Yeah, the terror alert thing is pretty much pointless. People changed the way they watch everything after 9/11. We dont <em>need</em> the terror scale. It’s more of a way for the govmt’ to cover its collective ***. They can say, see we raised the terror alert, we warned everyone that an attack was immenent, now you can’t say we didn’t warn you!
Michael Moore has only recently brought this to the attention of “popular culture” - there have been many authors over the past 10 years exploring the global elite and their media frenzied, fear driven methods to systematically strip away civil liberties and create an economic climate for further exploitation of new “western colonies” - Yeah I might have recently seen Farenheit 9/11 and you may think I am a delutional conspirisist, but social responibility has force all of us to reconsider the difference between fact and fiction.
Question Time- Are you proud to have George as president? Are you/ americans better off? Do you/americans feel safer? Is he protecting your natural forests, giving you better healthcare, pensions, Can you name a single thing the current american govt has done to better the lives of its citizens or the rest of the human race for that matter? or are all your tax dollars paying to set the world at odds, create a platform of caos for a new world order to triumphantly emerge as victor? – Why cant we all just get along? ( recursive?)
You all have to think before you speak (or type for that matter), when intelligence is working as it should you never hear about it. They are able to intercept threats, and stop possible attacks before they happen. Oh, and remember attacks against any target by a terrorist, aren’t generally last minute descisions, sometimes, weeks, months, and even years of planning take place. Thats right the intelligence trail may go back several years before it points to a definite target, or threat.
Now when intelligence misses something, and terrorists are able to attack, we immediatly blame the guys wading through tons of information trying to make links to events leading up to the attack. Intelligence is not easy, the terrorists dont announce their plans, however, after the fact, it is easy to see that the guy buying plane tickets was a terrorist planning to crash a plane. This happens not because of bad intelligence, it happens because, people can’t predict the future, they have to make educated descions based on what is known at that time.
The entire color level system has been used by the military for quite some time, and after the attacks on the Pentagon and the WTC Towers, the PUBLIC requested they get the same information, so that they could be better prepared for any similar event. In the military you pay attention to the warnings because you have to go about your work differently, however the public ignores them and becomes complacent because they don’t have to do anything different when the warning levels change. And when nothing happens they just make another attack against the system they requested.
Anyway since everyone is so full of Moore propaganda, I’ve wasted my time, back to sifting through stacks of information…
[ot]I once read a book about what to do in case of a terrorist attack (I have strange reading habits, I know) and it made a good point about the terror alert colours. It said that no matter what the alert actually is, you should always assume it’s orange. Orange is the safest colour, because you’re always on your toes. You pay attention to what’s going on around you, you don’t take things for granted and dismiss dangerous-sounding events, but at the same time, you aren’t scared enough to run for cover.[/ot]
I have no problems with him, and I actually like him as an individual. I guess you can say I am proud to have him as the Prez!
I don’t know how I can really measure “safe.” I, personally, wasn’t in danger before, nor am I in danger now (the yakuza have indefinitely postponed their hit on me :P) I do sense that I am safer when flying via airports due to increased security or using public transportation in a large city.
In the US, the gov’t is not responsible for providing me with healthcare or a pension unless I actually work for the gov’t. If one ends up working in the private sector, your pension and healthcare is usually covered by the company itself 
That is a nice post paradox. I was under the false impression that the color codes were recent introductions 
Wow, I envy that lifestyle
I was under the false impression that the color codes were recent introductions
The civilian (homeland security) codes are new. The military has had Threatcon for quite a while, it used to be known as Defcon. Threat Conditions for military follow a Alpha, Brava, Charlie, Delta scale. It’s Alpha right now, and as far as I know that’s the lowest it has ever been, though I think there is something like “No Threat” or something but I doubt it will ever go back down there. Interestingly enough there is a mirror system to the Threatcon’s for network security call Infocon. Every level of Infocon means a heightened level of network security. I’m guessing I would lose my network access as soon as it bumps above alpha.
The odd thing about our terror alert system is that we’re always at moderate/high alert. Therefore (and this was on the news tonight, quoted from an FAA worker responsible for coordinating terror control drills run by the military):
<paraphrase>Since we’re always on high alert, we just go about our days like normal. Who knows when something is going to happen?</paraphrase>
Our (PUBLIC) alert system is worthless – it’s always high. Let’s just annouce it as such once, and stop announcing the same old news. If it goes down, tell us. Otherwise, the alerts are worthless outside of “hey we told you! see? orange was high, and they attacked! we called it! booyah!”.
I am NOT in any way proud of our president. He’s an ex-coke fiend with big business supporting him (and his family – which is supported by big business), he AND Cheney have proven themselves dishonest (Cheney’s been busted lying about five or so times now ON VIDEO), he’s a war-monger, he manipulates the American people, and he has the balls to SAY NO TO THE POPE.
POPE: “Please, do not devalue human life.”
BUSH: “Go to hell, I’m tossin’ the switch! Yeehaw!”
( link , scroll down a bit )
Who – when pleaded by the pope not to do something – does it anyways? He is NOT ALL ABOUT PEACE. It’s just another lie being spread to help control and manipulate Americans into voting him back next term. He does not support the church, no matter what he says, no matter what he claims to be for and against. If he were on the side of the church, surely he would’ve agreed to see eye-to-eye with the POPE.
He’s a liar. So is Cheney. Do not be proud of them, do not condone their actions, do not let them come back for another four years. :x
[size=1][color=darkred]kirupa_edit: The censor feature exists for a reason. Try not to circumvent it again :evil:[/color][/size]
booyah!
lol, I can see Rumsfeld on TV, yelling BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYAAAAAAAAAAH MOFOS! I TOLD YA!!
now, about the pope… Bush did try to pass an anti-abortion law (the only actual request in this article made by the pope to bush that seems dumber than attacking Iraq…)
But when urged not to execute someone, he did it anyways. 
What the hell does the Pope know anyways?
And Kirupa, people are going to know what word I used regardless of whether it’s replaced by four asterisks or one. But sorry, won’t do it anymore.
OK, I read through everything… I think… I’m pretty sure no one mentioned what I am about to mention. If someone did, then I apologize for flogging a dead horse.
Did you notice when the terror alert was raised… Right after the Democratic Convention. Did you notice when it was announced that the latest big terrorist was captured (I can’t remember his name, nor can I find it easily, and I am too lazy to try harder) the day after the Democratic Convention… Despite the fact that he had been captured quite a while before, they only decided to announce it then.
There is no way this terrorism thing is not political. In my humble, yet obviously correct opinion.