Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Seven

The Washington Times ^ | 4-26-04 | Bill Gertz

[texasbluebell]

Unhappily yes, I noticed it...

[sissyjane]

My little hubbie,who is in LE says that they are stolen all the time,and that they are putting it out in the media because it's post 9/11.

[jerseygirl]

Meanwhile, while we are struggling to deal with AQ threats-others are moving their chess pieces into play:




PLA navy ready to `deal with Taiwan'


Sylvia Hui and agencies


The commander of the large PLA naval force now moored off Stonecutters Island said yesterday that China is ready to ``preserve political stability in Taiwan'' if necessary.

Vice-Admiral Yao Xingyuan made the surprise comment when asked at a welcoming ceremony where his flotilla of two destroyers, four frigates and two submarines was going after Hong Kong.

He declined to say where the ships would sail next, but then added that the Chinese navy was ready to deal with Taiwan.

``We are highly concerned about the current political situation in Taiwan,'' Yao said.

The PLA naval group is the biggest ever seen in Hong Kong. It arrived yesterday for a six-day visit and was formally welcomed by government officials led by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa.

Hong Kong University political analyst Sonny Lo said the visit and Yao's remarks were a clear show of strength in light of recent events. ``It is a demonstration of their willingness to use military force with Taiwan if necessary and to tell the United States that Hong Kong is Chinese territory.''

Yao said the visit is to celebrate the navy's 55th anniversary.

Taiwan military analyst Andrew Yang suggested that the mainland is ``raising its preparedness to engage in a high-tech war in the Taiwan Strait''.

But Yang said the PLA navy would need more muscle than it has now.

``The PLA must prepare to deal with US intervention,'' he said.

A former US navy analyst told Weekend Standard he did not think the PLA navy had the capability to pose a serious threat to Taiwan, saying: ``It has almost no over-the-horizon capability.''

The analyst said the US naval presence in the region was at normal strength, despite military commitments in Iraq.

The US Pacific Fleet Battle Group is in the region primarily because of the North Korean situation, he said. The fleet's carrier Kitty Hawk visited the Australian port of Fremantle earlier this week.

1 May 2004
www.thestandard.com.hk/ne...intcatid=2

[WestCoastGal]

This idiot they put in charge Saleh, says 'THERE ARE NO FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN FALLUJAH" What is he smoking???????

I pray this decision which appears BAD, will not harm any more Marines. There was an attack already today killing 6, I think.

[jerseygirl]

Also- noticed this. Paging nw Granny!

"The fleet's carrier Kitty Hawk visited the Australian port of Fremantle earlier this week."

Wonder where it is now.

[WestCoastGal]

ping

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

This is horrid. I also saw this in an Atlanta paper about a month ago and they blamed it on some kind of strep germ.

Flesh-eating disease in New Brunswick





SAINT JOHN, N.B. (CP) - Health officials in New Brunswick placed a hospital patient in isolation and five others under observation on the weekend after the flesh-eating disease claimed the life of one person.

The steps were taken after the bacterial infection, also known as necrotizing fasciitis, killed an unidentified patient in Saint John on Friday.

The second patient, who has also been diagnosed with the disease, was in listed in serious condition Sunday at the Saint John Regional hospital, according to officials with the Atlantic Health Sciences Corp.

Officials have yet to determine the source of the infection.

The bacteria that causes the disease consumes flesh, often leading to amputation or death. It can be transmitted through body secretions exchanged during close contact, such as kissing.

"That particular strain is a very aggressive strain, it acts differently in different individuals," said spokeswoman Patricia Crowdis.

The only link found between the two infected individuals so far is that they were both treated at St. Joseph's hospital in Saint John last week.

"That's the only similarity we've found," said Crowdis. "And it's not even enough to be called a link."

It was initially reported that a 37-year-old woman had died, however officials later said the health authority would not provide any information about either patient.

When the condition spreads into the muscle tissue, it is called necrotizing myositis. Death can occur within 12 to 24 hours of infection.

The patient who died Friday passed away less than a day after they had started to receive treatment.

Meanwhile, officials have contacted everyone who was a patient at the day-surgery unit on Monday and Tuesday. That's when the two infected patients received medical attention.

"We have instituted precautions to contain the spread of this infection and now feel the situation is under control as no new cases have developed," Dr. James O'Brien, head of the Atlantic Health Sciences Corp., said in a news release.

The five patients under observation are being treated with antibiotics as a preventive measure.

