Bureaucracy Our Downfall-Lessons Learned?

Has anybody ever heard of John Oneill and Ali Souffan? They were two of our nations greatest heroes of the 20th century leading up to 9-11 and beyond.. They worked for the FBI and they were all over Al-Qaeda. In fact John Oneill basically by himself was responsible for apprehending the terrorist who bombed the towers in 93. This is a tragic story because this true legend was stonewalled every step of the way by members that were supposed to be on his own team. He was a brilliant spy, however he had sharp elbows and there is a saying in the Bureau "if you run with the wolves make sure you don't trip" John Oneill couldn't care one bit what the bureaucrats thought about him. He gathered incredible intel on our nations enemies the right way, not by enhanced interrogation techniques that have since been proven to be completely ineffective. The CIA didn't start that program until years later but the CIAs own Inspector General admitted its ineffectiveness however we all must note how 3 trillion was wasted  how many lives were lost and forever ruined as well as the infinite number of enemies we created as a result. These techniques were used as our reason to invade Iraq and Powells infamous speech where he had to sell out to the higher ups with unvetted intel on Iraq w/ WMDs and their ties to 9-11. They went back to the terrorist after it was too late and asked why did you lie? The answer was simple," I was being coerced so I told you what you wanted to hear". Oneills instincts were so good however he would have never tried anything like that anyway.  He followed the true Counter Insurgence Doctrine, (building bridges and making friends) He took his work straight to the 5 star restaurant/bars every night where he continued to work and network  incessantly along with a select few of the highest ranking spies of our OGAs (other govt agencies).this country has ever known. He was so brilliant that this not only ended his career, this is what ended up costing him his life as well. He was a direct threat to a man named Tom Pickard, this man didn't want Oneill to get to the top or ahead of him and Pickard was in tight w/ the FBI director at the time Louis Freeh. The FBI was on a different path back then.. Freeh was a throwback to the Hoover days of stateside criminal investigations and straight laced and crispy clean field agents that went out to chase and lock up bad guys in  ways only true G-men would know how to.The problem was there was  zero budget and complete apathy  for Oneill and his efforts and "our major threat" that leading up to 9-11 the FBIs computer system was so archaic most school systems were more advanced. International enemies like Bin Laden and his network was the CIAs problem. There was one Arabic speaking FBI agent named Ali Soufan, this man sent 3 teletypes directly to the CIA requesting intel (that they had) on a terrorist from Yemen about imminent attacks on the USA,. however he was met by "the wall" as well. Oneill and Souffan and members of their team were responsible for preventing cataclysmic attacks on our country and this includes a major New Years Eve Millennium bombing in Times Square that many of us never even knew about. Remember Yemen, the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000?  This attack was swept under the rug and Oneill was stonewalled once again not only from backstabbers from within but even worse from a female US Ambassador who kept him home because she didn't want us to ruffle any more feathers with her Yemenis friends. It didn't matter that one of our mother ships was attacked and 17 American sailors were killed and 39 of them were injured by a ruthless suicide bomber and that they were headed straight for The Twin Towers, Pentagon and White House and up until that time in history we only read about this kind of  event in Tom Clancy novels. The terrorist Souffan asked about was on one of the hijacked planes. Oneills sources loved him in Yemen, he was given invaluable intel, however it didn't last long because Ambassador Bodine didn't let him back in after he took a quick break back home after working for 3 weeks straight 24/7. Everybody now knows that 9-11 and the Cole attacks were directly linked and Souffan and Oneill were working around the clock to try to prevent this. It only went downhill for Oneill after that. The many wolves made sure he tripped in big ways. They blew up trivial departmental issues way out of proportion, ie- losing a cell phone, taking a company car in an emergency with out signing mountains of paperwork, even losing a briefcase temporarily w/ classified documents.. If you ask people who are in the know they feel he was set up for that briefcase incident. These wolves even conveniently placed an op-ed piece in the NY Times blasting this hero for being untrustworthy and sloppy during the most critical investigation period in our nations history. In fact he was kept so far out of the loop toward the end he missed out on pertinent intel Souffan and his team uncovered.. I wish that I could say this story had a happy ending but after the op-ed piece this was the nail in the coffin for Oneills FBI career. In a tragic twist of irony and some would call fate he took a much higher paying position at the World Trade Center as director of security. He loved the FBI, his new job was triple the pay but it didn't matter to him, his heart was irrevocably broken. One of Johns trusted journalist sources was out with him right before he started his new job. He made a comment that basically said its ok you should be safe here, I don't think this place will get hit again..John looked at him and said- "no I think they really want to finish the job this time" (in 93 the goal was to take both buildings down but didn't have enough funding)  Like all true American Legends he officially started work on Sept 10 2001 and went down with the greatest towers ever known in a sad and devastating pile of ash and rubble..  .        .        

