ICE/FBI now have 6 of those missing Egyptian “students”

The FBI is reporting that they have 6 of the 11 “students” that went missing after coming to the US on student visas. One was found in Minneapolis, 2 in New Jersey, and today they got 2 near Baltimore and 1 in Chicago. The FBI continues to say that the students aren’t considered a terrorism risk.

And why the hell not? I’m sorry, I’m not buying this. These students all supposedly applied with Montana State University in Bozeman to come here and the second they arrive they split up and head to diverse parts of this country? Why? Who were they going to see? What were they doing instead of showing up at the class as expected.

In light of what’s happened in London and the fact that Homeland Security is now telling us we can’t bring toothpaste and shampoo in our carry-on baggage I think it’s not unreasonable to suggest that 1) those AWOL students are, too, a terrorism risk (until confirmed otherwise) and 2) ICE and the FBI owe the American public a helluva lot more information than what they’re putting out. How is the American public supposed to remain vigilant, as we are so constantly reminded, when these agencies choose to keep us in the dark about what we’re supposed to be looking for?

Mexican recount progressing with not much change

Mark in Mexico has the details of the recount going on down there. Much to the leftists’ chagrin, not much is changing as a result and they’re already starting to dismiss the results even though it’s not even a quarter of the way complete. Some of the silliness Lopez Obredor’s people are putting up in their efforts to have the entire election redone are just ridiculous. I’ll leave it to Mark to tell the tale.

Mark also addresses the arguments put forth by people who obviously think American elections laws apply in every country and explains Mexican recount rules. Good reading and it’s important to stay aware of the other major issues of the day.

Is your house up to building code?

Just a quick perspective check for those of us Americans who are pitching a fit this morning that they can’t carry toothpaste in their carry-on baggage when they fly. In reading about an interesting adaptation to the Israeli-Lebanon conflict, I ran into this little bit:

A radio station that broadcasts silence has become popular in Israel since the war with Hezbollah began a month ago.

The station was initiated by state-run Israel Radio for residents in the northern part of the country who fear that they might not hear sirens warning of a rocket attack while they are sleeping.

The “silent station” is an alternative wake-up device next to their bed and breaks its silence only with announcements of impending rocket attacks. When the announcement comes, the residents have less than a minute to get to cover.
The cover recommended by the authorities is not a public shelter but a room with reinforced concrete walls and metal doors and metal shutters, which every home built after 1992 should have.

The bylaw was enacted after the 1991 Persian Gulf War when Israel was struck by 39 Iraqi Scud missiles. Although many homeowners have grumbled about the rule, the “protected spaces” have saved the lives of more than one family in the current conflict.

Think for a moment of the situation that would require your local county government to issue a zoning ordinance that requires you to have a reinforced concrete room complete with metal blast shutters. Oh, and that you’d need to keep a radio station on at your bedside all night to give you less than 60 seconds of warning to get your butt to said room.

This is the question I ask everyone who’s slamming on Israel to withdraw and/or cease fire. How long would we Americans, who heave big sighs and roll our eyes at any new security measure that comes up, tolerate daily and nightly rocket attacks from Mexico that were killing people at random? How many of our citizens would Canadian militias have to kidnap before we were demanding our government let slip the dogs of the Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines to go put a serious smackdown up north?

And how many of us would blithely accept the need to re-engineer our homes to put in a room capable of withstanding a stick of dynamite or three?

Israel is fighting the good fight against a foe cheerfully engaging in war crimes daily. We shouldn’t be calling for them to cease fire. We should be asking them what they need us to do to help.

Wanna blow up a bridge?

I can’t speak from personal experience but the Wilson bridge in DC has apparently caused all sorts of traffic mayhem in its 45-year history. A major project to construct a new bridge to replace the aging edifice has just been completed and the new span is now carrying all the traffic that used to go over the old one. The old bridge must be torn down and the agencies responsible have just announced an interesting way to make the event a bit more enjoyable and personal to the commuters who have dealt with the bridge for lo’ these many years.

They’re going to award the winner of a contest the chance to blow the sucker up.

Few commuters get to take out their frustration on the busy roads and bridges they travel on, but one lucky motorist will get a special treat on Aug. 24.

The state and federal agencies building a new Woodrow Wilson Bridge have announced a contest intended to find the commuter who faced the most fearsome frustration at the hands of the 45-year-old drawbridge.

The winner gets to push the plunger on a midnight detonation of a half-mile of steel girders that supported the old bridge on the Virginia side of the river.

The spokesman for the project says he expected to get a lot of contest entries. I think he’s underestimating, based on the stories I’ve heard. A second bridge is still in the works, by the way, which will increase the number of lanes available from 6 to 10. The 10-lane bridge is expected to be complete in mid-2008 and should alleviate any bottlenecks that remain.

So, if you’re a commuter with a great commuting horror story to tell about the bridge, click or call as directed. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be you dropping the final hammer on the old Wilson bridge.