US to use Facebook, Twitter to issue terror alerts
By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Eileen Sullivan, Associated Press – Thu Apr 7, 6:14 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Terror alerts from the government will soon have just two levels of warnings — elevated and imminent — and those will be relayed to the public only under certain circumstances. - Color codes are out; Facebook and Twitter will sometimes be in, according to a Homeland Security draft obtained by The Associated Press.
Some terror warnings could be withheld from the public if announcing a threat would risk exposing an intelligence operation or an ongoing investigation, according to the government’s confidential plan.
Like a gallon of milk, the new terror warnings will each come with a stamped expiration date.
The new system, replacing the five color-coded levels, is expected to be in place by April 27.
A 19-page document, marked “for official use only” and dated April 1, describes the step-by-step process that would occur behind the scenes when the government believes terrorists might be threatening Americans.
It describes the sequence of notifying members of Congress, then counterterrorism officials in states and cities, then governors and mayors
and,
ultimately,
the public.
It even specifies details about how many minutes U.S. officials can wait before organizing urgent conference calls to discuss pending threats.
It places the Homeland Security secretary, currently Janet Napolitano, in charge of the National Terrorism Advisory System.
The new terror alerts would also be published online using Facebook and Twitter “when appropriate,” the plan said, but only after federal, state and local leaders have been notified.
More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_re_us/us_color_coded_threats
Rise of smaller militant cells forces Indonesia to rethink terror strategy
Jakarta, Indonesia – Last week’s high-profile arrest of Indonesia’s most wanted terrorism suspect Umar Patek in Pakistan has once again thrust Indonesia’s battle against Islamic extremism into the spotlight.
But the capture of such big-name figures as Mr. Patek – the Javanese-Arab is believed to have participated in the 2002 Bali bombings and to have served as a key link between Al Qaeda and its Southeast Asian ally, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) – are becoming increasingly rare.
[snip]
“We’re seeing much more activity on the part of small groups of seven to 10 people rather than the JI or JAT [Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid],” says Sidney Jones, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.
More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110407/wl_csm/373902
So, once again we're treated like mushrooms. Kept in the dark and fed...well, you know the rest.
The New Terror Threat Index seems to take a long while before the people are actually informed. A two hour meeting of determination seems like the deed could well be underway by the time they make a determination.
I figure with all the moslems now in this country without those coming in, better to be aware pretty much 24/7 that the threat is already here.