Private Investigation and Executive Protection article Greenwich Times Aug 28-2009

Greenwich CT Aug 28 2009 Black iron gates and private driveways are commonplace in Greenwich, a town that values privacy and can afford to keep outsiders at a distance.
But with hedge fund chief executives worth billions and swarms of celebrities calling Greenwich home, many people have the option to take their personal security to a completely different level.
From bodyguards packing pistols to teams of private security officers surveying backcountry estates, security companies in the area say Greenwich is a prime location for thieves to target, which also makes it a hub for wealthy clientele.
"Obviously, you have law enforcement that are there as a deterrent," said Michael Wanik, vice president of consulting and investigation for SSC Inc., a private security company based in Shelton. "However, they can't be everywhere at all times."
Wanik said that while any community can be at risk in today's world, Greenwich and the Fairfield County area in general may be a target to some because of the perception of wealth.
"In Greenwich, there may be a different kind of opportunity, maybe a different level of threat or wealth, or many times just the perception of wealth," said Wanik.
A prime example of how Greenwich residents can become targets occurred in 2003 when billionaire Edward Lampert, the chairman of Kmart and ESL Investments, was kidnapped at gunpoint from the parking garage of his Greenwich office and taken to a Days Inn in Hamden. He was released unharmed
two days later after promising to pay his captors $40,000, federal prosecutors said.
Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg said Lampert's kidnapping revealed a unique threat to Greenwich because of the wealth and stature that some people in the community hold.
"That's an example of someone who had a life event occur and now security is more of a priority," said Ridberg, noting that retired Greenwich cops were once heading up Lampert's security team. "I think wealthy people do need to be concerned that they might be targets, especially if they are high-profile, whether celebrity or business."
Due to the high concentration of wealth in town, Ridberg said the department often has to provide assistance on security details, such as when dignitaries come to town. Many people in the community also hire off-duty police officers for security.
"If a corporate executive is threatened, they may hire officers to be up on the property for a week or two," said Ridberg. "If it's a full-time gig, we would have to assign an officer who would run the job."
One of the newer private security companies in the area is Executive Protection Associates, a a company based in Greenwich that contracts out former military and law enforcement personnel for security assignments.
Stephen McLeod is executive director of the company and said he felt Greenwich was very much in need of having additional security options.
"I think the local law enforcement is the best in the country," said McLeod. "But I also think there were security breaches that needed to be tended to."
McLeod said his company offers a variety of services from trained bodyguards and drivers to surveillance and corporate espionage investigators.
"This is regarded as the nicest town in the country," said McLeod. "People have money and they want to keep it."
Simon Oram is a top-tier agent with the company and has his own New York-based security consulting firm as well. Oram was trained as a sniper in the military and ran security operations for a hedge fund.
"Generally what you are finding is people getting services depending on the threat," said Oram. "Entry level is putting an alarm on your house and security cameras. The next level is to have a driver that is trained in both defensive and offensive driving techniques."
Oram said the levels continue up to having a force of private security officers who are tactically trained to blend in and whose No. 1 goal is to protect their "principal," or client.
"Law enforcement are trained to take cover and return fire," said Oram. "Executive protection's job is to get the principal out of the way. So it's a little bit of a different mindset."
Ridberg said he knew of a "fair amount" of private security teams employed by people in town and was hoping to put together an official list in the future. Private officers, who are mainly retired cops and former military men and women, are not required to register in the town. However, according to state law, private security companies must register themselves and all their employees with the state Department of Public Safety. If they are armed, the officers must obtain a "blue card."
Ridberg said law enforcement officers are always in charge at the scene of a crime, no matter if private security officers are employed at the property or not. While Ridberg said he did not know of any instances when private security officers clashed with law enforcement, a recent string of incidents at the estate of print magnate Peter Brant put the issue of private security officers on the radar.
Police responded to Brant's North Street estate several times in June after Brant's estranged wife, supermodel Stephanie Seymour, and members of Brant's private security operations wereinvolved in a scuffle.
One security officer, Joseph Babnik, a retired cop from Carmel, N.Y., was charged with disorderly conduct after Seymour alleged he shoved her during a dispute. Babnik has pleaded not guilty. The incident revealed that Brant, who is estimated to be a billionaire, had several officers working on his property around the clock.
Ridberg said he had to call a meeting between the lawyers for Seymour and Brant because the department was expending too many resources responding to calls.
"We just felt it was not a good circumstance and endeavored to work something out," said Ridberg, noting that there had not been any problems since that time.
Another incident that sparked attention was when a bodyguard for television and film star and former Greenwich resident Rosie O'Donnell, a staunch gun-control advocate, applied for a gun permit to be authorized to carry a weapon while dropping her son off at school in 2000. O'Donnell responded by saying it was necessary to protect her son and later moved out of town after the incident ignited a firestorm of criticism.
Wanik said private security is an ever-expanding business that is continually changing with the times and becoming increasingly sophisticated.
"Now there are more professional officers who provide greater service than the old stereotype of a watchman with a thermos by his side sleeping at a guard desk," said Wanik. "It's an exciting time in the industry." 

