Terror Attack Not Imminent but Warning Was Like, You Know, Totally Warranted and Shit

[Phaedrus]

White House official: No evidence terrorist attack imminent

(Associated Press)

A White House official says nothing in the documents and computer files recently seized in al-Qaida raids indicates plans for an imminent attack on U-S financial buildings.
But the official says some of the files showing surveillance of such buildings had been accessed this spring. That's months later than authorities had previously disclosed.

The White House issued warnings on August first based on the surveillance of financial buildings in New York, Washington and New Jersey in 2000 and 2001.

But the official says he's seen no indication of "an imminent operation." Investigators are still poring over volumes of the seized information.

The administration remains concerned about other information that al-Qaida was plotting a major attack inside the U-S this summer to disrupt the elections.

 

[Mr NJ Sports]

And if they didnt warn and there was an attack people would bitch and whine about that.

 

[Phaedrus]

I wouldn't. I believe in acting on information and from time to time best intuition. Not speculation, and not every Post-It™ with a rough sketch of a building on it.

Everybody makes mistakes, and I udnerstand and respect that the scope of the job is immense btw; my ire is raised in this and other recent instances because it's just getting ridiculous, these "credible warnings" turning out to be have been issued by some lone fruitbat with a fax machine (Ashcroft's May warning) , or as in the case of the Wall St. warnings information that is years old.

Hence also my increasing tendency to emulate speech from the incumbent adminstration in the patois of the deeply stoned pizza delivery guy, because frankly that's about the level of intelligence and acument with which I credit the lot of them.


Phaedrus

 

[Skyweasel]

The real problem then becomes boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome - you keep issuing bogus alerts and eventually you might issue a real alert and no one will listen or give a shit. In fact I think we're there already.

 

[PatPatriot]

How do you know that we are not detering the attacks by putting it out there?
You don't.
I know if I am Ali baba-caca,I might change my mind about driving a van full of horseshit and kerosene down wallstreet.

 

[jointpleasures]

I have to believe the system currently employed needs vamping. But it currently still does more good than harm. It may wreck the plans for a few to potentially save the lives of millions. Weather men do it all the time.

 

[Skyweasel]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Patriot:
How do you know that we are not detering the attacks by putting it out there?
You don't. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How do I know you have a functioning brain? I don't. Maybe we're deterring the Martians too, I don't know that either. I haven't seen any Martian alerts lately though. It's wonderful to play in the garden of one's imagination, certainly more wonderful than facing reality.

 

[wilheim]

Skyweasel.