[GeronL]

they will come either in the night or in the day. It will be either by land or by air or by sea.

[My Favorite Headache]

This is starting to sound even worse as time goes on here. Especially with the John Ashcroft thing and him being called back home early. Kinda like the govt. telling him not to fly commercial airliners a few weeks before 9-11 theory.

[FirstPrinciple]

This is my theory. Nothing will happen but terrorists are simply taking notes on how we respond to chatters. Next time there is a terrorist attack, there will be no chatters.

[hole_n_one]

That's one hell of an "excerpt"!

As far as I'm concerned, it'll be between me, you and the brick wall.

[FairOpinion]

LA Times link:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-alert23dec23,1,568230.story?coll=la-home-headlines

LA Times article title:

U.S. Officials Fear Multiple a Host of Threats

"at least one series of coordinated, simultaneous strikes, like Sept. 11, as well as isolated plots of varying degrees of sophistication."

I think that would be a flurry of suicide bombings in malls, etc. and several spectacular larger attacks, including posssibly WMD.

[FairOpinion]

"Unlike past elevations of the terror threat level, the decision to raise the alert to orange this time was unanimous and decisive, because it was based on what senior Bush administration officials described as the most alarming, credible and specific information they had ever seen."

===

This sounds ominous.

[JennysCool]

Al Qaeda To Attack Major Cities and Remote Areas

I have a better one: U.S. To Attack Terrorist States ... with the caveat that none of them knows which one is first. Should be fun seeing them suck up to us. Let's get real, people: WE hold the cards.

[witnesstothefall]

I'm thinking this is an elaborate headfake, not without some effect, at very little or no cost to al Queda.

I'm skeptical they have the operational wherewithal to conduct multiple snych'd ops stateside, al Queda style. JMO.

[My Favorite Headache]

Thanks! lol

[RLK]

Direct them toward me. I'll be happy to show them what 44 caliber and a just plain nasty disposition can do in the West Virginia woods.

[FairOpinion]

And while we are sitting here trying to defend ourself from a terrorist attack, "Observers Fault U.S. for Pursuing Mini-Nukes" -- in other words they don't want us to respond.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mininukes23dec23,1,2311336.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Observers Fault U.S. for Pursuing Mini-Nukes
Critics say initiative will undermine American efforts to build support for nuclear controls.

VIENNA, Austria -- Research on a new generation of precision atomic weapons by the Bush administration threatens to undermine international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear arms and to tarnish recent successes, according to diplomats and nonproliferation experts.

The criticism focuses on the administration's decision to lay the groundwork for developing low-yield weapons -- known as mini-nukes -- while pursuing President Bush's doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against rogue states.

[FairOpinion]

Would you please also link it to the actual LA Times article, with the LAT article actual title, please?

LA Times link:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-alert23dec23,1,568230.story?coll=la-home-headlines

LA Times article title:

U.S. Officials Fear Multiple a Host of Threats

[Husker24]

I predict that absolutely nothing will happen and there will be no arrests either.

[EUPHORIC]

No problem! No problem at all. Let them fly planes into buildings and blow themselves up in public squares.

Deep in the heart of America the Eagles claws are being warmed by circulating hot air and the Tritium levels are being refreshed in warheads with nice new active stuff and new targets are being evaluated on a minute by minute basis.

The metal creaks as the skins of those awesome talons of the Eagle wriggle and form into shape around the prepared propellants as they are brought to ready status.

I'll guarantee you there are a dozen or more techs hovering over those missiles right this minute massaging them and tickling their underbellies and purring to them in their special ways just itching to watch those awesom birds of prey lash out at those who wish to make this a cave mans world once again.

They want caves? We got the tools to make 'em. Real quick.

One more 9/11 style Jihad thing in the USA over a tiny piece of land that DOES NOT belong to Islam in any case and they think we are going to back down?

Are they just trying to commit suicide by nuke or what?

In the interest of compassion I think we should indulge them.

As for us. We were planning no travel just to get some rest and to enjoy the Holiday but this terrorist BS has motivated us to take another "finger flight". We ae going to fly to San Diego or San Francisco or Vegas for lunch or dinner or something this Christmas Holiday to give the terrorists the "finger". Did the same right after flights resumed after 9/11.

We wear appropriate T's too. :)

I urge EVERYONE to enjoy their CHRISTMAS Holiday and to give the terrorists the FINGER in their own way.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

... but... but... but I thought it'd long since been decided that it was actually we dirty, filthy, evil Jooooooooooooooooooooos who'd actually been responsible for coordinating and carrying out all terrorist attacks on American soil! That's what the French and the DUmmies have been robotically insisting all this time, at any rate!

