Securing America with Frank Gaffney Podcast

Andy Bostom, Jim Woolsey, Michael Rubin

Andy Bostom, Brown university associate professor of medicine, author, and expert on counter terror threat doctrine, shares his expertise on Islamic law with its bearing on a recent court ruling against an Athiest’s freedom of speech in Pennsylvania, the Koran riots in Kabul, and the eschatology of the Iranian regime.

Bill Clinton’s former CIA, Jim Woolsey, director also weighs in on Iran with great detail about the nature of the regime and the beliefs of the factions there in.  He also makes sense of uranium enrichment reports and their significance for interpreting the timing of a potential weapons capability.  Jim makes sense of Iranian “prophecies” that calls for the return of the twelfth imam who will lead the battles that will end the world. He explains that the Iranian regime believes it is time for an epic battle between Iran and the Jews, and their allies, resulting in the destruction of the Jewish people and a new Iranian world order. Jim compares this notion of future world events with the Nazi beliefs of the 1930s. The American government has not been candid with its citizens as to the extent of the Iranian nuclear program and the threat it poses to global security.

Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute begins without strong criticism of the President’s apology to Karzai and lays out the strategic distinction in this act from other infamous gestures of weakness to foreign leaders.   Rubin cuts beyond the Koran burning to the deep strategic issues on the ground that defines either failure or success in Afghanistan.   On the matter of arming Syrian rebels, there is a right way and a wrong one.  Without asking the right questions, the risk of arming Al Qaeda type Islamists is a real possibility.

Fred Grandy, Shaun Waterman, Walid Phares, Bill Gertz

The courts are being used to insinuate Sharia into American courts. A Muslim judge in an American court of law dismissed a case that involved a Muslim citizen choking a non-Muslim citizen in Pennsylvania for wearing a Muhammad costume. The judge said “the First Amendment does not allow a person to piss off another person or culture.” Doesn’t the First Amendment allow citizens to wear whatever clothing they want? Assault is assault no matter what the reasoning is and the American Constitution gives us the right to piss off whoever we want because we have freedom of speech. Our own society is under attack from Sharia law and Fred Grandy explains what needs to be done to protect our citizens and our Constitution from this un-American law.

Are our chemical plants as secure as they ought to be? Americans would like to think so because we know that chemical plants are a high-value-target for terrorists. Unfortunately, the Department of Homeland Security has not been doing their part in helping to secure these facilities. In 2005, Congress ordered DHS to increase security of these facilities, and since then DHS has not approved any security measure provided to them by a chemical plant. DHS has claimed that preparations are under way but yet no actual step towards implementation has been taken. There are 4,000 high risk plants in the US, are any of them safe from a terrorist attack? Washington Times reporter, Shaun Waterman, has dug into this disgraceful lapse in protocol.

Which is worse, the devil you know or the one you don’t? This is the problem we are facing in Syria. Should America support the rebels or stay out of the righting and possibly allow Assad to remain in power? Walid Phares explains that the rebels are a mix of other groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, and once Assad is out those groups will start trying to vie for power and as of right now the Muslim Brotherhood is the strongest and best organized of these groups therefore it is most likely that they will come to power just like they did in Egypt.

Why would North Korea even think of dismantling their nuclear weapons? Their military is small and not well trained or equipped; the only thing keeping this Communist regime in power is their control over a nuclear arsenal. Iran is definitely taking notice of this and it is this very reason that they are working so hard to develop their nuclear technology. If all else fails, a nuclear weapon is a strong deterrent and the North Koreans know this and that is why these talks about their nuclear weapons is nothing more than a waste of time and is just for show. How is the Taliban reacting to President Obama’s repeated apologies to the Afghan government? It is American troops that are being killed, yet he apologizes for honest mistakes that our troops make, Bill Gertz tells us what’s wrong with that picture.

Peter Pham, Janice Kephart, Robert McDowell, Roger Noriega

Peter Pham analyzes the situation in Somalia with regards to the presence of African Union troops in Mogadishu, and the professional turnaround of fighting a counter insurgency.  Will Somalia overcome Al-Shabab with assistance from the African Union troops or should the U.S. and NATO play an active role in the region? Pham touches on the issue of Boko Haram in Nigeria and their alliance with Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabab to over throw the government and create a Christian free zone in the north. Will we start to see a persecution of Christians in Nigeria?

The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 as a result of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to prevent criminals and terrorists easy access to driver’s license and IDs which would conceal their identities. Janice Kephart sheds light on the REAL ID Act and why it has been difficult to implement. The Department of Homeland Security is taking no responsibility or part in the REAL ID Act and the states are receiving no guidance from DHS; should they be involved and fund states to help them implement this program effectively? Janice also talks about the pilot program between West Virginia and a private company, TechSack, which offers an extra incentive to the states to implement the REAL ID Act.

