Securing America with Frank Gaffney Podcast

Jeff Eby, KT McFarland, John Yoo, Bill Gertz

Throughout history there have been game changers in war, from artillery in WWI to aircraft carriers in WW II.   During Operation Iraqi Freedom it was the advanced combat optical gun sight that proved revolutionary.  Today on Secure Freedom Radio Jeff Eby joins Frank to discuss this important technology that his company manufactured.  Eby, an Advanced Technology Programs Manager at Trijicon, an American Defense Manufacturer, explains how the magnified optics enabled our fighters to survey the bad guys from the good.  In Iraq, like Vietnam and Somalia before it, the enemy cloaks itself within civilian society, and the new gun sight was crucial to defeating the enemy without injuring civilians who we needed on our side.  Eby, who spent 29 years as an Infantryman, also discusses military budget cuts and the importance of maintaining sufficient personnel in all levels of conflict, in areas of the world where merely our presence maintains the peace. Then, KT McFarland, national security expert, columnist and commentator joins Frank to assess our security 10 years since 9/11.  10 years ago, McFarland was in lower Manhattan as she watched the towers fall.  And now, the Fox News National Security Analyst and host of DefCon-3, is proud that while we were rebuilding, “Osama Bin Laden died an old man, wearing dirty clothes in a tiny windowless room in Pakistan watching video reels of himself.”  McFarland explains the evolution of the War on Terror, which has transformed from Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda 1.0, to worldwide cells 2.0 and now al-Qaeda’s domestic 3.0 lone wolves.  She also explains how the Muslim Brotherhood, the “mother ship” of al-Qaeda, is trying to take advantage of the Arab Spring, “to win through the ballot box what they weren’t able to win militarily.”  She finally adds her comments on the brilliant work of the NYPD in keeping her city safe, and how a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State will be “a match thrown into a room full of gasoline” for the nations surrounding Israel. Next, Frank welcomes back John Yoo, Professor of Law at University of California, Berkley, former deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice and Co-editor for the new book Confronting Terror: 9/11 and the Future of American National Security, a retrospective from the greatest minds in national security on the balance between security and civil liberties after 9/11.  Yoo defends the record of the Bush Administration of no attacks, and attributes this fact to the methods and policies he helped put in place, including Guantanamo Bay and warrantless wire tapping.  He explains the difference between approaching 9/11 as an act of war rather than a criminal act, and explains how the Obama Administration, although reluctantly, has continued many of the same war policies, with one important distinction.  “No high ranking terrorist has been captured in two years,” says Yoo, who fears with an administration that would rather kill terrorists than deal with political backlash, we risk losing “the greatest source to our successes in the War on Terror,” namely intelligence.  Yoo also comments on the “deeper problem, the ideological fight” here at home, and how in “fighting on the frontier of ideas” we must “stop the spread of ideologies that are behind the people that want to attack us.” Finally, Bill Gertz, gives us our weekly update from “Inside the Ring,” with the breaking news that the Administration has opted against selling 66 new F-16s to Taiwan amid intense bipartisan pressure from Congress to sell these new jets. Gertz remarks this is a prime example of “weakness is provocative,” as pro-China officials in White House successfully manipulated assessments by the intelligence community to paint the picture that the deal would give Taiwan a greater offensive ability.  The news comes just as the Pentagon’s annual report shows an alarming military buildup in China.  Gertz also explains a recent report from Bob Woodward, that government officials thwarted the Bush Administration from taking military action against a secret nuclear facility in Syria.  Had the Israelis not acted in 2007, Gertz asserts, “we might have a very advanced nuclear program in Syria.”  “We see a government that is out of control,” says Gertz, not only economically but in national security as well.  He also discusses the vulnerabilities in cyber warfare that the new commander of Cyber Command, Gen. Keith Alexander, recently revealed.

