Saturday, August 12, 2006 | The Times We Are In Dear Friend and Reader: Police in Ohio and Michigan have been doing their own gumshoe cop-work to keep the world safe -- cracking down on pre-paid cell phones. Why? But of course -- they can be used by terrorists. Five different young men, all of Arab descent (one even has the first name Osama, but since he was born before 2001, technically it's legal), were arrested, and two are in pretty big trouble. In two separate situations, they were buying quantities of the phones for really cheap at places like Wal-Mart, and reselling them elsewhere. Young men, citizens of our great nation, getting involved in a profit making enterprise: American as apple pie. Unfortunately, their names are Arab. The story is, most likely (anything IS possible, after all), a sick example of racial profiling, and thankfully the media has been following it -- I'll post a link below. But a statement made by the police chief of Caro, Michigan, sums up how twisted it is. Here goes, quote: "The cell phones can be used as detonators. Batteries can be disassembled and used to make methamphetamine. Obviously there’s something wrong here," Caro Police Chief Ben Page said. Obviously there is something wrong -- like for instance, what the holy heck do amphetamines have to do with terrorism? Nothing -- same as the rest of the story. And hey if they take the batteries apart and make drugs, how ever are they going to detonate the explosives?? And won't they be all jittery? Isn't that dangerous? Here is the MSNBC link, with the amphetamine quote. It reminds me of General Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove (the guy who pushes the button), who asks: "Do you think Commies drink water?" The Shadow knows. Please keep an eye on this story as it develops -- I'll keep you posted.    e http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14312048/ And here is the full text of an earlier article: Supporters say Mich. men nabbed in Ohio are victims of profiling SARAH KARUSH, The Associated Press 8/10/2006 DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Two young men arrested in what Ohio prosecutors say was a scheme to support terrorism are described in their hometown as conscientious college students who were stars of their high school football team. Supporters say Ali Houssaiky and Osama Abulhassan are the latest victims of profiling of Arab Americans since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. On Thursday, prosecutors in Marietta, Ohio, filed an additional terrorism-related charge against Abulhassan and Houssaiky, both 20. The two men remained in the Washington County Jail on $200,000 bail each. Both were ordered to surrender their passports. Abulhassan and Houssaiky were charged Wednesday with money laundering in support of terrorism. On Thursday, prosecutors added the charge of soliciting or providing support for acts of terrorism. In addition to those felonies, they each were charged with a misdemeanor count of falsification. The pair aroused suspicions when they bought large numbers of prepaid cell phones. Authorities in Marietta, a city of about 14,000 near West Virginia, also said they had information about airline flights and airports in their car. Houssaiky's cousin Diana Chamalia, 15, said she was shocked by the accusations. "Hopefully he'll be coming back today because he's innocent," she said. "People are mostly saying its discrimination right now." Officials said the men acknowledged buying about 600 phones in recent months at stores in southeast Ohio and selling them to someone in Dearborn. Investigators found a map in their car showing locations of Wal-Mart stores in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Defense lawyers said the men planned to resell the phones simply to make money. They said the flight information consisted of old papers left in the car by a relative who worked at an airport. ++