Posted on 08/17/2002 2:17:45 PM PDT by Wallaby
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BRITAIN ON STANDBY FOR NUKE STRIKE; SECRET PLAN TO EVACUATE MILLIONS IN TERROR ALERT
By John Twomey The Express; NEWS; Pg. 8 9 August 17, 2002
PLANS to move millions of people out of Britain's major cities in the event of a terrorist attack have been secretly drawn up, it was revealed yesterday.
The mass exodus would be launched at centres of population around the country if there was a nuclear or biological strike. In London, emergency nerve centres for the Government, the police and vital financial services have already been built and equipped. They would be ready within hours of a terrorist outrage. The move is in direct response to the September 11 atrocities and a possible terrorist backlash after any military strike against Iraq.
The Al-Muhajiroun group, whose leading supporters include controversial Sheikh Abu Hamza alMasri, has warned Britons that they will "choke on the smoke" of revenge attacks if a strike against Saddam is launched.
But police stress there is no specific intelligence about an imminent attack. The authorities say they are responding to a general threat.
Details of the emergency plans emerged as pressure was mounting for the deportation of extremist Muslims who openly support the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The Al-Muhajiroun group, whose leading supporters include controversial Sheikh Abu Hamza alMasri, has warned Britons that they will "choke on the smoke" of revenge attacks if a strike against Saddam is launched.
It is understood Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch is examining material - including videos - linked to the group in case they breach the Terrorism Act. The extremists, who are condemned by the vast majority of Muslims in Britain, want the UK to be incorporated into an Islamic state in Europe.
Emergency plans have been drawn up for major UK cities to ensure that local government and the police can operate effectively in the event of a terrorist attack. They include new measures introduced since September 11 such has no-fly zones over power stations and other vital sites.
A major element of each plan is understood to cover supplies of crucial drugs - including antidotes to known biological weapons - and medical services.
The existence of London's postSeptember 11 plan was revealed in a letter to the all-party Commons Defence Committee by Judith Mayhew, chairman of London Corporation's policy and resources group. "London is currently looking at methods of mass evacuation in certain geographical areas, " she wrote. Details of the exodus plans would be broadcast on radio and TV in a way which would not "overdramatise" the crisis.
Police chiefs believe there could be mass panic if London or other major cities came under attack, particularly from chemical weapons. Areas of dense population or with poor road and rail links would create additional problems.
Methods of dealing with possible outbreaks of public disorder at railway stations and other transport terminals also feature in the plans.
Home Secretary David Blunkett is in overall command of the emergency planning as head of the newly-created Civil Contingencies Committee. But in the event of a disaster the Prime Minister would be in charge, working from the Cobra nerve centre in Whitehall.
Tony Blair recently ordered a GBP 1.4million re-fit of Cobra. It is understood the money will be spent on upgrading communication equipment to link the centre to a network of regional government bunkers dotted around the country. He has ordered the work to be completed before any military action against Saddam.
One expert said last night: "Planning of this kind has been going on for decades, particularly in the face of a Cold War nuclear attack. It is only right that Government is prepared for any nightmare scenario."
Do you seriously think that the majority of investors with 401K type plans didn't have the foresight to adjust the balance of their investments as they neared retirement so that they wouldn't be heavily leaning towards riskier investments? Do you have any evidence of this epidemic besides, perhaps, anecdotes?
The reason I ask this is that virtually all 401K plans provide ample information on how to balance risk in a stock program. And nearly all offer a multitude of investment options, with the exception of the corporate contribution which is often required to be in company stock.
If you had merely said that, I wouldn't have taken you to task. But to the extent that your remark implies that the US isn't actively engaging the organized terrorist networks aggressively, that's simply not the case. We are.
It's not the only concern of our President. His radio address today was about budgetary matters. Hardly the stuff of Wag the Dog.
We face challenges on many fronts. Most are unrelated to the War on Terrorism. Many liberals are uncomfortable with the fact that Americans support the President, and they attribute that to the war efforts. Undoubtedly, they are partially correct, at least.
The next step for liberals is to argue that the war itself is phony, and something the President is using to boost popularity levels. This is the argument of Cynthia McKinney and now you.
It's not a particularly persuasive argument.
The exploding kind.
Ream me? OH, please no! In case you hadn't noticed, it was just two name calling, personally attacking posters who took issue. Seems they look up to the french for some inexplicable reason. Twice that number commented affirmatively so far.
"but i would wish that you would get a decent screen name."
As for my name, it is my swipe at hillery klintoon. In 3.5 years I have used it I have recieved many compliments and positive feedback regarding it. Far more than the few negative comments such as yours. Even were that not the case, I would still be unlikely to change it for you. You see, I like it.
they are, after all, part of western civilization that we should all be trying to protect from a common evil in central asia and the middle east. besides anyone who will eat snails, frog legs and lamprey is not someone i personally would mess with...
You see, I like it.
as long as it is not immoral, illegal or fattening, that is all that matters as my idol wc fields once said.
Fox news just reported busting a guy in Roswell, N.M. that trained government agents in anti-terrorism attempting to sell about 2,300 missiles that can be used on tanks to the United Arab Emerients. The question is, were they to be shipped or distributed in our country?
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