official who spoke to the AP on Saturday said agents began investigating Mohamud after receiving a tip from someone who was concerned about the teenager. The official declined to provide any more detail about the relationship between Mohamud and that source.

The FBI monitored Mohamud's e-mail and found that he was in contact with people overseas, asking how he could travel to Pakistan and join the fight for jihad, according to an FBI affidavit.

On June 23, an undercover agent contacted Mohamud by e-mail, pretending to be affiliated with the "unindicted associate" Mohamud had sent e-mails to.

The FBI's affidavit says the friend in Pakistan referred him to another associate, but gave him an e-mail address that Mohamud tried repeatedly to use unsuccessfully. The official said FBI agents saw that as an opportunity and e-mailed Mohamud in response, claiming to be associates of his friend, the former student.

The FBI affidavit says the undercover agent first met Mohamud in person on July 30 and asked what he would do for the cause of jihad. The agent suggested that Mohamud might want to spread Islam to others, continue his studies to help the cause overseas, raise money, and become a martyr or put together an explosion but didn't know how and needed training, the affidavit said.

The undercover agent said he could introduce him to an explosives expert and asked Mohamud to research potential targets.

At a second meeting on Aug. 19 at a Portland hotel, the agent brought a second undercover agent, the documents say, and Mohamud told them he had selected Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square for the bombing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101127/ap_on_re_us/us_portland_car_bomb_plot

he bit, but the "become a martyr or put together an explosion" part came from the fbi. half-assed plans to go to pakistan are a long way from the fbi hand-delivering an explosives expert to this brilliant terrorist "mastermind". the guy's a froot loop, and i'm glad he's locked up right now, but he sure had a lot of spoon feeding along the way.