Attention WalMart Shoppers

I am glad to know that there are folks out here... like the Walmart clerk in this article.. who aren't so afraid of being accused of profiling that they do the common sense thing and report suspicious behavior by men who look of middle eastern descent.  I'm even happier that the local police department had the balls to act on it.

Prosecutors arraigned the three Texas men Saturday in Caro on felony terrorism charges after police found about 1,000 cell phones in their van in the state's Thumb area.

Maruan Muhareb, 18, Adham Othman, 21, and Louai Othman, 23, were charged by Tuscola County prosecutors with providing material support for terrorist acts and terrorism surveillance of a vulnerable target, said Sgt. Curtis Chambers of the Tuscola County Sheriff's Department. They were each being held on $750,000 bond.

Investigators said they were concerned that the men could be targeting the landmark bridge that connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas, said Cpl. Mark House of the sheriff's department. He declined to elaborate.

....

The three men were arrested early Friday morning after they bought 80 Nokia Tracfones at a Wal-Mart in Caro. The store has a policy of selling only three Tracfones at a time, but the men convinced the clerk to ring up 80 phones, three at a time. They paid for the phones with cash including in $100 bills.

"This aroused the suspicion of a clerk, who called the local police department," Caro Police Sgt. Dale Stevenson said.

Police found about 1,000 cell phones in the van. They also found receipts indicating that other phones were bought in Wisconsin the day before.

Situations like this are just getting worse.  We are vulnerable here whether we like it or not.  It's just that plain and simple.  Mike over at CopTheTruth has been saying all along that it's going to get worse before it gets better.  In fact, so much so that it scares me.

We are no longer safe in our home country.  But the difference between the United States and other countries is that no matter what political party you are in... when someone from the outside hits one of us on our home turf, they hit all of us.  We, as a country, actually unite and become one.  The sad part is that we, as Americans, have short attention spans and we cannot seem to hold that feeling for long. 

The terrorists know this...and use it against us.

Lisa

Hat tip:  Michelle Malkin

Comments

[HC]

I hope if I a white man convinced the clerk to ring up 80 phones, three at a time and paid for the phones with cash including in $100 bills. That cleck would have reported me to the police and the police would have the balls to act on it.

But just a liberal thinking that suspicious behavior is the key to this story and not the descent of the men with the behavior.

[Lisa]

The point of the story, HC, was that the clerk wasn't afraid to report them, especially with all liberal hoohas out there screaming discrimination every time this happens.

[Mike @ Cop The Truth]

I have no idea what HC said or meant, but this is yet another example of the need for racial profiling in this country. Middle-aged men of Arab descent, buying large amounts of cell phones with cash, is certainly something that the FBI/DoHS needs to investigate fully. I'm sure even HC knows how dangerous and tragic this could have been.

[DV55]

The FBI has totally backed off the case. the only one making the acusation or conducting any investigation is the local (elected) prosecuter. No one whatseover fro Homeland Security or the FBI is involved in the case anymore.

I think that says something.

The prosecuter is politcally grandstanding, and actually harming law enforcment's ability to use profiling in the long run.

Lots of people buy huge quantities of cell phones, especially tacfones. You buy them for $20 sand sell the parts for $40. It ahs been going on for years.

The problem is the only people being accused for doing it are Arabs.

Tracfone launched a suit against a bulk buyer of tracfones bought this way in February. the people selling them to this guy in HUGE quanitites were Arab, Jewish, and every other kind of American.

I am strongly in favor of very strong anti-terrorism efforts. But this story is NOT as it seems.

Do you think for ONE second if the FBI would not have them in their own custody, never mind not having even spoken to these "suspects" in the past 48 hours?

you will see this story eventually will unfortunaly be the argement against profiling by the time it is over.

Mike above me, If you are also a cop like your name you can eaisly confirm that the federal authorities have dropped out of this case, that they have not sought custory (as is the case with EVERY other suspected terrorism related arrest).

