This evening, ABC News and a number of other news programs on other networks reported on the arrest of a group of ten alleged spies operating in the United States on behalf of Russia.
I have attached a link at the bottom of this page to the print news report to be found on the ABC News website. That link also provides access to the broadcast of the evening news that addressed this story. If you take the time to watch the relatively brief video (and I hope you will) you will notice that a neighbor was heard, in part, to make the following statement:
“Nothing in particular draws my attention to them…they seemed like regular people.”
I ask that you think back to how many times, over the past several years, that I have compared how terrorists operate with the way that spies operate. Spies and international terrorists all need to gain access to our nation and then embed themselves in our nation or, as I have come to refer to it “hide in plain sight.” In discussing the way that terrorists and spies operate, I have often made the point that someone once said that an effective spy is someone who would not attract the attention of a waiter or waitress at a “greasy spoon” diner. I have also added that not only could the same be said of a terrorist but that a spy or terrorist might actually be employed as a waiter or waitress at that “greasy spoon” diner.
This raises the obvious question- does a spy look like? Obviously they look like “regular people!”
In this case, according to the most recent ABC News report I saw on television, a number of the spies had children in the United States as a way of enhancing their “cover!”
Here are some additional questions not asked or answered, thus far the news reports I have seen or read about this case. (As you read these questions I want you to understand that as much as this story is an espionage story- it also is an immigration story.)
How did the spies actually enter the United States? Did they circumvent the inspections process and run our nation’s borders? Did they come ashore from a submarine as did would be spies and saboteurs that Germany sent to the United States during the Second World War who came ashore on Long Island with intentions to commit acts of sabotage with explosives those World War II spies buried near the point where they first set foot on American soil?
Did the spies in this case, perhaps, enter the United States via the inspections process with passports that concealed their true identities? If they entered the United States via the inspections process did they travel with Russian passports or did they have false passports that portrayed them as being from other countries?
If they entered the United States via the inspections process did they have visas for the United States? If they had visas, how were they able to obtain them? Might any of them have entered the United States with false (counterfeit or altered) passports from countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program? Is anyone considering the possibility that an employee of a United States embassy or consulate may have been corrupted and took a bribe or received some other form of remuneration to provide any of the spies with visas for the United States? (It is worth noting that most of our embassies and consulates employ “locals” that is to say citizens of the country in which the consulate or embassy is located. because it is often difficult to successfully prosecute such “locals” all too often, any such employee who is found to be corrupt is simply fired and that individual often walks away with lots of ill-gotten money- commonly referred to as “bribes.)
What sort of jobs did these individuals have as they embedded themselves in communities in the United States? What documents did they use in order to secure their jobs and complete the Form I-9?
We know that according to the news report, most of the accused spies used names that did not sound or appear Russian but sounded Irish or Hispanic. What sort of identity documents did they have that enabled them to create these false identities for themselves? Considering how long they were purportedly present in the United States, had any of them falsely claimed to be United States citizens or resident aliens? Did any of them succeed in gaming the immigration system in order to acquire resident alien (lawful immigrant) status or even United States citizenship?
The story also notes that clandestine meetings were conducted in South America- how did the spies who journeyed to Latin America enter the countries were meetings were held? How did they then re-enter the United States? Again, the question is, did they enter via the inspections process or did they run our nation’s borders?
I would also like you to consider this quote from the news report: Also charged is Christopher Metsos, who remains at large and is alleged to be one of the main facilitators for the group and a trained agent living outside the U.S. According to the complaint, Metsos purports to be a Canadian citizen and regularly traveled to U.S. locations to meet with the other defendants, including numerous meetings in New York City in places such as coffee shops and book stores.
How did Christopher Metsos acquire his Canadian citizenship? How did he enter the United States? Did he enter via the inspections process or did he run the Canadian/American border? Did any of the other alleged spies ever visit him in Canada? If they did, how did they transit the border that is supposed to separate the United States from Canada?
You will notice that, as I told you, most of the questions I have raised are actually questions that relate to the enforcement and administration of our nation’s immigration laws- laws that President Obama is apparently adamantly opposed to enforcing- considering that he and his administration are now mounting a legal attack on the State of Arizona for actually taking our nation’s immigration laws seriously!
Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and a host of others also seem to believe that as Pelosi has declared, the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws are “Un-American!”
And here I thought it was “Un-American” for foreign nationals to violate our nation’s borders. I thought it was “Un-American” for foreign nationals (aliens) to commit other violations of laws such as identity theft, tax fraud, and laws that deal with criminal conspiracy. And I also thought that it was “Un-American” for foreign nationals (aliens) to commit acts of violence, terrorism or espionage inside our country and against our country.