It's not fair! It's not fair, I tell you! WE want to be the recognized world masterminds of large-scale global terror, death and destruction! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH -- ! < /sarcasm>

[jimbo123]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/12/22/threat.level/index.html

A government official said numerous people have been blocked from entering the country at various locations since December 1 but would not give specifics.

Another U.S. official said a handful of foreign flight crew members had been stopped in recent days.

The United States is working with airlines and foreign governments to improve their security postures, officials said.

There is concern about Mexico and Canada because of their contiguous airspace with the United States.

[TurtleTrap]

Roger Cressey, a former senior Bush administration counter-terrorism official, said the current intercepts have officials so concerned because they so closely mirror the conversations picked up before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Uhhmm....so they DID know?

[Southack]

Another Terrorist Attack?! Here's What You Can Do Both Before and After To Help America Prevent and/or Respond

[stlnative]

Intel Points to Large Coordinated Al Qaeda Attack

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

FOXNEWS
http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,106456,00.html

WASHINGTON — As federal transportation and security officials braced themselves for a deluge of travelers during a period of high terror alert (search), the president assured Americans they would be protected as they celebrated the holidays.

"Our government is doing everything we can to protect our country," President Bush said. "American citizens need to go about their lives, but as they do so, they need to know that governments at all levels are working as hard as we possibly can to protect the American citizens."

In ways big and small, obvious and opaque, already tight security was fortified at transportation and energy facilities nationwide in response to government warnings that Al Qaeda (search) could attack this holiday season.

Bomb-sniffing canine units (search) were added at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, maritime patrols were augmented near power plants that border Lake Erie, and more officers than usual were activated along the U.S.-Canadian border.

Similar defenses have been increased around key bridges, tunnels, seaports and landmarks, as well as chemical facilities and other places that may be vulnerable to attack. Other layers of protection likely have been in place since Sunday, when the national security level was bumped up to orange, which is "high" alert, from yellow, or "elevated," security experts said.

"There's going to be a menu of visible and invisible measures that are implemented," said Brian Jenkins, research associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University and a special adviser to the Rand Corp., a California-based think tank.

Among the covert steps likely taken, Jenkins said, are an increase in the number of air marshals (search), particularly on flights arriving from overseas, undercover surveillance around airports and more frequent air patrols near major cities.

There are some concerns about missiles being fired at planes taking off or landing, Jenkins said.

The fact that it's the holiday season partly drove the decision to raise the alert. During this time of year, many people are distracted and traveling, and several gather at events like football games and New Year's celebrations.

However, authorities also said the move was based on specific, corroborated intelligence that Al Qaeda may soon try to pull off an attack in multiple places to cause mass casualties.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said such an attack could eclipse that of Sept. 11, 2001, which left nearly 3,000 people dead.

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they did not have any specifics about a potential method, location or time of any attack. They noted that in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, aviation could be a prime possibility.

"We know, tragically, they turned four airplanes into missiles," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told reporters after a meeting of President Bush's Homeland Security Council.

Defense Department officials said they were launching more military air patrols over major cities, but they would provide no details. Other government sources said, however, that New York, Washington and Los Angeles were likely choices.

The Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency charged with protecting air travelers, would not discuss its planning at a detailed level, other than to confirm that vehicle inspections and parking restrictions have increased at airports and that Coast Guard patrols have been added near airports bordering oceans and lakes.

"We're putting all hands on deck," TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser said, adding that parking restrictions may require travelers to park a little farther away than they might normally.

The Nuclear Energy Institute, which represents the owners of more than 100 reactors in 31 states, said the power industry is coordinating with law enforcement and intelligence agencies and has 7,000 of its own patrolmen at the ready.

"Really, it's a paramilitary security force," said Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the group.

In addition, cargo planes and flights originating overseas were of special concern in the latest warning.

To defend against another airborne attack, baggage and passenger screeners are working overtime at airports, and their managers have come out from behind the scenes to work the front lines, the TSA said.

The TSA also reminded travelers that it needs help, broadcasting messages over loudspeakers at airports and train stations that urge Americans to report any suspicious activity or unattended luggage.

The Coast Guard, meanwhile, cautioned boaters to avoid off-limits areas near power plants and to keep their eyes peeled for suspicious activity.

Amtrak said police officers are randomly riding and inspecting trains and that patrols have been beefed up inside stations and along platforms. Some baggage is also being checked, a spokesman said.

The Air Transport Association, which represents the country's major airlines, has urged travelers to arrive two hours before domestic or international flights and to check all bags in order to expedite the screening process.

Although commercial flight procedures have not changed as a result of the raised terror-threat level, the Federal Aviation Administration has imposed stricter rules for private pilots flying in and out of airports near the nation's capital.

And a trucking industry trade group warned carriers of fuel or hazardous chemicals to be particularly alert.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Az Joe]

I would think that they would want to strike early enough in the Christmas shopping season to throw a monkey wrench into the economy at a vulnerable time.