Investigators compiling the facts concerning the "911" carnage on America now believe there may be at least 80 other terrorists in the country. These foreigners are said to be operating out of 12 separate cells tied to Osama bin Laden, a high ranking federal official said.

Attorney General John Ashcroft ordered the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to take aliens into custody who have violated the law "and may pose a threat to America. . . . We are looking at the possibility that there may have been more than four planes targeted for hijacking," Ashcroft said.. "But we are not able at this time to confirm that." He would not elaborate publicly.

Officials believe that there were up to twenty teams of hijackers ready to go on September 11. So, the quick action by the administration in suspending all air transportation probably saved thousands of American lives. Many suspected hijackers were seated on aircraft, but did not get off the ground. In a couple other instances, the aircraft was following instructions to land again at the nearest airport before the hijackers acted. Unfortunately, all of these suspected terrorists walked away.

Quite a number of these would-be hijackers were known terrorists with close ties to Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders. Which means, those officials in charge of protecting out borders and supervising immigration were greatly negligent. Most of the terrorists had absolutely no business being allowed into this country to begin with. The FBI knew that, knew they were here, but did nothing to apprehend them. Until now, that is.

Last week, Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the London al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, said Islamic fundamentalists led by bin Laden were "almost certainly" behind the attack of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. "It is most likely the work of Islamic fundamentalists. Osama bin Laden warned three weeks ago that he would attack American interests in an unprecedented attack, a very big one," Atwan told Reuters.

"Personally we received information that he planned very, very big attacks against American interests. We received several warnings like this. We did not take it so seriously, preferring to see what would happen before reporting it."

We have heard from Vice President Dick Cheney that there is "no question" that Osama bin Laden had a role. But many groups may have been involved, and we do not know their motivation, or for whom or for what particular objective they worked. It appears that Osama bin Laden & company may be acting as a subcontractor for foreign governments.

Last week, Attorney General John Ashcroft said: "It is pretty clear that the networks that conduct these kind of events are harbored, supported, sustained and protected by a variety of foreign governments. It is time for those governments to understand with crystal clarity that the United States of America will not tolerate that kind of support for networks that would inflict this kind of damage on the American people."

An Iraqi intelligence official met secretly with one of the airline hijackers a year ago, which raises the likelihood of Iraqi government involvement in the terrorist attacks, officials admitted last week.

Various reports state that both Iraq and Syria knew the terrorists attacks were imminent, but said nothing to U.S. authorities.

According to officials, the FBI is looking for 223 people who could be directly involved with the "911" terrorist hijackings. Of those, almost a quarter are certified pilots, student pilots or aircraft mechanics. A few others had ancillary position in the commercial aircraft industry. One of those, who has a commercial pilot's certificate, lived in the same Daytona Beach, Fla. apartment building as two of the 19 hijackers.

Treasury Undersecretary Jimmy Gurule said Treasury "has begun to create financial profiles of some of those suspected of involvement in the terrorist attacks." Gurule wouldn't discuss specifics. However, the name Osama bin Laden came up yet again. "We're going to be following the money trail wherever it leads," Gurule said. "If the money trail leads us to other organizations or organizations that are legitimate or involved in legitimate activities, so be it."

It appears that the "911" terrorist attack was under planning for about five years and cost a few million dollars to pull off. However, it also appears that multi- millionaire Osama bin Laden might have made more than that on the deal. According to both government and financial sources, it looks like bin Laden played a lot of our markets "short" and walked off with a healthy profit.

The gun grabbing, ding-dong Senators from California are out trying to get some face time recommending "Sky Marshals" on all domestic air flights. Other than being very expensive, that may be acceptable in the short term. However, there are better options.

All commercial flights have two pilots. Only one is necessary to fly the aircraft. So, when the cockpit door is being inappropriately crashed in, one of the two aircraft drivers should get up to greet the intruders. Upon entering the cockpit, the first (and last) thing the intruders should see and hear is gunfire sending projectiles into their bodies.

Of course, most handguns would be totally inappropriate for use in an aircraft while it is airborne. The close proximity to passengers is a major concern, as is "the possibility" of puncturing the aircraft's skin and depressurizing the cabin.(1)

There is an answer, though. One American company already produces a shell for handguns that could, with just a slight modification, be ideal for use by the pilot or copilot in an emergency situation while the aircraft is flying.

The Glaser Safety Slug is a high velocity, frangible bullet -- one of the highest velocity bullets in its field. It has less recoil than conventional high- performance ammunition. Which means the "double-tap" shooting technique would be quick and effective. The idea is to get two hits on target thus increasing the chance of downing the perpetrator.

In effect, the "Safety Slug" is a bag of small BBs that opens when hitting the target.(2) If the projectile hits a hard surface, like a wall, the packet splatters and the contents fall to the floor harmlessly. However, if the packet hits a soft target, like the human body, dozens of little projectiles rip through the area causing massive damage.

We would suggest that a small 22 magnum semiautomatic handgun be manufactured for use by cockpit personnel and that all copilots be trained to be expert shots within 25 feet. Such a small, easily concealable, handgun would hold 8 shots yet be extremely effective against hijackers. If both pilots were armed, so much the better.

When the talk is of "war" against those who would harm our homeland, we must all participate. Arming commercial aircraft pilots should be the least we can do and their uniform and company issued ID card should automatically be their license to carry a concealed weapon -- similar to the one described above -- anywhere they go while on duty.