Go figure!
The point is that in addition to spying against our nation, presuming that the individuals who were arrested are successfully prosecuted and convicted of their crimes, these spies also must have violated our nation’s immigration laws to enter our country and as a part of the embedding process which enabled them to hide in plain sight as they attempted to plunder our nation’s secrets- including secrets that have a direct impact on national security- allegedly involving nuclear weapons.
It is also interesting to note that according to the ABC News report, that among those who the spies allegedly met with:
.” .. include a former legislative counsel for U.S. Congress, a former high ranking U.S. government national security official, a person working on bunker busting nuclear warheads, and a New York financier who is prominent in politics and a major fundraiser for an un-named political party.”
This certainly raises a couple of very interesting questions:
“Did the spy ring provide campaign contributions for either or both major political parties?” “Did any particular candidate of any political party know anything about any possible funds that may have been donated to his (her) campaign by these spies?” “If campaign contributions were made by the spies, what, if anything did the campaign contribution buy?”
Finally, the news reports I have seen about this spy case have breathlessly noted that this story was “shocking” that it seemed to be a story to be associated with the “Cold War” of the 1950’s or 1960’s!
How naive can journalists get? Our world is not a safe place! We have adversaries all across this globe! Perhaps the view from space does not provide images that show borders. Perhaps, indeed, our politicians don’t want our borders to be secured and appear to be determined to eradicate them. The harsh reality is that as the saying goes, “Good fences make good neighbors!”
Operatives from many countries seek to learn our most valuable secrets. They want to find ways of defeating us militarily and/or economically. In order to achieve these nefarious goals these countries engage in all sorts of tactics that come under the broad heading of espionage.
It is absolutely infantile to not understand this. Where national security is concerned- ignorance is not bliss- it can be lethal!
A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!
November 2nd cannot come fast enough!
We the People, throughout this nation, must do the same sort of thing with all of our elected “representatives.” We must seek opportunities to make it clear to them that we understand their game plan and won’t tolerate it!.
I believe our nation’s is greatly benefited by the rich diversity of our people which is why I could never imagine living anywhere except New York City, arguably the most diverse city in our nation if not, in fact, the world. However, my idea of diversity most certainly does not include spies, members of MS-13, the Mexican drug cartels or members of al-Qaeda!
If reading this makes it difficult for you to sleep now- perhaps you could do something worthwhile- perhaps you might spend a couple of your sleepless hours writing letters to your elected representatives this evening and remind them that Election Day is just months away!
We the People can add to the consternation of these politicians who are failing to live up to their oaths of office by contacting them and making it abundantly clear that election day is coming and they should think of election day as their personal “Day of Reckoning!”
Our government must live up to its obligation of protecting its own citizens and, indeed, all who are present in our country from the criminals and terrorists who would threaten our lives and the survival of our nation and our way of life. In the end, the government is actually those who are elected to act as our “leaders.” Those who fail to truly lead and look out for those they are supposed to represent, need to be sent packing this coming Election Day!
If our country is to survive and if our children and their children are to get their share of the “American Dream” the citizens of this nation must take their citizenship seriously!
We the People must be the best citizens we can be, citizens who are worthy of the gallantry demonstrated by our valiant men and women in the military, law enforcement and firefighters, who routinely go in harm’s way in defense of this nation and our citizens.
My goal in writing this and other commentaries is to point out our nations many failings before more victims pay the ultimate price for the incompetence and ineptitude of our government.
The first step in problem-solving is to first identify the problems and vulnerabilities and then devise strategies to overcome them.
Any politician who refuses to work to secure our borders and create an immigration system that has integrity is either corrupt or too dumb to keep his (her) job. Any politician, irrespective of party affiliation who favors Comprehensive Immigration Reform and the outrageous betrayal that this would represent given the national security implications that this program would have, should be shown the door at the next election!
If you find yourself to be in agreement with this commentary, I ask that you forward it to as many of your friends and family members as possible and encourage them to do the same. We need to create a “Bucket Brigade of Truth!”
Later this year, each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection. Later this year more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for us, We the People!
However, the practice of good citizenship does not end in the voting booth, it only begins there. The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines!
The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians.I implore you to get involved! If this situation concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional “Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation!
All I ask is that you make it clear to our politicians that we are not as dumb as they hope we are! We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance. This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue! You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem! Democracy is not a spectator sport! Lead, follow or get out of the way! Please check out my website: http://michaelcutler.net/
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“Bordering on Insanity!”
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