Devin Foley, Sol Stern, Clare Lopez, Rep. Buck McKeon

How have the members of Generation Y been impacted by the ten years following 9/11? Devin Foley, President of Intellectual Take Out, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and mobilizing conservatives and independents about economic and political freedom joins Secure Freedom Radio today to discuss a recent survey conducted by his organization. In this survey, members of Generation Y and moms under 40 were asked how concerned they were about key issues such as national security and foreign oil dependency. The major finding from this poll was that a majority of Generation Y expressed a concern that America had gotten off track on key issues and that foreign oil dependency could threaten US security. Foley says that we should be very worried about this generation. While they were raised to be multi-cultural focused, they are facing a break down of their multi-cultural understanding. However, he believes that young Americans are finally waking up and realizing that the Constitution needs to be upheld in US courts and that a dual law system with Sharia law is harmful to national security. Next, Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow, Sol Stern describes the “drive the Jews into the sea” attitude that Palestine and its neighbors are expressing about Israel at the steps of the UN Security Council. The current initiative by Pakistan to challenge the legitimacy of Israel’s right to existence is presented in a historical lie, says Stern. Palestine has presented the issue as stemming from Israel’s desire to stop the creation of a Palestinian state, whereas it was originally the Arabs who rejected the suggested UN Partition Plan of 1947. Palestine never expressed an aspiration of a Palestinian state, argues Stern, but rather they wanted the complete abolition of a Jewish nation. Moreover, Stern expresses his concerns that if the UN Security Council officially recognizes a unilateral declaration of independence for a Palestinian state, the United States, who would ultimately veto the decision, would be drawn into conflict with the international community and press. Frequent guest here at Secure Freedom Radio and former intelligence officer at the CIA, Clare Lopez joins Frank to examine the latest hearings observing the 9/11 ten year commemoration and how secure the US is ten years after the attack. Lopez states that the major conclusion in the hearing was that al Qaeda had been worn down, but still posed a threat. This is the “understatement of the century,” says Lopez as the hearing failed to recognize that the United States is not just fighting one organization, but battling an entire Islamic awakening. She believes that it is imperative that US senior leaders gain an understanding of the threat posed by civilization and stealth jihad. Furthermore, they must study in depth the overall problem posed by violent and pre-violent extremist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood that are animated by Sharia law. US Representative for California’s 25th District and Chairman of the House Armed Services Commission, Congressman Buck McKeon concludes today’s show discussing the ongoing defense budget debate. The military is currently facing cuts to each of its services, including the 300,000 civilians and military jobs being dissolved. McKeon believes that it is merely cheaper to keep the troops employed in the military rather than spending the Obama administration’s proposed $400 billion training our veterans to enter the workforce after a forcible discharge from the military. Additionally, Rep. McKeon says that the unemployment rate for young military men and women returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is at twenty-two percent, not including those wounded veterans who are unable to find jobs. This is a tough lesson to swallow about the reality of how our troops are being treated. McKeon further argues that if only our ordinary citizens knew the extent to which the cuts had on the well being of our troops who sacrificed so much for our country, then we could save our military from the devastating defense budget cuts.

Mike Rinn, Nina Shea, Fred Grandy, Jim Hanson

Mike Rinn, Vice President Directed Energy Systems Strategic Missile & Defense Systems at Boeing, joins Frank from sunny Albuquerque, N.M. to discuss the exciting new technology in ballistic missile defense. Rinn, a former Navy F-16 pilot, explains the revolution in Directed Weapons Systems, including the Airborne Laser Test Bed, what he calls “a fairly high-tech Model T.” He informs on how Boeing is making our systems more efficient operating on smaller platforms, to meet our threats worldwide. “The bad guys are still alive and well out there proliferating,” says Rinn, as he identifies these cutting edge technologies that can destroy missiles at the speed of light and literally take the “twinkle” out of the stars to sight enemy missiles. Frank applauds Rinn for his work and can’t imagine another country on earth that would give it up, as he fears we might.

