BREAKING NEWS -- Terror Alert Level To Be INCREASED To HIGH !!!

[Waitone]

Not that they couldn't hit one, but that they don't carry enough explosives to down a large aircraft. In the past month we've seen both an Airbus and a C17 hit with SAM-7 Strellas going in and out of Baghdad, and both returned and landed safely. If al-Queda wants to reliable shoot down wide body airliners they need to get ahold of SAM-8 or bigger or maybe a Roland or I-Hawk.

Irrelevant.

Dropping a passenger liner is a nice-to-have. The real objective is to have a video tape of a small, smokey missile homing in on an American flag plane. Nice wide shot of a crooked trail closing in on the engine. Perhaps a small puff of smoke out of the engine. Even in the plane lands safely the damage is done.

The video tape will be edited and couriered to FOX, CNN, ABCCBSNBC etc. where it will be converted to an endless video loop. 15 seconds of tape will receive hours of prime time play.

Endless numbers of talking heads will consume thousands of kilowatts of broadcast power squeezing the last little bit of meaning out of the video. Speculation will be rampant as to how they could have done it better. Wall Street pimps will be called in at no charge to pontificate on how damaging the attack (attack, not video) will be to 401-K's.

Dropping a airliner will be horrible and damaging, but the long lasting damage will be done by an over-aggressive, ill-informed, and panic-ridden media.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

SO WHAT!

Everytime these darned alerts come out, nothing happens. That is a good thing. The bad part is that they are so vague as to not be useful and so we supposedly go on high alert to watch for possible terroristic activities and attacks that might be forthcoming and severe - only the nature of the attacks, time, place, etc., are completely up for grabs as we aren't told squat.

Just what the hell am I supposed to do that I haven't already been doing since 9-11 and before as a concealed carry person?

Terror Alerts are great, but they have already run the gambit of being of concern to being just plain useless. We do this for every major holiday such as 4 July, Christmas, New Year's, and also around 11 Sept just in case of a matchign day attack. We do it for Muslim special days as well.

Looks like me and the boys will head down to the large tractor store there at the blinking light and guard the town's #1 business against terrorists. Will my AR-15 stop a 747 from crashing into the tractor store when it is on the way down? Maybe we should move the tractors to random positions in the yard so as to avoid a systematic zone of destruction, unlike they did at Pearl Harbor?

 

[geegee]

I haven't seen any TV news since this morning, but you can be sure that by the time the late news is on, there will be airport interviews of some goober standing in a long line saying something like "Oh, I don't mind the full body cavity search of me and the family. I'm just glad to know the government is doing something to make us safer! " Sheeeeesh. :banghead: geegee

 

[kbr80]

...does "Orange" mean our civil rights are "Really Screwed" or "Really, Really Screwed"?

I think Tamara has a good point. It could be worse though. An attack could happen, then, civil rights, bill or rights and all, would be null and void.

 

[Grey54956]

I haven't seen a lot of terrorists chasing me around in my homeland, or in my apartment for that matter, so I guess I am okay. If they do try to chase me, they will have a bad, bad day.

You know, I wouldn't mind the occasional "This is the public broadcast system. There is a terrorism advisory out for Wayne and Dodge counties until January 3rd." But I am really sick of the constant yellow and orange alert status. Is it safe to go outside or isn't it. Please give me more specific information.

If anything, maybe we should be broadcasting over Al-Jazeera that there is a yellow or orange alert of having bombs dropped from B52's dropped on the middle-easts' @$$E$ in retaliation for possible terrorist attacks. Maybe they will get sick of the constant state of alert and paranoia and root out their bad apples.

 

[mrmeangenes]

The al-Qaeda bunch has their butt against the wall,and it does seem possible they'll try some sort of "Hail Allah" play to regain "face" with their Muslim supporters.

On the other hand, it's been rather amply proved they are not not
some sort of all-knowing super beings, and they do trip over their ... uh...their beards a lot.

Last week was a good example:

Monday-US Navy intercepts their hash shipment. $8-10 million seized.

Tuesday-Turkey captures one of their cell honchos,and,under the delicate,polite questioning (for which the Turks are famous),he begins to sing.

