Pacific Views
You've been had. You've been took. You've been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok. - Malcolm X
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| Pacific ViewsYou've been had. You've been took. You've been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok. - Malcolm X |
Given how the announcement that a 'major' al-Qaeda suspect had been captured in Pakistan was timed to take attention away from John Kerry's acceptance speech, we're having a lot of trouble taking these new terror warnings from the Department of Homeland Security very seriously.
There's already been plenty of speculation about how the administration might come up with a terror threat to wave before the electorate in the run-up to the November US elections. Now they've got one that they can use to help show what a great wartime president Dubya is, right as the GOP is heading into their convention. Even better, the targetted orange terror alerts give the government the political advantages of an elevated alert level for the whole country — from now until November 2 — without actually have to raise the level nationwide. Now Dubya's administration won't have to deal with local government officials who are unhappy about the expense of paying the costs of raised terror levels.
Of course, the terror alert could actually have something to do with a real threat to the safety of the republic. But given how Dubya's lot has shamelessly exploited 9/11 and terrorism for partisan political purposes, we seriously doubt it.
Via Boston Globe.
Posted by Magpie at August 2, 2004 09:10 AM | Paranoia | Technorati links |If the threat is legitimate, why'd they tell everyone to just go to work in those buildings as normal?
Posted by: WallyCoxLives at August 2, 2004 12:00 PMyour point is well-taken: the 'business as normal' aspect of this shows how serious the threat really is. it's cut from the same cloth as all those other elevated terror levels where people were told to just do what they do normally.
this administration continues to explore new worlds of cynicism and opportunism.
Posted by: Magpie at August 2, 2004 02:40 PMLiving in Jersey and being so close to the City, these things are tough, because even if you do not work there, you always know someone who does. What infuriates me about these warnings, well, I guess, two things from different sides. I HOPE it is politics because at least than there is less of an immediate threat. The other side is to wonder why, if these threats are legit we are so stupid about them. We announce to the world, "Hey guys, we know what you are doing. You might want to try something else. Oh, and here is what we know and how we are going to prevent you from doing it." Really smart strategy. "Wait, too, I almost forgot, we know you are going to try to blow up these buildings so we are going to tell everyone to come work in them." Is our intelligence community working for us or them!?
Posted by: Scott at August 2, 2004 06:05 PMI read in the N.Y. Times, and nobody seems to care or notice, that they have gotten their confirmation on these threats from "chat rooms" that have Queda Links. Spare Me Please. I doubt anyone serious would announce their intentions there, or put another way, they would announce their attentions daily just to see the public and the media squirm & report causing havoc and worry everyday,at the mere cost of an email sent to a chat room. If the administration has real info, go catch someone, stop with this garbage. I am surprised they did say to go buy more duct tape.
Posted by: AMN at August 2, 2004 08:57 PMFolks, get a grip. Try reading Fouad Ajami's material or something along those lines instead of spending your time babbling about how you loath this administration.
Posted by: Tom at August 2, 2004 09:52 PMhey tom, get a grip. it appears that this terrible new threat is based on information that's years old. so it's more business as usual from dubya's administration, and yet another use of terror alerts for political purposes -- just as i suggested.
Posted by: Magpie at August 2, 2004 10:31 PM