Threat Matrix- Daily Terror Thread (4):

New York Post ^ | February 24, 2004 | By NILES LATHEM

[Revel]

February 24, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has dispatched the elite commando force that hunted down Saddam Hussein to Afghanistan for a new operation aimed at getting Osama bin Laden, officials said yesterday. Military sources confirmed that members of the shadowy Task Force 121, the unit that conducted the high-tech search for Saddam and his henchmen, have recently begun operating in the remote mountainous region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where bin Laden and key al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives are believed to be hiding. The Task Force is made up of highly trained Delta and SEAL commandos, as well as CIA paramilitary operators. It operates outside normal military channels.

[kinghorse]

Oops, I guess I didn't realize I was interrupting a high school clique thread. Carry on. But remember when you are part of an "inner circle" it's best not to feed the trolls. And since this is a clique thread, any outsider would surely be considered a troll.

Quayle's site is a joke. Just wanted to make sure you heard it LOUD AND CLEAR.

[JustPiper]

DOLPHIN DIE-OFF - USA (FLORIDA)

---

http://gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art_tips?Date=20040311&Category=APN&ArtNo=403111114&SiteData=GS&SectionCat=

At least 14 dolphins found dead in Panhandle bay

---

At least 14 bottlenose dolphins were found dead Wednesday and Thursday in
and along the shore of St. Josephs Bay in the Florida Panhandle, said state
and federal officials who were unsure of the cause.

Post-mortems will be conducted in an effort to learn why the marine mammals
died, said Thomas Pitchford, a biologist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission's Marine Mammal Pathology Laboratory in St. Petersburg.

One carcass was found Wednesday and the others Thursday, all at St. Joseph
Peninsula State Park on Cape San Blas about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee.

"This is not a species that typically strands," Pitchford said. He said all
were dead when found.

Several dead fish also were found in the bay, which might indicate a toxin
such as red tide might be to blame, he said.

Blair Mase, Southeast stranding coordinator for the National Marine
Fisheries Service in Miami, agreed, but she said nothing has been ruled out.

Some of the carcasses were found floating while others were beached, Mase
said. The Conservation Commission was using an aircraft to determine
whether other dead animals were in the bay.

If red tide is in the area and the dolphins are consuming fish intoxicated
by the various organisms that cause red tide, that could be a possibility.
ProMED-mail would appreciate knowing the definitive cause of the dolphins'
demise.

[TexKat]

For those media experts and others that continue to ponder and question if Al Queda or another islamic fundamentalist group could have had something to do with the Madrid bombings on 3/11/2004. Well it would not be the first time and a plan had been in the works prior to Iraqi Freedom according to the following:

Incidents involving terrorist attacks (pan-Europe)

Madrid, Spain

Alledgely Al Queda - 21 April 02 Madrid, Spain A bomb explodes in northern Madrid resulting in considerable material damage.

06 May 02 various European cities Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Le Journal du Dimanche report that intelligence was acquired by BKA, the German intelligence agency, which shows that 30 members of al-Qaeda were preparing strikes in France, Great Britain and Germany in which a large number of people would be taken hostage in each country

Click on above link to see other attacks

[JustPiper]

U.S. won't raise terror threat level after Spanish blasts
Official: Intelligence 'chatter' lower than in December
Friday, March 12, 2004 Posted: 3:35 PM EST

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- This week's deadly train bombings in Spain will not lead to a rise in the U.S. color-coded terror threat alert system, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Friday.

"Based on the current intelligence, we have no specific indicators that terrorist groups are considering such an attack in the U.S. in the near term," said department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse.

An intelligence official said the level of "chatter" in the system is lower than it was in late December, when the threat level was raised from yellow to orange, the second highest rank on a five-tier scale.

At the time, the department said intelligence "chatter" suggested terrorists might attempt attacks in the United States during the holiday period, which led to anti-terrorism measures that included closing airspace over New York; Las Vegas, Nevada; and other cities.

Nevertheless, the department issued a bulletin Thursday night to the transportation sector, law enforcement, and homeland security advisers directing them to be on a higher state of alert.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/03/12/homeland.security/index.html

[kinghorse]

Is that why he took off his old drivel and plastered up a new threat matrix AFTER the Madrid attack. Reminds me of the late night 1-800 psychics. P-shaw.

