Exclusive: Picture of Shahzad Faisal, Alleged NY Time Square Bomber?

(Picture of a Shahzad Faisal)

We've all heard of the attempted bombing at Times Square in New York City.  Reports are coming in from law enforcement and the news media that he:

1. He is an American and has the full rights to a full trial.  He is innocent until proven guilty.
2. Purchased the Nissan Pathfinder cash.
3. His name was on an email, inquiring about the vehicle and attempting to purchase it from the original owner. (Sounds like Craigslist to me!)
4. Though he attempted to remove the VIN, they were still able to find it and trace it back to the original owner.
5. The police was able to get original VIN from the engine block.
6. The "bomb" as one might call it was composed of:
• Two alarm clocks
• A batch of firecrackers/M-88s
• Two 5 gallon gasoline tanks
• Three propane tanks

If the allegations are correct -- I'm officially labeling him, the Stoopid Bomber.

It's clear whoever attempted to place this "bomb" didn't really know what he was doing, and thankfully, stupidity of the bomber and the quickness and alertness of the Vietnam vet street vendor/NYPD saved the day.

First terrorist attack since 2001 foiled: Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam

It's official, it is the first terrorist attack since 2001. As we know, since 2001, there has been no terrorist attacks as Bush-Cheney policies pushed the limits on constitutional surveillance (wiretapping), terrorist detention (Guantanamo Bay), and advanced interrogation techniques (water boarding).

Strangely enough, in the first year of the new presidency, in the spirit of change and wanting to have audacious hope to separate himself from the evil Bush-era policies of making terrorists uncomfortable, coincidentally, the first terrorist attack in U.S. territory happened. Thank God it was foiled.

So here's what we know based on U.S. official statements and press reports:

A White House official has confirmed with Reuters it believes its an official act of terrorism.

The New York Times named the suspect as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab.

ABC News and NBC News reported that he attended the University College London, where he studied engineering.

Congressman Peter King of New York (R) said the explosive device was "fairly sophisticated". Bloggers and security experts suggest something was mixed on flight vs. prior to boarding.

Rep. King also reported that the suspect is 23 years old.

Rep. King also reported that there is now a "worldwide alert to make sure this is not part of a larger overall scheme."

Canadian airport officials reported that there have been new regulations placed on all U.S. bound flights and it may affect travel delays. This includes physical searches of carry-on baggage and pat downs. This also includes limiting passengers to only one carry-on baggage instead of two.

Congress Didn't Get the Memo? I Knew About the CIA Program and so did America

There's a lot of headlines popping up lately that's slightly annoying me as they seem to be attacking people who are simply doing their jobs. Apparently, some Democrats in Congress have been surprised that the CIA has been wanting to hunt down terrorists with paramilitary assets. They are now criticizing the agency for acting improperly for not telling them that they were "planning" to do so.

I must be missing something.

In 2002, the New York Times published a generic summary of the plan to kill terrorists and Bush's authorization to go after them. The title of the article was, "Bush Has Widened Authority of C.I.A. to Kill Terrorists", dated Dec 20, 2002 by James Risen and David Johnston.

In fact, here's an excerpt of it:

President Bush has provided written legal authority to the C.I.A. to hunt down and kill the terrorists without seeking further approval each time the agency is about to stage an operation. Some officials said the terrorist list was known as the "high-value target list." A spokesman for the White House declined to discuss the list or issues involving the use of lethal force against terrorists. A spokesman for the C.I.A. also declined to comment on the list.

Democrats in Congress are now ordering an investigation on why they weren't told about the program.

To my elected officials, and I ask this with respect -- but can't you read between the lines? If the White House gives the CIA the authority to hunt down terrorists, don't you think you need people to hunt them down with? Don't you think you need to gather intelligence by arresting low level terrorists or have localized paramilitary personnel (not uniformed soldiers) so you can blend in the field?

I dunno...was I the only one that got the memo that national security agencies have a mandate to arrest or kill terrorists?