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Former CIA head of the Bin Laden unit Michael Scheuer tells Tom the State Department is sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong rather than solvin...
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Last week we marked the twentieth anniversary of the first attacked by terrorists on US -- remember.
It was the bombing of the World Trade -- down on the basement that killed six people and injured a thousand.
So it's been twenty years of dealing with terrorism here in the US combine that with the recent report showing a majority of convicted terrorist since the ninety's.
College educated Americans born -- working right here in the US so has the face of terrorism changed.
-- is -- former CIA intelligence officer and head of the bin Laden unit Michael shorter.
And and Michael I mean one a year I can't believe it's been -- wanna hear that really.
Shows how fast time flies but that was the first attack on our soil.
Has the face of terrorism changed sense that attack.
Well I think it it here is to some extent town but I also believe that we -- we convinced ourselves.
For most of the past twenty years that terrorism comes from poverty.
From my ignorance from the lack of employment.
And really from the first.
From the attack in 1993.
These have been educated people Ramzi -- went to university in Britain for example who was the bomber the first time the trade center was attacked.
This is by far Arab movement that represents the best and the brightest in the Muslim world.
And we have deluded ourselves to think that these were uneducated people who were just desperate for.
Job or or or horse or something along that line yes -- No -- rent -- -- Yousef was a very Smart in fact.
His his idea was due to knock down tower one and have it fall -- tower two.
And it he was this close if he had if he had been able to park the truck where he wanted to.
It might have done it.
Yes or he's -- -- told us when he when we -- bringing him back after he was captured in Pakistan that.
Had he had eight to 101000 dollars more in their original spot he wanted to parked the truck.
He thinks he would've brought it down both of the towers down.
And and I I think from what I've read at least some structural engineers agree with him.
So.
These are Smart guys.
But we get this report out this week that said that the majority of people.
That had been convicted of terrorism -- people that are born and raised and educated right here most of them.
Our.
Middle Eastern descent but they're born in America they're raised here there educate their educated here.
Yes -- and we've had we've had these same kind of people go overseas to Somalia and Afghanistan to fight.
And I think that cost the -- for Americans is here is still it is to understand what their motivation is.
None of these people who were convicted but were attacking the United States because we have liberties or elections or women in the workplace.
They were all focused on the same thing as our enemies in the Middle East which is the conduct of our foreign policy.
Now you can argue that that policy should stay the same or should be changed.
But as long as we keep saying that they're attacking us because they hate our freedoms.
That we're never gonna understand.
Either the dimension or the durability of this enemy.
If a lot of people said that and and they usually get shot down pretty quickly do that you've heard the argument -- against what you just said.
That if we if -- nice to them they will -- -- -- loan not really people don't believe that Michael.
Well it's not so much nice Saddam's.
Time it's -- nice RS.
What are we doing for example.
Forty years after the first oil embargo still supporting the tyranny that covers govern Saudi Arabia.
Why are we building that pipeline in the United States which would help to protect Americans.
Not only by giving them jobs but -- making us less -- People that that our our motorists if you will.
Why -- -- completely supporting the Israelis and whatever they want to do.
Why does Senator Kerry go at a time when so many people are unemployed and stick his nose in the what's none of our business in Syria.
And give them sixty million dollars.
This is -- about protecting America not being about nice nice to anybody indeed.
We're -- have to use -- military arm much more forcibly in the future against these people then we have to date.
Are we.
This this terrorism changing and it surprised me that the majority of the people that have been convicted there's been a hundred and -- -- -- -- by the convictions in the last one year to -- it's a bigger number than I thought you start thinking about.
There was the -- square bomber there was you know you go through a handful of them.
But that's a lot of people and what it is a lot what you what his attorney general.
It as holder is saying is that he's worried.
About the people that are here about the terrorist that are homegrown and and is he right.
Oh sure there is that we believe for a long time.
-- lived in the fantasy world that that.
Are melting pot would take care of this problem that all of them would become Americans.
It kind of in the first place the Democrats for forty years have decided that the melting pot is stupid.
And we should keep everybody alien.
-- -- extent within America whether -- Hispanics or.
Or wherever they come from or Arabs or or or other kinds of Muslims.
But that I think the more important point is that we really need to understand.
That the propaganda that was started by Osama bin Laden when he was alive and now -- has flourished around the world.
Is just appealing to young Muslims in the United States.
As it is in Europe as it is in Africa as it is in Asia you know and we're going to get a very very large problem.
-- cluck -- down on our table without us really realizing we talked on the radio show the other day you were saying basically Osama bin Laden even though he's dead.
He succeeded in his mission it is now.
His message is now flourishing.
It can absolutely see it around the -- -- AG his goal was never to defeat the United States.
But only to draw us further into the Muslim world.
Which he believed and which it has created -- a to have that self perpetuating.
From Pakistan and Afghanistan to Yemen to East Africa to North Africa to Iraq.
Around the world the growth of this movement -- geographical reach in the last six or eight years has been staggering you know we've only had we've all got a few seconds that you wanna ask you it is the net did they still wanna have some big explosion and kill lots of people.
Or they talking about cyber terror or bio terror or which -- or all of the above.
I think it's all of the above -- I think under our Ayman zawahiri and under the leadership of the other groups that exists now.
They're much less focused on the big attack although they'll try to bring off one but they would very much like to nickel and dime -- inside of the United States.
Might enjoy -- always full of great information thank you so much good to talk to you always nice to talk to you -- thank you even.
