The Political Conundrum!

The Defense Department has banned the use of external computer flash drives in the Pentagon because of a virus threat that officials detected on defense networks. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would provide no details on the virus, but he described it as a "global virus."

This is one you will want to check out. After checking out the trailer below, head over to http://www.outsidethewire.com/

The good news yesterday was the conviction on all counts of Monzar al Kassar,the international weapons trafficker and friend of numerous terrorist organizations.

Al Kassar and his accomplice, Luis Moreno Godoy were convicted in New York of conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals; conspiracy to murder U.S. officers and employees; conspiracy to acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles; conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), a designated foreign terrorist organization; and money laundering. The convictions represent the first time anyone has been charged with and convicted of the anti-aircraft missile statute.

Al Kassar, like Viktor Bout and others, are part of the shadowy world of facilitators that work across criminal and terrorist organizations, supplying them with what they need-from weapons to passports to money laundering services.

Successfully targeting these shadow facilitators hurts both groups and is one of the more effective ways of crippling the terrorist/criminal enterprises they empower.

As I wrote when he was arrested (and you can find the indictment and other articles here too), the arrest sprang from a sting operation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to whom he thought he was selling surface-to-air missiles which he hoped would kill Americans. The US won al Kassar's extradition from Spain in order to stand trial in the United States.

It was the same template the DEA used to arrest Viktor Bout in Thailand. The conviction augers well for what would be a very similar case against Bout, if he ever gets here. My full blog is here.

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban) rejecting Afghan President Hamid Karzai's solemn offer to Mullah Omar to "guarantee his security and safety" if he would agree to willingly participate in peace negotiations. The Taliban assert that "Karzai and his masters should know, personal immunity and power obtainment is not an issue for Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid." Further, "Our people may remember that at the first months following the American invasion of Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai was reiterating the same appeals and polished assertions for members and the rank and file of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, claiming no member of Taliban, whether senior or junior, would be harassed merely by being a member of Taliban. Then, we saw with our own eyes that thousands of defenseless Taliban were arrested and kept in containers and dungeons of Qallae Jangi. They were consequently mercilessly martyred -- an unforgettable tragedy reminiscent of Mr. Karzai’s retracting his promise... one can conclude that the hackneyed words and assertions by Mr. Karzai are aimed at throwing dust in the eyes of the people. Ironically, Karzai has not the authority to take up the dialogue by his own nor can tell the nation the truth.”

A copy of the statement can be accessed on the NEFA Foundation website.

The Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said Thursday the Bush administration's long-term military budget plan calls for increased defense spending in future years.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey was hospitalized but conscious and alert early today after collapsing during a late-night speech Thursday to a conservative legal group. Justice Department spokesman Gina Talamona would not comment when asked if Mukasey suffered a stroke.

A U.S. military judge has blocked Pentagon prosecutors from using a Guantanamo prisoner's statements to U.S. authorities as trial evidence, saying they were tainted by an earlier confession tortured out of the suspect by Afghan officials.

Contractors working for the United States in Iraq, including armed security outfits such as Blackwater Inc., will now be subject to Iraqi law under the new U.S.-Iraq security pact. Not only that, but it's possible they could be prosecuted for incidents that occurred when they did have immunity, U.S. officials say.

A former Army cook convicted of multiple rapes and murders is set to die next month in what would be the U.S. military's first execution in nearly 50 years. The military said Nov. 20 that former Soldier Ronald A. Gray is to be executed Dec. 10 at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.

A former Army cook convicted of multiple rapes and murders is set to die next month in what would be the U.S. military's first execution in nearly 50 years. The military said Nov. 20 that former Soldier Ronald A. Gray is to be executed Dec. 10 at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.