September 26, 2006 FEMA Emergency Management Higher ...



September 26, 2006 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Project Activity Report

(1) CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS?:

Bilefsky, Dan. "Danish Wake-up Call on Islam." International Herald Tribune, September 26, 2006. Accessed at:



[Excerpt: "On Sept. 5, the day Danish police arrested nine Muslim suspects in connection with a foiled terrorist plot, a slender book warning of conquest by Islamic fundamentalists in Europe appeared in bookstores here. 'Islamists and Naivists,' by Karen Jespersen and Ralf Pittelkow, has since risen to the top of the best-seller list and is causing a sensation in Denmark - in part because the authors are establishment figures previously known for their progressive attitudes toward Islam and integration.... 'The threat is that the Islamists and their values are gaining ground in Europe, especially among the younger generation'... 'They try to interfere in people's lives, telling them what to wear, what to eat, what to think and what to believe. They warn Muslims to create their own societies within Europe or risk disappearing like salt in water'.... 'The mixture of political correctness and fear all too often leads to compliance with Islamism', Pittelkow writes in the book. 'The fatal mistake of the naivists was to cave into demands for Islamic-style censorship'."]

(2) CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS? - POPE'S REMARKS:

Batchelor, John. "Theme of Jihad." New York Sun, September 20, 2006.

Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "Pope Benedict XVI, the 'Panzer pope,' has done the unusual in modern discourse: he has jumped into the war on terror with armored facts from six centuries ago that refute a deal of the appeasement from 21st-century Europeans and their American fellow travelers."]

Desai, Niranjan. "A Neoconservative at the Vatican." Asian Age, September 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "In contrast to his predecessor's efforts to reconcile the ancient enmity between Muslims and Catholics, Roman Catholic Church under Benedict, according to some Vatican observers, is moving into a more critical posture toward Islamic fundamentalism.... He wants dialogue with teeth. The Pope's remarks have also to be seen in the larger context of the West's war on "Islamic" terrorism. Ever since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, a sense of paranoia has gripped the western societies making them suspicious of Muslims within their societies and outside. Consequently, there has been a growing demonisation of Islam and a gratuitous reawakening of the most entrenched and self-serving of western prejudices - that Muslims have a unique proclivity to violence.... Could it be that the Pope is now indicating that he too is willing to throw the full weight of the Roman Catholic world behind this growing demonisation of Islam..." Note: The writer is a former Ambassador of India - to the Vatican,] El-Affendi, Abdelwahab. "Let Us Be Rational." Aljazeera, September 23, 2006. At:

El-Affendi, Abdelwahab. "Let Us Be Rational." Aljazeera, September 23, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "the phenomenal overreaction of Muslim leaders and masses around the world to the pope's remarks may prove that we as Muslims do indeed have a problem with rationality."]

Harris, Lee. "The Pen, the Sword and the Pontiff." TCS Daily, September 26, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "The argument underlying this attack {on Pope Benedict's remarks} may be summarized as follows: Morally responsible speech or writing must take into account the consequences that such speech or writing may have on others. If it is bound to inflame certain groups, to cause the death of innocent people, to increase tensions, and to endanger whole communities, then it is morally wrong to engage in such speech or writing, and anyone who does so deserves to be attacked by all morally responsible people."]

Malik, Imaad. "Muslims Must Reach Out to Christians and Jews." Family Security Matters, September 26, 2006. Accessed at:



[Excerpt: "Muslims should not view Pope Benedict's words as a pretext for outrage. We Muslims should seize this opportunity for sincere dialogue with Christians and Jews and, God willing, to find common ground in facing the great moral and cultural challenges before us as religious believers living in a global society."]

Muslim Public Affairs Council. "Cardinal Mahony, Muslim Leaders Discuss Pope's References To Islam; Leaders Reaffirm Bonds Of Friendship Between Communities, Pledge Future Cooperation." September 22, 2006, Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "The Muslim leaders recalled the hurt that many Muslims felt when Pope Benedict quoted a 14th Century Byzantine emperor who stated that Islam was spread by the sword.... The delegation also condemned the violent acts that targeted Christian churches and people in the wake of the pope's initial speech."]

Muslim Public Affairs Council. "Where The Pope Went Terribly Wrong."

