"American Malls: Next 'Ground Zero'?"

In a video released over the weekend, terrorist group al-Shabaab called on like-minded individuals to launch terror attacks on American malls.

This is the same al Qaeda-linked group responsible for the Nairobi, Kenya mall assault back in 2013.

Don't remember? Let us refresh your memory: At about noon on September 21, 2013, four masked assailants, carrying AK-47s and grenades, attacked the upscale Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi.

The siege, which lasted 3 days, resulted in 67 deaths and over 175 people wounded.

The Observer, a British newspaper, reported that Kenya had prior intelligence that the attack was coming but was unable to prevent it from happening.

The aftermath? Lots of finger pointing and a massive "blame game", of course. Fast forward to this past Sunday.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson warned that al-Shabaab is calling for attacks on shopping malls in the US, Canada and the UK, specifically mentioning the Mall of America in Minnesota.

"I would say that if anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today, they've got to be particularly careful," Johnson said.

"We're beyond the phase now where these groups would send foreign operatives into countries after being trained someplace."

Apparently, this is the "new phase" in the war on terror: Foreign terrorists use videos to recruit homegrown sympathizers to carry out the dirty work on their own homeland. No passports necessary.

Federal authorities are taking the threat "seriously", said Johnson, who also advised Americans to be more "vigilant," reports The New York Post.

Oh, and if you're planning a little trip to the mall? You might think about wearing some body armor...just sayin'.

A wise man once said: "How do you defeat terrorism? Don't be terrorized." -- Salman Rushdie, author

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will" --(Romans 12:1-2).

News:

Fox News Channel: EU Parliament member, Nigel Farage, warns US to take hard line against ISIS threat to prevent it becoming "impossible to live as a Christian".

Reuters: Air strikes hit ISIS in Syria after over 300 Christians abducted.

MSM: ISIS Militants Destroy Ancient, "Incredibly Precious" Biblical Artifacts.
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"Is ISIS Mobilizing to Hit NYC?"

Guess who's being excluded from the scrutiny of Homeland Security?

The very ones you'd expect to be scrutinized the most--Islamic Mosques!

That's right, people. While the rest of us are having our phone calls monitored and our emails hacked, mosques are being favored with a hands-off policy.

Call us crazy, but we think this is taking political correctness a bridge too far.

According to Investors.com : "This is particularly disturbing in light of recent independent surveys of American mosques, which reveal some 80% of them preach violent jihad or distribute violent literature to worshippers."

And that ain't all folks.

The Washington Times reports: "An Islamic State terrorist bluntly told a VICE News journalist that his group is going to strike New York City any day now and that his radicalized 'brothers' are mobilizing at this very moment."

Meanwhile, the Islamic State (ISIS) is bragging all over social media that our days are numbered.

A recent tweet featuring a photo of an ISIS flag in front of the White House boasted: "We are in your state. We are in your cities. We are in your streets."

Maybe it's time we believed them and stop acting like a TSA officer who skips the Imam and instead frisks the old lady at the airport.

Maybe it's time Homeland Security wakes up to the fact that though most Muslims are not terrorists, most terrorists are Muslims.

A wise man once said: "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." --Albert Einstein

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody." (Romans 12:17)

News:

• JD News.com: Marine Corps holds pandemic outbreak drill; largest of its kind.
• Fox News Channel: US State Department orders 160,000 Hazmat suits
• Reuters: Dow drops over 300 points on global economy fears.

"Spy Drones Over America?"

They're he-r-r-r-e...and unless we wake up out of our stupor and do something about it--they're here to stay.

Back in February we wrote an article entitled "Kiss Your Privacy Goodbye!" about the FAA Reauthorization Act. The bill requires the FAA to open U.S. skies to unmanned drones--30,000 of them by the year 2020.

Civil liberties groups are going nuts and with good reason. This new legislation (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.658:) offers no restrictions! Says Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, "California is currently considering using surveillance drones as a means of proactively monitoring suspicious activity on the ground on the basis of (a) public safety issue." Public safety? Public surveillance, she means.

Think about it. This bill offers no clear restrictions. Do we want police and federal agencies breathing down our necks?

This month Predator drones started operations over North Dakota. These remote-controlled, unmanned military aircraft will use lasers to aim at ground targets from nearly two miles above the earth. They are capable of reading a milk carton from 60,000 feet off the ground and have strike-capability against stationary or moving targets, with a very low risk of collateral damage. Of course, they won't be using these drones against us. They're for the military or so they say.

And let's not forget the fact that drone technology is rapidly advancing. How long before they are literally "flies" on  our walls? Sound far-fetched? Perhaps. But remember police states don't happen overnight. They happen law by law; small incremental step by small incremental step.

We're not saying drone technology has no place in America. They have already proved invaluable in:

• border protection
• disaster relief
• fire fighting
• locating missing hikers, etc.

Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. What is lacking are rules, limitations, and restrictions.

The ACLU put it this way: "Rules must be put in place to ensure we can enjoy the benefits of this new technology without bringing us closer to a 'surveillance society' in which our every move is monitored, tracked, recorded, and scrutinized by the authorities."

Freedom is synonymous with America. But, let's face it gang, we take it for granted. And that is so-o-o-o dangerous. If we don't guard what is committed to our trust, we are destined to lose it.

Something terrible is happening in this country. But like the frog in the slowly heated pot of water, we hardly notice. Let's connect the dots. Let's do our homework.

A wise man once said: "You have the God-given right to kick the government around--don't hesitate to do so."-- Senator Edmund S. Muskie 

"Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The Lord your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you."  Deuteronomy 31:6

News

• FoxNews.com: Number of Americans on Food Stamps hits another all-time record high: 46.68 million.
• Drudge Report: Hundreds pelt riot police with fire bombs as violence breaks out at Greek anti-austerity demonstration.
• Centers For Disease Control: Death toll in meningitis outbreak rises to 20 with 254 sick across 16 states.