- Organized as locally as possible...somewhat like WW II civil defense.
Scrap the CIA. Forget the FBI. Keel-haul the DIA. Here's the L.P. Homeland Security model:
"'Scuse me folks. Mind blacking out your windows? There's a war on, ya know."
Posted on 07/04/2003 10:14:58 PM PDT by Commie Basher
===================================
NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
World Wide Web: http://www.LP.org
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For release: July 4, 2003
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For additional information:
George Getz, Communications Director
Phone: (202) 333-0008
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Color-coded terror alert system is useless and should be scrapped, Libertarians say.
WASHINGTON, DC -- The national color-coded terror alert system should be scrapped, Libertarians say, because it only alarms the public with warnings that are too vague to be useful.
"Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge risks becoming like the boy who cried wolf with his frequent, unsubstantiated orange alerts," said George Getz, Libertarian Party communications director. "Soon the public might start ignoring him -- and that could be a real disaster."
As the Fourth of July weekend approached, Department of Homeland Security officials declined to say whether they planned to raise the terror alert level from yellow to orange, the second-highest category. Since the system was instituted last fall, the threat has been raised to orange four times, and no attacks have taken place -- raising questions about the reliability of the underlying intelligence data.
One example: In February, Americans stockpiled food and water and rushed out to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting to seal their homes after the government warned about the risk of a chemical or biological attack.
At the time, Ridge claimed the intelligence reports were based on "multiple sources, obviously credible and corroborated." But days later he quietly canceled the alert after being forced to admit that the reports were "not as accurate as we thought."
An unreliable terror alert system may be worse than none at all -- which is why the program should be dismantled, Libertarians say.
"Telling a nation still reeling from the September 11 terrorist attacks to be on alert for another horrific attack -- without telling them when, where, or how it might occur -- is nothing more than scaremongering," Getz said. "In fact, every orange alert that is issued based on flimsy evidence actually endangers the nation by making Americans more likely to ignore future warnings."
The federal system also forces local police departments to squander tax money on unnecessary security precautions, he added.
"The U.S. Conference of Mayors estimates that cities spent $2.6 billion on additional security costs since the September 11 attacks, much of it related to 'code orange' overtime costs for police and other emergency personnel," Getz said. "These warnings actually made America less safe, because every dollar spent on imaginary threats is a dollar that can't be spent arresting an actual murderer, robber or rapist."
The solution is to replace the gimmicky color-coded system with one based on law enforcement needs rather than political posturing, he said.
"If the federal government obtains a specific, credible threat, it should share it immediately with local law enforcement officials and let them take the appropriate steps to warn and protect the public," he said. "But in the absence of solid information, it should cut the political chatter and refrain from alarming 280 million Americans with a vague, generalized terror alert."
Libertarians believe that preventing another terrorist attack is one of the most important functions of the federal government -- and that's why Americans should insist that it's done right, he said.
"This Fourth of July, let's declare our independence from unnecessary fear by pulling the plug on this counterproductive terror-alert system," he said.
Civil defence I would imagine. Organized as locally as possible...somewhat like WW II civil defense. Threats were picked up by Naval Intel. and passed on to civilian defense. Local alerts were made by siren. Civil defense was not centralized to Washington and some "Homeland Security" agency. The central government screws up everything it trys to control. I'm amazed people are so quick to trust their security to it.
It's a fairly simple question.
Yes, but it's already been answered several times. But apparently, you don't want an answer, since you insist on playing dumb and repeating the question.
As has been stated above, the LP would eliminate the welfare state and thus eliminte the magnet for the worst of the immigrant class.
As for how that would stop terrorism, that's an entirely different issue -- you're the only one who connected open borders with stopping terrorism. Libertians offer other solutions to stop terrorism apart from their immigration policy, namely a non-interventionist foreign policy.
Asking how libertarians would stop terrorism with open borders is like asking Republicans how they would stop abortion with farm subsidies. They're two separate issues. But you already knew that.