Nina Shea, a leader in monitoring religious freedom around the world, discusses Hillary Clinton’s partnership with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). “We do have to be vigilant about our freedoms,” says the Hudson Institute’s Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, as she explains the nefarious attempts by the United Nations and the OIC to administer blasphemy laws in the West. Meanwhile, the actual violent speech is daily spewing out or Saudi Arabian textbooks calling Christians and Jews the enemy and for apostates to be killed, which Clinton’s state department refuses to take seriously. Shea explains that we will never solve the problem of Jihad if this is what educates the children of the Muslim world. A case point of Shea’s warning against the attack on freedom of expression is happening right in our back yard. Fred Grandy, former Actor, Congressman, radio star and now certified “Islamaphobe,” joins Frank to explain how Islamists and the Left are seeking to shut down his right to speak in Montgomery County, Maryland. “Perhaps you have to refer to me as Gopher, the Infidel,” he says after Fred and his wife Catherine were forced out of their hit radio program on WMAL for exposing Shariah law in the United States. Shorty thereafter, Grandy had a speech cancelled in Minneapolis because his “inflammatory rhetoric” might insight violence. And now, an upcoming speech to the Chevy Chase Republican Women’s Group at a private event is being challenged by leaders in the Md. State government, claiming “divisive rhetoric has no place in Montgomery County.” Fred exposes this affront to free speech in this “immediate and local version of what’s happening at the UN.” He shares how Manda Ervin of the American Islamic Leadership Coalition courageously rushed to his aid, and how she and many others fled from the Muslim world to escape this oppression arriving on our shores. Finally, our boots on the ground guy Jim Hanson, of Blackfive.net, provides insight into Afghanistan and Iraq after the embassy attack in Kabul. Hanson contends the attack is less significant than the media lets on, and was not a military success, only a Public Relations one by creating the impression that the U.S. has not secured Afghanistan. He then warns of the “cut and run” strategy of transition to the Afghan forces, saying this “Potemkin security apparatus” will lead to a return to tribal politics, making our gains erode. Hanson then explains the possible “civil war” brewing in Iraq with the Kurds, and his weariness of our intelligence drying up in the war on terror.

Christian Whiton, Roger Noriega & Andy McCarthy

Frank kicks off today’s show with his thoughts. Next, Principal at DC International Advisory and former US State Department official, Christian Whiton, joins Frank to discuss the recent travels of the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey is engaging Egypt in actions that could be used to undermine support for Israel in the region, says Whiton. He believes that the democratically elected leader, Erdogan, is looking to increase his popularity by downgrading relations with Israel. Furthermore, Whiton argues that the US Department of State’s chiding of the Israel-Turkey tensions wrongfully implies a moral equality between the two formerly friendly nations. Turkey is the apparent aggressor in the situation, he reveals. An increased tension between Israel and Syria is not novel news, however, as Syria has for a long time had ill intensions towards Israel. Additionally, Whiton enlightens us on the UN’s engagement in the Palestinian-Israeli statehood disagreement and the problems a unilateral declaration of independence by Pakistan would mean for the international community. Former US Ambassador to the Organization of American States, Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and our go to guy on Latin American affairs, Roger Noriega visits with Secure Freedom Radio to give us his insight into the December 2012 presidential elections that will happen in Venezuela. He expresses his fears that the opposition will not have enough time to mobilize a nation-wide election if the elections are moved up to March 2012 due to Chavez’s battle with cancer. Noriega also states how the Chavez regime is “bracing for the impact” that will occur in the wake of Hugo Chavez’s potential death. These initiatives include moving $29 billion of international reserves from banks in Britain and the US to China and Russia, as well as moving $9 billion in gold back to Venezuela. Moreover, Noriega hashes out his concerns of the mining uranium efforts in Ecuador and other countries that could be used to support nuclear efforts by Iran. Andy McCarthy of National Review Online concludes today show examining the 9/11 remembrances that occurred over the weekend. McCarthy believes that the official recognition ceremony was botched and not that big of a deal, whereas the private observances are more meaningful for the American public. In his view, government’s first impulse is to continually overcorrect; such as in the case of Mayor Bloomberg who was so fearful of media backlash that he banned any recognition of faith on the sacred ground of Ground Zero. He also discusses how the mission in Afghanistan has become incoherent, as the Obama administration is ambient about the Taliban. The original aim of the government in Afghanistan, says McCarthy, was not to topple the Taliban, but to have the Taliban surrender to them al Qaeda. When they refused, the US government decided that the Taliban must be toppled.

