Plans for large scale terrorist attack in the U.S. are said to be 90% complete..

[C.Ann]

Stopped to grab a few newspapers on my way up here to the lake tonight and one of them was USA Today.. The article on the front page says that plans for a large scale terrorist attack here in the United States are 90% complete..

I have to wonder how long it will take them to wrap up the other 10%.. Looking back on 9/11 - if you backed up to June, July, or August of that year, at what point would they have been 90% complete? Will it take them days - weeks - months?



I still can't believe that this is the same world I was living in on September 10th , 2001...

 

[kilee]

Last night this was all over CNN and MSNBC's websites. Only they said it was 70%!! So-- where are they getting these numbers??? Who writes this stuff??

 

[C.Ann]

I just checked the article and it says that this number came from Ashcroft himself..

I didn't watch the news last night so I had no idea that any numbers had been mentioned at all..

Hey - kilee - what part of NY are you in? You're not in the Adirondack region, are you? Fellow New Yorker here..

 

[monarchsfan16]

I heard this this morning. What kind of world are we living in? Sometimes I think that the media exaggerates a lot of stuff-but since I know Ashcroft said this it really scares me. This is stuff I hate to think about. What I wonder though, is, since our intelligence stinks, if plans are really 100% complete. I don't want to be morbid or anything, but the whole terrorism thing makes me very panicy. I so wish we could go back and change everything that has happened in the past 3 years.

 

[Nancy]

C.Ann Silver Creek is along Lake Erie....south of Buffalo...long way south!


I'm not going to worry (too much that is) unless the raise the warning level. IF they ever raise it to red I'm going to go into panic mode! I'm actually wondering why they haven't raised it to orange yet.

 

[Brer_Papa]

what bothers me the most about these "percentages" is that the government isn't giving us more specific information...like when...where....etcetera...

so...i question the valididty of these reports...

I have also read a lot where there are some saying it is a ploy becuase President Bush has the lowest approval ratings and these reoprts are coming so soon after his 5 point speech fell flat...ESPECIALLY since the terror alert level is not being raised...

to me, that's neither here nor there...we must remain vigilant....who knows what can happen...or where...or if...just be prepared...

now, here is what really frosts my cookies....in the last 2 terror alert elevations....bot around a Holiday...like now...Guess where Tom Ridge...Homeland Security Secretary...a born and fellow Erie-ite was?

Last year, during the heightened terror alert level...he was home in Erie...landscaping his yard...

the year before that...he was playing golf and swilling beer at the Kahkwa Club all weekend....

shouldn't someone in his position at such a critical time be "on the job"....in Washington?

as one of the PA State troopers said to me after he was assigned as added security at the Kahkwa Club.."It's like taking the patrol cars off the street" in regards to Ridge being where he was..

sorry for being so long winded...it just confuses me that Ashcroft,Mueller and Ridge are making the rounds and getting people edgy...and not telling us a lot....especially when the facts are facts as to where Ridge spent the last 2 times "we, the people" were warned about heightened activity...

skeptical but prepared and vigilant...Brer_Papa...

 

[soccerchick]

This information was given to law enforcement and other agencies a while ago. It is just now getting out to the public.

If Italy has an attack before their elections, the powers that be are positive we will have one.

My concern is that we think so "inside the box" that we, again,will not see it coming.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I can't understand this. OK, we're fighting terrorists. Somehow we know that on Fri. they are 70%. A week later we know they are 90%. But we don't know who they are or how to stop them. Doesn't make sense.

 

[FroggyinArk]

ghmmmmm 70 % last night,, 90% today,, at that rate the attack should be over by now so why let it stop us

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by Tiggeroo
I can't understand this. OK, we're fighting terrorists. Somehow we know that on Fri. they are 70%. A week later we know they are 90%. But we don't know who they are or how to stop them. Doesn't make sense.

Maybe start with the 7 on the front page of our newspaper today.

 

[grinningghost]

A site that I visit frequently is Northeast Intelligence Network

These people pull no punches and they dig very deep into all the Jihadist websites and other media. They also do private investigating of terrorist groups. You would be surprised at how often the information they put out turns out to be frighteningly accurate months later.