The Dust Bowl That Almost Was

Does anybody remember Sept 19 2008? This was the day that 3 great men prevented another world wide dust bowl of epic proportions.This one would have been much worse then the great depression. The private intel industry uses the word classified and words like dark and black ops on a regular basis. Wall Street is no different, in fact their world is so secretive  that in the years that led up to the financial crisis a very small percentage of people even knew what a credit default swap was or what a collateralized debt obligation meant and how this was all so closely linked to the credit agencies, our major insurance companies and government sponsored  mortgage back security houses like Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac. This is a world dominated.by fear and greed,.various traunches  caused such systemic risk across the globe that it would be months after the bail out before the black box and dark world of wall street became widely known. The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable and remember when the Twin Towers was supposed to be able to take a direct hit from a jet liner? Well Lehman Bros was too big to fail and everybody knew this as well. Many people criticize our govt for being big brother and for being the spy in the sky however a Laisez- Faire hands off government position is what actually led to the meltdown to begin with. We were champions of the free market and this is the reason Hank Paulson our Treasury Secretary decided not to bail out the biggest casino on wall street Lehman Bros. He was a firm believer in moral hazard which meant any government intervention would create zero incentive to learn the error of their ways. The next question is why bail out Bear Sterns a small time player and not a behemoth like Lehman. It was a clear message that capitalism rules, sink or swim, we will help you just this one time but  never again.  It is important to note this time in history because this was as serious as the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This was the closest we ever came to nuclear annihilation and JFK saved us all  then as well. Hank Paulsons decision not to bail out Lehman Bros was just as serious. .Paulson  single handedly practically pressed the big red button, this was Sept 2008. After Lehman went down so did the world markets and AIG even bigger then Lehman started crumbling right down behind them. Merrill Lynch was next on the list and from there on it would have been like domino's. There was world wide panic, the credit markets were frozen, the Dow went into a free fall and absolutely nobody knew what to do. What makes this a great story is that Paulson adapted immediately and stepped up in a big way along with Bernanke and Geitner to save the entire world as we knew it.. On Fri Sept 19 2008 these three men went straight to Capital Hill and made it very clear that unless Tarp was initiated a 700 billion dollar infusion to our major banks there would be no economy by Monday and we all now know this meant for the entire globe as well.. They did what was needed to be done and all of the bureaucrats revolted like anarchy and the CEOs of these banks were not pleased either along with most of the American people. Now we can all look back and say this wasn't a socialist act at all this was three American heroes saving the entire world from certain economic annihilation.  

