Recognizing Potential Threats

Earlier this week, Allah, Rusty at the Jawa Report and others noted with quite a few caveats that al Qaeda could be preparing for a mass casualty attack involving nuclear materials somewhere in the US during Ramadan, which falls during October this year. Honor the threat, but the chances are quite low that al Qaeda has managed to obtain nuclear materials, even those sufficient to produce a dirty bomb. And yet, one needs to be concerned that there are al Qaeda cells operating within the US that are preparing for some kind of attack. Remaining viligant may give us the breaks needed to catch the terrorists before they can carry out any such attacks.

A far more realistic threat is the construction of fertilizer bombs akin to the one used by Timothy McVeigh to blow up the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City. Ammonium nitrate sales are still not regulated to any extent that could actually thwart terrorists from obtaining significant quantities of a base ingredient in a bomb. NYPD investigators found it alarming that they could purchase and have delivered a ton of ammonium nitrate to a warehouse in Brooklyn claiming that they were using the fertilizer for orchards.

That's on the heels of an ABC News investigation that found similar problems when a news network tried to purchase ammonium nitrate and store it within a mile of the White House.

So, what's to be done about the purchases? Stricter rules might help, including background checks and registration for anyone seeking to buy ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Yet, the farm lobby doesn't want additional restrictions. So that bill has been sitting in Committee because there isn't sufficient support to bring it to a vote.

Meanwhile, a pilot's association is considering legal action against New York because New York recently implemented stricter background checks into anyone taking pilot lessons in the state. One would think that after 9/11 a national standard for mandatory background checks into anyone seeking to become a pilot would have been a priority considering al Qaeda's fascination with turning planes into cruise missiles.

Yet, background checks appear to be an afterthought and it took five years to get such a law passed in New York.

Compare that with the requirements to sit for the New Jersey bar exam to become a lawyer. One has to submit fingerprints and the Committee on Character undertakes a background search including a credit report.

To practice law in the State of New Jersey, candidates are required to demonstrate their fitness by showing the requisite traits of honesty, integrity, fiscal responsibility, trustworthiness, and a professional commitment to the judicial process and the administration of justice.

Established pursuant to Rule 1:25, the Committee on Character reviews the personal record and reputation of each candidate for admission to the bar of the State of New Jersey to determine fitness to practice law. Each candidate must file a Certified Statement of Candidate. The Committee on Character reviews and verifies the information in the Statement of Candidate. The Committee on Character obtains credit history reports on all candidates. The fingerprints that are submitted by the candidate are processed through the New Jersey State Police and Federal Bureau of
Investigation for a criminal record check.

New York has a slightly less stringent character and fitness requirement (no fingerprinting required), but still requires applicants to appear before the Committee before being admitted.

One has to wonder if a lawyer has to be fingerprinted to practice law, shouldn't prospective pilots be required to have the same done?