Robert McDowell, the commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, explains that the United Nations is set to discuss internet governance in Geneva on Feb. 27, which could lead to an increased regulation of the internet by the International Telecommunications Union (created to regulate and facilitate international communication). McDowell holds that this would be a dangerous step toward censorship and cautions that it could inhibit web innovation. Shouldn’t it worry us that countries such as China and Russia are leading the charge for tougher internet regulations?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has a strong weapon in his tough 2012 re-election campaign against a united opposition lead by Henrique Capriles: a multibillion dollar oil-for-credit deal with China. Chávez’s deal lets China secure oil supplies for its fast-growing economy and gives President Chávez a source of funds that he can use to fund politically popular programs and one that is free from omission; right in time when he is facing a strong opponent that threatens to end his dictatorship. Roger Noriega joins us today to provide clear analysis on the direction the Venezuelan government is taking and how dangerous this coalition between China and Venezuela is for the global democracy.

Ambassador John Bolton, Jim Hanson, Sara Carter, Rep. Fred Upton

The United States is more afraid of an Israeli first strike against Iran, than it is of an Iranian nuclear weapon. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton weighs in on the risks and perils of an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran and the backlash that could resonate throughout the Middle East. The current administration believes that it can contain and deter a nuclear Iran therefore they are focusing on preventing an Israeli first strike. If we let Iran arm itself with nuclear weapons are we giving a license to other countries in the Middle East to build nuclear weapons? Ambassador Bolton then moves on the possibility of negotiations with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, who are still holding American hostages. Should the United States negotiate with Sharia adherent organizations?

Jim Hanson gives his read on the apology the U.S. is delivering to the Karzai government and the Afghani people over the incident of burning Qurans, which were being used to send messages between prisoners. Does this apology send a message of weakness to the Taliban and other radicals? What message does this send to the soldiers on the ground? Jim then points out the gravity of the consequences of the sequestration cuts that the current administration is planning to implement on the defense department as well as the general morale of the troops that will have to work under these constraints.

Sara Carter enlightens us on the situation in Iran. The bank sanctions against Iran are failing to deter Iran from becoming a nuclear power and just recently the IAEA is no longer welcomed within Iran for nuclear inspections. How is the administration reacting to this growing threat? Sara also speaks about the threat of a pre-emptive strike from Israel against Iran and how it would change the dynamics of the Middle East. Obama feels he can control a nuclear Iran easier than an Iran that has just been attacked by Israel. According to NATO the Taliban is poised to rule Afghanistan after the U.S. troops leave. Should we have given our exit strategy away to the Taliban?

Representative Fred Upton analyzes the Key Stone Pipeline and the steps that are being taken to keep the pipeline alive. This privately built $7 billion pipeline between Canada and United States would create more than 100,000 jobs indirectly and over 20,000 jobs directly; then why has the President pulled back his support from this project? Congressman Upton then directs his focus on the issue of cyber security and how we are on trying to prevent an EMP attack.

Gen. Tom McInerney, Diana West, Andy McCarthy

How important is air superiority? Since 1950, the enemy, from the air, has never attacked US forces. The F-15 has never been shot down in air-to-air combat and the F-22 is by far the most dominant plane in the skies. As a result of these defense cuts, the US will be left with around 100 combat capable planes over the next three years. The Obama Administration has decided to scrap the Global Hawk UAV system, which can stay on target for upwards of 32 hours, and instead wants to use the 50-year-old U-2, which can only stay on target for approximately 8 hours.  General Tom McInerney (USAF Ret.) gives his analysis on the future of America’s air prowess.

Diana West joins us today to give us her analysis on the FBI’s meeting with the Muslims Brotherhood in the United States. The FBI claims to have purged their files of hundreds of reports that negatively characterize the Islamist movement.  Is America one step closer to becoming a Sharia compliant nation?

Should the FBI be meeting with potentially anti-American organizations that fund terrorism? The Muslim Brotherhood has won, for now, in their effort to suppress free speech that portrays Sharia law as a radical Islamist doctrine that oppresses democracy.  What is achieved by allowing this to happen?

Dr. Barry Rubin, Mark Gembicki, Rep. Sue Myrick, Gordon Chang

Is President Obama so weak that he is willing to give more aid to Egypt even though they are holding Americans in jail on trumped up charges? The Muslim Brotherhood sees the president as weak and therefore knows they can act with impunity towards America. The Muslim Brotherhood though faces an important decision that will affect their future in Egypt; will they risk the support of the populous in order to promote Sharia? The people of Egypt revolted against Mubarak and supported the Muslim Brotherhood because they wanted a freer society with more opportunities. Dr. Barry Rubin explains how our enemies are saving us because their mistakes are negating our own.

Chief Information Officer for the Newt Gingrich campaign sheds light on the misguided notion that Obama is invulnerable on the national security front. The process to capture or kill Usama bin Laden began years before Obama took office therefore he cannot solely take credit for the takedown. People need to realize that he has and is continuing to fail to protect American defense and American business from cyberattacks. Then again, are we allowing China to penetrate our defenses and businesses in order to feed them false information? Mark Gembicki explains that very notion as well as Newt’s ability to speak the truth on America’s threats while the president tries to downplay them.

