NSA puts computers full of keywords at communications nodes, voice and data.
Communications containing these keywords are flagged for study by analysts, at different priority levels depending on what keywords are captured.
In addition to noting that overall traffic from flagged individuals are up, your cite states that priority keyword flags have significantly increased in frequency.
This means that potential terrorists here and abroad are not just communicating more, they are commiicating in dangerous ways.
I am assuming that current terrorist threat conditions stand a level orange, even though that has not been officially announced. I am preparing accordingly, and will avoid large public gatherings, unnecessary air travel, other previously specified terrorist targets, etc.
There is a basic question to all of this, "did Iran plan this in advance, and if so, how much risk are they prepared to take, in return for what potential benefit?"
One worst case scenario allows for Iran to attempot maximal success, in Iraq, in the persian Gulf, in Israel, in global terrorist activities.
Your report increases the chances of this possibility, which were minimal before and only slightly elevated now. Iran will lose all, including Tehran if they follow this course of action.
Still, there were those who said "couldn't happen, not a chance" in November of 1941 and in August of 2001, and I choose to learn from their error.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
And on that note, I'm going to leave and drink some beer..
Thank you for explaining, jeffers.
Arlen Specter sure is trying to make it harder on the NSA and President Bush to FIND these communications...pffffft