[JustPiper]

U.S. prepares Afghan offensive, bin Laden hunt
Friday, March 12, 2004 Posted: 3:43 PM EST (2043 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. forces in Afghanistan have intensified operations near the Pakistan border to prepare for a broader spring offensive to hunt down al Qaeda fugitives, including Osama bin Laden, defense officials said on Friday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the coming offensive, timed to exploit improving weather conditions in the remote, mountainous border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, was being dubbed Operation Mountain Storm.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/afghan.binladen.hunt.reut/index.html

[JustPiper]

Alleged spy for Iraq gave Lockerbie deposition
Former Democrat congressional aide was at center of CIA controversy

Posted: March 12, 2004

Former journalist and congressional press secretary Susan Lindauer, who was arrested yesterday on charges she acted as an Iraqi spy before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, came to the forefront of politics in 1994 over a controversial meeting she had with an alleged CIA operative based in Syria.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37542

[TexKat]

There is a lot more to Islamic history in Europe than most people realize.

More than I realized SP2BF. After reading your translation of OBL's letter and after finding that link and reading it, it sounds as if OBL and crew wants back what they believe is rightfully theirs like the Mexicans want back California, Texas, etc..

[Revel]

While I don't like some of your original comments...I get the same feeling about Quayle. A lot of us do. It is not the insider thing you are talking about though. That is not what is going on. I think that Cal may know Quayle and so it is personal to her maybe. I don't know for sure. But don't judge everyone on the thread to have the same exact beliefs.

[Cindy]

I found the person from Tononto just expressing a different opinion from the usual main-stream media and that is why I posted it.

[JustPiper]

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, CERVIDS - USA (WISCONSIN)

---

Pioneer Press, Twin Cities.com [edited]
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/states/wisconsin/8164937.htm


Wasting disease: Whitetails Unlimited says CWD findings could raise new fears

---

A new test that found preliminary indicators of chronic wasting disease in
wild deer in more than a dozen additional counties could lead to a new wave
of fear about the disease among hunters, the leader of Whitetails Unlimited
said Thursday.

"It raises questions, and here we go, fear of the unknown again," President
Jeff Schinkten said. "If they are really finding stuff, that is reason for
concern."

According to state records reviewed by the Associated Press, 159 deer shot
last fall tested positive for the disease on a new screening -- or rapid
test -- approved by the U.S. Agriculture Department and used by the
Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for the first time.

However, through Thursday, only 42 of those positives were confirmed with a
second test -- immunohistochemistry -- that's considered the "gold
standard" for diagnosing so-called mad-deer disease. Dr. Mark Hall, head of
pathology at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary
Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, said chronic wasting disease can only be
confirmed by immunohistochemisty, he said.

Based on testing the past 2 years, the state Department of Natural
Resources says it has found 316 wild deer with the disease in 8 southern
counties - Columbia, Dane, Iowa, Kenosha, Richland, Rock, Sauk, and Walworth.

The new test -- called the IDEXX screening test -- so far in 2004 has
detected deer positive for the disease in 14 additional counties: Chippewa,
Crawford, Dodge, Eau Claire, Grant, Jefferson, LaFayette, Manitowoc,
Marinette, Marquette, Portage, Taylor, Vernon, and Waukesha, state records
show.

The screening test is designed to produce some false positive results so no
animals with the disease are missed, said Julie Langenberg, a wildlife
veterinarian for the state Department of Natural Resources.

Still, Langenberg acknowledges "there's a possibility" the new test is
detecting some deer at an earlier stage of the disease.

The DNR found chronic wasting disease in 3 bucks shot near Mount Horeb in
2002, marking the first time it was found east of the Mississippi River.

The disease jeopardizes Wisconsin's annual $1 billion deer-hunting
industry, because health experts warn no part of a diseased deer should be
eaten. There is no scientific evidence the disease, discovered in Colorado
in 1967, can infect people.

Steve Oestreicher, chairman of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, one of
the state's leading hunting and fishing groups, said Thursday he wouldn't
read too much into the IDEXX test results, given the DNR uses it as a
screening tool.

"I don't think it will cause a firestorm," he said. "There is certainly the
possibility that CWD is on the landscape more than we think. We certainly
hope not, but that is very possible. Right now, we just keep our faith in
the veterinary lab."

