Posted on 05/25/2004 4:52:15 PM PDT by Wolfstar
17 minutes ago (at time of posting) The intelligence does not include a time, place or method of attack but is among the most disturbing received by the government since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a senior federal counterterrorism official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday.
Of most concern, the official said, is that terrorists may possess and use a chemical, biological or radiological weapon that could cause much more damage and casualties than a conventional bomb.
"There is clearly a steady drumbeat of information that they are going to attack and hit us hard," said the official, who described the intelligence as highly credible.
The official declined to provide any specifics about the sources of the information but said there was an unusually high level of corroboration.
Despite that, the official said there was no immediate plan to raise the nation's terrorism threat level from yellow, or elevated, to orange, or high. The threat level has been at yellow — midpoint on the five-color scale — since January.
Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller plan a news conference Wednesday to outline an intensive effort by law enforcement, intelligence and homeland security officials to detect and disrupt any potential plots. And the FBI plans to dispatch a bulletin to some 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies warning of the threat.
Beginning with Saturday's dedication of the new World War II Memorial in Washington, the summer presents a number of high-profile targets in the United States. They include the G-8 summit in Georgia next month that will attract top officials from some of America's closest allies, the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July and the Republican National Convention in August in New York.
The FBI and Homeland Security Department also are concerned about so-called soft targets such as shopping malls anywhere in the United States that offer a far less protected environment than a political convention hall.
U.S. authorities repeatedly have said al-Qaida is determined to mount an attack on U.S. soil, in part to announce to the world that it remains capable of doing so despite the money and effort that has gone into homeland security in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
There also is concern terrorists might try to mount an attack to coincide with the November election. The political fallout from the March 11 train bombings in Spain taught al-Qaida that an attack timed to an election can have a major impact. Spain's former ruling party was ousted in the voting that followed the bombing, which killed 191 and injured more than 2,000.
The official did not say how many suspected al-Qaida or other terrorist operatives are believed in the country, whether they made their way into the United States recently or have been here for some time. The FBI has warned in the past that Islamic extremist groups may attempt to recruit non-Middle Easterners or women for attacks because they would be less likely to arouse suspicion.
Special security attention already is being focused to the nation's rail, subway and bus lines. The FBI last week sent out an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement agencies urging vigilance against suicide bombers, who have been used by terror groups worldwide to devastating effect but not so far in the United States.
Separately, Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Michael Garcia told reporters Tuesday that some 2,300 of its agents are being deployed to assist in security for the high-profile events scheduled this summer in the United States. These include as many as 20 agents each day working with the Secret Service to protect the campaigns of President Bush (news - web sites) and Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), the Democratic presidential candidate.
Garcia said his agency also is working to "tighten the investigative system" to ensure that terrorists do not enter the United States by way of human smuggling operations or through the vast, largely unprotected border with Canada.
Makes me wonder if they are here illegally. And if so what our worthless politicians are doing about it.
I assume you mean Lake St Clair(almost the size of a small Great Lake).
There's the St Clair river too further North between Lake Huron and Lake St Clair.
Wait a minute, we have a terror problem?
I'm willing to bet these were probes.
And meanwhile, the borders are as open as ever and god help you if you profile one of these maggots.
In many stretchs along the River there you can be across in just a few minutes.
JIHAD IN AMERICA - ONLINE VIDEO
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/532360/posts
If I were you I would leave that apartment building as soon as possible -- maybe even leave the city that yer in. Don't ya think?
A bunch of Pakis went quiet in my area right before 911 -- or at least they were talking in hushed tones.
I was responding to cajungirl's (not to you) cynicism with my remarks. Maybe you should go back and see what exactly I was responding to before you want to hijack the meaning of my words.
What I'm saying, if you must know, is the second attack on this country will have a different response from citizens and this current administration, it will all be ramped up in ways we can't even imagine. I hardly think this country will elect John Kerry if we our attacked again, and I was allaying those fears to cajungirl.
Hope that clears everything up for you!
U.S. implements NAFTA provisions for Mexican trucks
WASHINGTON (Nov. 29, 2002, via truckinginfo.com) -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has directed his agency's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to act on the 130 applications received thus far from Mexico-domiciled truck and bus companies seeking to transport international cargo in cross-border services in the United States.
Wednesday's action also applies to those seeking to provide regular route services between Mexico and the United States.
Secretary Mineta's action was prompted when President Bush modified the moratorium on granting operating authority to Mexican motor carriers. The President's action means that the United States has fulfilled its obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and that Mexican truck and regular-route bus service into the U.S. interior can begin.
