Posted on 06/25/2007 6:03:31 AM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0
Washington, D.C. (Jun 22, 2007 16:51 EST) The purpose of this advisory is to provide situational awareness to the scuba industry regarding behavior that may indicate an individual(s) is involved in nefarious activity.
The following threat indicators, taken in isolation, generally reflect legitimate recreational and commercial activities. In combination with other information, they can indicate possible links to criminal behavior. Please note, the below indicators are not an all inclusive list, these indicators represent a baseline that could possibly indicate suspicious behavior.
Training Indicators
Requests for specialty training, including odd inquiries that are inconsistent with recreational diving. These may include:
Requests to dive in murky water or sewer pipes.
Inquires about procedures such as diver towing.
Requests to learn advanced skills associated with combat swimming, including:
Use of re-breathers and diver propulsion vehicles (DPVs).
Deep diving.
Conducting kick counts.
Receiving extra navigation training.
Requests for advanced diver training by applicants from countries where diving is not a common recreational activity. Similarly, training sponsored by groups or agencies such as religious organizations, cults, associations, or charitable agencies not normally associated with diving.
Potentially Suspicious Equipment Purchases or Rentals
Volume purchasing inquires related to Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) and Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPVs). SDVs are very expensive vehicles normally used for specialized military purposes, and usually are not available to recreational divers. Efforts to purchase DPVs, the more commonly available civilian counterpart to SDVs, could be associated with extending the range or payload capacity or a combat swimmer team.
Other Indicators:
Paying cash for diving instruction.
Refusal or reluctance to provide personal information.
Recipients are requested to report suspicious or criminal activity to their local FBI Office.
Read it again. They want to dive in sewer pipes.
Uh huh. Like a fence will stop a plane or better yet, like a fence would stop someone already here? Even here LEGALLY??
Rather interesting, again. Presumably the FBI/DHS would not have issued this advisory unless there is a credible (and potential) threat. But you suggest ignoring this one in order to focus on another. I’ll bet you think you are concerned about security.
Islamofascists? Racial Profiling?
Not here! We’re interested in anyone, including Bolivians, who might fit these profiles....
Hmmmmm!
“Rather interesting, again. Presumably the FBI/DHS would not have issued this advisory unless there is a credible (and potential) threat. But you suggest ignoring this one in order to focus on another. I’ll bet you think you are concerned about security.”
So the fact that anyone can walk across our border carrying anything they want is not a credible or potential threat? Our government can do more than one thing at a time. Every dive shop I’ve been in was full of smart people who know to watch for suspicious people. Going into a recreational dive shop and asking to be taught how to dive in sewer pipes is going to raise alarms bells with even the most dense.
Dive training is easily available world wide. So putting more focus on American citizens is pretty much a waste of time.
I object to our government ignoring the obvious in place of installing more cameras and controls on the very people they represent.
Actually, Muslims are required to wash five times a day.
You have a higher opinion of the DHS than I.
The below indicators?
I see this new phrasing pop up more and more often. I don't like it.
Any grammarians here?
I do try to avoid sewer pipes, though.
Come to think of it, I paid cash on my most recent dive trip. Gitmo here I come!
They're not restricting it, just asking instructors to report suspicious behavior. Flight training is ALSO available worldwide. They're just trying to prevent another attack, and bridges have already been listed by al Qaeda as targets.
As for closing the borders...yeah, we'll get RIGHT ON building that fence all the way around the US coasts.
The proper construction is of course to use an adjective, which is easily done without changing the sense and meaning of the sentence, to wit:
''Please note, the below-mentioned indicators are not an all inclusive list.''
Granted, ''below-mentioned'' is rarely seen, and for a good reason. The fact is that the author is also stylistically damaged, too. Ordinarily, one would list the indicators, and then write something like:
''Please note, the above-mentioned indicators are not an all-inclusive list.''
In doing the search for "sewer diver", I also found "sidewalk diver":
As I noted, I’ve been seeing it more and more lately: “the below listed”, “the below cited”, “the below mentioned”, rather than the acceptable “the facts listed below”, or equivalent.
Love that album! :-)
Nor, I daresay, is the typical 3rd-grade or 4th-grade teacher familiar with these elements, either.
As mentioned, ''below-mentioned'' (**with** the hyphen, please) is a perfectly legitimate, if terminally awkward, adjective. Its occurrence, mercifully, has become generally restricted to the ambulance-chasing profession.
Thanks for filling me in on your deep thinking.
“Requests to dive in murky water or sewer pipes”
NJ?
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.