Hunters in Wisconsin are not told whether a deer they shot tested positive
on the IDEXX test. If the deer tests negative on the IDDEX test, it's not
tested a second time. Schinkten and Oestreicher said those results
probably should be reported to the hunter.

"I won't feed deer to my family if I hear positive. Why take any kind of
chance?" Schinkten said. Hunters should decide for themselves whether the
screening test results are mostly false positives or "has somebody
uncovered something here," Schinkten said.

A landowners group critical of the DNR's handling of the disease says
hunters should be told that deer are testing positive for the disease with
one test but not the other, giving them the most complete information in
deciding whether to eat the venison.

Citizens and Landowners for a Rational Response believes the results of the
new testing likely provide early evidence that CWD is more widespread
across the state, said spokesman Mark Peck, a landowner from Arena.

During the deer-hunting season immediately after chronic wasting disease
was found in Wisconsin, license sales dropped 10 percent. Sales rebounded
the next season after the DNR reported the disease had not been found
elsewhere in the state following the testing of tens of thousands of deer
with immunohistochemistry.

A drop in hunter interest could develop again if people have concerns about
the positive results of the screening test, Schinkten said. "I got to
believe this rapid test has some validity to it somewhere," he said.

But Schinkten said some are so sick of hearing about CWD that the recent
developments will mean little to them. "There are some people who are just
fed up with CWD," he said.

According to the website for IDEXX laboratories on the HerdChek test, this
is a USDA-approved rapid test for White-tailed deer with 98.8 percent
sensitivity and 100 percent
specificity. http://www.idexx.com/production/ruminant/ruminant7.cfm

Although there may be false positives, probably no true positives are missed.

This kind of an increase raises some questions. Are there that many false
positives? Is the rapid test detecting the presence of the prion at much
lower levels than immunohistochemistry? Has this disease always been
present in cervid populations at undetectable levels? or has the disease
been present, and we have previously written the deaths off as winter kill,
starvation, overpopulation, or some other term that was appropriate at the
time? There are no easy answers to these questions and perhaps no answers
at all. But we certainly have more questions about this disease than we
have answers. -

[JustPiper]

New York opts out of Matrix crime database
Program created after September 11 to enable information exchange
From Jonathan Wald CNN
Friday, March 12, 2004 Posted: 2:19 PM EST (1919 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York pulled out of the Matrix program Thursday, making it the latest state to withdraw participation from the multistate, anti-terrorism information exchange.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/03/12/crime.database/index.html

[Revel]

More:

We all have are own beliefs. That is why each of us has our own gifts and insite that we can contribute. You should really lighten up. I want to make it perfectly Clear that CAL Is one of the life elements of this thread regardless of If I like Quayle or not.

[kinghorse]

I apologize for being too personal in my attack of the site. It's a good read but it does seem to follow events rather than try and predict them. Hey I give it some hits, k. Now please don't waste any more bandwidth telling me off. I was over the top and apologize.

[rickylc]

Ok thanks, I'll look around.

just got on, trying to catch up

:)

[CJ Wolf]

Kinghorse, wanna be in my clique? You can sit with me at lunch ok? We are way cool and don't like the Quayle site either. But I'll admit he does seem to be doing better then his brother Dan these days.

[JustPiper]

Posted 3/12/2004 11:25 AM Updated 3/12/2004 3:47 PM

Feds plan for possiblity of millions of anthrax shots
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is planning to stockpile enough doses of an experimental new anthrax vaccine to inoculate 25 million people.

http://yahoo.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-03-12-anthrax-vaccine_x.htm?csp=1

[JustPiper]

Adding all my change to back you up ;)

[MamaDearest]

I found this article about that electrocution in Vegas to help refresh your memory Granny.

BOX INSPECTIONS -- Clark County, Nev., is hiring temporary workers (at a cost of almost $200K) to inspect 5,000 underground electrical boxes in county parks -- and repair them if it is found necessary -- according to the 9/17 Las Vegas Review-Journal. A woman was electrocuted Aug. 16 when she stepped on the metal lid of an electrical box on the sidewalk near Treasure Island on the Las Vegas Strip; the lid was covered with water. Upon hearing of this, two area residents reported having received jolts from such boxes in county parks earlier. County workers have inspected more than 1,000 boxes already, finding no safety problems; but there are 68 neighborhood and regional parks. The funds will go to hire two electricians and two maintenance workers for the one-year task.