As a practical matter, this service will begin only after the FMCSA reviews Mexican carrier applications and grants provisional operating authority to qualified Mexican truck and bus companies seeking this authority.
"By modifying the moratorium, President Bush has made good on his commitment to open the border to international trucking and cross-border regular route bus service," Mineta said. "This will help increase trade between our countries. Mexican carriers and drivers must meet the same standards as U.S. operators. I have made a lifelong commitment to equality under the law and will not, however, tolerate discriminatory enforcement. In this matter of trucking, as in all the modes of transportation, the pervasive issue is safety."
Secretary Mineta added, "We look forward to working with Mexico, in the same way that we already are co-operating with the Canadians, as we synchronize our activities in advance of opening the border for expanded passenger bus and truck operations."
Kenneth M. Mead, the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, said, "The department has worked diligently and aggressively to fulfill the requirement for establishing a strong safety program before the southern border was opened to long-haul Mexican truck traffic. This objective has been met by having in place a sufficient number of inspectors, adequate facilities and space for inspections, measures to ensure that licenses are valid and that motor carrier firms pass safety and compliance reviews. These actions are testimony that this Secretary and the Department place a high value on safety. As mandated by Congress, we will continue to review and report on the implementation of these requirements."
Mexican trucking firms who receive operating authority as a result of this process will be permitted to deliver and back-haul cargo to and from the United States. Similarly, Mexico-domiciled bus companies will be permitted to schedule regular passenger service to and from points in Mexico and the United States. Mexico is obligated under NAFTA to provided expanded access for U.S. carriers.
The change in the moratorium Wednesday affects only international cargo and service between the United States and Mexico. It left in place the moratorium on permits to Mexico-domiciled motor carriers for providing truck or bus services between points in the United States.
The FMCSA, which regulates interstate truck and bus safety, will be granting operating authority only to Mexican motor carriers that comply with all U.S. safety standards and insurance requirements. The agency has established a detailed application process and a comprehensive safety monitoring program, which are intended to ensure that only Mexican carriers capable of fully complying with U.S. safety regulations operate in the United States. Individual applications are being reviewed and as soon as all the administrative steps are completed, including completion of on-site safety audits, qualified motor carriers will be granted provisional operating authority.
The Department says it will continue to work closely with the Department of Justice, the Office of Homeland Security and other relevant federal agencies to help ensure the security of the border and prevent potential threats to national security.
The FMCSA says that in preparing for the day when it could implement the truck and bus provisions of NAFTA, it met or exceeded its own safety goals as well as requirements of the Fiscal Year 2002 Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. That law set 22 preconditions for FMCSA to meet before it could process and approve any applications from Mexican carriers.
These requirements included increasing the number of border enforcement staff to 252 persons, including 144 safety inspectors, 67 auditors and 41 safety investigators. FMCSA has also constructed and expanded inspection stations along the border; provided additional parking areas for vehicles taken out of service for safety violations; acquired and installed weigh stations; and made other improvements to infrastructure and federal and state facilities.
Mexican drivers will be subject to U.S. drug and alcohol requirements. They also must follow U.S. hours of service rules to ensure that they have sufficient rest to drive safely, and they must maintain logs to prove it to safety inspectors.
To drive in the United States, commercial drivers from Mexico must have a Licencia Federal, the Mexican equivalent of a U.S. commercial driver's license. In a 1991 memorandum of understanding, the United States and Mexico established reciprocity between the Mexican Licencia Federal and the U.S. commercial driver's license. The 1991 memorandum includes recognition by the United States that Mexican truck drivers who possess a Licencia Federal also meet U.S. medical requirements. U.S. and Mexican truck inspectors can access federal and state databases in the United States and Mexico during an inspection to check whether a driver's license is valid.
To receive operating authority, all Mexico-domiciled carriers must undergo a safety audit by the FMCSA. During these audits, inspectors assess a carrier's safety posture and assist applicants with information concerning U.S. safety regulations and help ensure that these carriers have methods in place to comply with the safety regulations. The United States and Mexico will share safety data generated on both sides of the border in such audits by U.S. officials. Of the 130 Mexico-domiciled motor carriers that have applied to begin cross-border long-haul cargo service into the United States, approximately half are ready for safety audits.
All Mexican trucks and buses operating in the United States will be required to display a valid Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) inspection decal. These decals, valid for 90 days, indicate a vehicle has passed a safety inspection by a qualified inspector. Likewise, Mexican truck and bus companies will be required to carry U.S. insurance while operating in the United States.
