Thursday, April 29, 2004

This is bad enough:

...the Office of Foreign Assets Control said that between 1990 and 2003 it opened just 93 enforcement investigations related to terrorism. Since 1994 it has collected just $9,425 in fines for terrorism financing violations.

In contrast, OFAC opened 10,683 enforcement investigations since 1990 for possible violations of the long-standing economic embargo against Fidel Castro's regime, and collected more than $8 million in fines since 1994, mostly from people who sent money to, did business with or traveled to Cuba without permission.


But this, which reflects current policy, is worse:

The Treasury Department agency entrusted with blocking the financial resources of terrorists has assigned five times as many agents to investigate Cuban embargo violations as it has to track Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's money, documents show.

(Source: AP.)

Maybe there are good reasons for this. Or maybe interrupting the financing of terrorists just doesn't get the juices flowing in Bush's inner circle -- and, after all, cutting off terror money was a pet project of moderate wussies like Paul O'Neill and Colin Powell, so, y'know, why bother?

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