[Binkie]

Originally Posted by CptSternn

*snip*

Mmm'no. Let's not snip it there, especially since you provided essentially a dead link that doesn't take anyone to the rest of the article. Let's continue with what you left out:

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""There are many flaws in the report," said Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra. "It is irresponsible to attempt to measure success in the war on terror without the necessary details about the government's strategy and tactics."

For instance, Sierra said, prison sentences are "not the proper measure of the success of the department's overall counterterrorism efforts. The primary goal ... is to detect, disrupt and deter terrorist activities."

Because prosecutors try to charge potential terrorists before they act, they often allege fraud, false statements or immigration violations that carry lesser penalties than the offenses that could be charged after an attack, Sierra said. This "allows us to engage the enemy earlier than if we waited for them to act first."

...

The sharp decline in prosecutions may show that prosecutors have moved away from "all kinds of secondary infractions" they pursued early on, said Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' government secrecy project. Those early cases drew criticism that Arab-Americans were rounded up based on mere racial profiling.

The small number of long prison sentences shouldn't be a surprise because "terrorism is actually very rare — far more people are killed in ordinary street crime," said James Dempsey, policy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

Nevertheless terrorism poses a risk of catastrophic loss of life, "so agencies must pursue a lot of leads that do not pan out," Dempsey added. "We can't blame the FBI for pursuing those leads, but we can blame them and the Justice Department for arresting people and making a big media splash when things don't pan out."

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For reference: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/...osecutions.php


So, less racial profiling and you're angry, Sternn? Oh wait, I forgot, you're core arguement in the Dubai port deal was that it was a security risk because, "they're Arabs." I believe the rest of the article speaks for itself. Anyone wishing for a counter arguement can simply read it.