Since Congress imposed the moratorium in 1982 and until now, most Mexico-domiciled trucks crossing the border into the United States have been restricted to operating in "commercial zones," which are areas surrounding U.S. cities. Commercial zones along the southern border generally extend 3 to 20 miles past the corporate limits of cities, depending on population. Even with the implementation of the truck and bus provisions of NAFTA, most trucks from Mexico will be certified for operating only in commercial zones. In 2001, the latest year for which statistics are available, there were about 4.3 million crossings into the United States border commercial zones from Mexico. According to an estimate based on figures from the late 1990s, these crossings are by about 63,000 Mexican trucks.
Additional information and background on the U.S. Department of Transportation's actions concerning NAFTA can be found at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/.
I am not listening to news outlets but my fellow workers, people in coffee shops, people passing by when a tv is on,,,it astounds me.
I would if I could but I live/work in So.Calif. Almost like the days following 9/11.
I see a lot of folks on this thread calling for closed borders, but I tend to think they're only discussing the north and south borders of CONUS, and forgetting all the shorelines, ports, and waterways...not to mention Alaska, Hawaii, etc.
Frankly, I don't think even the Chinese have enough human beings to patrol all those miles of border 24/7/365, plus find, check and deport everyone not born here, and keep them from getting back...
They act like it's just Mexico and Canadian land borders, and that's wrong. In addition, there are a lot of islands and territories, am I right? Thinking of the Florida Keys, here...
I mean, good grief! Americans have to be open, because that's the only choice we have. Anyone who wants to get into this country and stay, can get into this country and stay, with the possible exception of Elian Gonzalez.
It's up to Americans to protect ourselves. Why don't we know that? It isn't the President's job to put an impenetrable fence around the entire US, the airports, the shipyards, the oceans--that's impossible. People who call for that, are just deluding themselves, imho.
Bush-bashing is in vogue these days no doubt about it. But I'd be willing to bet there are just as many, if not more, Bush supporters than bashers.....they just remain silent.
I made myself have an exercise in opposition research today,,,my own crazy thing. I imagined that a dem was in the WH engaged in a war I was absolutely opposed to, one I thought he had ginnned up and lied about to get us involved. And if an attack on our soil happened as a result of that war. What would I do? What would I have done about a war I detested,,,somehow I just couldn't get into it. Sort of like the time I decided to listen to lib tv and pretend I was going to vote for a dem just to see if I was missing something, that maybe they all weren't totally whacko. I couldn't do it for more than ten minutes. Just couldn't take it.
Get real, what you'll see is mass chaos and panic and a hell of a lot of very angry people that'll be asking why the hell our immigration policies and borders were never secured while we are running through the streets of Iraq trying to make them some kind of democratic society.
Sorry you missed the metaphor!
It's OK not to speak in code. What exactly are you trying to say? Feel free to express yourself. Remember 911? Everyone staring in total shock for days, weeks? What exactly do you think the average folks in America are going to do if all of a sudden the islamos decided to start blowing themselves up while taking out American's?
What I'm saying, if you must know, is the second attack on this country will have a different response from citizens and this current administration, it will all be ramped up in ways we can't even imagine. I hardly think this country will elect John Kerry if we our attacked again, and I was allaying those fears to cajungirl.
Well no it doesn't clear it up unless you are only making the point that if we are attacked again, everyone will vote for Bush. If we are attacked again, and it is determined that the terrorist entered this country illegally, with little effort, there is going to be a real uprising against all politicians who ignored the immigration disaster and border security timebomb.
Bet the rent my friend.
Because we know the democrat party will pull us out of the war against terrorism everywhere except here in the U.S., leaving us to be attacked here not in Iraq or Afghanistan, it would be in al Qaeda's best interest to keep Republicans in charge as the means to have a world-wide campaign the Islamicists can wage for more converts and less sympathy for the U.S. In that light, the following should be seen as a prime target for the terrorists: "... the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July ..." I wonder, is that why ol' Feckless Kerry is planning to be scarce in Boston in July, rather than because he wants to have a few extra weeks to spew dnc anti-American Military propaganda and hate with unlimited Soros funds?
I did have a good laugh on my daughter and son in law, both libs but young and forgiven in advance by me. I gave daughter a big check and they were so happy, both are in school, grad school and poor. Then I told son in law he could thank GWB for the check as the tax cut had given me a huge refund. I had fun and the look on his face was priceless. Every time he says mean things about Bush, I am going to pull out the check book and ponder it.
So this is what your all about. LOL! Instead of thinking total security for our country, you can only think of your candidate. Jezzzzzuz, that's sad!
Read post 453!
Protecting every foot of our borders is a pipedream, but since you seem to think that failure to protect every foot of our borders is a legitimate excuse for American anger should we be attacked again.......I'd like to hear how you would suggest it to be done, how do we protect our borders?
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.