September 19, 2006. Accessed at:

New York Sun. "Benedict's Challenge." 26 Sep 2006. At:

[Excerpt: "If anyone thought that Benedict XVI had backed off after the furor kicked up earlier this month by his comments on Islam, yesterday's remarks by the pontiff, delivered to nearly two dozen Arab and Muslim ambassadors, should set things clear.... 'Respect and dialogue require reciprocity in all spheres, especially in that which concerns basic freedoms, more particularly religious freedom'.... The pope seemed to be suggesting that Western attitudes toward Islam would depend on how Islamic countries grant or deny freedom to Christians in their midst."]

Prager, Dennis. "Pius Attacked for Not Confronting Evil, Benedict Attacked for Confronting Evil." Real Clear Politics, September 26, 2006, Accessed at:



Sowell, Thomas. "A Week's Revelations." Real Clear Politics, September 26, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "This past week has told us more than we wanted to know about ourselves and about our enemies. There was far more controversy over remarks made by the Pope than over the violence unleashed by Muslims against people who had nothing to do with what the Pope said. That our enemies do not understand the significance of free speech in a free society, where things that offend us can be denounced without indiscriminate violence, is bad enough. But that we ourselves seem headed further down the slippery slope of self-censorship is chilling."]

Zambelis, Chris. "Pope's Statements Bolster Radical Islamist Propaganda Efforts." Terrorism Focus, Vol. 3, No. 37, September 26, 2006.

Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "Like the Danish cartoon controversy, the desecration of the Quran and the Abu Ghraib scandal, among other incidents, the Pope's controversial statements will prove to be an effective propaganda tool for radical Islamists to mobilize support for their cause for years to come. Given the Pope's powerful religious credentials and international influence, his statements are likely to bolster the position of violent extremists and al-Qaeda even further. From the perspective of radical Islamists, the pontiff's speech supports al-Qaeda's narrative since one of Osama bin Laden's stated goals is to inspire Muslims to defend themselves from what he often describes as a U.S.-led Christian crusade against Islam."]

Zenit News Service (Rome). "Papal Address to Muslim Leaders and Diplomats." September 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[This is a Vatican translation of the address (entitled "Lessons of the Past Must Help Us to Seek Paths of Reconciliation") Benedict XVI delivered on the 25th in the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, to leaders of Muslim communities in Italy and ambassadors of Muslim countries accredited to the Holy See.]

(3) FEMA AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:

International Association of Emergency Managers. "Local Emergency Managers Applaud FEMA Reform Legislation in H.R. 5441." September 26, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "Our national emergency management system took a first, tentative step away from its previous decline as the House and Senate Appropriations Committees agreed late yesterday to include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reform compromise legislation as part of the conference report on H.R. 5441, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill for FY 2007. The compromise will provide much needed structural realignments and protections for FEMA inside DHS. 'The House and Senate Appropriations Conferees took positive action today in agreeing to the conference report on H.R. 5441,' said International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) First Vice President Mike Selves. 'Once the conference report is approved by votes on the House and Senate floor and signed by the President, much needed structural and financial CPR will be administered to our ailing national emergency management system'."]

(4) GLOBAL WARMING:

Associated Press. "Global Temperature Highest in Millennia." September 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "The planet's temperature has climbed to levels not seen in thousands of years... researchers report in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Earth has been warming at a rate of 0.36 degree Fahrenheit per decade for the last 30 years, according to the research team led by James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. That brings the overall temperature to the warmest in the current interglacial period, which began about 12,000 years ago.... The study said the recent warming has brought global temperature to a level within about one degree Celsius - 1.8 degree Fahrenheit - of the maximum temperature of the past million years. 'If further global warming reaches 2 or 3 degrees Celsius, we will likely see changes that make Earth a different planet than the one we know. The last time it was that warm was in the middle Pliocene, about 3 million years ago, when sea level was estimated to have been about 25 meters (80 feet) higher than today,' Hansen said."]

[Note: An abstract, PDF file, and additional information concerning the Hansen "Global Temperature Change" article in the NAS Proceedings is accessible at: ]

(5) HOMELAND SECURITY:

Hsu, Spencer S. "DHS Grants $191 Million to Defend Cities." Washington Post, 26 Sep 2006. At:

[Excerpt: Relates to funding"...to defend ports, transit systems and bus lines from terrorists, increasing funding for major urban areas in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states whose funds were slashed earlier this year in a controversial decision."]

