he Bush administration raised its terror alert this afternoon, saying there was a high risk of a new terrorist attack, following warnings that such an attack might be "imminent" in Saudi Arabia and signs that one was increasingly possible in the United States.
Asa Hutchinson, under secretary of the Homeland Security Department, announced that the terror alert had been raised to orange, or high risk, its second-highest level, from yellow, or elevated risk. [...]
"Al Qaeda remains the principal threat," Mr. Hutchinson said, singling out the terrorist network held responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. But he warned that attacks by other groups, or disaffected individuals, could not be ruled out.
"Disaffected"? Isn't that a word they used to describe "Generation X"? That must mean there's millions of potential terrorists just in the US.
Again, Americans were urged to continue leading their lives as before, but with greater vigilance to suspicious persons or packages. A central objective of the heightened alert, Mr. Hutchinson added, was to quickly inform local law-enforcement agencies of the need to step up security measures.
Yes, just go about your daily business and if you see someone acting or even looking insufficiently American, report them to the authorities immediately...
Article comments
1 - Michael Croft
This from the guys who agree to a jurisdictionally questionable (at best) job of domestic intelligence against a middle-aged Texas State Representative and then can't find his plane when it's parked on the ground at the airport it supposedly left.
I've seen reports that there is a strong negative correlation between HomeSecDep alert levels and actual attacks. So if we've ratcheted up to 'orange', then we're safer.
If you're on the political left, think about how much bigger the Homeland Security Boondoggle makes the national debt.
If you're on the right, think about how much bigger your tax cut would have been if they hadn't bought an intelligence agency that's this inept.
Color coded flashcards and illegal domestic spying for politicians. Everybody should feel safer now...