Playing dumb? Honestly, I’m not trying to pass myself off as an lp’er…just curious as to what the lp would do if they actually had to deliver and not just shoot their mouths off.
“As has been stated above, the LP would eliminate the welfare state and thus eliminte the magnet for the worst of the immigrant class.”
Yes, you have said this before but it’s kind of misleading. The lp platform doesn’t place any such restriction on completely opening the border and allowing completely unrestricted immigration and importation. There’s also another nagging little problem with your attempt to deflect the lp’s lack of competence. There would be no government set minimum wage under an lp government. So the illegals, who would no longer be illegal anyway, would flock to this country in even greater numbers, selling their services for a wage below anything the average person in America today would accept. There would be lp approved sweatshops everywhere and a lot of unemployed people angry with the lp.
“As for how that would stop terrorism, that's an entirely different issue -- you're the only one who connected open borders with stopping terrorism. Libertians offer other solutions to stop terrorism apart from their immigration policy, namely a non-interventionist foreign policy.”
It’s too late for your non-interventionist foreign policy…this is the real world and there are dangerous people out there that want to kill us. So simply saying we’re lp now please don’t attack us probably wouldn’t work. And yes, somehow I have a hard time understanding how the lp’s open borders would protect us…which you still haven’t explained.
“Asking how libertarians would stop terrorism with open borders is like asking Republicans how they would stop abortion with farm subsidies. They're two separate issues. But you already knew that.”
Not at all, asking lp’ers to explain what they would do beyond sitting on the side lines shooting their mouths off is a legitimate question…since that is they are the one’s who raised the whole issue with this article. But if you would rather try to dodge the issue and confirm that the lp is clueless I'm fine with that.
Scrap the CIA. Forget the FBI. Keel-haul the DIA. Here's the L.P. Homeland Security model:
"'Scuse me folks. Mind blacking out your windows? There's a war on, ya know."
"Libertarians believe that preventing another terrorist attack is one of the most important functions of the federal government -- and that's why Americans should insist that it's done right, he said."
The question is, how is the lp going to actually perform this "most important function(s) of the federal government" with totally open borders and unrestricted immigration and importation?
We already know, according to Commie Basher, that one idea would be to force us to try and underbid workers from Central America for our jobs but how effective is this in preventing another terrorist attack.
Granted, in their perfect world this situation would never have happened but it has...and they are the one's now complaining that the job needs to be done right. While complaining about the Bush administration seems to be the most popular lp idea posted so far, that kind of falls short on doing the job right and would probably be of limited value.
So, can anyone please explain to me how the lp would accomplish this: "Libertarians believe that preventing another terrorist attack is one of the most important functions of the federal government -- and that's why Americans should insist that it's done right, he said."<
He doesn't seem to be posting like a hyper-active poodle with a bladder problem these days. Did I miss something?
Ideologues see the world colored by the glasses of their ideology. Hence they do not see Reality, and all their schemes are doomed to failure as a result.
One constant fact about the lp. When you press them for detail you get nothing...consistently.
Posters?
The whole idea of the Libertarian Party actually trying to effectively govern a nation of the size and comlexity of the United States is side-splittingly laughable. They despise government, yet they desperately want to govern. They despise politicians, but they would be politicians.
The LP wants to protect me from vague threats because I may get too alarmed?
Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge risks becoming like the boy who cried wolf with his frequent, unsubstantiated orange alerts," said George Getz, Libertarian Party communications director. "Soon the public might start ignoring him -- and that could be a real disaster."
So now, after the LP thought we might get too alarmed, the LP wants to protect the general public from its own short attention span. Too many vague warnings and we might not take the next warning seriously, Sheesh!
I tell you what's appropriate, LP. When there are no threats, we deserve no warnings. When there are specific threats we deserve specific warnings and when there are vague threats deserve we deserve vague warnings and I don't need to be protected from such because I may get to alarmed or my attention span may drift-off.
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