Posted on 11/06/2001 5:59:22 AM PST by Missy35
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=226665&thesection=news&thesubsection=world Intercepts revealed plan for great devastation
05.11.2001 By DAVID USBORNE
A series of intercepted telephone conversations between suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network prompted President George W. Bush's decision to order a general terror alert for the United States last week.
The calls indicated an attack against America that would be more devastating than the September 11 atrocities.
While the intelligence from the telephone calls was chilling, officials wrangled for hours over whether the public should hear about it.
A general warning issued by Attorney-General John Ashcroft on October 11 drew sharp criticism from some Congressmen who complained that the warning then was too vague to be of much use to the authorities but sufficiently ominous to unsettle already nervous Americans.
But Mr Bush decided the latest alert had to be put out.
Transcripts of the intercepts have not been made available but officials said they were especially frightening.
The FBI was opposed to issuing a country-wide alert while nothing more specific could be made available.
The agency feared that law enforcement authorities around the country would be irritated by a warning that had no substance.
Last week, the Governor of California, Gray Davis, made public a confidential warning that had been conveyed to him and to seven other western states by the FBI.
The warning said terrorists might be planning attacks on suspension bridges on the west coast.
The governor's announcement triggered charges that he was overreacting and sowing panic unnecessarily among Californians.
But there is speculation that nothing happened after the alert on October 11 because whatever had been allegedly planned by al Qaeda was either postponed or cancelled after some of its operatives were caught in the international anti-terror operation and arrested.
While most cities across America were already on very high alert, the alert last week may have galvanised officials once more to be on their toes.
No-flight zones were established around all of America's nuclear power plants and the Sears Tower in Chicago, now the country's tallest skyscraper.
There's been TOO much talk about smallpox. Seems to me it's a 'prep' for when the thing breaks out.
I know this is a helluva time to be petty, and the article make much more important points, but I just want to add that the Sears Tower has been the country's tallest since it was completed. Still the world's tallest, by any reasonable definition.
Jeez - There is no shortage of potential targets where massive numbers of people could be killed by a single, well armed terrorist.
Keep you eyes open and question something that looks out of place or unusual. And don't hesitate to call authorities or confront the suspect yourself, even innocently like to ask directions, just to satisfy your curiosity.
And let's see the damn interepts if the exist.
Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.
Unfortunately, I agree. There is almost no reason for the government to be doing the things it is doing regarding smallpox vaccinations if they didn't think it was an immediate threat.
They wouldn't think it was an immediate threat unless they believed that either al-Qaida had the weapon or Iraq intended to use it now.
The one possibility that could explain their actions, though, without there being an immediate threat, is the determination that we have to take out Saddam Hussein and that, at that point in time, he might use smallpox as a weapon. In that case, they're simply trying to be prepared well in advance.
I hope that's it instead of some information that someone infected with smallpox is attempting to seek entry into the country today.
Interesting interview, but viruses are NOT thinking entities.
I have run into this thought process before, that we are only tools that DNA uses to perpetuate itself.
Wow, a chilling mind-set!
The SOBs wanting a return of a 19th Century pandemic believe that their own 3rd World culture will hardly know the difference from just another plague. They do not understand. Smallpox kills one in three.
Last week I read that TB in Russia may be approaching one in six. They have created totally drug resistant strains through incompetent public health practices, especially within their prison system. That disease will be to our hometowns soon.
We are leaving "the good old days".
Clearly the folks in charge of protecting U.S. figure great damage could still come from the skies. OK, I'm glad they're watching for planes and I'm even glad they'd shoot one down if necessary. I assume they're tracking all planes with radar, have guards who can see the plane lights (which could be turned off) and hear the sound of the motors.
What I can't shake out of my mind is that filthy calendar that showed a plane crashing into NYC for September and a scene of general mayhem for October. Remember the balloons in the October picture? No radar image. No sound. I guess the flames might be visible at night. Could they be masked?
Obviously gently drifting one of these down on a nuke plant wouldn't have the effect of a jet fuel laden 747 crash unless they have MAJOR explosives packed in it, like maybe one of the suitcase nukes that are alleged to be missing.
Another sort of loose thought... Isn't Bush going to address the UN pretty soon? I have a vague memory of a news announcement to that effect a ways back, but I can't find anything on it searching under Bush visit or address United Nations... I've missed a lot of news lately (traveling)--had to rely on CNN in most hotels so I've mostly only heard of anthrax, anthrax, anthrax.
Anyway, while I wish the UN would go away, I don't want to see it "martyred" and I damn sure don't want to see it blown away with the U.S. President in it. I don't know how that could really be protected against anyway since these suitcase thingies can allegedly wipe out 11 square miles. All they'd need is a suicidal 7th century whack-job with a nuke getting within that 11 square mile area. That's a lot of NYC to rope off and clear on a room to room basis.
Nevertheless, I keep wondering why those balloons found their way onto that calendar. It was such a strange note. I know October got over without any of that picture coming true, but legend has it that loads of the psychos have been quietly rounded up behind the scenes. If they're out of business rather than just slowed down, that's great but probably too good to be true.
Any thoughts? I'd love to have you tell me that a sky-camouflaged balloon couldn't possibly be an effective weapon because I don't think it was on that calendar for decoration.
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