Bing West, Arieh Eldad, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, Gordon Chang

Over the weekend, the Taliban launched an attack on a US outpost in Afghanistan, injuring seventy-seven US troops. Author and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs under Ronald Reagan, Francis “Bing” West joins Frank to discuss this attack on a small US outpost and how it exposes the weaponry inability of the Taliban to conduct a massive attack on or near major city. Mr. West, who just returned from a trip to Afghanistan, continues his segment enlightening us on the change in combat strategy occurring in Afghanistan. West also explains how Lieutenant General John Allen is focused on a “transition” strategy in which the US would turn the war over to Afghan forces, as opposed to General David Petraeus’s failed counterinsurgency strategy. Petraeus, West argues, came into Afghanistan with the idea that he could implement the same strategy that he used in Iraq. His focus on counterinsurgency was set up for failure, as West believes that only a shift to a big advisory effort would solve the problems in Afghanistan. Next, Chairman of the “Hatikva Party” of the Knesset for the National Union, Physician and Professor Arieh Eldad gives us his take on the recent storming by protestors of the Israeli embassy in Egypt. He further explains how Egypt continues to pose a serious threat to Israeli national security and how Israel paid very dearly for the thirty-year peace agreement with Egypt in which they handed over the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. Moreover, he expresses his fears that the Arab Spring might just be wishful thinking on the part of pro-democratic organizations, since most other organizations in the region do not want full democracy. Eldad also explains the extensive Islamization of Turkey and the threat it poses towards the democratic agenda of NATO and its allies. Retired United States Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and author of the recent book, Lines of Fire, Ralph Peters talks about the profitable business of scare-mongering that has become quite influential in the years following the 9/11 attacks. He believes that Americans should have a healthy and balanced relationship between caution and paranoia in regards to a potential terrorist attack happening again in the United States. Like the battle that occurred after Pearl Harbor, Peters says the United States went to war with al Qaeda and fatally weakened the organization in the process. He expresses the need to knock off political correctness and establish a more realistic approach to national security. Peters and Frank have a friendly disagreement on the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Western World, as well as the threats that al Qaeda’s regional franchises present for the Middle East. Writer at Forbes.com and resident China expert here at Secure Freedom Radio, Gordon Chang concludes today’s show examining the issues facing the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China. The new candidate for the Taiwanese presidency, Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party, if elected would move Taiwan further towards an official declaration of independence. He also enlightens us on the problems facing China’s currency manipulation. Chang expresses the need for the United States to increase pressure on Chinese currency manipulation since they have already conducted economic warfare on us. Moreover, Chang discusses with Frank the arms sales that China conducted with Qaddafi in July and August of this year. He states how this reflects badly on China in the international community.