Thursday-Turkey captures another bomber,and he joins the singing chorus.

Friday- US Navy relieves al-Qaeda of about $ 5 million worth of heroin and speed. Turkey grabs the big leader of AQ and tells him to grab his socks.
He sings- I believe it was kind of a high soprano-and says: " Osama made me do it. He started it !"

Saturday- 2 AQ bad boys get nailed as they try to cross from Afghanistan into Iran.


Sometimes you ride the camel-sometimes the camel rides you !

 

[Werewolf]

When news reports say that intelligence gained from Gitmo detainees is part of the reason for the raise in alert level all I can do is shake may head and wonder who is dumber the media or the government. THOSE GUYS HAVE BEEN OUT OF THE LOOP FOR TWO YEARS - THEY DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON NOW!

Do the letters CYA mean anything to ya? It should because that's all the government is doing. That and keeping the ole circuses part of bread and circuses going.

 

[enfield]

All I'm sure of is, if they ever raise it to red, it'll be half an hour too late.

 

[Jeff Thomas]

DHL A300B4 Missile Damage Photos

Found that link on the net. Interesting.

I don't know diddily about surface-to-air, shoulder-fired missiles ... but I do know I wouldn't have wanted to be on that plane at 8,000 feet when it was hit. And, I would have been kissing the ground when I got off.

From my perspective, the question is ... what would any of us do if we were in President Bush's position? If the chatter is really up, and they have grave concerns, then what? Say nothing? Do nothing?

Increase security, but don't say anything? That won't work ... people will notice, LEO's will comment, and the rumors will fly.

I hear all this about our government using, or even creating such a situation in order to damage civil liberties further. True ... that is a real risk. And, by our entanglements ad infinitum, we have definitely helped bring some of this war on to ourselves. But we're in the soup now, and real decisions and actions have to be taken by real people. Whenever I get into debates about this kind of thing with friends, I ask these practical questions ... and the most common track of thinking after that seems to be ... "well, we never should have done such-and-such to get into this position in the first place." Buzz ... wrong answer.

If you wouldn't raise the threat alert, color or otherwise, what would you do?

I don't like to give politicians much, if any credit. But sometimes we need to walk a mile in their shoes.

Regards from TX

 

[zahc]

Alert system:

 

[Barbara]

I saw a suspicious looking guy downtown, wearing what was obviously a costume. There is no way in heck that beard was real, and he was scoping out people's chimneys. I don't know who the short dudes with him were but they looked like they were up to something.

Barbara
ever vigilant

 

[Billmanweh]

BREAKING NEWS -- Terror Alert Level To Be INCREASED To HIGH !!!

So Howard Dean was right after all??

 

[dhoomonyou]

time to go buy some ammo, and some rum.

 

[SteelyDan]

Gees, and I thought I was cynical...

Maybe naive, too, but I actually think it means the probability of a terrorist attack just went up a few notches. Hope I'm wrong, we'll see.

 

[Black92LX]

but somehow this smells like the terrorists are trying to make people nervous at Christmas?

they have done it every christmas since 9-11.

 

[Delmar]

While it is quite sporting to poke fun at the government for issuing these alerts, my thanks this holiday season goes out to the men and women who have to sift through all the reams of sigint and other intelligence, trying to fit together what they are looking at.
That has got to be one frustrating job, of which they will not see medals or accolades by the general public. That goes to the guys at the sharp end of the stick, of whom I am also very grateful for-my son is one of those, and serves a country where its okay for a soldier/sailor/airman/marine/coastie to be on food stamps.
Maybe we should put the people responsible for this on food stamps too
Finally, many thanks to the LEO's and other first responders getting jacked around by the high ranking feds who still have to respond to drunks, reckless drivers and assorted bad guys, and ain't exactly getting rich doing it either! Kind of like being a teacher-you won't get rich doing it, but occasionally, there is a compensation such as a smile from a child, which makes you know that you're needed, and your service is priceless.

 

[rayjay]

Well, I guess I'll lock my doors tonight..........wonder if the locks work?