Fred Grandy goes inside the Cloakroom with Representative Sue Myrick in order to drill down on the failure of both the DOD and DOJ in adequately providing clarity to Congress as to their training practices. The president has made it clear he does not want the US government to use any terminology that might offend the Muslim community, but how can we train our agents to combat a threat if we cannot openly and truthfully talk about the threat? Are our agents getting the proper training and if so how come Attorney General Holder and Secretary Panetta wont come clean as to how their agents are being trained? Congress controls the purse strings, not the president, therefore his ideas for future aid to Egypt even in light of the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, can only be allocated by Congress who is less willing to give taxpayer money to promoters of Sharia law.

China is blatantly engaged in cyber warfare with the United States, yet our government seems to lack a clear understanding of this threat. Even though China might be going after American intellectual property, there is a strong power struggle within the Communist party. Military officials are trying to defect to the United States only to be denies asylum. Does the US want to keep these dissenters in China so they can continue to add to the instability of the regime? Gordon Chang explains that very notion.

Bill Gertz

35 House Armed Services Committee republicans have written a letter to the President claiming that the White House plan to reduce our nuclear stock pile by 80% is dangerous.  They cite the aggressive nuclear buildup of China, Russia, and Pakistan to name a few.  Catch the audio here for the whole story with Bill Gertz and Frank Gaffney.

Fred Grandy, Steve Coughlin, Louie Gohmert, Bill Gertz

Fred Grandy reviews the week in national security with Frank from Boko Haram in the oil critical nation of Nigeria to the President's national security and foreign policy record to date.   Counter-terrorism expert Steve Coughlin gets into the nuts and bolts of how our federal counter-terrorism professionals are trained and how terrorism supporting groups in the U.S. influence that training.  Then Congressman Louie Gohmert takes the same topic to a legal and policy level.  Such terrorist supporting influence groups have been meeting with FBI officials at the highest level despite legislation which passed last year forbidding the FBI to meet with so-called civil rights groups who have been identified by the Department of Justice as having given material support to terrorists.  Bill Gertz ends the hour with breaking news on severe cuts to our nuclear deterrent.

Josh Levontin, Michael Cutler, Rep. Mike Turner, Cynthia Farahat

Josh Levontin, a defense contractor with CAMERO Tech in Israel, reveals the latest defense technologies in Israel. CAMERO Tech has developed a product called ‘Xaver’ which is a product line that can see through walls and other various structures. Will this piece of technology change the battlefield? How can “Xaver” help the IDF to combat enemies such as Hamas and Hezbollah? Former INS agent Michael Cutler considers the gravity of the lack of agents at the INS. There are approximately 5 to 10 million visa violators who enter the United States legally and go ‘missing’ in the country nowhere to be found. What does this mean for our national security? Does this grant the terrorists and other nefarious characters a ticket into the United States? Congressman Mike Turner joins Frank to explore the repercussions of President Obama’s attempt to drastically reduce our nuclear weapons by 80%. Obama agreed to upgrade the weapons we have currently as a stipulation when signing the START Treaty, but now he is walking away from that plan. Are we serious about maintaining a nuclear deterrent? If the United States does reduce its nuclear deterrent capacity, will that leave us defenseless against attacks from rogue countries such as North Korea and Iran? Cynthia Farahat provides us with a behind the scenes look into Egypt and the Arab Spring. Essam el-Erian chairman of the Egyptian Parliaments Foreign Committee, and a member of the Muslim Brother, says that “if you presume to cut any military aid to Egypt, then we will have to change the accord of the Camp David Accord.” Farahat talks to Fred about whether or not the U.S. and Israel take such a threat seriously. The president has added $800 million in aid for the Arab Spring, but what organization would actually be getting that money? Farahat details the support the Muslim Brotherhood has with Hamas which is designated as a terrorist organization. Is the U.S. supporting and funding the wrong regime in Egypt?

Arthur Herman, Rep.Jeff Duncan, Jim Hanson

Arthur Herman joins Frank to discuss the implications of the budget cuts on our men in uniform or the troops and the industrial capacity required to supports them.  Also, it was recently discovered that our defense contractors were using fraudulent Chinese parts in American weapons systems. Why do we have any Chinese parts in our weapon systems? Arthur and Frank explore these topics and more.

Congressman Jeff Duncan introduces the “Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012” (H.R 3783)  which comes a week after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s five day tour of four Latin American countries. Duncan’s legislation makes it clear that American policy is to counter Iran’s influence in Latin America by requiring a coordinated and targeted strategy that uses all elements of national power. Specifically, the legislation charges the Obama Administration to detail the presence of Iran in the Western Hemisphere.

Weekly commentator Jim Hanson weighs in on the impact the budget cuts are most likely to have on the U.S. military, which he predicts will leave our military second rate.  Will the U.S. be able to effectively play the role of the global super power and fulfill its responsibilities? President Obama is actively considering cutting back on 80% of the nuclear forces, are these cuts advisable? Would other countries follow the United States path of nuclear disarmament or will this leave our enemies stronger?