| For the remainder of this year, what is your opinion on the terrorist threat? |
| They are a huge threat, I beleive they will hit us before the year ends. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| They are a major threat, but I doubt we will be hit this year. |
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66% |
[ 4 ] |
| They are not a large threat anymore. |
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16% |
[ 1 ] |
| We need to get past worrying about terrorists and concern ourselves with other matters. |
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16% |
[ 1 ] |
|
| Total Votes : 6 |
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| Author |
Message |
Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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 Thu Jul 08, 2004 11:50 am Officials Warn of Summer Terror Threats |
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| Quote: |
Officials Warn of Summer Terror Threats
Thursday, July 08, 2004
By Liza Porteus
WASHINGTON � Al Qaeda may try to attack the United States sometime this summer in an effort to disrupt the American political process, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (search) warned Thursday.
One potential target could be this year's presidential conventions.
"Since Sept. 11, 2001, we have had intelligence that Al Qaeda (search) intends to launch more attacks against the homeland," Ridge said during a press conference. "Credible reporting now indicates that Al Qaeda is moving forward with its plans to carry forward a large-scale attack in the United States in order to disrupt our democratic process."
But the terrorists hold a "mistaken belief that their attacks will have an impact on America's resolve," he added.
While officials don't yet have specific information on the time, place and method of attack, Ridge added, "we are actively working to gain that knowledge."
"We are very comfortable with the credibility of the sources" of the information, he continued, but added that the credibility of the information itself it still being corroborated.
The United States made it through the July 4th weekend without a terror incident but there's still a long, hot summer ahead and U.S. officials say they know that Al Qaeda is determined to strike.
Ridge's announcement followed top-secret briefing to key lawmakers on Wednesday and Thursday by himself, FBI Director Robert Mueller, outgoing CIA Director George Tenet and other officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA.
This year's Democratic conventions in Boston and Republican conventions (search) in New York City are believed to be prime targets. The Democrats will meet at Boston's FleetCenter July 26-July 29, with the GOP convention to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York from Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
Many lawmakers asked for the briefings about the terror attack threat and the level of security precautions being taken at these events.
A political convention has "all of the elements of a terrorist's target - it's got a lot of people there, it's very symbolic � and it's also very political," former CIA operative and senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation, Peter Brookes, told FOX News. "The threat continues and there's no doubt this is a prime time to insert themselves -- not only to kill Americans -- but to insert themselves into our democratic process."
Officials have cited a "steady drum beat" of intelligence that tells them Usama bin Laden's terror network is intent on hitting sometime between now and the November elections.
The goal of terrorists here, according to law enforcement, is an attack with Madrid-style implications. That attack in Spain on March 11 probably altered the election results in that country when the U.S.-friendly former President Jose Maria Aznar was ousted.
"I think we need to keep in mind first that Al Qaeda's aim is to kill Americans, their victory is defined as murdering innocent civilians," said Rep. Chris Cox, the California Republican who chairs the Select Committee on Homeland Security. "There is a steady drumbeat of reporting and the threat has not abated."
All House members were invited to the Wednesday session with Mueller; Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security undersecretary for border and transportation security; and John Brennan, a CIA official who heads the joint CIA-FBI Terrorism Threat Integration Center. The briefings were requested by congressional leaders, some of whom attended a similar event Tuesday at the White House at the invitation of Andrew Card, President Bush's chief of staff.
Ridge: 'This is Sobering Information'
Ridge met with the nation's governors a few weeks ago for a classified briefing. He said during the press conference that while the national terror alert will not be raised right now, heightened security measures are being put into place to protect the nation from summer attacks.
"We have permanent protections in place today that did not exist a year ago � and these protections make it harder for terrorist to attack us," the secretary said.
The United States now has, for example, a fully-connected nationwide 24-7 homeland security operations center that electronically provides emergency and threat information to all 50 states, Ridge said. The project was finished five months ahead of schedule.
But the most important thing that can be done to protect the nation, Ridge added, is that citizens need to be vigilant and report suspicious activity and items.
