What in God's name is wrong with these idiots????

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by WillyJ
I just saw this on ABC news. .

Feb. 13 — A key piece of the information leading to recent terror alerts was fabricated, according to two senior law enforcement officials in Washington and New York.

The officials said that a claim made by a captured al Qaeda member that Washington, New York or Florida would be hit by a "dirty bomb" sometime this week had proven to be a product of his imagination. . .



As I've said since this started, this "terror alert" is baseless and irresponsible. . .

Willyj, ONE piece of the information was fabricated however, there was enough other intelligence that was validated to justify the change in the alert and they have enough confidence in the information that they have now to maintain the alert as it is. I have a feeling that the media likes to take things out of context in order to discredit this administration.

 

[WillyJ]

Dawn, according to the statement it was the "key" peice of information, and while I agree the major media outlets have been making the "National Enquirer" look like responsible journalism by comparison lately; if the government (and let me make this clear that all this stuff is coming from both Demorcrats and Republicans) is going to call 20 press confrences a day and release inflamatory and irresponsible statements, then I don't see how the media can be accused of discrediting them. .

And since they have addmittedly used this one "key" piece of information as a reason to spread this panic first, and then bothered to actually find out if it had any validity later, any loss of credibility they suffer is their fault and their's alone.


I personally feel like from I've seen the media has done just the opposite of discrediting the government for the most part by taking every hunch, rumor, and vague accusation spewed out and presenting it as fact. .



And what other "evidence" has been validated? I've been watching the news 20 hours a day and I haven't seen one solid piece of information put forth that would justify this rhetoric that we are under an "immediate" threat of terrorist attack. . . all I've heard are exagerated guesses and assumptions. .

Saddam Hussien and Iraq is a totally seperate deal from Osama bin Laden and al Qaida; the government has been throwing out references to "nuclear attacks" and "bio-chemical attacks" when there is not one shred of evidence al Qaida has anything of the sort. . they have used this kind of rhetoric to scare the nation but when pressed for details what we get is; "well, we have no proof, but it's likely or probable or can you imagine if they do?. . "

I personally think it's highly irresponsible to create the kind of wide-spread panic and fear they have based on nothing more then paranoid guesswork. . . what "weapons of mass destruction" did al Qaida use to pull off 9/11? Box cutters. . . and since 9/11 we have (justifiably) bombed them back to the stone age in Afghanistan and I have yet to see any kind of proof they have somehow magically upgraded their capabilities to warrent these "terror alerts"


Also, and maybe more importantly, even if I am totally wrong about all this and there is solid information that a terrorist attack is imminant. . . how does raising the terror alert status and sending the country into a panic, then telling to go buy duct tape make any of us one bit safer?

Government officials are not radio talk show hosts, and they should show more responsibility then they have the past few days and stop running in front of the cameras and saying anything unless they have some solid information that actually is useful for us to help protect ourselves. .

 

[Planogirl]

Oh my, I've been thinking that the duct tape and plastic sheeting business seemed so odd. I couldn't understand why the government would supposedly tell people to buy these items because I couldn't see what they would protect us from! But it seemed that others thought it all made sense so I thought that maybe I was just way offbase. But now I see that others perhaps agree with me.

A security door at DFW airport was found open one morning recently. There was no alarm, no indication that anything was wrong but a door was left open. Airport security not only evacuated the terminal where the door is located but another separate terminal was emptied too. I remember thinking wildly for a few seconds that if they'd had some duct tape, they could have sealed the door.

I'm not saying that there isn't the possibility that another attack could take place. But I keep thinking that there's always been this possibility and that's not likely to change.

 

[WillyJ]

Okay, head of Homeland Security Tom Ridge just came on and said, "Our information on these potential terrorist attacks is admittedly "vague" at best. . . and no, we do not want people to start putting duct tape and plastic on their windows. . "


I think that speaks for itself on why I've felt from the beginning that this raised "terror alert" is irresponsible and uneccessary, and how the government has consistently come before the nation, used scary rhetoric, and then when pressed admitted they really didn't have anything solid to back it up, but "hey, it could happen". . .

