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2008 Campaign

Family Security Matters does not stand behind or endorse any candidate for president (or any other public office). However, as the President is also Commander-in-Chief and is responsible for setting national security policy, we will be publishing a variety of articles on both the Republican and Democrat candidates for President during this election year. As always, the opinions of our Contributing Editors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Family Security Matters.

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June 20, 2008

Exclusive: CRC Open Sources

W. Thomas Smith, Jr., Director, Counterterrorism Research Center

CRC Open Sources

In this week's CRC Open Sourceswe look at a few important pieces of analysis, the first of which is less analysis, and more of an appeal to voters in Pennsylvania to "make some noise" in support of an initiative to divest that state's pensions from foreign companies doing business in Iran and Sudan. This appeal, sent to us by our friends at the Center for Security Policy, is time sensitive, so read it here now at World Defense Review.

Also at WDR is a just-published story regarding Lebanon's OTV, a publicly traded satellite television company that was launched in North America, Monday.

The problem with OTV is that it was founded last year by retired Lebanese Army Gen. Michel Aoun - a professed ally of the terrorist-group Hezbollah - and his Free Patriotic Movement. And both Aoun and the FPM continue to have a heavy hand in OTV's news broadcasts.

"... Aoun and his FPM are closely allied to Hezbollah, a ‘foreign terrorist organization' so-designated by the U.S. State Department.

"Hezbollah is perhaps the most-dangerous Talibanesque terrorist-army on the planet. The organization is trained, armed and equipped, operationally supported, and heavily funded by Iran (at least $ one-billion, annually); and operationally supported by Syria. In fact, Hezbollah is so dangerous - and gaining in its global strength and influence - that Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff recently warned, the organization ‘makes Al Qaeda look like a minor league team.'

"Hezbollah also has a growing and incredibly influential telecommunications and media arm, which operates both openly and in the shadows. ..."