Stop pressing the panic button

No. The point of the warning is to ensure that everyone that DOES have something to do gets the word.

And where exactly are those actual questions? Lets see, so afr we have "The terror warnings are nothing more then a convenient diversionary tactic for the administration." and "We have a color code system that means nothing. We are always on yellow and now and then go to orange but ask the average American what they need to do different from yellow to orange and they won't have a clue." I don't see any "actual questions" in either of those. Just ill-informed nonsense.

And you have direct evidence that proves that this is exactly what has happened? You've been sitting around in the back of all those meetings and overheard the actual discussions? Or is just more of your typical ill-informed opinion on what's going on?

What? How could he possibly be spending more money?????? You said no one knew what to do! If he's spending money then he must be doing somthing when those alert levels change. Thanks for demonstrating my point.

No. I'm working off the premise that if there is something that is specific to you the word would get out to you from the local authorities in your area that have the responsibility for doing so. If you aren't hearing anything from anyone in your local area then it's entirely possible that the threats don't have anything to do with your area. Believe it or not, Tom Ridge isn't going to get on TV and adrress each and every person in this country individually. As much as you might like to think so, it isn't all about you.

Yes, Ridge should come right and say "We've been watching Abdullah and Omar Ali who live on 142 W. Main Street and they have been in contact wish Muhamad Abu 6 times in the past week. They have purchased material that could be made into a bomb. Also, the CIA has been monitoring their Internet activity and have discovered they visit al Qaeda websites like www.Ihate America.jihad.com and we have leads on many others. From what we understand, Abdullah and Omar are planning an attack on the mall 3 blocks down the road from them some time in the next 2 months. But, now that we have told you, America, everything we know, those plans may now change. Thank you, goodnight."

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No. The point of the warning is to ensure that everyone that DOES have something to do gets the word.

First you claim it's not for YOU, now you say it is. Or at least I think that's what you were trying to say.

Which time are you referring to? Pre 9.11 or Post 9.11? I'm sorry but it's a bit confusing because you keep jumping back and forth. I was referring to the questions surrounding pre 9.11. Now the only questions I have is what have you done? Why are local first responders still unprepared? underfunded? Where have all our tax dollars gone? and who in the hell keeps giving Ridge these asnine ideas!

Nothing as complex as that, see I PAY ATTENTION. Usually it is in front of a cabinet leader leaving. There are a number of occassions that can be pointed to where something negative was about to come out and at that moment there was another vague, general, and uninformative terror warning. You can say it's not true, but fact remains that not one warning has really done anything but instill fear.

Ah "He's" not spending the money that's the point The local authorities and states are spending the money. Money they don't have. What point do you think I demonstrated? It's a waste! They don't give them specifics they just have a general plan and each time it goes to orange it costs lots of money. For what?

You honestly believe that pile of steaming cow feces? I live in FL I can't even get the Gov. to tell me the truth about why all those people are getting purged from the voter rolls!

The country is vulnerable. The borders and ports are porous. The usefulness of the system of warnings is debatable.

However, the current administration's political opponents will try to crucify them no matter what they do or don't do. If there were a very damaging terrorist attack and it was later revealed that the government had suspected something was coming, but didn't warn the people, the Democrats would insist that hearings be held. There would be increased talk of impeachment, and replacing or even prosecuting security officials. Every word and phrase the administration had uttered leading up to the event would be scrutinized for anything that could possibly be interpreted as a falsehood. Under these circumstances, it is ludicrous to blame the administration for covering themselves by over-warning the people.

Since there really are people who are trying to kill us, and since there are technologies which make it possible for a terrorist to kill a lot of people all at once, personally, I think it is immensely stupid for us to spend so much of our energy pointing fingers at each other, rather than at the external enemy. The fact is that the attacks on the administration are so numerous and vehement, that it must be immensely tempting for them to take a restrained, politically correct approach to everything.

The difference is between walking around in a flame retardent suit for the rest of your life just in case you're in a fire? and taking measures to insure your home is sound and safe to prevent a fire. You seem to be implying that the administration must constanly come out in say there's a threat just in case so they can cover their ass but they don't have to actually do anything to prevent the attack.

it is moronic to spend so much energy trying to blame each other when people are trying to kill us and have a realistic chance of succeeding.

Where did I say it is? I've very clearly outlined that the warnings are not for YOU personaly. They are for people who are the first responders, police, firee, Emergency Managenement, etc.. Those are the people that DO have things they are supposed to be doing.

If those are the only questions you have then why have you been in this thread questioing the usefullness of the alerts?

So what you "know" for fact is because you pay attention to stories based on rumours, conspiracy theories and news releases from Moveon.org and CommonDreams.or. I see...

Your local Chief of Police isn't a local authority? How can he not be spending money yet local authorities are and you said earlier that he was complaining about the cost? Which is it here? You can't have it both ways.

Can't get him to tell you? Or can't get him to say what you want him to say?

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it is moronic to spend so much energy trying to blame each other when people are trying to kill us and have a realistic chance of succeeding.

....it's moronic to spend so much MONEY covering our asses when it could be better spent elsewhere.

Cycloptichorn

Redheat wrote:

The difference is between walking around in a flame retardent suit for the rest of your life just in case you're in a fire? and taking measures to insure your home is sound and safe to prevent a fire. You seem to be implying that the administration must constanly come out in say there's a threat just in case so they can cover their ass but they don't have to actually do anything to prevent the attack.

No, they need to do a great deal to prevent such attacks. Since you can't guard every target against every form of attack 24 x 7 for the rest of eternity, some of what they do will have to be offensive, even though much of it must also be defensive.

What I am saying is that (a) the constant attempt to pin anything on someone that can be made to stick would force most people into CYA mode, and (b) it is moronic to spend so much energy trying to blame each other when people are trying to kill us and have a realistic chance of succeeding.

I also have a hypothetical question for Fishin and Brandon:

If Redheat was right; if the system of terror alerts was nothing but a dirty trick to make Americans as scared as the government wants them to be; if Tom Ridge was nothing but a pompous fake -- how would things look differently to you than they do now?

If Fishin and Brandon were right; if the system of terror alerts worked as the administration claims it does; if every change in the alert level triggered specific, well defined action by the agencies who try to keep the country secure; if it all worked reasonably -- how would the observable facts look differently to you than they do now?

Thanks, Brandon! I'll follow up, but I'd like to hear Redheat's and Fishin's take first.

Furthermore, it it were all a sham to provide only the appearance of security, I would not hear as many news items about terror funds being traced, suspects being arrested, and terror plots being discovered on time.

The problem with this scenerio is that the "well defined" actions should be apparent by now.

Plus the general alert should have little to do with the Homeland Security office's ability to inform every state and local authority of a major threat.