There are two news stories out today about terror suspects being tried in U.S. courts.  The first story is about three of the plotters who planned to carry out an attack on service men and women at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  The three individuals, all illegal immigrants, were sentenced to life without parole. 

The second story is about Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri (a legal resident in the U.S.), also known as the last enemy combatant.  After six years of denying his quilt, he entered his plea of guilt on one charge of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.  This charge comes with up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  He will sentenced in July.

These two stories serve as a victory the proponents that terrorists can be tried successfully in U.S. courts of law.  While none of the four individuals involved were captured on the battlefield (all were arrested in the United States), their cases will be used as a model for enemy combatants currently held in Gitmo if their case is brought into U.S. courts.

Related articles:
Associated Press – “Former ‘enemy combatant’ pleas guilty in Illinois”
ABC News – “Alleged Al Qaeda Sleeper Agent in U.S. Pleads Guilty”
The New York Times – “3 Brothers Sentenced to Life for Holy War Plot at Ft. Dix”
UPI – “Final two Fort Dix plotters sentenced”

In listening to the news today, it seems odd that people seem surprised that Senator Arlen Specter switched parties from Republican to Democrat. He has been dodging rumors and claims that he was switching parties ever since the election. In fact, one of the articles on the March 13th edition of the Political Blog Weekly had an article entitled “Will Specter Go Democrat?” It just seems odd.

A current argument for his decision to switch parties is because he is trailing Pat Toomey in the Republican primary by 21% (Specter beat Toomey by 2% in the 2004 primary). If Specter wins the Democratic primary and faces Toomey in 2010, I wonder who would win. Out of curiosity, I decided to see how well Specter has performed in past elections in Pennsylvania to get an idea (data from Dave Leip’s Atlas of Presidential Elections):

- Won by 10% against Joseph Hoeffel in 2004
- Won by 27% against Bill Lloyd in 1998
- Won by 3% against Lynn Yeakel in 1992
- Won by 14% against Bob Edgar in 1986
- Won by 2% against Pete Flaherty in 1980

Other than the fact that Specter won in each of those elections, it would be hard to gauge how well/poor he will do against Toomey. It is my thought that, if 2010 is a Republican year as it was in 1994, Toomey has a chance to win. I base this on a strong Republican turn out in 2010 with a decreased Democrat turn out (compared to 2008). Specter has won Pennsylvania with Democratic support in the past elections, but his shunning of the Republican party might fire up the base enough for Toomey and tip the election in his favor. We will have to revisit this match up next year.

I can only surmise that Specter changed to the Democratic Party out of personal gain. If he truly found himself at odds over the current Republican philosophy, he should have switched to an Independent like Jim Jeffords did in 2001 or Joseph Lieberman did in 2006. However, by switching to the ideological opposite party does not reflect an issue over philosophy but rather political desperation. He needs to secure the Democratic Party endorsement in order to win in 2010. Unfortunately for Specter, this “flip flop” is instant ammunition for Toomey to use against him during the campaign.

Related articles:
Los Angeles Times – “Specter condemned Jim Jeffords’ party switch in 2001″
The New York Times – “We Didn’t Have to Lose Arlen Specter”
ABC News – “Biden Has Been Lobbying Specter to Switch Parties – for Five Years”
The Dallas Morning News – “Cornyn miffed, Hutchinson ’surprised’ at Specter switch”

What do pigs and airplanes have in common? Sounds like the basis for a bad joke, but both items are a source of panic in New York today. On one hand, 28 cases of swine flu have been confirmed at St. Francis Preparatory School. On the other, the White House created a scare by flying one of the Presidential planes unusually low around lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center.

The outbreak of swine flu in New York is localized to the St. Francis Preparatory School. Authorities believe that vacationing students in Mexico brought back the illness with them and then shared it with at least 100 other students, employees, and their families upon their return. Unlike the outbreak in Mexico, where over 100 people have already died from the disease, the infected in New York are suffering only minor symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery. There are a few additional cases identified in the United States, but at the moment New York is the worst off.

This morning, the a Presidential 747 and a F-16 fighter escort flew low over the lower Hudson River, passing by the Statue of Liberty and banking around Manhattan. The White House Military Office was using the planes for a photo op to update the official photos for the use of the office. As the plane banked around the southern tip of the island, workers in many of the tall buildings saw this large plane flying low and slow in their direction, bringing back eerie reminders of September 11, 2001. Many people evacuated their buildings and took to the street in panic. When authorities were asked about the fly-over, most in New York (including an irate Mayor Bloomberg) was not aware of the White House plans. Even Robert Gibbs, White House spokesperson, did not have answers about the flight when asked during the daily briefing.

Both issues are cause for panic in New York, with one being a rational fear and the other irrational. The saying “time will heal all wounds” might be true, but for some, 9/11 was just the other day. Seeing a large plane flying that low will cause an automatic emotional response. However, the concern over a pandemic outbreak is a real possibility. With illnesses in Mexico, the US, and in Spain, there is a chance that swine flu could spread around the globe. But didn’t we hear the same thing about bird flu a few years ago?

With each passing “pandemic” that fails to live up to the fear we feel, we become desensitized to the warnings from the next big flu. We breathe a sigh of relief when dangers do not live up to the hype, but we might become overconfident about our ability to ride out any other danger that comes up. The panic we feel is a natural self-defense mechanism, and if we lose that reaction, we might really have something to fear.

Related articles:
FOX News – “White House Official Apologizes for Air Force One Photo Op in New York City”
Christian Science Monitor – “White House accepts blame for panic caused by Air Force One”
The Washington Post – “Swine Flu Confirmed in New York Students”
Bloomberg – “New York Confirms 28 Swine Flu Cases, More are Likely”

Yesterday I wrote about the recommendations General Petraeus had for the maritime industry. One of the recommendations was arming the crew or hiring armed guards to protect the vessel. In less than 24 hours, the Italian cruise liner “Melody” put the General’s recommendations to the test.

Cruising off the coast of Somalia on their way back to Italy, the crew and guests aboard the Italian vessel came under attack by six pirates on a speedboat. After a few minutes of harassing the ship and attempting to board, an Israeli security force onboard the ship opened fire. After noticing the resistance, the pirates pulled back to avoid the gunfire. They continued to trail the cruise liner for a few minutes, firing their rifles as the stern, but eventually pulled back and left the ship to continue on its way.

This was an effective example of how an armed presence aboard a ship can deter the pirates. Unfortunately, it could also lead to a false sense of security. What if these pirates also had RPG’s with them, or what if they decide to use RPG’s against the next ship they attempt to capture? The fear of escalation has to be on the mind of all the shipping company owners and Captains tonight. But in the mean time, the Israeli security force should feel proud tonight for protecting all 1500 people aboard the Melody.

Related articles:
CNN – “Italian cruise ship thwarts pirate attack”
AFP – “Cruise captain recounts Somali pirate attack”
Guardian – “Italian cruise ship fends off pirates with gunfire”