"We live in serious times and this is sobering information about those who want to do us harm," Ridge said. "Efforts each of you make to be vigilant ... do make a difference. Every citizen, using their common sense and their eyes and ears, can support our national effort to stop the terrorists."
In the summer months, "our minds tend to drift away from things like terrorism but we have to remain vigilant," Brookes said. People need to know "if they see something suspicious, they need to report it."
"They may raise the color alert at some point in the future when they have more specific information," Brookes added of the color-coded terror alert system.
Bush administration officials have said Al Qaeda was emboldened by its attack in Spain, which killed 190 people and contributed to the election defeat of the ruling party. Spain subsequently announced it would withdraw troops from Iraq.
"I thought in the post-Madrid environment, it would be very important on a periodic basis to give America an update on where we are and what we are doing," Ridge said when asked by reporters why there have been such regular security briefings in the past few months.
The FBI has formed a special task force to respond to the convention threat, which also prompted the Secret Service to close roads and rail lines and restrict other access around the convention sites.
Congress is scheduled to leave town this month for the summer and return after Labor Day. Lawmaker
"This is not a major announcement, it's the reality of an increased risk in the homeland over the next several months," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., recently sent a letter from Massachusetts and New York lawmakers to the House Appropriations Committee supporting a joint request by the cities of Boston and New York for $50 million to help defray the unprecedented security costs of the conventions.
"Our letter cites several factors that have greatly and rapidly increased the security cost burdens on Boston and New York, including the bombings in Madrid and Moscow and recent warnings that Al Qaeda intends to 'hit the United States hard' in the next few months," Markey said.
"While today's warning did not contain specific threat information, I remain very concerned about the security of the conventions. A successful attack at either convention would be a devastating blow to the political process and to our country's collective psyche."
Ridge said "there are constitutional and security questions" that are currently being pondered as to what action to take should an attack disrupt either convention.
Fox News' Greg Kelly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jeff Miller
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001
Posts: 23947
Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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| Thu Jul 08, 2004 11:58 am |
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I have gotten numb to the whole thing about terriost threats they show it too much so I voted.
We need to get past worrying about terrorists and concern ourselves with other matters.
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Ksim3000
Rear Admiral
Joined: 27 Mar 2002
Posts: 4952
Location: United Kingdom
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| Thu Jul 08, 2004 4:10 pm |
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No, it will be simply another threat. They have hit America once, they would be foolish to do it again, I mean, in both Britain and America, security is very tight. They won't try to hit America, it would fail.
However, if they were going to hit anywhere, I would say Japan or South Korea. Both countries are American influenced and of course, they haven't got the necessary security meassures set up. It would be easy to hit them and cause much damage.
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IntrepidIsMe
Pimp Handed
Joined: 14 Jun 2002
Posts: 13057
Location: New York
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| Thu Jul 08, 2004 6:33 pm |
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I don't think that they're a major threat, but they are a threat, although not a very large one. To simply dismiss them and move on to other issues so quickly wouldn't be a very smart move.
-------signature-------
"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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Pah-Wraith
Sheikh
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 6012
Location: Londonistan.
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| Thu Jul 08, 2004 10:51 pm |
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I voted that they are a major threat but I doubt we'll be hit this year.
I reckon that the step we need to take now is get Israel to take out Iran's nuclear weapons and then pour more money into Iraq, because if we successfully turn Iraq into an example of Democracy in the Middle East that is Islamic also, other Countries will follow suit.
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Seven of Nine
Sammie's Mammy
Joined: 16 Jun 2001
Posts: 7871
Location: North East England
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| Fri Jul 09, 2004 5:04 am |
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If the treat of terrorism affects peoples daily lives, then the terrorists have won. We should be aware and ready for the possiblility of a terrorist attack, but just continue with daily life otherwise.
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Jeremy
J's Guy
Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 7823
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Fri Jul 09, 2004 5:17 am |
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I think they'll try to hit again as soon as possible, and it wil depend if the security measures in place stop them. But while saying that I agree with Danni that we should get on with our lives and not let them affect us ot they have won.
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