[USMC Steve]

On a related note, last Sunday I was getting gas at a Walmart in my hometown. I had on my US Marine Corps T shirt and my Marine Corps cover, and when I went to pay, the cashier told me a different amount less than what the pump showed. When I asked her why the difference, she said they gave a military discount to current and retired military members. I didn't know that, but I will take it where I can get it.

Add to that that their employees actually pay attention to stuff like this. Too bad everyone doesn't.

[USMC Steve]

BTW HC, when only Arab looking males are doing this, why should I be frisking the 3 year old black kid, or the 90 year old white lady?

DV55, where did you get this bit about there being lots of sales of bulk cell phones? What is your basis in fact for the claim? Any large volume sales to non Muslim, non-Arab people? And your statement that the only people doing it are Arabs should be sending your brain a bit of a warning message in this day and age.

Also, where did you get the basis for your statement that no one in DHS or the FBI were working on the case. How would you know what they are doing on it? A little facts to back up the statements please?

[CellphoneSavant]

WOW! Pretty scary. I appreciate the post. Thanks so much.

[DV55]

BTW HC, when only Arab looking males are doing this, why should I be frisking the 3 year old black kid, or the 90 year old white lady?

African Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans and Jewish Americans are doing it as well. that is the point.

DV55, where did you get this bit about there being lots of sales of bulk cell phones? What is your basis in fact for the claim? Any large volume sales to non Muslim, non-Arab people? And your statement that the only people doing it are Arabs should be sending your brain a bit of a warning message in this day and age.

What fact that only arabs are doing it? what are you talking about? Tracfone started suing companies buying in bulk from these guys in February 2006. Those sued look like Hispanic, Jewish and anglo saxon names to me.

Also, where did you get the basis for your statement that no one in DHS or the FBI were working on the case. How would you know what they are doing on it? A little facts to back up the statements please?

Lol. turn on the NEWS. Looks like the FBI is saying these guys have nothing to do with terrorism.

The FBI hasn't even been in the building with the prisoners in 48 hours! The prosecuter is a nut.

This is a case that is a HUGE example of what is WRONG with profiling.

[Lisa]

USMC.... I still want to know why you called me a "shit magnent" back on my "political chips post" .. ;o(

I thought we were buddies... ;o(

[Mike @ Cop The Truth]

DV55, it makes no difference whether the Feds charge them or not, the equation is still exactly the same. Whether these people are terrorists or not, whether they were planning to use the phones subversively or not, any Arab males buying cell phones in that large of a quantity should be investigated, especially under the current circumstances. Welcome to the New World.

[Drewsmom]

O.K. lets get real here.
WE SHOULD BE PROFILING MUSLIMS CUZ MUSLIMS ARE THE ONES TRYING TO KILL US and cell phones can be used once and thrown away and they can trip BOMBS ON PLANES.
Good God, stop with all the PC crap, I have a 15 year old son that I want to see get married and have a family and I ain't ready to go anywhere anytime soon.
The FBI is a big disappointment, its like everytime something happens the standard line from them is THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE CONNECTED TO TERRORISM. I guess these guys were just buying the phones to resell em, like they stated, yeah, and I'm a virgin again. !!!!!
PROFILE PROFILE PROFILE, oh and by the way include all the Mexicans that cross our borders they get paid off by terrorists to get em in. No telling how many hezzies we let in when we evacuated Lebanon, hell, we didn't even check papers.

[HC]

It seems to me that Coppie or Mikie if you prefer thinks that only suspicious behavior of Arab Men should be reported to the police. I find that interesting.

Here is how the Israel handles the question of profiling at their airports from http://securitysolutions.com/news/security_exposing_hostile_intent/index.html

Racial Profiling Vs. Behavior Pattern Recognition
...