Department of Homeland Security. "DHS Awards $399 Million in Grants to Secure the Nation's Critical Infrastructure" (Press Release). Washington DC, DHS, September 25, 2006. Accessed at:

Department of Homeland Security. "Fiscal Year 2006: Infrastructure Protection Program." Washington DC: DHS, 32 pages, 25 Sep 2006. At:



Department of Homeland Security. "Press Conference by Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Michael P. Jackson and Assistant Secretary for Transportation Security Kip Hawley." DHS, 5 pages, September 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "I'm here today with TSA's...Kip Hawley, to announce two modifications in the security procedures that were put in place after the August 10th terrorist plot was unfolded."]

(6) MATERIALS RECEIVED FOR REVIEW:

Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 22, No. 3, August 2006. (Professional Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, 499 14th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94612-1934. (510) 451-0905, (510) 451-5411 (fax), URL: , e-mail: eeri@.) [Several articles relate to LA-area earthquake.]

Journal of Natural Disaster Science, Vol. 27, No. 1. (Japan Society for Natural Disaster Science A unified forum for scientific research on various problems concerning natural hazards and the prevention or mitigation of natural disasters. From Volume 20 (1998) JNDS has been restructured as the journal of the Society for Natural Disaster Science, Japan. Publication is open to those who wish to contribute results of original research studies, or investigations. All areas of Natural Disaster Science will be represented through regular papers, special reports, letters, and discussions. Original papers that provide new findings on natural hazard phenomena, and papers on interdisciplinary subjects dealing with the reduction of natural disasters are highly encouraged. Timely special reports are planned in the event of large scale disasters.

)

(7) NUCLEAR WEAPONS NONPROLIFERATION:

Government Accountability Office. Nuclear Nonproliferation: IAEA Safeguards and Other Measures to Halt the Spread of Nuclear Weapons and Material. Washington DC: GAO Statement of Gene Aloise, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, before House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, Committee on Government Reform, September 26, 2006. Accessed at:



(8) PANDEMIC:

Branswell, Helen. ""WHO Names Experts Who Will Advise When Pandemic

Risk Appears To Be Rising." Canadian Press, September 25, 2006.

Accessed at:

(9) PREPAREDNESS:

McGreevy, Patrick. "City Panel Calls for More Staff for Disaster Preparedness Department." Los Angeles Times, 26Sep2006.



(10) WAR ON TERROR:

Aiyar, Swaminathan S. Anklesania. "Rise Of Do-It-Yourself Terrorism." Times of India, September 17, 2006. Accessed at:



[Excerpt: "Conceivably, powerful states may one day be able to put down large militant outfits like the Taliban in Afghanistan or Chechen rebels in Russia. But this cannot prevent new aggrieved groups from forming constantly and inflicting immense damage."]

Associated Press. "Rice Challenges Clinton on Terror Record." September 26, 2006. Accessed at:

Garraway, Charles. "The 'War on Terror': Do The Rules Need Changing." Chatham House Briefing Paper (UK), 12 pages, September 2006. At:



["This paper explains the author's view that there need to be international efforts to agree on the law applicable to the new kind of conflict in the age of the 'war on terror'."]

Government Accountability Office. Terrorism Insurance: Measuring and Predicting Losses from Unconventional Weapons Is Difficult, but Some Industry Exposure Exists. Washington DC, GAO Report to the Chairman, House Committee on Financial Services, 44 pages, September 2006. Accessed at:

Parry, Nat. "Losing a War, Winning a Police State." , September 26, 2006. Accessed at:

Roberts, Adam. "Lessons of History and the 'War' on Terror: Flying Blind." World Today, Chatham House (UK), August/September 2006.

Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "There may be a lesson...of almost a century ago: that the world has lived through many periods of fear, and in some cases the actuality, of extreme terrorism; and has survived thanks to many factors of which we could usefully remind ourselves today. These have included not only tough police and other counter-terrorist action, but also the

perennial failure of the core and deeply flawed terrorist belief that a campaign of spectacular violent acts will mobilise the masses and make it possible to change world history according to a particular plan.

