7 October 2008 Warnings: The Final Report

7 October 2008: Latest Updates Final update - 8 Oct - 4am Eastern: The morning after. Thank God, nothing happened. The biggest story of the day turned out to be the rather lackluster Second Presidential Debate. The predicted terrorist hurricane never touched our shores. Once again, a projected date for a possible "event" has come and gone. After almost two weeks this disturbing article can finally move down the list and take its place with all of those other articles in Radarsite's archives.

I want to thank all of those who in one way or another contributed information and ideas to this report. We will most likely never know the real 'story behind the story'. Was this whole predicted catastrophe merely a result of mistaken information or erroneous interpretations? Was there ever any real basis to this warning? Was it perhaps just a purposeful propaganda ploy by our enemies to further destabilize an already chaotic economic situation? Who knows? Your guess is as good as mine.

Have we learned anything from this whole unsettling episode? Yes, I believe we have. Perhaps the most important thing those of us who have been following this story have learned is that we truly are in a war and we truly are still vulnerable. Not just vulnerable to some massive terrorist attack, but vulnerable to rumors of massive terrorist attacks. In these last few volatile weeks where our news has been dominated by a faltering economy and a hugely important presidential campaign, it is vital for us to remember that these are not the only things that matter. There is a looming menace hovering over us which, despite these current domestic distractions has not receded into the background; if anything our world is becoming more dangerous every year.

Yesterday, October 7, I had occasion to contact the Department of Homeland Security on an entirely different matter. During the course of the conversation I asked the HS agent what advice I could give my readers for coping with this new environment we find ourselves in. What criteria do you use to make up your mind as to whether a reported threat should be taken seriously or not? At what point do suspicious activities we may observe become suspicious enough to report to the authorities? Is there such a thing as being too suspicious? In short, in this dangerous new post 9/11 world we now live in what's the difference between taking rational precautions or merely succumbing to unreasonable paranoia? What defines the boundaries of our New Normal? His answer: Trust your instincts. Trust your common sense. Evaluate the information to the best of your ability, and then if you truly believe the situation warrants it, act on it. Don't worry about making a fool of yourself. Don't worry about being wrong.

If this situation arises again -- and it most likely will -- I think Radarsite would handle it essentially the same way. Put all the information we can gather together in one place, in one article. Keep that article bumped to the top of the posts. Open the post up to all comments and emails and post them all to the ongoing report. Immediately update any new information -- especially any information which seems to question or negate the validity of the original report. And finally, in the words of the HS agent, don't worry about making a fool of yourself. Don't worry about being wrong. Sometimes it's wonderful to be wrong.

I want to thank all of those readers who contributed their insights and information to this report. I think we have shown what can be done when serious people come together to address an issue like this. You have provided us with a model for future collaborations.

Lastly, these October 7 Radarsite articles have received literally thousands of readers (over ten thousand yesterday alone) and yet surprisingly few derisive comments, surprisingly few comments accusing us of fearmongering or grandstanding. What does this tell us about our present day circumstances? To me, it says that people really do want as much information as they can get about this volatile environment we all share. To me, it says that many people are very aware of the threats we face and want to stay as informed as possible. And to me, this an encouraging sign. -rg

First off, thanks for putting together the radarsite October 7 thread. I totally concur with your stance on how to approach the issue of our current vulnerability.

It’s really crazy that occasionally there’ll be a story about DHS stating their fear of a “dirty bomb”, “biological weapon”, or the recent alert issued just last Wed of suicide bombers targeting govt buildings with 40 lb backpacks. And yet we (the genral public) are supposed to just say “okay, thanks, have a nice day now” :-)

I find the response of the DHS individual that you spoke with interesting. And I think your attempt to create a virtual clearinghouse of “instincts” from a large group of people a good and helpful thing.

I keep coming back to the number one thing that kept being repeated after 9/11:
“We lacked the creative thinking in our approach to terrorism. Who would have thought that they would use commercial airplanes as a means to attack?”

My response: SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE!!! You mean to tell me with the billions of dollars we’re spending to fight terrorism that no one could connect those dots? It sure doesn’t give me confidence that they are on top of it now.

I, for one, take the DHS at their word when they express concerns about the potential for a nuclear or biological attack. But what I feel is that many people that I know either don’t want to or can’t let that scene play out in their minds....how one nuclear bomb or one small vask of, say, the Ebola virus, could cause mass hysteria and complete societal upheaval. Just one.

So if the odds of such a thing happening are 1 out of 1,000 or even only 1 out of 10,000, that’s too close. Maybe efforts like yours could one day provide the clue, the observation, the missing “dot” that just might make the difference. So keep it up!

BTW - Keep your eye on what’s going on off the coast of Somalia. The US and Russian ships are about to engage Somali pirates. There is more to this story (regarding the Iranian ship - MV Denayat - that isn’t being reported. And it might even be what the Oct 7 deal was all about.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,433322,00.html

I have always considered large aircraft to be a weapon in selected areas. I believed this well before Clancy wrote “Debt of Honor”. Why nobody in the Government could figure that out is no a big surprise to me. Bureaucrats do not succeed when they think out of the box. I have many other areas where I think we are vulnerable but will not post them here. I saw a story yesterday about a house that burned down because the fire hydrants were locked up to prevent “terrorist” activity. The fire department came to the fire but nobody brought the key to unlock the hydrants. That is Government in action.

Thank you 1curiousmind for those kind and thoughtful words. That means a lot to me. It was a lot of work keeping all of those emails and comments over a period of almost two weeks pasted together to one report. But comments such as yours make it all worthwhile. With your permission I would like to cross post your comments to that final report.

That October 7 warning was the only terrorist threat prediction that Radarsite has ever posted on. But there were good reasons to take it seriously. And as I stated in the Final Report, if similar circumstance should arise again we will treat it in a similar fashion.
Thanks again for your encouragement.
Roger G.
Radarsite

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