DISASTER TEAMS SAID READY FOR TERRORISM (Pres. Bush receiving updates at Camp David)

AP Wire ^ | Dec. 25, 2003 | AP Wire

[varina davis]

Disaster Teams Said Ready for Terrorism

December 25, 2003 05:16 PM EST

WASHINGTON - Disaster teams are ready to respond to any strike by the al-Qaida terrorist network and special equipment is monitoring the air for biological agents in some 30 cities, the Bush administration said Thursday.

Four days after the nation went to a high Code Orange status and turned up its vigilance against terrorism, the threat had not diminished. "Credible reporting suggests al-Qaida continues to desire to attack American interests," said Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.

"People have their antennas up," he said.

President Bush was spending Christmas at his mountaintop retreat at Camp David, Md., where he received updates from senior advisers and military aides, said White House spokesman Jim Morrell.

The increased threat level triggered activation of the disaster teams, composed of government experts from different agencies.

The teams would:

-Provide expert advice and support to the on-scene commander if there's a threat, or an incident involving weapons of mass destruction.

-Respond to any release of radiation with advice and air monitoring equipment.

-Provide medical personnel to assist state and local medical authorities.

Besides the contingency teams, Homeland Security officials have stepped up their vigilance in searching for evidence of a biological attack.

The agency previously modified air pollution monitoring equipment in 30 cities to pick up any biological agents and provide test results in 12-to-24 hours.

With the latest threat, officials took several dozen units from the government's inventory and installed them in some of the same cities. The cities were not identified for security reasons.

U.S. officials were conferring with other governments in an effort to prevent suspected terrorists from boarding airplanes heading to the United States.

"We're concerned about flights originating from international countries including Mexico and others," said a national security official, insisting on anonymity.

U.S. officials were closely monitoring the situation in France, where six Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles were canceled Wednesday and Thursday.

French investigators questioned seven men pointed out by U.S. intelligence but found no evidence they planned to use a Los Angeles-bound jet to launch terror attacks against the United States, French authorities said Thursday.

U.S. intelligence officials told their French counterparts that members of al-Qaida would try to board the planes over Christmas, said a French judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

[tbpiper]

I agree. If we're hit, we'll recover, we'll clean up, and we will hit back....hard.

[Lady Heron]

Having read through this thread it seems like you all think the apocalypse is near. For the most part, I would not want any of you with me in a fox hole engaged in a dog fight.

I think you misjudge a bunch of news junkies hyper-intrest with fear. If you remember Freerepublics anger and willingness to fight after 9-11, there was not much fear there.

I admit that my intrest is very high, and have a real wish to dig out more information than the government is willing to let us have (understand their reasoning), it does not mean that I have any fear.

[oceanperch]

thats not a bad idea attention everone with the flu bug report for sneeze spraying duty.

[bvw]

"in a fox hole engaged in a dog fight."

You've already lost the Battle of Metaphors.

[oceanperch]

This just in our Coast Guard just called into the PD on a Ford Explorer in their parking lot and it does not belong to anyone there. Plate do not match the vehicle it is on. I will update if anything comes up.

Our Coast guard is a little one BTW.

[oceanperch]

False Alarm coast guard employee running the plates read them wrong when doing a check. All is clear it belongs to a coast guard employee fromm the next station up from ours.

[octobersky]

Sobering news. I'm so glad the 2000 presidential election had a favorable outcome.

[Attman]

Does "Stopping" the frog flight cause the entire operation to be postponed?

[Attman]

Not from what Drudge is saying.

LA TIMES FRIDAY: Official: 'This is a broad and serious threat that is not going to disappear with the cancellation of one or two flights... There is a lot of crisscrossing data that points to certain flights, certain times and certain countries. It's not just in one location, point of departure or arrival. It's not only France and it's not only L.A'...

[sdk7x7]

The threats are sounding increasingly serious and credible. It is quite possible that we are on the brink of another major terrorist attack, although I truly hope that our military, law enforcement, and homeland security personnel are successful in their attempts to stop such evil things from happening. My best wishes go out to everyone in the FR community--let's pray that these alerts are just that, alerts, and nothing more.

Stay safe.

[Samwise]

It's like we're in the middle of Tom Clancy plot, only the type is in white ink. We can't see anything.

Unfortunately, that was an excellent analogy.

[Yaelle]

Just wondering why Al Quaedas are putting the flight numbers of planes into their "chatter." Surely they know they are being heard. Why wouldn't they only tell those kinds of details face to face, or by living messenger, or even use code? Why are they chattering so much?

[Libertina]

We even have them on the county and local levels...I just had a (short) briefing last week on their preparations.

[oceanperch]

Yeah your point of view makes a lot of sense...I never thought of it that way, thanks.

[Samwise]

They could be running the good guys all over the place to divert them from what ever they are really up to. They could also be testing our ability to pick up their intel--seeing which of their methods of communication we can intercept.

When you want to find out who is leaking information, you tell a bunch of different things to different people. When you hear what "gets out," you know the source of the leak by the content of the leak.

All of these different Al Queda plots that are floating out there make me wonder if they are playing with us.

[Cate]

If you want to see some scary stuff, go to
www.stevequayle.com
he has a list of all the international power outages for the past few months.

[GOPJ]

Does anyone know which 30 cities are at highest risk? I feel we all have the right to know...

The agency previously modified air pollution monitoring equipment in 30 cities to pick up any biological agents and provide test results in 12-to-24 hours.

[GOPJ]

I agree. There is no reason on earth not to train neighborhood associations to deal with some of the fallout of terrorism. A truly "rapid" rapid response team is a knowledgeable husband, a neighbor, or family member. Also, training gives people a chance to feel some control in uncertain times.

I would, however, feel more comfortable if the administration would level with us a little more. This "go about your business" and let the gov. worry about your safety talk, is getting on my nerves. The American people don't need nannies and babysitters.

[Daniel Ramsey]

It almost appears to me is what we need is a bargaining chip, something we will do in tete` for tete` if we are attacked. And whatever this is it must be of a garganuan scale, comparatively like if we knew we were going to be attacked by the japs in WWII at Pearl Harbor, we had our defences up, we were hit hard but what did we do immediately after? nothing much except for the Doolittle raid over Tokyo which strategically was minor in effects but for raising the American mood back home.

What GWB needs to do is adopt something more like the Sicilians (my old blood family) is that you never retaliate equally, instead you send a message. Like taking all AQ fighters caught so far and stuff pig intestines and other body parts in their body cavities, bury them facing away from Mecca, under a pile of old shoes no less.
Another thing to do is hold the sacred area of Mecca itself hostage, if we are attacked we drop several Daisy Cutters or MOABS, and we tell the world we will do that, Russia does it, Israel does it, China does it, NoKor does it daily, the list goes on...seriously folks, wars are never won defensively.

Either OBL backs off or we take out everything of Islamic importance, worldwide.