Active Shooter

There was a 4 person active shooter team that was dispatched and they were inside the building within 6 minutes. I don't doubt these men had decent skills and tried their very best however the time frame needs to be reevaluated once again. The first shots rang out at approximately 8:15 and Alexis wasn't taken out until 9:20 in the third floor office. Well over 1 hour for one guy that was embedded inside a military complex that should have the same kind of security operation already in place as the White House or something comparable? This is a very sad day for Americans, I am going all the way to Capital Hill to try to make the necessary changes to prevent this from ever happening again. Interoperability is what all of the bureaucrats talked about post 9-11 and Katrina and now look at their results. I really don't want to get into how this guy had a security clearance from Usis the same contractor that vetted Snowden because that is not the primary issue although if you watch these suits in action they are making it the main focal point when it really shouldn't be. A security clearance is not that difficult to get in fact most Americans can get one easily.. To examine and reexamine every aspect of a persons life to see if they are fit for duty would eliminate most of our heroes as far as their ability to go back overseas and when they come back and get acclimated into civilian life. This guys problems seemed to be alot more severe then most and he was never even deployed, he played violent video games, claimed PTSD from 9-11, hearing voices at airports, shooting out tires of police cruisers, even having an( AD accidental discharge). As long as people don't have felonies in most cases they can get a basic bottom level clearance. The next question is then what can we do with a guy like Alexis?  Unfortunately there isn't much, to track him down  and Baker Act him and keep him in a psychiatric ward isn't realistic because he would be out w/in 72 hours after he proves hes no longer a threat to himself and others and its almost impossible for our hospitals to keep patients indefinitely, plus there is no room or budget for this kind of thing.. That is why the primary issue must be advance work and high level threat security to take out miscreants like this immediately, just like a Secret Service detail would. This guy was one of their own the same as the Ft Hood mass shooting this is what makes it even worse.. What makes that tragedy so disturbing was that guy was an Army psychiatrist that was supposed to be treating the vets, instead he was a violent terrorist already on the FBI watch list.    

Stand Down

How can it be that the suits that start our wars are afforded the highest level of protection while our guys on the ground have absolutely zero? In another tragic tale of budget cuts and apathy 12 of the finest men and women our country had to offer were sitting ducks while an unbridled monster went postal. It took. 3o minutes to take this guy out, he should have never had the ability to get off one single round. How many horrific tragedies  need to occur before something is done to prevent this from ever happening again? This is not meant as an insult to WDP (civilian police force) because every day brave men and women suit up with whatever gear is provided and this means for most little pay, low morale, a shoestring budget, little or no ongoing training etc..How many of the WDP  were actually trained in CQB(close quarters combat) and how to respond to this exact situation? It certainly isn't their fault, its the system that is broken and it has been that way since day 1. Does anybody remember our Fema director during Katrina? His background was in bankrupting Arabian horse operations and absolutely zero in disaster first res ponder relief. In fact Fema was for throw away bureaucrat failures and this is where they were sent as  punishment since its almost impossible to fire inept government officials.This is as serious as it gets because now Americans lives are at stake and  there are more innocent victims, our countries finest and many generations of their families. Ft Hood, now Washington DC, the WDP  were down to 6 men, (from 13) their radios were ancient, batteries went dead, there was little or no communication, Swat was told to stand down  while these men had to delay response time even longer because they had to resort to runners and cell phones and manually shut the gates behind them. The coms situation was just as bad for the (fire dept ems) who were first on the scene. Their radios didn't work either and this was known about for years previously. More lives could have been saved inside building 197 and without question some were lost due to this cataclysmic meltdown of budget cuts and apathy.   After 9-11 and Katrina Interoperability was supposed to be the goal for us all, here it is 8 years later and a few miles from the White House and this happens? All of us must dig deep and figure out a way to play on the same team. It doesn't matter if the men hired as our guardian angels are military police, civilian contractors, local law enforcement, in fact these soldiers were all trained to take out the enemy why didn't they have the ability to protect them self as well? Lets just get the job done and get it right from here on in, don't we at least owe this much to our nations finest?.

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