Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Why Was Moose Left in Charge?
2. Feds Hid Evidence of Foreign Links
3. The Duck in a Noose
4. Expert: Don't Trust Blix
5. U.N. Mission Angry
6. China Dramatically Steps Up Repression

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1. WHY WAS MOOSE LEFT IN CHARGE?

When a string of killings took place in Montgomery County, Md., it was only appropriate for Police Chief Charles Moose of that county to head the investigation.

But when the killing spree widened, into both the District of Columbia and Virginia, there was a clear and compelling case for the FBI to take charge. After all, the FBI is charged with investigating interstate crime.

As the murders continued and criticism grew as to why Moose was still in charge, other press reports indicated that the FBI was calling the shots, but behind the scenes.

Why did the FBI take a back seat?

A source close to the bureau says the No. 1 reason was the FBI's fear of getting blamed for the case if it was not solved. Fearing a public relations disaster, and already reeling from its failure to prevent 9/11 or to solve the anthrax attacks, together with the massive politicization of the FBI that took place during the Clinton years, the bureau wanted "out" on this sniper case.

Old bureau hands knew that the Wayne Williams serial killings in Atlanta took two years to solve, and there was no way to predict how long this could last.

A source familiar with the Montgomery police described Chief Moose as a "good guy" and liked by police who work for him. But he is not articulate, and word was that once he got over his 15 minutes of fame, Moose was not so happy to carry the ball for the bureau.

Perhaps we need an FBI that follows Harry Truman's dictum: The buck stops here.

2. FEDS HID EVIDENCE OF FOREIGN LINKS

Even after notes were found near the scenes of the killings and money was demanded, authorities had real reason to believe a foreign terrorist link in the killings.

A day before the capture of the killers, when any discussion of the "t" word was gone from the airwaves, a source close to U.S. intelligence told NewsMax that "a terrorist connection has not been dismissed at all."

Apparently the notes left by the killers set off alarm bells with the FBI, because the grammar was so poor and other phrases suggested a "foreign source" for the letters. Since the capture of Malvo and Muhammad, press reports indicate that the note employed Jamaican colloquialisms. As it turned out, Malvo is from Jamaica.

Still, one wonders why, with this important information linking the killers to foreign sources, the police did not inform the public to keep an eye out for foreigners or those who may have been recent immigrants. Guess that might have violated several P.C. rules.

3. THE DUCK IN A NOOSE

On Wednesday night, shortly before the capture of Muhammad and Malvo, Chief Moose acquiesced to the sniper's demand and read publicly a statement:

"You asked us to say, 'We have caught the sniper like a duck in a noose,' " Moose said, swallowing hard. "We understand that hearing us say this is important to you."

UPI reported that the esoteric and cryptic phrase "like a duck in a noose" was likely a reference to an old Native American fable.

The story "The Rabbit, the Otter, and Duck Hunting" revolves around a boastful little rabbit that lassos a hapless duck, but the duck eventually triumphantly escapes from the snare and gets the best of his foe, and the rabbit ends up eating his own fur in perpetuity.

A caller to Ed Martin's talk radio program on WGY in Albany, N.Y., says if you take the first letter of each word in the phrase "like a duck in a noose." and exclude the last 'a', the acronym spells "L-A-D-I-N." Now, that's not exactly the way bin Laden's family name is commonly spelled, but Muhammad and Malvo apparently never won a spelling bee.

4. EXPERT: DON'T TRUST BLIX

A senior national security expert who advised both Ronald Reagan and Bush the Elder, told NewsMax that the administration is well aware of Hans Blix's shortcomings.

Expert said Blix was selected as chief for arms inspection after the Russians and Chinese vetoed more than two dozen other candidates nominated by the U.S. and Britain. Both the Russians and Chinese warmly embraced Blix. Good reason to be wary.

5. U.N. MISSION ANGRY

We hear that U.S. State Department bureaucrats at the U.N. were furious with Stewart Stogel's report on NewsMax earlier this week that revealed a real rift between the permanent United Nations staff and Bush White House policymakers such as National Security Council Senior Director for Democracy, Human Rights and International Operations Elliott Abrams.

One U.S. mission staff member called Stogel to complain that the story was "wrong." But another State Department official, at the highest level, told us this week that Stogel's coverage had been "on target."

NewsMax had previously reported that the State Department careerists had attempted to set up Condi Rice and President Bush by pushing for the U.N. strategy.

One source told NewsMax that once Russia, French and Chinese opposition was clear, the U.S. should avoid the U.N. and "take another route." Clinton, for example, ignored the U.N. when he and NATO declared war on Serbia in 1998.

Source told us that State Department careerists knew that the U.N. route would lead Bush's Iraq plans into a quagmire.

6. CHINA DRAMATICALLY STEPS UP REPRESSION

China's president, Jiang Zemin, may have enjoyed some Texas barbecue with the president at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

But in between the ribs and slaw, one point of discussion should have been China's continuing repression of basic human rights.

Britain's BBC World Service has recently confirmed that for months, Chinese authorities have been banning its broadcasts in Mandarin, Uighur and Tibetan languages.

And, Richard Richter, president of U.S. Radio Free Asia, wrote in the Washington Post that "Chinese authorities are tightening control" over news and information.

"They're working harder to block the Internet and jam Radio Free Asia [RFA] and Voice of America [VOA]. China has also barred RFA from stationing any reporters on its territory and rebuffed VOA's bid to increase the size of its tiny Chinese staff."(China Reform Monitor)

At the same time, China is increasing religious repression against Christians.

Time magazine interviewed Bishop Joseph Zen, the new leader of Hong Kong's 227,000 Catholics. Bishop Zen stated that he is still banned from visiting China's official and unofficial Catholic bishops and seminaries because of the Hong Kong Catholics' loyalty to the pope.

The bishop also said that he is not optimistic about the Vatican reaching an agreement with the Communist government, "Because" he observes, "at this moment they [the Communists] are tightening [control over religious believers]. Beijing has no intention of making any concessions. They will not grant any freedom to the Church... For us, the underground church is the lawful church because it is united with the Holy Father in Rome." Bishop noted that repression against the underground is so strong, "it's becoming more difficult" to maintain links with it.