Homegrown Terrorism?

Today's news concerns seven "homegrown" terrorists arrested in Miami as a result of the work of an undercover informant who impersonated an al-Qaeda operative in order to penetrate this dangerous conspiracy and bring these dangerous men to justice. Headlines are all about blowing up the Sears Tower in Chicago and "killing all the devils we can," yet even the FBI acknowledges that these wannabe terrorists were "more aspirational than operational" -- that they possessed no weapons or explosives, and that the most tangible crimes they are alleged to have committed consist of meeting (on several occasions) in a hotel room (or various other sleazy locations) with this al-Qaeda impersonator, who listened to their fantasies about creating an Islamic Army to wage Jihad against the Great Satan, accepted a wish list of desired supplies (which included machine guns, radios, vehicles, bullet-proof vests, $50,000 in cash and shoes in the proper sizes for all conspirators real and imagined), and then provided them instead with a video camera so that they could take photographs of public building they hoped someday to blow up. In exchange for use of this camera, alleged conspiracy ringleader Narseal "Prince Manna" Batiste and his six "brother" co-conspirators were asked to swear "an oath of loyalty to al-Qaeda," but despite their promises within a few months this aspiring sleeper cell began to dissolve as its more peripheral members woke up and moved on to other pursuits (like selling men's clothing at Abercrombie and Fitch). For additional details of the actual allegations of evil-doing, you can read the entire 11 page indictment here if you like.

Indictment

Public Defender Jimmy Hardy hit the nail right on the head when he commented "There's less than meets the eye here." Meanwhile, the government alleges that this really was a dangerous threat to homeland security because the conspirators possessed the intent and the desire to wage war against the United States, and had even taken steps (well, photographs) in order to carry out their aspirations. But think about this for half-a-second. I have the intent and the desire to someday spend the night with Rachel Hunter, and have even watched reruns of "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Real Gilligan's Island" in pursuit of this aspiration. But...well, do I really have to say any more?