"As of today, none of those patients are exhibiting symptoms," said Crowdis.

The incubation period for the flesh-eating disease is believed to be about three days.

Public health officials usually monitor at-risk patients for double that length of time, which means it could be four days before the five at-risk patients are released.

Crowdis said health officials were "confident in our sterilization procedure in our instruments."

Last April, a woman in Ottawa and a man in Montreal died within days of each other after both were infected with the flesh-eating disease in separate incidents.

Former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard was forced to have his left leg amputated in 1994 after he was afflicted with the disease.



http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/05/02/444843-cp.html

[little jeremiah]

Placemark.

[WestCoastGal]

Didn't Fox have a map up showing Penn Station below MSG?

[nw_arizona_granny]

Don't forget Cuba's little trick of loading it in bottles and tossing into the current for kids to find and open to release.

I thought from the first reports on WNV that it was deliberate, if you recall the spraying was started almost before the first lab tests were back for the first cases.

Somewhere I read that a good way of getting the mosquito diseases into the U.S., is in new tires being shipped in, the water (placed into them and then shipped) serves as a good breeding ground.

Of course, the ship says, we went through a rain storm. But there were tests that showed the water in the tires was a good breeding ground.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yes, granny saw that.

Every time I see the "Kitty Hawk", all of me is on 'alert', no, I can't explain it.

Is everyone catching the little threats, china, russia and of course n. korea and cuba, added to the islam terrorists, we are at WAR.

[jerseygirl]

Hi AG-

Any info on the Kittyhawk?

World events appear to be escalating toward global war.

Just read this report:


"Britain stockpiles anti-radiation pills"

LONDON, May 2 (UPI) -- The British government has increased its supply of anti-radiation pills to cover 50 percent of the nation's population, the London Telegraph reported Sunday.

The potassium iodate tablets protect the body from the effects of radioactive iodine emitted by nuclear weapons. The pills flood one's thyroid gland with potassium iodate to prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine.

Britain previously held tablets to cover only the 200,000 people living near nuclear power stations or naval bases housing nuclear submarines.

However, Health Secretary John Reid was advised by Britain's security service that terrorists were trying to obtain a nuclear device and it would be a sensible precaution to protect 30 million people.

Intelligence services have said there is a real and imminent threat. In 2002, Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen linked to al-Qaida, was arrested in Chicago on suspicion of planning to set off a dirty bomb.


Copyright 2004 by United Press International.

[nw_arizona_granny]

There was also a Promed report on a clinic in South America, where folks have been going for 'tummy tucks' and it is passing on the same disease, if my memory is correct.

2 or 3 years ago, it got loose in the U.S., there were several cases of it in the L.A. calif area.

[jerseygirl]

Whoa, grannie- We were posting each other at the same time!

(great minds :) )

Thinking out loud here: It may be that the Kitty Hawk has moved closer to the areas of conflict.

I worry that in the next few days nukes may well be fired.

It seems to be coming to the point where each country will feel the necessity for preemptive actions- use 'em or lose 'em.

China just came out and said they are going to deal with Taiwan. We have said we will defend Taiwan. Russia has said Iran is it's most valued ME partner, and stated openly that the US is its enemy. Russia has further warned that the US may strike.

I hope and pray that cooler heads will prevail.

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

So you think there is nothing to this? I was searching and it is all over the US.

[nw_arizona_granny]

England is going full out on getting ready for a bad attack, it shows up all over the place in news.

Some place, I read that the "Kitty Hawk", is only a terrorist phrase to cover all big-flat top type of ships.

It might have been at Sean's or Jill's site, or any place that I have wound up at with my googling.

[mfccinsd]

Fires threatening homes out here again. One on Camp Pendelton threatening homes on the north side of CP (said they have lots of manpower, but that they still don't expect containment for 2-4 days). That one they just showed and it looks far closer to home than 10 minutes ago when they were showing it.

One in Temecula there are voluntarily evacuations to Fallbrook HS (a bit south of Temecula).

Another one is off the 405 near Mulholland and that has part of 405 closed (and some radio towers right off the freeway are threatened).

It's definitely been really hot again like earlier this week, so if it stays much like this for summer we could have a very long fire season...especially if what had been discussed ended up happening and folks tried using fires as a terror type attack or some other destructive reason.

[nw_arizona_granny]

As I see it, the early google searches that showed the links between all of our enemies and the arab terrorists, are true and now we will see exactly how far they will go.

