Posted on 12/21/2003 10:24:54 AM PST by Happy2BMe
By JENNIFER C. KERR WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is raising the national threat warning from yellow, the midpoint on its five-color scale, to orange, a federal official said Sunday. Tom Ridge, the homeland security secretary, planned to discuss the chance at a midafternoon news conference at the agency's headquarters. A department official confirmed the elevated threat level but declined to provide details before Ridge's appearance. U.S. officials by the end of last week were telling holiday travelers to be vigilant about the threat of terrorist attacks. The warning was prompted in part by a raised level of ominous intercepted communications that has not quieted for months. The significance of the sustained level of intelligence "chatter" is unclear, the officials said. Homeland Security officials said they did not expect a change in the threat level unless more specific intelligence was received. On Friday, the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera aired a new statement from Ayman al-Zawahri, the chief deputy of Osama bin Laden. The CIA said Saturday it believes the tape is authentic. "We are still chasing the Americans and their allies everywhere, even in their homeland," according to the voice on the tape. Some statements from al-Qaida leaders are later regarded as preludes to attacks; others simply propaganda. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday morning that officials were trying to determine whether increased terrorist chatter being detected in recent weeks was an aberration or something more serious. "There is no doubt, from all the intelligence we pick up from al-Qaida, that they want to do away with our way of life," he told "Fox News Sunday." "And if they could use another catastrophic event, a tragedy like 9-11; if they could do that again, if they could get their hands on weapons of mass destruction and make it 10,000 (deaths), not 3,000, they would do that." Myers said he and Ridge were to discuss the threat level "in the next 24, 48 hours" and raising the level was under active consideration. "It's Secretary Ridge's business, but the Department of Defense does play a role in supporting federal agencies in this regard, and so we're discussing this right now," said Myers, who just returned from a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan.
If we go along with this demand, can we buy some time?
The liberal Democrats want us to go to the UN and beg them to get involved in appeasing the terrorist states and nations on our behalf.
Plus, I have been hearing that the capture of Saddam is a very 'bad thing" because the Palestinians worshipped him as their "Michael Jackson" King of Terror and now that he is in custody and humiliated, that they are going to bring their suicide terror bombing of innocent men, women and children from Israel and Iraq to the United States now because of what we did to their beloved patron.
Bottom line: the liberals (Howard Dean) believe that we deserve what we get.
The liberal Democrats want us to go to the UN and beg them to get involved in appeasing the terrorist states and nations on our behalf.
Replace "THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS" with any Democrat running for president and you have a perfect match.
Unless it's an attack on Hillary's thunder-thighs and wide-load a**!
TRANSLATION: We don't want to offend anyone of the "Religion of Peace" by this heightened terrorist threat.
Oh, I see. You want Ridge to get real specific, inducing panic, and tipping the terrorists off.
Ridge is doing just fine. There have been no attacks since 9/11, and three or four cells have been busted. Lots of money has been frozen.
They're doing their best.
But, I'm sure you could write Ridge a nice long letter, with all your suggestions, and he'd take them under advisement.
I wouldn't be surprised if we caught wind of a specific target or methodology that in private there are more specific warnings given to those officials who need to be on the lookout, who in turn alert some of the civilian troops.
He needs to at least spell out a few basic items to be aware of.
He needs to cite some examples.
Here are a few he could have easily used in telling concerned citizens of what to be more aware of:
- Suitcases and bags or boxes left unattended at airports or subways.
- Persons loitering around, climbing on, or entering into any public utility areas otherwise not accessible to the public.
- Conversations overheard where the President of the United States or any public official's life or the lives of their families have been threatened.
- Any activities or conversations witnessed or overheard where terrorist activities (e.g., sabotage, espionage, subterfuge, murder, extortion, or blackmail) are believed to be active against the interest of the United States, it's territories, or it's citizens.
Ridge is weak, really, really weak.
We can tell you that the wire has been led up and it's in its final stages . I think they mean that the fuse has been lit.
planning with you and have knowledge of all your planes. I think they mean "plans" not planes. The comments that they are making threats about planes may not be accurate.
And this order is the last life line and the only chance to drop cold water on the led wire, Do what we say, this is the last chance to put out the lit fuse.
We highly request that the final decision that will come out comes from highly respected people in the administration Make sure that Rumsfeld or Bush announce your capitulation, not Ridge or Mineta.
our religion Islam which is the last religion will haven them all under its wings and will give them more than what they have got from any other religion although we don't believe that any other religion beside the three religions is right. we will let Christians and Jews live, but we will make life miserable for them until they finally convert.
2. Taking out the (illegal immigrants that came back to the land of Palestine) which you have records of all of them in your archives. Give us Israel. The jews who were there before 1948 can stay, under our control. The Ashkanazi must go back.
The childish playing with earth is not a simple thing, we know that and we plane things very carefully more careful than you could ever imagine and also assessed the deaths expected and their numbers that humanity can take. What we have planned is going to piss off the Greens. Sorry! Oh, and a large percentage of the earth's population will die, but it will help usher in the House of Peace, so it's ok.
4. The returning of the old borders known to you and we press on the northern borders. Including Spain, Greece and southern Russia.
we wont do what you did to us times and times before under the rule of the devilish tree that was planted by (whom you know) feeding it and giving it water with your blessings as you enslaved your self's and your people under their rule. No clue.
we will give you a prior few minutes notice before our blessed attack so that you will be able to watch your destruction with your own satellite We get to watch on FoxNews!
as we would be by then have passed the sky's of the seventh sky to heaven and your nation to the fires of hell, and what and end It's a suicide mission, and a glorious way to die it will be. Picture Slim Pickens.
Ridge is NOT going to be specific, no matter how much some on this site want him to be.
I disagree that he's weak. He's got a thankless job, and much happens behind the scenes that you will NEVER know about.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.