"The biggest conceptual mistake in the direction of the US-led 'war' on terror has been the failure to think historically. The shocking attacks on the World Trade Center were interpreted by the US and other governments as ushering in an entirely new era. Terrorism was now on a much larger scale than ever before, and might well get even worse if nuclear weapons got into the wrong hands. New measures and approaches

were needed. The past was deemed to be of little relevance. By implication, therefore, there was not much need to pay attention to history, law, or literature - three forms of memory which help humans to cope in crisis. Yet such encapsulations of past experience help answer key questions of the period since 2001. What have been the main weaknesses of terrorist movements? What have been the greatest mistakes of past counter-terrorist campaigns? What is to be learned about how terrorist suspects and detainees should be dealt with? How do terrorist campaigns actually end? Alas, in the public rhetoric and governmental deliberations there has been little sign such elementary questions have even been asked, let alone answered. Past mistakes have been repeated

more than they have been discussed."]

Silverstein, Ken. "Six Questions for Dr. Emile A. Nakhleh on the CIA

and the Iraq War." Harpers, September 20, 2006. At:



[Note: Dr. Emile A. Nakhleh served in the CIA for 15 years and retired on June 30, 2006, as the Director of the Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program, the intelligence community's premier group dedicated to the issue of political Islam. Excerpt: Answer to question "Is there an inherent threat to Western democracies from the Islamic world?":

"No, there's only a threat from those who use Islam for ideological reasons and who are willing to employ violence.... Most view Islam as a personal and societal force, not a political one, and only a tiny minority becomes terrorists.... Political Islam is not a threat-the threat is if people become disenchanted with the political process and democracy, and opt for violence. There is a real danger from a few terrorists and we should go after them, but the longer-term threat is that people opt out of the system. We need to not only speak out in favor of democracy and political reform, but also act on that as well."]

(11) WAR ON TERROR - AFGHANISTAN:

Behn, Sharon. "Afghan Leader Slams Musharraf's Policies." Washington

Times, September 26, 2006. Accessed at:



[Excerpt: "In a reference to Pakistan, Mr. Karzai said in an address at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars yesterday that there will be no peace in the region until nations stopped using religious extremism as a means of promoting policy. 'For all of us in the world to be safer, we must remove the need for groups, organizations

or state entities -- and here I am beginning to be very careful in my remarks -- of reliance on religious radicalism as instruments of policy,' he said. 'The increased attacks on Afghanistan and the cross-border activities; the loss of U.S., Canadian soldiers; the

burning of mosques and attacks on children ... is the continuing of reliance on radicalism as an instrument of policy,' Mr. Karzai said."]

De Borchgrave, Arnaud. "The Wages of Spin." Washington Times,

September 26, 2006. Accessed at:



[Excerpt: "Friendly governments fear the new Afghan war is unwinnable short of a major 10-year commitment. But parliaments and national assemblies balk. Meanwhile, Afghans know from their centuries-old experience sooner or later foreign conquerors leave -- and in this case the indigenous Taliban stays, lavishly funded by its cut of the opium poppy bonanza."]

Moreau, Ron et al. "The Rise of Jihadistan." Newsweek, October 2, 2006. Accessed at:

[Subtitle: "Five years after the Afghan invasion, the Taliban are fighting back hard, carving out a sanctuary where they-and Al Qaeda's leaders-can operate freely."]

White House. "President Bush Welcomes President Karzai of Afghanistan to the White House." Transcript, 7 pages, 26Sep2006.



(12) WAR ON TERROR -- AL-QAEDA:

Azzam, Maha. "Al-Qaeda Five Years On: The Threat and the Challenges." Chatham House Briefing Paper (UK), 8 pages, September 2006. At:



* Al-Qaeda's image as a global player has been unintentionally enhanced by the US and its allies

* However, the US-led globally coordinated security measures have seriously undermined Al-Qaeda's communication, finance and recruitment networks

* One of Al-Qaeda's most significant propaganda gains is its successful creation of a commonly held view that there is a link between terrorism and regional crises - e.g. Israel-Palestine and Iraq

* Al-Qaeda has lost support with the 'Muslim street' - although it has disturbed the political status quo in the Middle East and prompted further terrorist attacks in Madrid and London

* Al-Qaeda is facing a very serious challenge to its legitimacy and, because of its terrorist activities, is less popular than it could be in the Muslim world.