I think the other countries are aware that our military is now small and tired, so we can be struck easily, any place in the world. We can thank the clintons' for the small forces.

Do not ever forget that if our supplies are cut off, we will fold. Over heard a guest on a talk show the other night, who said that if a ship is sunk in the Panama Canal, that it
will be almost impossible to raise it.

I can no longer see for fine sewing, but I do have material on hand, for making clothes and patterns for all sizes of folks. OK, I admit that I like to buy fabric.

During WW2 getting clothes and shoes was difficult, I can imagine what it will be like today, we will be back to about 1850 for manufacturing of our needs.

This country will be completely with out food in days, look at what you have on the shelf, was any grown in the U.S.?

Read that china/tiwan report again, there is a one line threat to the U.S. in it.

Yes, we are in danger, so much so, that it is impossible to predict where the next attack will come from.

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

Granny you are dead on.

Posted on Sat, May. 01, 2004
Cold War's over, but threat of nuclear attack remains

Thousands of Russian nuclear warheads still aimed at U.S. targets

ROBERT MCNAMARA AND HELEN CALDICOTT

Los Angeles Times


As we continue to grapple with the United States' vulnerability to terrorist attack, we fail to recognize the most serious danger, one that is overlooked by politicians and emergency-management agencies alike. Thousands of Russian nuclear warheads are targeted on the United States.

How can this be, after the end of the Cold War nearly 15 years ago? Unfortunately, the targeting strategy of Russia and the United States has changed little, despite a profound change in relations between these two nations.

Most people believe that the threat of nuclear attack -- whether by accident, human fallibility or malfeasance -- has disappeared. Yet a January 2002 document from the U.S. Foreign Military Studies Office, titled "Prototypes for Targeting America, a Soviet Military Assessment," states that New York City, for example, is the single most important target in the Atlantic region after major military installations.

A U.S. Office of Technology Assessment report, commissioned in the 1980s, is still relevant. It estimated that Soviet nuclear war plans had two 1-megaton bombs aimed at each of three airports that serve New York, one aimed at each of the major bridges, two at Wall Street and two at each of four oil refineries. The major rail centers and power stations also were targeted, along with the port facilities.

It's also instructive that a recent Federal Emergency Management Agency report on nuclear-attack preparedness contains a map that depicts New York City obliterated by nuclear blasts and the resulting fire- storms and fallout. Millions of people would die instantly. Survivors would perish shortly thereafter from burns and exposure to radiation.

And New York would not be the only devastated city. According to a report on nuclear war planning by the National Resources Defense Council, Russia aims most of its 8,200 nuclear warheads at the United States, and the United States maintains 7,000 offensive strategic warheads in its arsenal, most of which are targeted on Russian missile silos and command centers. Each of these warheads has roughly 20 times the destructive power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Of the 7,000 U.S. nuclear warheads, 2,500 are maintained on hair-trigger alert, ready for launching. In order to effectively retaliate, the commander of the Strategic Air Command has only three minutes to decide if a nuclear-attack warning is valid. He has 10 minutes to find the president for a 30-second briefing on attack options. And the president has three minutes to decide whether to launch the warheads and at which targets, according to the Center for Defense Information. Once launched, the missiles would reach their Russian targets in 15 to 30 minutes.

A nearly identical situation prevails in Russia, except there the early-warning system is decaying rapidly. As always, the early-warning systems of both countries register alarms daily, triggered by wildfires, satellite launchings and solar reflections off clouds or oceans. A more immediate concern is the difficulty of guaranteeing protection of computerized early-warning systems and command centers against terrorists or hackers. The two nuclear superpowers still own 96 percent of the global nuclear arsenal of 30,000 nuclear weapons. It is clear that their nuclear planning and ongoing targeting are the major threats to national security.

The Senate and House armed-services committees and foreign-relations committees must address these ongoing and unresolved threats to the people of the United States and, indeed, the planet.

Russia and the United States are now self-described allies in their fight against global terrorism. Their first duty in this effort should be immediate and rapid bilateral nuclear disarmament, accompanied by the other six nuclear nations (France, Britain, China, India, Pakistan and Israel), along with U.N. Security Council action to ensure that no other nations -- particularly Iran and North Korea -- acquire nuclear weapons.

According to Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a clear roadmap for nuclear disarmament should be established. Time is not on our side.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/opinion/8564507.htm?1c