Ben Gurion Airport security personnel have long faced accusations of racial profiling. Critics argue that many more Arab people are questioned than other ethnic groups. Ron denies the profiling charge. “Speaking from a security point of view, it would be professionally stupid to divert attention from non-Arab people,” he says. “For example, the worst attack on Ben Gurion was carried out by Japanese in 1972. If we focus on ethnic groups, we will miss what the enemy already understands: using a non-Arab person to carry out an attack might succeed.”
Robbins agrees, calling behavior pattern recognition the opposite of racial profiling. “With profiling, you select a group of people and just look at those people,” he says. “That won’t work. For example, you probably wouldn’t talk to a Tim McVeigh. You have to take the focus off profiling and analyze behaviors. This is what will help us to keep our airport safe.”

-----------------------------

Israel has the safest Airports in the world and they use Behavior Pattern Recognition and do not use racial profiling. This has nothing about being PC and everything about keeping us safe.

[Mike @ Cop The Truth]

Yeah, if racial profiling ALONE were used, McVeigh might have gotten through. That's one non-Muslim bomber out of how many tens of thousands of Muslim Bombers? Geez, what was I thinking? And the Israeli ariports that you label the "safest" have been accused of racial-profiling for twenty-five years. Saying that they don't do it doesn't necessarily make it so. And the point is, Muslim males simply get more attention than everyone else. Everybody is still subject to security.

[Syntax]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14347754/

I'm a Liberal and supportive of racial profiling but one thing stands in the way of a reasonable commitment to that practice and it sure as hell isn't Liberals...its YOU! Right-wing blogs had these three convicted and sentenced to death and they weren't even guilty of anything. The clerk at the Wal-Mart did the right thing but these Right-wing blogs had these three individual's names and faces splattered all over the internet with blog nooses around their necks and praying for blood. How convenient that you seem to forget you live in a Democracy and a Republic and we have a legal system in place in this Country for a reason. If you rednecks are the ones doing the profiling then this country will be screwed. Half of you can't even tell a Muslim from a Mexican and it doesn't matter because if they ain't white, you hate them all. This fundametalism is reduced a population of this country to the point where if it wasn't for racial profiling, we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between you and the terrorists.

[Syntax]

Another drawback of racial profiling....you label them all Muslim. Muslim males and Muslim fundamentalists and Muslim this and Islamo that. How can you profile somebody through a religion? You are not racially profiling them, you're profiling them through religion and that is about as archaic as it gets. They're fucking Arabs you morons!

[Lisa]

Syntax.... ah.. excuse me.. but I never referred to any of these three as Muslim. I used the term "of middle eastern descent."

Maybe you should actually read my post, eh?

[USMC Steve]

We are Lisa. The phrase "shit magnet" is a term for someone who just attracts goofy people or always has something weird or bad happening to them on a regular basis. It doesn't mean you smell funny or anything like that.

[USMC Steve]

Syntax, I am a conservative, and I hadn't formed any sort of opinion at all as yet. But I would offer a word on the bulk buying of phones by muslims that often find their way to the middle east: they are the trigger of choice for improvised munitions detonation. It should have been looked into carefully, and dealt with as necessary. Beware the generalizations, some of us on the other side will not fit neatly into them.

Granted they might not have had any overtly criminal or terrorist plans for these phones, or maybe they did. I don't know. But rarely do regular people with honest intentions need or buy thousands of untraceable tracphones because they have no need of them. That is suspicious in and of itself. An investigation was reasonable and warranted. I hope they did it throroughly.

[Uly]

"O.K. lets get real here.
WE SHOULD BE PROFILING MUSLIMS CUZ MUSLIMS ARE THE ONES TRYING TO KILL US"

No US born Armerican Arabs and more than white or black Moslems and non Moslems. that is the problem you are imagining statisitics.

"eah, if racial profiling ALONE were used, McVeigh might have gotten through. That's one non-Muslim bomber out of how many tens of thousands of Muslim Bombers?"