I recommend it to anyone who thinks our national intelligence agencies beat around the bush too much.

 

[kilee]

Hey - kilee - what part of NY are you in? You're not in the Adirondack region, are you? Fellow New Yorker here..

I think someone already answered-- but I am about 40 miles west of Buffalo. We do camp 1-2 times per year in Lake Placid and have friends in Pottsdam. The adirondacks are so beautiful.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

So if we know the plans are 90% complete, then we must know what the plans are. If we know what the plans are, we can stop them. So what's the problem?

 

[C.Ann]

I really don't know what to make of all this.. It seems to me that all of the upcoming events that might possibly be targeted will be EXTREMELY well covered - due to the nature of the important individuals who will be there - so those areas would be "out" in terms of any large scale success.. So what does that leave? Places where there are large gatherings, but attended by every day people - like 4th of July festivities; very large shopping malls; trains and train stations; etc.. If the terrorists are "here" - and presumably they are - then they have obviously read the newspapers and seen all of the t.v. coverage, so it would be foolish for them to try to strike any of the specific targets that have been made public knowledge - right?

As for the possibility of this latest announcement being a "political ploy" to save Bush's campaign - well - I think that is utter nonsense.. That would be FAR too big of a gamble for them to take with the election still over 5 months away.. Some way - some how - that information would leak out and that would be the end of any Bush campaign..

I believe the information that they are relaying is true - I'm just uncertain as to whether or not they know more than what they are currently saying..

 

[KarenC]

A tape found after the March 11 train bombing in Madrid contained a reference to an attack on America being 90% ready. This was widely reported at the time.

My understanding is that the names of the 7 terrorists Ashcroft publicized the other day have also been reported before.

While it is all very disturbing, it appears the recent news was more of a recap of things that have been reported over the past several months.

It was also strange that John Ashcroft, not Tom Ridge, made the announcements. News of threats to the homeland are supposed to be coordinated through the government by the office of homeland security. There was no coordination and Tom Ridge wasn't involved.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I still don't understand how we can know what percantage done they are but we have no clue what they are planning or where??

 

[Melora]

From what I have read, a lot of this is political butt covering....

They can say "Oh we know this is going to happen" so if it does we can't say they didnt warn us and if nothing happens they can say "We averted an attack".

Not saying there isnt a threat (theres always a threat especially now), but just that they arent as sure as they sound.

There are several articles on this, but since Jeff isnt here I don't know where he was reading them.

 

[luvwinnie]

Just have to say I'm not happy that I work a block away from Madison Sq. Garden where the GOP COnvention will be.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am from Missouri where Ascroft ran for the Senate. He lost to a dead man, FYI. I don't put much faith in him. Is it a campaign strategy for Bush, I don't know. Is it a way for Ascroft to get Bush's attention, who knows. I think stuff like this should come from the President directly, imho, otherwise it just seems like the same old stuff. I guess I will have to tune in.

November 8, 2000
Web posted at: 2:49 a.m. EST (0749 GMT)

(CNN) -- The late Gov. Mel Carnahan collected enough votes to beat out incumbent Republican Sen. John Ashcroft for the U.S. Senate seat from Missouri.

The incumbent Ashcroft was left running against a dead man after his opponent, the popular sitting governor, died in a plane crash on October 16. By that time, it was too late to remove Carnahan's name from the ballot.

 

[MICKEY88]

it would be foolish to make this kind of announcement for political reasons..why tell us we're going to be attacked and make us feel the gov. isn't making us safe....

as far as the alert level, they can't raise it for such an extended period of time or people will ignore it after a month...so they put this warning out..

also if they gave specifics, and people avoided such areas, nothing would happen since terrorists would expect the area to be well guarded, and then people would complain that the warning cost businesses money,

this way people should be alert....

law enforcement watching key areas if they know any, and the chance of stopping something in the works is stronger



oh and the press conference was coordinated...FBI was also there....


and even Tom Ridge deserves time away from work, he's a short flight or drive...from DC if something happens..