Middle East Media Research Institute. "Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya vs. Al-Qaeda." MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 1301, 7 pages. September 27, 2006. Accessed at:



[Excerpt: "MEMRI will soon be publishing a comprehensive historical and analytical study of Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya's ideological reversal. The study details not only its rejection of terrorism, but also its revised views on fundamental issues in the interpretation of the Koran, the hadith, and Islamic law - views which challenge the theoretical bases of Islamist ideology. The following are excerpts from Islam and the Laws of War on these issues:

* "Islam Forbade Targeting Civilians" ....

* "Al-Qaeda Classifies the Entire World as the Abode of War" ....

* "The Conception That America is Waging a Crusade Against Muslims is Not True" ....

* Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya's Position on Suicide Bombings ....

* "Hijacking Planes... is Forbidden in Shari'a" ...."]

(13) WAR ON TERROR - IRAQ:

Espo, David. "Ex-Military Officers Criticize Rumsfeld." Associated Press, September 25, 2006. Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "It is unusual for retired military officers to criticize the Pentagon while military operations are under way, particularly at a public event likely to draw widespread media attention."]

Norton-Taylor, Richard. "A Boost For Bin Laden." Guardian (UK), September 26, 2006. Accessed at:

[Subtitle: "It is absurd for our leaders to go on denying that the Iraq invasion increased the terrorist threat." Excerpt: " It is a sad irony that, having exaggerated the influence of Osama bin Laden's network, by their actions the US and Britain have succeeded in increasing it. Its influence is held up by governments as a useful tool to frighten the

public and promote their anti-terrorist agenda."]

Senate Democratic Policy Committee. "An Oversight Hearing on the Planning and Conduct of the War on Iraq." September 25, 2006. Accessed at:



Contains statements by:

o Major General John R.S. Batiste (Ret.) on Secretary Rumsfeld

o Major General John R.S. Batiste (Ret.) on Congress

o Major General Paul D. Eaton (Ret.) on Secretary Rumsfeld

o Colonel Thomas X. Hammes (USMC, Ret.) on equipment for the troops

o Major General John R.S. Batiste (Ret.) on troop strength]

Wood, Sara. "Bush to Declassify Iraq Intelligence Report." American Forces Information Service, September 26, 2006. Accessed at:



[Excerpt: "To dispel rumors and speculation about the findings of a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, which was recently leaked to the media, Bush announced today that he is declassifying the document so the public can draw their own conclusions. 'You can read it for yourself. We'll stop all the speculation, all the politics about somebody saying

something about Iraq, you know, somebody trying to confuse the American people about the nature of this enemy,' Bush said during a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House."]

(14) WAR ON TERROR - PAKISTAN:

Gregory, Shaun. "Pakistan on Edge." OpenDemocracy, September 25, 2006.

Accessed at:



[Subtitle: "Pervez Musharraf's military rule has led to growing Talibanisation and rising al-Qaida influence in Pakistan. As internal opposition to his policies mounts, Shaun Gregory asks: how long will the United States continue to support him?"]

(15) WAR ON TERROR - SOMALIA?:

CBS/AP. "Islamic Militants Take Key Somali City." September 24, 2006.

Accessed at:

[Excerpt: "Heavily armed Islamic militants captured a key southern port city in Somalia Sunday, according to witnesses. Since April, A group known as the Council of Islamic Courts has defeated warlords who had divided the country into clan-based fiefdoms since 1992. The courts have united most of the southern half of the country, promising to

deliver peace under Islamic law. Their capture of Kismayo, a key city on Somalia's coast on the Horn of Africa, filled in a major gap in their southern takeover."]

(16) WAR ON TERROR -- UNITED STATES:

Kaplan, Eben. "American Muslims and the Threat of Homegrown Terrorism." Council on Foreign Relations, September 22, 2006. Accessed at:



B. Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM

Higher Education Project Manager

Emergency Management Institute

National Emergency Training Center

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Department of Homeland Security

16825 S. Seton, K-011

Emmitsburg, MD 21727

(301) 447-1262, voice

(301) 447-1598, fax

wayne.blanchard@



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