Oh WRONG. McVeigh was caught by accident for a firearm violation wheile everyone was chasing Arabs with the "Arab" looking nichols drawing! My brother was a detective in New Mexico at the time and all the bullitans emphaised Arab. McVeigh sat for THREE days in a cell and almost was let go before his resemblence to one drawing was noted.

USMC Steve, stop listing to nuts who don;t know anything aobut hte cadse to get facts they pull out of their hats. The tracfones cant work in the middle east. no one is shipping the there AT ALL. they are GSM by work on differnet frequency band and work ONLY in the US and canda.

Steve you being influced by people how hate American values and cimply lie to make excuses for racism. The phones can't work on bit in the middle east. period.

". But rarely do regular people with honest intentions need or buy thousands of untraceable tracphones because they have no need of them."

That is bizzare. people don;t need ot make a living? ever hear dof EBAY? tend of thousands of sales per day are made of things bought at RETAIL sale prices and resold.

These guys with the cell phones are more american than the prosecutor, who sounds like he learned his civics from bin laden.

I have a hard time beleive you served in the USMC steve since the USMC has a huge number of Arabs from Dearborn and they are very well respected.

[HC]

Mikie

"Muslim males simply get more attention than everyone else."

How do you know someone is a Muslin by looking at them?

Please Mikie I would laugh at the stupidity of your thought process, but you are a cop with that stupid thought process and that makes you dangerous to my safety.

We need our Muslin Brothers help to protect our country from terrorists and your hateful thoughts and actions make harder for our Muslin Brothers to help their beloved country.

I expected better from a man with a wall of stuff and a badge.
----------------------------

"Robbins agrees, calling behavior pattern recognition the opposite of racial profiling. “With profiling, you select a group of people and just look at those people,” he says. “That won’t work. For example, you probably wouldn’t talk to a Tim McVeigh. You have to take the focus off profiling and analyze behaviors. This is what will help us to keep our airport safe.”

[Syntax]

USMC Steve....African Americans buy these throw-away phones in bulk all the time and sell them on street corners. Its quite the profitable business in the urban parts of our cities (primarily ghettos). They're black so you just don't hear about it and lets face it, profilers don't seem to care about educating themselves. I have still not hear anything in reference to these three individuals religion. I know they are of Middle Eastern descent (my apologies Lisa) but I haven't gotten any confirmation from any media outlet confirming their religion except for Right-wing blogs seem pretty sure that their Muslim (or Mozlim for the half-wit). For all I know, they may be Christian but the religious profilers seem to keep avoiding that possibility.

[Mike @ Cop The Truth]

Damn, HC, you insult other people but cannot even figure out how to use spell check! And if you can find any of your "Muslin" brothers who will do your fighting for you against these people, or who will even stand beside you, be my guest. In the meantime, leave the fighting and the law enforcement to people with the guts to at least use their names when they post insults on the internet.

[HC]

Mikie

Thanks for pointing out that you spel better than I do. I agree that you are a better speller.

"least use their names when they post insults on the internet."

This statement sounds like a threat, but I know you being of high moral character would never threaten any one for using their right of free speech. You might censure their words, but never threaten them. I know for a fact that you would censure their words because one of my comments at your site was too scary for you.

Also, I admit that you are so much braver than me. I mean using your name to link this site to your web site is just an outstanding example of your courage.

But you still did not answer my simple question:

How do you know someone is a Muslim by looking at them?

And your last post seems to imply that you believe all Muslims are the enemy: "Muslin" brothers who will do your fighting for you against these people, or who will even stand beside you, be my guest."

I am sure that is just a misunderstanding. Am I right? You were just making fun of my spelling. Right?

Just one last question; If you write something and no one reads it does really matter what you wrote?

[USMC Steve]

Not if a liberal reads it anyway, huh HC? But if we are talking about liberals, then we are talking about no one of significance anyway.

[HC]

USMC

At least you are funny when break my stones.

You are always good for a laugh and it is kind of you to help out your fellow rightie.