Clinton on Terrorists: I Want to See These Guys Executed or in Prison - Fox News

Published November 21, 2010

| FoxNews.com

The one-count guilty verdict against terror detainee Ahmed Ghailani disappointed many Americans who thought the government had a rock-solid case, but civilian courts are still more successful at getting convictions than military commissions, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday.

And that means more sentences to satisfy Americans looking for justice against plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and other assaults on U.S. interests, Clinton said. 

"I’m well aware, as a former senator from New York on 9/11, how important it is to get this right. I want to see these guys behind prison or executed, whatever is appropriate in the individual cases," Clinton told "Fox News Sunday."

"But when you look at the success record in civilian courts of convicting, sentencing, detaining in maximum security prisons by the civilian courts, it surpasses what yet has been accomplished in the military commissions," she said. 

Ghailani, who had been held in a CIA secret prison and then transferred to Guantanamo, was brought up on 284 counts, including the murder of 224 people at the U.S. embassy complexes in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. He was convicted of one count of conspiracy.

The verdict shocked many security experts since most court-watchers thought his would be the easiest terror case to prosecute. The ruling led to howls against the use of civilian courts for terror detainees.

But Clinton said the one count earned Ghailani 20 years to life, and the case would have been tried the same way in both the military or civilian courts. 

Clinton acknowledged, however, that for some terror detainees, civilian trials are "not appropriate."

"You will get no argument from this administration on that point," she said, adding that the Obama administration is trying to move toward trials in a way that "maximizes the outcome that is in the best interest of the security of the American people."

"So I don't think you can, as a rule, say, 'Oh, no more civilian trials or no more military commissions.' President Obama's theory of this is that most should be in Article III (civilian) courts, some should be confined to military commissions. But as things stand right now, we have actually gotten more convictions, and more people, more terrorists, are serving time in prison right now, because of Article III courts than military commissions."

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TSA chief says no change in screening policy - The Associated Press

TSA chief says no change in screening policy(AP) – 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Transportation Security Administration on Sunday acknowledged that new full-body scanners and thorough pat-downs can be invasive and uncomfortable, but he said that the need to stay a step ahead of terrorists rules out changes in airport screening procedures.

John Pistole told CNN's "State of the Union" that, despite the public uproar over new screening techniques, "we are not changing the policies" that he said were the best ways of keeping the traveling public safe. TSA screeners, he said, are "the last line of defense" in protecting air travelers.

Pistole's comments came after President Barack Obama on Saturday said he understood people's frustrations and had asked TSA officials whether there's a less intrusive way to screen U.S. airline passengers.

Obama said he had told the agency that "you have to constantly refine and measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the American people's safety."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she thought "everyone, including our security experts, are looking for ways to diminish the impact on the traveling public." She told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "striking the right balance is what this is about."

However, when asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if she would submit to a pat-down, Clinton responded: "Not if I could avoid it. No. I mean, who would?"

But Pistole stressed that that balance now requires steps to confront "a determined enemy" that has proven adept in devising new ways to conceal weapons. "We know through intelligence there are determined people, terrorists, trying to kill not only Americans but innocent people around the world," he said.

Pistole was shown videos of people being patted down where the screeners touched the breasts of a woman, felt into the pants of another person and felt the crotch of a man. He said all three cases were proper and that the gloves of the screener who felt inside the pants were then tested for explosive trace residue.

A Nigerian man was accused last Christmas of trying to set off a bomb hidden in his underwear aboard a flight from Amsterdam.

"Clearly it's invasive, it's not comfortable," Pistole said, while adding that very few people receive the pat-down. People who go through the new advanced imaging machines available at some 70 airports are usually not subject to pat-downs, he said.

Passengers have also objected to the advanced imaging machines because they produce a virtually naked image of the person's body. The screener, who sits in a different location, does not see the face of the person being screened and does not know the traveler's identity.

"Clearly, if we are to detect terrorists who have proven innovative, creative in the design and implementation of bombs that are going to blow up airplanes and kill people, we have to do something to prevent that," Pistole said.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Apple's iPad Refresh: 5 Features It Needs Now - eWeek

Apple's next-generation iPad will add a front-facing camera and the ability to operate on both GSM- and CDMA-based networks, according to new reports circulating online.

Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair wrote in a recent research note that the new iPad "is thinner than the existing model and is essentially made from one piece of metal with no pins needed," according to AllThingsD. Meanwhile, a Nov. 19 report in Taiwan-based Digitimes postulates that the second-generation iPad is "expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2011."  

Apple currently holds around 95.5 percent of the worldwide tablet market, according to research firm Strategy Analytics, but faces a rising tide of competition from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Research In Motion's PlayBook. Whether the newest reports about the iPad turn out to be true (if the rumors surrounding the first iPad proved anything, it's that any "news" preceding Apple's actual unveiling should be taken with a dump truck worth of salt), Apple may do well to consider integrating the following features into its next-generation tablet?if only to blunt the impact of rival devices poised to flood the marketplace:

Dual Cameras

The first iPad lacked camera modules, a detail its competitors immediately seized upon to differentiate their own upcoming products. With other tablet PCs emphasizing their video-conferencing ability (along with Apple itself, via FaceTime for the iPhone 4 and latest-generation iPod Touch), Steve Jobs and company will almost certainly feel compelled to give the next-generation iPad front- and rear-facing cameras of its very own.

Thinner and Lighter

Apple digs thin and light: the newest MacBook Air, for instance, along with the ever-slimmer iPhone and iPods. The trend is thoroughly baked into Apple's design language, and its engineers are likely examining how to winnow the form factor without sacrificing its performance or the quality of the materials. To do so, Apple may have to develop a new manufacturing process, which Jobs will doubtlessly "tout" as magical at whatever future unveiling event.

Multiple USB Ports

Soon after the first iPad's release, some users complained about the lack of USB slots. Again, Apple's competitors incorporated that feature into their own tablets as a differentiator. While Apple may publicly tout the simplicity and ease of porting documents via the iPad's 3G and/or WiFi connection, it could also consider incorporating a pair of USB ports.

Retina Display

Apple has promoted the ultra-sharp Retina Display as a vital feature of the iPhone 4 and latest-generation iPod Touch. Retina Display features pixels some 78 micrometers wide, or 326 per inch, in order to make images and text look continuous. If Apple's engineers can figure out a working method, the Retina Display could very well find its way into the next version of the iPad?or if not into this version, a subsequent one.

Three-Axis Gyroscope Sensor

If Apple integrates a three-axis gyroscope sensor into the next-generation iPad?similar to the one already present in the iPhone 4?it could increase the device's appeal to developers and consumers as an apps and gaming platform.

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