[wordup] The Terror Alert They Won't Issue

[Adam Shand]

I'm not sure I see exactly eye to eye with Richard on this but it's an
interesting point of view and that's what it's all about. :)

Adam.

From: Richard Forno <rforno at infowarrior.org>

Adam - If you're interested, here's a short, 2-page rant from Friday
discussing the utility (or futility) of this past week's barrage of goofy
terror alerts by the government.  Feel free to pass along as you like.

The Terror Alert They Won't Issue
Article #2002-07

http://www.infowarrior.org/articles/2002-07.html

Happy Memorial Day, and my thanks to your list members who are vets or
currently in the military!

----

Let's face it - America is a confused nation. Granted, we've always been
confused about some things - the metric system, for instance - but in
recent days, nearly everyone is befuddled with how to continue living
their daily lives in the Age of Terror in America. Since September 11,
2001, the repeated message of the federal government to the American
citizens is to 'continue living your lives normally' while continuing to
'be on alert' for anything 'out of the ordinary' that might indicate a
potential terrorist act in the making.

While this sounds meaningful and a necessary part of the post-0911
America, let's be totally honest with ourselves: it's rather hard to
live a normal life when we're constantly-inundated with vaguely-worded
predictions of doom and gloom. We know we've been attacked, and we know
that there's a chance of future successful attacks in our country,
despite the best efforts of the government to protect us. It's a fact of
life that we have been forced to accept, whether we like it or not.
Americans are a hardy bunch - maybe we're a bit confused at times, but
we're not dummies, either. Our government is good, but it's not
omnipotent. Talk about a mixed message that creates a national
psychosis! From shopping malls to the Statue of Liberty, anything - and
anyone - is now a potential target.

It's about time we admitted it to ourselves.

That being said, let's reflect on what America was warned about 'might
happen soon' over this past week:

May 20: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld tells Senators that terrorists will
eventually obtain weapons of mass destruction.

May 20: FBI Director Mueller says that Palestinian-style suicide
bombings on US soil is "inevitable."

May 21: NIPC reports 'possible terrorist threat' to US Oil Facilities.

May 21: President Bush echoes Rumsfeld's warning about terrorists
obtaining weapons of mass destruction.

May 21: The FBI warns of potential attacks against major landmarks in
the US, particularly in New York City.

May 21: The FBI circulates warning to apartment and condominium owners
of possible terrorist activity in their buildings.

May 22: US Government warns its citizens in the Arab world against
possible terror attacks.

May 24: US Transportation Department issues warning over possible terror
attacks on transit, rail, and subway systems.

May 24: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission warns 103 US nuclear plants of
'possible terrorist attacks' (by small planes) and to 'be alert'.

May 24: The FBI warns that terrorists may develop an "offensive scuba
diver capability" to conduct attacks. 

That last alert was a great way to head into happy hour before a long
holiday weekend, especially in Washington, DC. Several people I spoke
with shook their heads in disbelief over the actual possibility of
'terrorist scuba divers' -- and wondered why the public needed to know
about this potential threat since the NIPC alert stated that "while
there is no evidence of operational planning to utilize scuba divers to
carry out attacks within the United States, there is a body of
information showing the desire to obtain such capability [to attack the
United States.]"  Sure, terrorists may employ scuba divers, but they
could also employ parachutists, school teachers, bus drivers, or
hunting-school owners. Should these also generate potential terror
alerts?

If anything, the events of September 11 should be interpreted as a
significant and already-demonstrated desire and capability by certain
fundamentalist entities to attack the United States using whatever means
available to them to attack large numbers of people and prominent
landmarks. That means just what it says - and could include crop
dusters, kamikaze pilots, hot air balloons, trains, trucks, and the
oft-mentioned capabilities of weapons of mass destruction, among an
endless number of other ways to inflict death and destruction on their
target.

It probably includes offensive scuba divers, too.

I'm curious - what exactly is an 'offensive scuba diver'? A diver that
refuses to bathe regularly? Perhaps one who swims underwater in a soiled
wetsuit?

In the eyes of a terrorist or unconventional fighter, anything is a
potential avenue or method of attack. In military circles, that's known
as asymmetric warfare. But given the established reality that America's
terrorist adversaries will use whatever means necessary to achieve their
goals, is it really necessary to warn us about each and every one of
them? The very nature of terrorism means the target (in this case, the
United States) can't defend against all potential avenues of attack; so
why must we be inundated with nebulous, vaguely-worded alerts based on
slim evidence?

Doing so - however well-intentioned - only serves to frighten the
average American citizen and make them perpetually uneasy - not a very
helpful situation when they're trying to recover and move on with their
personal and family lives in the aftermath of September 11 as
previously-instructed by the government. Further, such releases should
not be used to increase Presidential opinion poll figures or divert
attention from (or over-compensate for) decades-old problems with our
intelligence and federal law enforcement agencies and processes.

Therefore, as a public service to the American people, I offer this
Standard Terror Warning (TM) -- a simple thing intended to clarify the
reality of America's Homeland Security alert status and make it easier
for us to move ahead with our lives in the post-0911 reality:

***  Standard Terror Warning ***

Based on past actions, it is quite likely that terrorists again will
attack the United States in the future. However, we are unsure when,
where, or how this may occur, given the unconventional nature of
terrorism and the nearly-countless ways in which such entities may
conduct their attacks.

It should be noted that America is not alone in this unfortunate
situation - nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and
others - continue to maintain productive and relatively-peaceful
societies over several decades despite similar conditions.

Given this new reality - that America is no longer immune from terror
acts waged against it from within its borders - citizens and authorized
foreign visitors to the United States are advised that they can either
spend their lives cowering in fear and hiding in their basements, or
continue to move about America and live their lives as best as they can,
understanding that America - despite all it offers - has changed
slightly for the worse, whether they like it or not.

***  Standard Terror Warning ***

The public is better-served by a simple official acknowledgment of this
New American Reality - despite all the Homeland Security laws,
federalized jobs, runaway funding, and media spin, the United States
will continue to be an enticing target for its enemies, and there is an
unfortunate and tragic likelihood of future attacks on our soil by a
variety of means and methods.  The hard reality is that America has been
forever changed; but nobody in charge wants to come out and admit it
publicly.

Tiptoeing around the reality of our situation and bombarding the public
with vague warnings of little real value doesn't help the American war
effort, raise morale, or reassure our citizens. Rather, such alerts
perpetuate the lasting negative effects the terrorists have on our
people, forcing us to look over our shoulders and shiver in fear every
time a new alert is issued, thus creating a culture of national paranoia
and confusion, which is what the terrorists wanted anyway -- assuming we
can keep up with the barrage of issued alerts, that is. After all, isn't
that why it's called 'terrorism' in the first place?

It's time to come clean and accept our current reality. Americans, for
all our quirks, can understand the truth. We may not like it, but we can
accept it.

Suggested Reading

May 20, 2002 - Associated Press article "Public Can Expect More Terror
Warnings"
May 22, 2002 - New York Times foreign affairs columnist Tom Friedman's
article "Cool It!"
May 25, 2002 - CNN.COM article "Terror Alerts on Small Planes, Scuba
Divers"

(c) 2002 Richard Forno. Permission to reproduce in entirety granted with
author credit.