Hope I'm not sounding cynical but, the 'not general' just 'aviation' sounds like have your cake and eat it too.

Today was the first time there has been any movement to RED.
I recall similiar incidents without a color change.
Let's see how long the RED/ORANGE hold.

This site has the history of all color changes, dates they occurred...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelan...dvisory_System

This bad boy is worth thousands of votes if handled correctly.

 

When were these?

I don't recall any aviation related terror plots with this much known detail that have been thwarted, not suspected since March 2002 (when this system went into effect) that involved potentially blowing up nine airliners over the Atlantic Ocean??

The part that concerns me about raising the terror level for aviation...does that mean that airport security has not been giving 100% all this time?

I imagine a boost to the general level to red would mean mobilizing forces and such, which would cost a lot of taxpayer money. The political issue is a double-edged sword...put fear into people and spend our money and nothing happens. The left could simply accuse the right of crying wolf at taxpayer's expense.

My source for the changes in levels: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interap...orial_0844.xml

 

Amen.

This was a REAL terror plot, not some puppet creation of "those crazy Replublicans trying to get votes." For God's sake, it was entirely discovered and halted by the British...and I know Tony likes Bush, but you are SERIOUSLY dillusional if you think he would go this far for the guy.

Stop trying to put a spin on the truth, and just accept the fact that the great nations of the west (Ie America and the UK) have united and REALLY raised the bar in regards to counter-terrorism. There is NO other explanation.

 

My point was not that the UK terror activity was not 'real'.
There have been threats since inception, I don't care to research them all, the punks in Florida, the New York Tunnel threat recently, heck the shoe bomber...

This is my point.

"There are no published criteria for the threat levels, and thus no independent way to tell whether the current threat level is accurate. The evidence cited to justify changes in threat levels has been stated vaguely and its sources have seldom been revealed. This lack of disclosure makes the system vulnerable to manipulation by government officials."

PERIOD.

 

I guess I can see your point if you are speaking to the middle colors.

From my perspective, I see evidence that an actual terror plot was thwarted that was intended to down up to nine commercial aircraft on their way to the United States over the Atlantic by people who have stated their goal was to kill us...I would say that in my own mind that the red level, which DHS uses for "Severe Risk of Terrorist Attack" according to the image above, is pretty well justified. I guess that I don't need to see all of the gory details and justifications put forth by the DHS spelled out for me in a case like this one.

 

And I completely see what you are saying. There IS possibility for manipulation. Of course.

Just about ANY system has some way to be manipulated, that goes without saying.

I *think* what webmaster (And don't let me speak for you if I am wrong) is trying to point out is that THIS case is NOT some political tool... and if that is the case, and *if* you are agreeing that this situation is very real and NOT planned by the Bush administration...then why bring up your poiunt about manipulation at all?

I think where we (Webmaster, myself, and others) got confused was when you start talking about "coincidence" and manipulation in regards to THIS matter.

Did I articulate that right? Am I making sense ? I didn't sleep well as I caught this news story as it happened and it kept me up most of the night.

 

The point of the matter is that there was and possibly still is a real terrorist threat towards the United States. Nothing has changed since 9/11. I support our troops 100%, but what are we achieiving except allowing our soldiers to die.

BTW....three of the airports targeted are in my immediate area.

 

Now, what fun would that be? The actual truth is far less convincing.

Remember when we were kids. We would spin round and round and then try to walk? Wasn't that fun?

Many people in the media must be kids at heart.

 

The threat level thingy.

We have the same over here in the UK except we use words instead of colours because most of us can read
Ok, apart from the cheap jokes, our threat level was raised to Critical (same as Red) a few days ago.
Obviously, the security forces have had an idea about this plot for some time and have been tracking the protaganists.
Today, they arrested 24 people. Is the threat level still critical? Yes.!!!
These people work in isolated cells. Maybe they got them all, maybe they didn't.
We have to be lucky every time, the terrorists only need to get lucky once, as they say.
If the order has gone out from above in Al-Queda, there may be a few more out there hence the heightened security.


Actually, I made all that up. We only did it to make W look good and keep you voting for him. Or Jeb. Or someone.

 

A few days ago?
At least yours makes more sense.
Increase it when there is an actual threat.

Not like here where it is used as a cheap theatrical trick.

What purpose does it serve if it is used after the fact?

Here is a suggestion.
Make it RED in the US and in the UK and leave it alone.

It will be just as helpful and make me less cynical.

 

I must say I truly find it amazing when people try to relate ”terrorist” issues to politics. The threat level indicators are NOT political and were NOT done to get votes. They were done because the public demanded them be done. The public wanted to be kept informed of possible terrorist threats and our government did exactly what those who elected them wanted.

Raising the terror threat levels has NOTHING to do with politics and everything to do with CYA.

Terrorist ARE real and in case some have forgot over 3,000 people were slaughtered almost 5 years ago on September 11, 2001. There was NOTHING political about it…

Those who believe republicans or more specifically, President Bush, is trying to scare the public then you would be correct and that is his duty. His duty is to inform the idiots whose attention spans last a day or less that there is a REAL threat you could DIE at anytime due to terrorist.

I truly believe those that believe President Bush is “scaring” people for political gain only are the same people who truly believe we would be safer today if we had just continued on with our picnics and BBQ’S and looked at 911 as something “cool and exciting” that happened.

Reality and the truth are scary people, get over it and stop making it into some kind of political spin when it isn’t. Monica and Clinton was political spin, 911, terror threat levels, and our President reminding people to be vigilant (scared to those who don’t know better) is not spin, it is reality and the truth because if we sit by and do nothing only a truly brain dead person would not be scared…

 

I think the main reason it was used today is they found that they needed to change the rules for security. The new plan by the terrorists was to bring liquids aboard and mix them in flight to created explosives. The airports had all of 4 hours to change they way they did things.

 

THE FACTS:

The MAIN reason for raising the terror threat level today was for one reason:

American citizens be VIGILANT, PAY ATTENTION, YOU COULD DIE BECAUSE OF TERRORIST…

Not a scare tactic, not a political game, but just the honest truth which is:

American’s let it be known your government can NEVER EVER protect you from everything. Sometimes you are ON YOUR OWN…

 

Burt, what day has what you said above not been true?
When they change it from Yellow to Red, what am I suppossed to do?
(besides vote Republican in a few months?)

I'll just be glad when the election is over and we can go back to Yellow.

I recall a Miami terrorist cell plot against the Sears Tower in Chicago several months ago but, they didn't change the threat level.

 

Actually there has not been a day since 911 it has not been true. However my point is IF our government has a good reason and good information that something “specific” is imminent then they should, as they did, raise the threat level.

Today they knew if was highly likely that something very specific could happen which was terrorist mixing liquids to make a bomb. Therefore they did the right thing by telling Americans to be vigilant. What should Americans be vigilant about, well it was pretty easy today which was be vigilant if you were flying in a plane and some nut case started mixing liquids. If you see someone mixing liquids KILL THEM before they KILL you first…

So there you have it, something very specific and a very specific place it could happen…

The other thing I would like to add is don’t blame Bush about the threat levels or the timing. If anybody is helping Republicans get elected it is the terrorist. Maybe they dislike liberals as well…