Release of Terror Strike Report a Mistake

Mar. 16, 2005 - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday it was a mistake for Hawaii to post a confidential report on its Web site, but the department will continue to communicate openly with state and local authorities about potential terror threats.

Hawaii officials published a draft copy of a confidential Homeland Security report that catalogues ways terrorists might strike in the United States. The report, requested by a presidential directive in December 2003, marks Homeland Security efforts to spur state and local authorities into thinking about preventing attacks.

"My understanding is this was an error," Chertoff said in an interview with reporters. "... It's not going to deter us from working closely with our state and local partners in fashioning these plans."

The report was deleted from Hawaii's site late Tuesday night. Homeland Security initially believed other states also may have linked to the report on their Web sites, but a further review Wednesday showed that not to be the case, said spokesman Brian Roehrkasse.

But Chertoff said he is going to resist talking publicly about possible terror threats as they unfold until he has definitive information to give.

Infecting cattle with foot and mouth disease in several places, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

I also meant to add this is why HS wants a national database of individual animal ID system in this country. R-CALF has fought animal database ID systems tooth and nail. Sorry for the second post.

I don't think you need tinfoil; it's a difficult mistake to make, I would think. It's not like someone just hit the wrong button. And what a huge mistake to make.

Why has R-Calf fought the animal ID system so hard? In light of their other (phony) concerns, you'd think this would have jumped out at the judge.

R-CALF from day one, has been a single-issue organization with one objective. To get the Canadian border closed to cattle and beef imports. R-CALF has pushed COOL (country of origin labeling) for some time. Although there will be associated costs to this sort of program it's probably going to be a necessary step in order to participate on the world market. However, R-CALF in the past has fought hard against a national database or individual animal ID. It seems disengenuous to insist on one but resist the other, doesn't it?

Why do they oppose this? IMO it's because they didn't want any means for anything to ever be traced back to any of their members cow herds, although the explanation from R-CALF would be framed with references to "too much Big Brother", too much costs etc. in that sort of program.

I think R-CALF has begun realizing that this is going to catch up with them though, because recently their tune has changed slightly. The reason is I believe, because they finally realize that the packers, retailers etc, and world customers will demand that individual animal ID system. R-CALF hasn't jumped entirely on board with this as they are only at this point counseling their members to get birthdate verification, not source verification.

When you go out and sell a concept, parsed in the framework of Mom, America and apple pie, it's often easy to convince rural Americans that it's the righ thing to do. (And I want to be clear, I am not taking a swipe at rural Americans.)Unfortunately, the larger concepts, the bigger implications have been conveniently left out or ignored by R-CALF and aren't fully realized by their membership.

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