 

[tstobb]

I just think back to the post-9/11 media discussions (as well as those here) that BLASTED the government for NOT releasing any information that they might have had, verified or not. Does anybody, for an instant, think that if the same warning that they just issued had come prior to 9/11 that we would have even paid it passing attention, much less acted on it? Before you answer, go back and look at the discussions that were had just after 9/11. Unfortunatly, we were shocked into the fact that we ARE vulnerable and I would rather have any possible information than none. No, I don't want the government to take the "Chicken Little" mentality but if there is any reason to believe that information may be credible, yes, let me know & I'll understand if it wasn't, I realize that verification may, in some cases, take longer that others so I'm willing to take that as it comes. I won't live under a rock in any case. If you need me, you'll find me going about my life.

 

[WillyJ]

As I recall, the majority of the criticism aimed at the govenment after 9/11 wasn't that people were upset they didn't jump in front of the camera and repeat every hunch and unsubstantiated rumor as "fact", but that they knew the men involved in the 9/11 attack were suspected terrorists and in the country illegally, and they did nothing about it. .

Which from what I've seen about these "12 terrorists" is exactly what they are doing now. .

 

[Patrick IL.]

Zero tolerence.... its not a complicated concept. Suspected ties to al Qaida??? Its time for them to leave...or be imprisioned.
As for the goverment and the press...One or both do not want to get caught with thier pants down again. I think back to the motto of WW2......loose lips sink ships. There is so much truth in that old saying.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I would hate to see it going from "Chicken Little" to "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." How many times will they "release" information and expect everyone to believe it and follow up. People will eventually stop listening. I would rather they verify information first before causing panic.

 

[kylara]

I saw this story on the news last night and my first thought was d@mn, the FBI is treating these guys like the did the mafia. This is the kind of surveliance they did with the mafia...following, wire taps, even letting the suspects know they were being watched. However, I do think that terrorist are far different than the mafia. While the mafia could be dangerous, they were also trying to make money. The terrorist don't care about making money, they care about disrupting our country. They are also trained to be more like spies. After all, think of the 9/11 terrorist. Yes, there were indications about some of them (which the FBI were not able to add up), but for the most part, they lived in the US, attened schools, and had most people thinking they were just students. I remember interviews with people who went to school and/or were neighbors stating that they seemed to like it in the US!

The whole point of sleeper cells is that the people will blend in and seem a part of our county until they strike. They are not going to be like the mafia who in many ways flaunted what they were doing and their power.

I do hope that this story was leaked so that the terrorists would think that the FBI is woefully unprepared to combat this threat.

 

[DopeyRN]

My problem is both sides of this argument seem reasonable. I truly don't know what is right or wrong.

However, one thing I AM sure of...Willy, IMHO, you will make yourself ill watching the news 20 hours a day...if we stop our lives, they win. {{{Hugs}}}

 

[Buckalew]

I think Willy's probably right about the threats getting support for going to war. To come back and say 'don't panic' after scaring people is just wrong. My BIL (the vet) had 3 cancellations yesterday because those 3 people were afraid to leave their homes because of the possible attack I am afraid that it will be like the boy who cried wolf and when there is a real, true threat, we'll just be rolling our eyes or something.

 

[LIDisneyFan]

Willy

I'm with you. I personally think we're in the final phase of the biggest PR plan in history (OK , one of them).

My favorite - I heard on WCBS radio today that the FBI and CIA will officially start working together on fighting terrorism effective May 1st

MAY 1st!!!!!

17 months have past since 9/11, and these...well...agencies..are still working in silo's. But don't worry - buy some duct tape and have 3 days worth of food handy!

 

[shortbun]

Someone here said "the media is a business", true
enough. Our government is a business too and let's
get one other thing straight-the people in charge
will get what they want if we're all too afraid to oppose
their methods. They are fear brokering and it is working-
just ask the people at hardware stores. The one thing
that really scares me about our government and it's being a
business is this: the man running our government has
failed in most of his previous business ventures! There
are signs up all over my city-"Pray for Peace" -"No Iraq War"-
"Stop War" - "Give Peace a Chance" - "Inspections Work" -
everyone I talk to is hoping there won't be a war. People
are talking at basketball games, grocery stores, strangers
are agreeing. I'm training to drive a school bus so I'm
all over town-in all income brackets, all the ethnic areas-
I see the signs everywhere. So why does our President
refuse to back down-has he put himself in a corner that
would be political suicide to come out of-hmmmm, worth
considering. Meanwhile, the alert levels go up. Scared?
I am-of the people in charge of the country I love.
Saddam's got nothing that scares me compared to
what our country is preparing to do. Invest in 3M indeed!