We citizens must also participate, though. There has been a run on the gun shops again, and that is great. All families should be armed. Learning to shoot should become a family affair. Anyone who may go armed in their respective area should. We are, after all, the ultimate protectors of our homeland.

But, that's not to say that, just because we carry a gun, we can go hunting terrorists. Only the police have a license to hunt humans in the United States. Our position should only be that of self-defense. Which includes the defense of self, family, home, and neighborhood. That would also include going to the defense of a stranger who we happen to see in immanent danger of great bodily harm.

Another name for hijacking would be kidnapping. It just so happens that kidnapping is a major felony offense that is normally classed as a crime that places the victim in the face of great bodily harm. This puts the armed citizen in a unique, extenuating circumstance. The right of self defense then extends to all people within sight who are affected.

Still, even if the "right" of self defense is there, if an armed citizen does not have the proficiency to shoot well enough to nail the perpetrators, and not harm innocent people, their weapon is little more than a dangerous hunk of useless steel. And herein lies the problem of people going armed in commercial aircraft -- or any confined area, for that matter. Except for an expert shooter, there is no room to shoot. Any miss could be disastrous to the lives of everyone aboard.

Last week, even Ohio -- where the government seems to resent the desire of the people to want to go about there business while armed -- has agreed to revisit issuing concealed carry licenses to those with no felony record. Every state should take that action immediately.

Then we, and all commercial airline pilots, should put in the necessary practice time to become proficient with our chosen firearm.

1. See: "Airplanes & Guns": <https://www.keepandbeararms.com>

2. <http://www.safetyslug.com>

Now that we need the military, perhaps Congress could rein in that Army Corps of engineers and have them actually do a little work for the Army instead of bothering civilians. For some reason, the Army Corps of Engineers thinks it should have the power to act like a regulatory agency. It passes laws (regulations), acts as its own policing agency by levying fines and other punishments and wastes a few hundred million dollars a year acting like a second EPA.

That's one reason the Army Corps of Engineers does not have the money to perform its primary duty: building and repairing Army facilities. Consequently, we have reports from military installations around the country that U.S. facilities are in dilapidated condition. Aircraft runways are crumbling. Roofs leak. Sewer lines are corroded. Offices are cramped. And some military people are forced to stay in barracks that resemble flop houses.

The excuse is that the Defense Department doesn't have the money for needed repair and upkeep. According to one report, with the Pentagon's annual construction budget of $3.9 billion under Clinton, it would take 192 years to replace all dilapidated military facilities. Currently, 69% of military facilities have "significant" or "major" deficiencies that are severe enough to prevent troops from adequately performing their missions.

There are 398 major military bases in the U.S. today -- 97 fewer than in 1988, when Congress started closing bases. Even so, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld estimates that it would take $63 billion through 2010 to upgrade all the bases in desperate need of work. Rumsfeld estimates that there are still more military facilities than needed, so the Pentagon could save $3.5 billion a year if Congress approves more base closings in 2003. Still, that's just a drop in the bucket.

The world's most advanced combat helicopter is the Longbow Apache. At least one base is forced to keep their Apaches in a huge structure that was built nearly 50 years ago to house the big B-52 bombers. That, in itself, is not too bad. The problem is, the building has no insulation, the lighting is terrible, the roof leaks, and a number of windows are missing. Besides that, the motorized bay doors do not always work properly and have broken a few chopper blades -- at $100,000 a copy.

An Air Force F-15 fighter jet received $185,000 in damage to its landing gear at Langley Air Force Base when it ran over a broken metal grate. The grate would have cost just $400 to replace. Several submarines were damaged in Norfolk, Va. when an old electrical system on a pier caught fire. Mechanics at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego have worked outside because their building is crumbling. Two large chunks of concrete dropped 50 feet from a hangar ceiling last fall. One pier is so deteriorated that only emergency vehicles are allowed on it. Cargo to the aircraft carrier that parks there must be passed water- bucket brigade style because of a ban on heavy cranes.

Marines are supposed to be tough, but there is a point at where that get ridiculous. At Camp Pendleton, Calif., they still use World War II Quonset huts for offices. In the summer, it is not uncommon for the temperature inside those "offices" to top 100 degrees.

The Marines also often have to close the rifle range at Parris Island, S.C. The creaky metal targets don't always work properly anymore and the antiquated drainage system allows the place to flood.

In many places, runways are crumbling, tools are rusting, sewer lines are corroded, and offices are cramped and dingy. Some places look as bad as old inner-city public housing with peeling paint, cracked walls and poor plumbing.

"It's unconscionable," says Rep. Edward Schrock (R-Va.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "We owe our service people better."(1)

Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, took colleagues on a fact finding tour of 20 installations this summer. "I was disgusted and outraged that our military personnel had to live, work and raise families in these conditions," he reports.(2)

With $17.8 billion maintenance backlog, the Army is in the worst shape. One investigation found that Army "facilities are in a death spiral" that could take 30 years to reverse.

On the other hand, the Army Corps of Engineers seems to have plenty of money. Probably, that is because they don't bother caring for Army bases anymore. Instead, they bother civilians.

1.<http://www.house.gov/hasc>

2. <http://www.house.gov/curtweldon/basetourspecialorder.html>

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