Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

I think they haven't got a clue, and at best they're playing it safe by scaring the pants off of half the country.

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

I think there must be more going on than meets our eyes. It's so unbelievable. We can find one person in a million's DNA on fork, but we can't find a cache of nuclear or biological weapons buried in a desert? I just don't believe it,

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

The tell or don't tell seems like it's pretty much a no win situation.

I think a lot of what we see is CYA in response to the critisism regarding the lack of warning in the WTC event.

I guess I'm inclined to lean towards lack of disclosure while investigating, but full disclosure of foiled plans. That way people understand things are going on and being caught*, but they don't tip their hand.

* Well, if we caught anyone.

-john

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

They HAVE to announce every little threat, regardless of how likely or unlikely for purely political reasons, even though it is overall bad for the economy and morale, and whether or not it compromises intel sources.

If they don't announce it, certain members of the Congress/Senate that get the intel breifings will leak the information and say "See, that nasty old Bush administration is trying to get you killed."; and if something DOES indeed happen, and they had the SLIGHTEST hint and didn't announce it, there would be hell to pay.

Personally, I don't think they should do these constant little announcements. They just keep the half of our population that is unable to use any logic and posesses no common sense scared, and the rest of us just ignore it because because we assume they are just "crying wolf" again.

If they have a specific target and a specific time period from a highly reliable source, then announce it.

SNL made fun of the "non specific but increased" terrorist warnings. Remember after 9/11 when the govt kept on announcing that they had positive proof that there was a significant chance of another terroist attack? Well it turns out later, that the govt had info that a smaller, suitcase sized nuclear bomb might be deonated in NYC.

Well,now we have another very serious threat alert.

So, if the govt knows that "something is up" in your city, or town or your area, should they tell us?

I understand the concquences. A whole city could be brought to it's knees. Business would stop,
restaurants and entertainment would suffer, and people would be very weary to go or do anything. People could be killed just trying to evacuate a city.

THE DAILY SHOW also poked fun at this increased terrorist threat, when the new mayor "what is is name" from NYC said "that yes there is an increased threat, but go about your business, go about your fun, conduct your life as you normally would." (This was an actual video of the mayor saying this, not a skit).

What's the govt saying? The whole country should not suffer just because one city might get blown up?

I don't have the answers, but it bothers me that the govt might know when or where, but they choose not to tell us.

BUT then again, problems arise if they do tell us, so damnd if you do, and damed if you don't.

I work in the Texas Medical Center, the largest Medical Center in North America, and that is in Houston, and I live close to Pasadena and Deer Park TX, where a third of all american oil is refined, so I am pretty worried.

Just as an aside, I have heard from various Houston PD that Houston is considered the "playground" for a lot of middle eastern people, so it might get "a pass", to quote the sopranos.

What do yall think, or what have yall heard?

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

If the U.S. government is not trying to get me killed they've sure got me fooled.

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

Well, I guess you better move to france if you really believe that.

If you think that they are doing things wrong, that is one thing, but if you think they are actually trying to get you killed....

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

Then I'd have to learn French. That's the only subject in high school I flunked. It might be easier to learn Arabic. The part of New Jersey where I currently live looks like an Arab terrorist training camp.

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

Learning French would be easy compared to keeping a Renault running.

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

I'd if it weren't so

Our "PCness" is our worst enemy and BOTH parties mollycoddling of illegal aliens (and I mean ILLEGALS, not true legal immigrants) is disgusting.

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

The news is just full of terrorist threats and rumours of threats. The Govt. have threatened to shut Heathrow Airport down in readiness which would cause chaos all over the world on the aeroplanes as it is the world's busiest airport.
I think that they are hiding more than they're prepared to tell us at the moment. We keep hearing of arrests of Bosnian and Kosovars posing as assylum seekers on the BBC News, and a mosque in the Midlands which had concealed weaponry, and there is evidence to show that the threat is coming from the former Yugoslav republics now under muslim rule.
The problem is that Englis PCness prevents us from getting down to the real issues!

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

Here is my frustration.