Douglas Feith, Clifford May, Bill Gertz

In special recognition for the upcoming anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Former Undersecretary of Defense, Douglas J. Feith joins Frank for two segments to discuss his book, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism, and the how the decisions that were made after 9/11 have impacted the war in Iraq and the US’s policy on terror. In his first segment, Feith gives us an insider look into the two strategic goals that the Bush administration could have followed: either find and punish the people responsible for the attack or work towards preventing the next attack. In order to not have another attack on the scale of 9/11, the Bush administration decided to pursue a War on Terrorism, a feat unparalleled in the history of US Presidents. Feith goes on to discuss how ten years after the attack, the US has been successful in disrupting attacks from international terrorist networks and protecting the homeland, but have failed in countering ideological support for terrorism. Next, Secure Freedom Radio continues with a second segment from Douglas Feith enlightening us on the Anti-Americanism movement in the United States. He believes that there was more support for the war in Iraq before the “fortunes of war turned against us.” This does not mean that Bush made a bad decision in removing Saddam who was a threat to the interests of the whole world, argues Feith, but rather a lost hope for a war that the media painted as unjust. Additionally, Feith warns us of the continued threat posed by small groups of decentralized terrorist groups, as well as calls for an awareness of the distinction between Islam the religion and the Islamist political ideology. President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Clifford May reminisces with Frank about where he was on that fateful September 11th day when al-Qaeda implemented the largest terrorist attack on American soil. He expresses his fears that the American homeland is not as secure today as it needs to be. He also says there is a need for better sanctions on Iran and a more concrete long term energy policy to cut US dependence on foreign oil suppliers. Lastly, he gives us his take on the proposed unilateral declaration of independence by Pakistan from Israel and its call to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. National Security Editor for the Washington Times and regular guest on Secure Freedom Radio , Bill Gertz concludes today’s show with his thoughts on the current administration’s appeasement policy to China, as well as the government’s cover-up of the 2008 incident involving a US Navy surveillance ship and Chinese bomber planes in international waters. He says that the incident was an outright breach on the freedom of navigation to the United States by the Chinese government. He also discusses the credible reports that additional attacks might occur on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. These reports, says Gertz, have been derived from material found in Bin Laden’s compound and from intelligence gathered about al Qaeda.

John Guandolo, Ed Freeborn, Col. Reginald Bostick

Former Captain USMC, FBI Officer, counterterrorism expert and leader in the fight against Shariah in America, John Guandolo joins Frank for a Secure Freedom Radio first, a musical edition highlighting Guandolo’s new song “America (Land of the Free).” Guandolo relates the powerful story of his work in the FBI in the weeks after 9/11 that provided the impetus to use his musical talents to pay tribute to America.  “I do it because I believe this country is worth fighting for,” says Guandolo who, after a life-long career of service beginning from his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1989, is now partnering with Operation Restored Warrior to do “real work for real warriors.”  A portion of the proceeds from his album, “Boats Against the Current,” will go towards Operation Restored Warrior, and John offers a special preview of his new song. Guandolo continues his conversation with Frank as they turn to the important counter-terrorism issues of the day.  He shares his concern of the Administration’s “complete lack of understanding” of the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood, here at home, in the guise of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim American Society.  Designed to be the “nucleus” for the Islamic movement in North America by the Muslim Brotherhood, Guandolo explains how these organizations are guiding U.S. foreign policy and domestic counter-terrorism efforts, and dissects the “Islamaphobia” propaganda campaign of the OIC. Then, Ed Freeborn, Senior Analyst for Unmanned Experts, explains the domestic uses of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).  Freeborn facilitates retired servicemen with significant UAV experience to apply their expertise to local law enforcement and homeland security.  With 20 years of experience in geospatial technology and data development, Freeborn discusses the controversy involving drones and the Southern border, concluding UAVs “have a role to play just like a fence and boots on the ground do” in securing the border.  Since the “Federal government can’t be everywhere,” he says, local law enforcement must step up to the plate, like New York City has, and share in the responsibility of keeping our nation safe. Finally, COL. Reginald Bostick lets us in on his new assignment as Commander of the 4^th Military Information Support Group, in what he calls, “the best month of my life.”   Col. Bostick explains how the operation disseminates information to foreign audiences to inform on U.S. policy, ranging from our political, economic and military systems.  The “truly unique organization” works with embassies in order to prevent conflict during peace time and in war.  Bostick, the former Senior Military Fellow at the Institute of World Politics, explains the “cognitive revolution” that has taken place in the organization that used to be known as “Psychological Operations.”  He explains the necessity of understanding cultural idiosyncratic nuances and how he seeks to make positive impacts internationally, like preventing terrorist groups from recruiting youth.

