One of the most important questions facing the American people
today is whether the federal effort to combat terrorists is on target or
spinning its wheels. Bert Dalmer, a reporter with the Des Moines Register, took
a hard look at 35 terrorism-related cases in his state and found that most of
the defendants had questionable links to violence and, in the end, were
generally charged with fraud or theft. One surprising doubter quoted in
Dalmer's investigation was U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pratt who himself
had presided over at least six of the cases. "If there have been any
terrorism-related arrests in Iowa, Judge Pratt said, I haven't heard about
them."
