Summary: A review of The Next Wave: On the Hunt for Al Qaeda’s American Recruits by Catherine Herridge. Reviewed by “GI” Wilson (Colonel, USMC, retired).
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When reading Catherine Herridge’s smashing investigative work on terrorism, The Next Wave, the lyrics from Jimmy Buffet’s “Trouble on the Horizon” immediately came to mind:
We got trouble, trouble right here in River City,
Every day’s becoming Halloween.
We never see it coming, We never have a clue,
But there’s trouble on the horizon, Waiting for the barbecue.
Indeed, “we got trouble, trouble right here in River City” with a lot more to come. The Next Wave is a chilling autopsy of homegrown evil doers threatening the personal safety and security of Americans! Herridge artfully provides insight into developing sources, nailing down facts, and collecting information. She underscores the value of open source intelligence concordant with critical thinking and real investigative journalism.
There is no political flummery concerning terrorism’s inroads into the United States. Herridge is all business, straight to the point, and springs a narrative with the force of a titanium-bear trap. Herridge lives up to her nickname as the “Terror Pixie” — a very respectful well earned moniker given to Herridge by those who have come to admire her persistence, tenacious professionalism, and sheer guts.
In her work, she lays bare the insider threat to American’s existence (let alone America’s survival as a super power) from within at the hands of home grown evil doers. Herridge serves up a diabolical landscape of DC infighting, political correctness, duplicity, and warmed-over-interagency intrigue. Fathom the hypocrisy of a government allowing one of the worst-of-the-worst-Islamic terrorists to enter and depart the US unimpeded to do more evil.
Herridge will have you being peeled off the ceiling as she describes in vivid detail the machinations of FBI Special Agent Wade Ammerman who gives Anwar al Awlaki free rein to re-enter the United States. Yes, the very same Anwar al Awlaki who presided over the funeral of US Army Major Nidal Hassan’s mother at a Virginia mosque — the mother of the Ft Hood shooter-psychiatrist. And the very same American cleric with a penchant for prostitutes who became a top recruiter for al Qaeda. After re-entering the U.S. with FBI intervention, al Awlaki again leaves the U.S for one last time, no doubt making mental notes regarding the killing of Americans while literally and figuratively “casing the joint” during his stay.
Terrorism is not the threat the U.S. government thought it would be. Instead its a thinking adaptive threat using social networking tools. And there is more…!
Read an excerpt from her book at the Fox website!
About the author.
From the Fox website:
{She} is a national correspondent for FOX News covering homeland security, the Department of Justice and the intelligence community. Previously, she served as a general field reporter for FOX Broadcasting Network’s newsmagazine, “The Pulse,” anchored by FOX News’ Shepard Smith.
In 2007, Herridge broke news with major developments on the Fort Dix terror investigation; she was the first reporter to confirm that three of the six suspects had entered the U.S. illegally as children. She also played a key role in FNC’s coverage of the Virginia Tech Massacres by obtaining the first photos of killer Seung-Hui Cho from federal sources. In January 2004, she provided extensive coverage of the Democratic presidential elections, reporting live from Manchester during the New Hampshire primary. In 2003, Herridge covered the latest news and information on homeland security during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She also provided viewers with interviews with key newsmakers, including an exclusive interview with Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.
In 2000, Herridge followed Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign for the Senate, reporting between New York and Washington, DC. In 1998, she was a New York-based correspondent for the FOX Broadcasting Network newsmagazine, “Fox Files,” and was responsible for investigating health concerns such as Medicare fraud, prescription drug abuse and child prostitution.
Herridge joined FOX News in 1996 as a London-based correspondent, covering ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the Northern Ireland peace agreement, the Iraqi missile crisis and the investigation into Princess Diana’s death. Before joining FOX News, Herridge served as a London-based correspondent for ABC News.
Herridge has received numerous awards for her work in journalism, including a Bronze World Medal from the New York Festivals, honoring excellence in communications media.
Articles by and about Herridge.
(a) “Report Shows Gaping Holes in Intelligence on Overseas Terrorists“, Catherine Herridge, Fox News, 12 July 2011.
(b) On 30 September 2010 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Fox News for allegedly retaliating against correspondent Catherine Herridge’s internal gender and age discrimination complaints, another in series of discrimination complaints against News Corp. and its subsidiaries. See a copy of the notice at the EEOC website.
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