Jim Hanson, Bill Roggio, JD Johannes

Today on Secure Freedom Radio, Jim Hanson of Blackfive.net sits in for Frank and sets out to determine the overall posture of the War on Terror.  Now that President Obama is back to the only job he’s good at, Campaigner-in-Chief, Hanson discusses the latest “trial balloon” announcement of dropping troop levels in Iraq to 3,000 to appease the Left and gain reelection support.  “Just because we’re a little tired doesn’t mean the bad guys are gonna stop their efforts—and they haven’t,” he says as he tries to discern the strategy for our wars.  “In the end we have nothing but a collection of Band-Aids put on the same gaping chest wound over and over and over again,” and now is the time for a cohesive strategy against an enemy that “thinks in terms of centuries and millenniums, not the next election cycle.” Then, Bill Roggio, Managing Editor of the Long War Journal, joins Jim to discuss the state of al-Qaeda and if it is really “on the ropes,” as some government officials say.  Roggio asserts that the organization was “always bigger than Bin Laden,” with a “deep bench” that draws on its affiliates in Yemen and Somalia.  Roggio, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, examines al-Qaeda’s growth and how the Pakistani ISI at best turned a blind eye to Bin Laden’s move to Abbottabad. Jim continues with Bill Roggio to discuss the intelligence problems in the years ahead in the fight against radical Islam.  Since most of the interrogations took place in the early stages of the war, “that intelligence is going to dry up at some point,” he explains, given that we have seemingly stopped detaining terrorists. “You can’t seize any documents with drones,” says Roggio, explaining how the politicization of Guantanamo Bay and enhanced interrogation has hampered our intelligence gathering.  The “fetishization” of the predator drones, he says, is safe, looks clean, and ironic, since it is now more humane to kill than to detain indefinitely. Finally, JD Johannes, Documentarian and correspondent of Outside the Wire, just returned from the Sulaiman Mountain Ridge in Afghanistan and gives Jim the perspective of the war on the ground.  From what Jim calls a “lovely vacation spot,” with all the poppies and the land mines, JD surveyed the troop morale after Obama’s announcement of the Afghan drawdown.  “A lot of wind came out of the sails” as soon as the announcement was made, he says, after such great progresses were made in the surge areas of the Helmand province.   Johannes details the shift in the psychological momentum, and also looks to what’s next for Afghanistan.

Walid Phares, Gordon Chang, Andy McCarthy

In 10 years after 9/11, where do we stand?  “Basically we are still in 1942,” says Dr. Walid Phares.  Phares, Professor at the National Defense University, joins Frank for two segments to discuss the state of America and the Middle East in the War on Terror, 10 years removed.  “Not only the enemy is not defeated, the enemy is not even identified,” he says, remarking how in the three years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had both recognized and secured victory against Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan in the Second World War.  Shaped by campuses, the media and the bureaucracy, today the national dialogue merely asks, “Is Jihad 24/7 Holy War, or Yoga?” Phares continues his discussion by detailing the “neo-Ottoman” rise of Turkey, and its increasing tensions with Israel.  The author of The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East explains the “Erdogan Flotilla,” and what we should be weary of in the region, from Gaza to Syria. Then, Gordon Chang provides his weekly China update, and delves into their “Gangster trade.” By ignoring environmental rules and imposing export restrictions, China is capturing virtually all the world’s rare earth production.  These materials are vital to advanced weapons technology, and China is “engaging in every predatory trade practice imaginable” to secure these valuable resources, and make the U.S. military beholden to the Communist regime.  Chang then explains why we should kick out Huawei, the telecommunications company founded by a retired People’s Liberation Army Officer, and the latest on Iran’s nuclear program. Finally, weekly commentator Andy McCarthy, Contributing Editor of National Review, also considers the condition of America 10 years after 9/11.  McCarthy is pleased that contrary to campaign promises, the Obama Administration has bought onto the counter-terrorism strategy of Bush and Cheney, by keeping Guantanamo Bay open, maintaining military tribunals and increasing the use of predator drones, putting us in a better place than we were ten years ago.  However, on the Ideological front, “we are in a much worse position,” he says.  “We’ve made great progress against the militant Jihad and the ‘Soft Jihad’ is making great progress against us, unfortunately,” he concludes.  The author of The Grand Jihad, also comments on the successes of the NYPD thanks to Commissioner Ray Kelly’s intelligence-based counter-terrorism, derived from “the quaint notion that the police actually have to do the police work” in keeping the greatest target in the U.S. safe, nearly 10 years and counting.