The govt says:

"We have LOTS of hard evidence that something bad is going to happen sometime soon, somewhere in the U.S. We can't tell you what or where or when it is going to happen. BUT don't worry, go about your lives as usual."

If this kind of warning were announced before 9/11, would this announcement been effective in saving lives?

WE ARE AT WAR. Nobody asked us if we wanted to be in this war, we are in it. AND I don't mean the military is at war, or the troops are at war, or making a comment on the political events. I MEAN that every Citizen in the United States is RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAR ZONE.

The terrorists could pick "small town" USA to launch a terrorist event. BOOM, they blow up main street, the grocery store and hardware store of "small town" USA. NOW, instead of JUST the people in the big cities being worried, every small town in America is worried.

This is my concern. Shouldn't we be told more specifics?

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

Originally posted by BuddTX:
...snip....

This is my concern. Shouldn't we be told more specifics?

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Yes and NO

Two reasons for the no

One - they may not KNOW more specifics
Two - If they told you the details of what they know, it may compromise the data source. Remember, an innocent remark about Satelite Phones cut our data supply from OBL

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

While threat vague warnings may not be be of much use to the public, they are very useful to the administration as a distraction and to smother any criticism -- like, if we are "at war" how come nothing about proposed the war got into that budget with the 300 billion dollar deficit? Durring a "war" on terrorism, is it really a good idea to also tick off our allies? Threats help force the false choice between safety and rights Ashcroft's way. Threats keep us from noticing the stock market is plummeting yet again. Threats keep us from asking "Wasn't the Republican party once the party of fiscal responsibility?"

Answer to all the above: raise the threat level and say it would be unpatriotic to ask such questions while we're "at war".

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

I really should be in bed.

The problem as I see it. If they had known exactly WHO, was going to do exactly WHAT, on exactly what DAY, using exactly what AIRLINE(S)... and had acted on it and arrested 19 or 20 people.... the same Liberal WEENIES who don't think we're doing enough would have been screaming bloody murder about their rights.

Old people and kids are getting strip searched at airports while mid eastern looking men of ages 18-45 or so walk right on.

There is far too damn much PC, and nowhere near enough *** KICKING.

AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

http://www.coxar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

(It's not a 404 error)

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

I find this humorous,
As a military medic, a person that has carried around all sorts of devices to prevent dying in other countries of the world. This is a normal way of life for me. Now that the rest of the world has come to America to roost, it may be time to recognize that the world is a very violent place were the human life is not considered. A couple of thousand people is a drop in the bucket.
9/11 was only 3,000 people, the US was horrified but in the greater picture of things... it was not much. Count up the casualty rate of the rest of the world since then, count the bodies of Sudan...count them! Count all those that have died in other countries for political reasons. 3K is next to nothing.
It is almost sick that the US is worried about "PC" when the body count in the world is stacking higher than you would believe. It takes bodies in bags to wake up people, unfortunately the count will have to be in the 100's of thousands to wake up the "foo-foo" people. The bodies I have seen never made the news... pretty sad.
Welcome to the rest of the world! The weaker the US gets, the tougher the rest of the world gets. Sort of an evolutionary way the world works. A great teacher of mine in HS, taught us how the world works. We went through a situation that took over the united states, it took 80,000 people and a lot of chemical and biological weapons. After all, to destroy a country the most effectively, one must not care what happens afterword.
Sorry to be such a sick *******, when you get to see what chemical and "normal" war does to patients...it tends to change your view of what civilization actually is. Gotta pack and go to the other side of the world while you guys ponder philosophy.

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

Well, glad you have so much more experience, but no need to criticize everyone who doesn't.

I mean, it's good to be able to take care of the bottom parts of Maslow's pyramid. Essential, in fact. No need to neglect or denigrate the value of the top parts, though.

If bodies in bags makes people so scared they ignore "higher" things, then it hasn't woken anyone up.

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

so if we all get prayer mats and stick our butts in the air 3 times a day
(or is 4?),

they'll leave us alone...?

might be worth it...

Re: Increased Terrorist Threat warning - should the govt tell us what when where and why?

actually 5, but i figure your winky at the end was means it was a joke