[judicial meanz]

I know Al Qaeda is a pressing issue right now, but Iran is also creeping up a few notches on the radar screen. Figured I would post these article excerpts from MEMRI to bring them into perspective:

Courtesy: http://www.memri.org/ticker.html
____________________________________________________________
March 11, 2004
ACCORDING TO THE MEHR NEWS AGENCY, THE CIA HAS BEEN LYING BY SAYING IRAN’S NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT WAS CONTAMINATED BY AN INTERNAL SOURCE OF ENRICHED URANIUM. THEY CLAIM THAT AN OFFICIAL ANONYMOUS SOURCE FROM THE IAEA REJECTED THE CLAIM AND SAID THE REPORT SHOWED THAT IRAN’S NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT WAS CONTAMINATED WITH URANIUM BEFORE BEING SHIPPED TO THE COUNTRY. (TEHRAN TIMES, IRAN, 3/11/04)

March 11, 2004
IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER KAMAL KHARRAZI WARNED THE IAEA AGAINST A 'WRONG' DECISION AGAINST IRAN, SAYING 'SUCH DECISIONS WILL FORCE US TO REACT.' HE ADDED THAT IRAN HAD 'VOLUNTARILY SUSPENDED URANIUM ENRICHMENT ON A TEMPORARY BASIS IN ORDER TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN OUR TIES AND WILL DEFINITELY RESUME ENRICHMENT WHEN OUR RELATIONS WITH THE AGENCY BECOME NORMAL.' (JOMHURI-YE ESLAMI, IRAN, 3/11/04)

March 11, 2004
The Iranian conservative daily Jomhuri-ye Eslami wrote: 'No-one can deny Iran’s natural right to obtain nuclear technology and enrich uranium. The continuation of these international pressures will only make the [Iranian] people and officials more determined to pursue their right.' (Jomhuri-ye Eslami, Iran, 3/11/04)

March 11, 2004
Iran’s Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi warned the IAEA against a 'wrong' decision against Iran, saying 'such decisions will force us to react.' He added that Iran had 'voluntarily suspended uranium enrichment on a temporary basis in order to build confidence in our ties and will definitely resume enrichment when our relations with the agency become normal.' (Jomhuri-ye Eslami, Iran, 3/11/04)

March 10, 2004
THE REFORMIST IRANIAN DAILY MARDOMSALARI WROTE THAT THE WEST, ESPECIALLY THE U.S., SEEKS TO CREATE DIFFERENCES AMONG SHIITES AND SUNNIS IN IRAQ. THE PAPER SAID ALSO THAT THE MAIN SPONSORS OF AL-QAIDA AND ITS ILK ARE ACTUALLY THE WESTERN COUNTRIES AND THAT THE U.S. WANTS CHAOS TO PREVAIL IN IRAQ SO ITS FORCES WOULD REMAIN THERE LONGER. (MARDOMSALARI, IRAN, 3/9/04)

March 10, 2004
IRAN'S SUPREME NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY HASSAN ROHANI WILL PAY AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO JAPAN TO DISCUSS IRAN'S NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AND ITS SIGNING OF THE ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL. (IRNA, IRAN, 3/9/04)

March 9, 2004
ACCORDING TO THE TEHRAN TIMES, 'THE ZIONIST REGIME HAS STARTED A DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN ABOUT IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM… THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN HAVE BEEN DESPERATELY TRYING TO SPREAD RUMORS ABOUT IRAN'S PEACEFUL NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES… WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS ARE APPARENTLY STILL ANGRY ABOUT THEIR PREVIOUS FAILURES TO DECEIVE THE WORLD ABOUT IRAN'S PEACEFUL NUCLEAR PROGRAM.' (TEHRAN TIMES, IRAN, 3/9/04)


March 8, 2004
THE SECRETARY OF IRAN'S SUPREME COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY, HASSAN ROWHANI,SAID THAT 'THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD ACCEPT IRAN IN THE WORLD NUCLEAR CLUB,' AND SAID THAT THUS FAR IRAN HAS 'SUCCEEDED IN THWARTING THE U.S. PLOTS.' (TEHRAN TIMES, IRAN, 3/8/04)