Erick Stakelbeck, LTG Jerry Boykin, Jim Hanson, Jamie Metzel

Today on Secure Freedom Radio, Erick Stakelbeck, of CBN News, fills in for Frank and kicks off today’s show with a discussion on the Arab Spring.  The Stakelbeck on Terror host believes the uprisings throughout the Middle East have sown the seeds for the return of an Islamic Caliphate or “the dream of Jihadists from Indonesia to Indiana.”  Stakelbeck cites the Muslim Brotherhood’s ascendancy in Egypt, al-Qaeda’s power in Yemen, Syria’s alliance with Iran and Turkey’s Pro-Islamist Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as signs of trouble brewing in the region.  And after reports of Iran’s “humanitarian” assistance to Libyan rebels, the author of The Terrorist Next Door expresses his concern that the so-called Arab Spring is quickly descending into a “long, cold Islamist Winter.” Next, Erick is joined by LTG (Ret.) William “Jerry” Boykin to discuss his new book Kiloton Threat: A Novel. The gripping novel takes place in a dark future ruled by a nuclear-armed Iran.  Boykin examines the possibility of the Islamic theocracy attempting to hasten the return of the 12th Imam, the Islamic savior said to return in a time of great turmoil.  “What better way to bring about chaos then dropping a nuclear bomb?” asks Boykin, who predicts such an event would start an arms race in the Middle East, and would be very perilous for Iran’s greatest enemy, Israel.  Boykin alerts us of the growing Iranian threat and how the underground Christian church is working for change in Tehran. Jim Hanson of Blackfive.net, joins Erick for his weekly Secure Freedom visit and updates us on the activities of al-Qaeda.  As it appears it still is the worst job on earth to be al-Qaeda’s number two after Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was killed by a drone strike in Pakistan last weekend, Hanson gives President Obama a “bravo” for continuing to authorize these attacks, however, a “terrorist organization with a global ideology is not going to be cut down simply by stacking a few dead tangos out in the Hinterlands,” he says.  Hanson believes the greater problem lies in the fact that no coherent policy has been established for dealing with Islamic extremism worldwide, under neither Bush nor Obama.  The former Green Beret also discusses the problems in Afghanistan and the vindication of Dick Cheney on enhanced interrogation. Finally, Jamie Metzel Executive Vice President of Asia Society, discusses China’s refusal to play by the same set of rules as everyone else on the International stage.  Metzel has been documenting China’s 72 incidents of computer espionage in 14 different countries, and asserts that Communist country threatens to undermine the system of global order. “If everybody did what China does the International system would collapse,” he says, noting that China has benefited enormously from the post-World War II system.  By manipulating its currency and its rampant disregard for intellectual property rights, China has proved to be “gaming the system.”  Metzel, the author of The Depths of the Sea, also calls for greater transparency of the Chinese military buildup, as the current secrecy creates concern for the worst.