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DHS Ponders "Improving" Terrorism Alert System
An anonymous reader writes "The DHS's color-coded terrorism risk warning system has often been criticized on a number of grounds. However, it seems that at last DHS has taken note of these criticisms and is finally planning to fix one of its problems. Which one? Well, since the two lowest levels have never been used in the history of the program, the solution is obvious: just get rid of them! In the new system, the lowest level would be yellow, 'guarded,' representing 'A constant state of vigilance to protect against a terrorist attack.' While it's nice that they're at least no longer maintaining a pretense of it being for anything other than fear-mongering, I don't think this was the kind of change most people were hoping for."
Let's just declare martial law and get it over with.
Ed R.Zahurak
You know, oblivion keeps looking better every day.
Green - Dangerous minorities in the area. Lock the doors.
Yellow - asians are messing with our computers again. Use Linux.
Orange - Mexican drug gang wars are spilling over in to the United States. Wear Kevlar.
Red - Socialist President. Abandon the country.
These terror alert levels write themselves.
"Purple alert! Purple alert!"
"What's a purple alert?"
"Well, it's like not as bad as a red alert, but a bit worse than a blue alert -- sort of a mauve alert."
- Lister and Holly
This system provides no real benefit to the American populace other than to instill fear.
I don't stop what I'm doing because for some reason or another, the day has been ranked a "red" terrorist day.
Really, all it does (besides instilling fear) is give news sources something to talk about briefly.
In this respect, not much seems to have changed.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Ignoring the fear that it was probably _designed_ to instill in the population and potentially the global population... It's just a pointless system.
If this system is at all meant for the general population, it's failed. When I go out on vacation, or planning on visiting a major city and/or landmark, I never even think of the Alert colors.
I understand that it may potentially only be for government agencies, especially law enforcement, but even then does saying we're at yellow, or orange, or even red _really_ give them direction? I'm assuming even if there are general rules in place to "do x and y when at color z" they only get rudimentary things done. Say, bringing in more personnel or putting more people on standby status. Even the agencies need to know _what_ to look for and in what fashion the event is predicted to take place.
Really, beyond fear, I can't see the point in the system at all. If there is something to report to the public, report it. If there is something to report to government agencies, I bet there are a bunch of better ways, already in use, to alert the proper acronyms of the who, what, when, where, and why.
Government WANK alert system. Whereby the wankiness of a government is scaled by public opinions, and if the scale hits a certain point, everyone in public office at that time is tossed out at once, and we elect a whole new batch?
We can have a National Referendum day in 60 days from the time the WANK alert is triggered. 15 days to register to run, 15 days to organize campaigns, and 30 days to run. If people campaign before the official campaign limit, they are automatically excluded from the ballot.
And nobody can run if they have ever held elected office before.
I'm sick to death of Damned Professional Politicians. Lets get some amateurs in and see if they can do better.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Green = "Go ahead, let your guard down, see what happens" Yellow = "There is a new budget up for vote, and if you don't give DHS more money the terrorists win" Red = "Imminent threat, only direct intervention by Steven Segal can prevent global disaster" Black = "We told you this would happen if you didn't give DHS more money"
That does NOT mean DHS is less fucked up than a football bat.
I don't follow. You don't need a bat for footb-- OHH!
Posts not to be taken literally. Almost everything is sarcasm.
We'll move from "Orange" to "Grape" then "Tutti-Fruity"
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
Here
Color Code Fuchsia Security Status ("Relatively High").
Color Code Magenta Security Status ("A Tad Higher Than Relatively High, but Not Totally High.")
Color Code Security Status Mauve ("Calm, but Tense").
Color Code Security Status Key Lime ("Partly Cloudy").
Color Code Security Status Maroon ("Dark Brownish Red").
Color Code Security Status Peach ("Viewer Discretion Advised").
Color Code Security Status Burnt Umber ("Medium Rare").
Color Code Security Status Tangerine ("Uh-Oh").
Color Code Security Status Jalapeno ("Everyone Down!").
Color Code Security Status Traffic Cone Orange ("Yipes!").
Best Slashdot Co
But this should make all the Young Libertarians on Slashdot delirious with delight. Isn't the price of freedom supposed to be eternal vigilance?
Yes. Vigilance against the Government. I'm far more worried about Washington and Albany than I am about a handful of naked savages residing in caves who managed to pull off a single mass casualty attack only through luck and our own incompetence.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
That's not exactly true. DHS Sets Security Alert Level To Green For 8 Seconds
If it's orange (I've flown once during orange) then there's a bit of tension in the air. Makes for a more unpleasant airport experience, but it also tends to make people more aware of their surroundings.
I've never flown in not-orange ever since they came up with the system. I'm not some business traveler, but I fly between three and six times a year round-trip to various places around the country, and I always hear the same recording of some guy saying "The current threat level is orange". And I don't think anyone has so much as batted an eye. From San Francisco to Denver to freaking JFK Intl., I've never seen people act more alert and suspicious after that announcement.
Like this B.S. threat level is so well correlated with actual terrorist plotting that, if you're worried about terrorists, it's safe to lower your guard during a "yellow" threat level. Please! People are going to react the same way to "suspicious" things they see in an airport, and they're going to pay just as much attention either way. Nobody cares about the threat level, for one because it never changes, for two because it doesn't make any sense to do anything different -- if you're paranoid about terrorists and care to be alert on the 1-in-a-billion chance you personally spot terrorist activity, you will be just as much so during "yellow" as "orange". And if you're like me, and not worried much at all about terrorists, you're going to keep a vague eye out but you're still not going to give a shit how scared TSA says you should be.
The Terror Alert is useless bullshit.
The enemies of Democracy are
Obligatory Red Dwarf:
Rimmer: Kryten, take us to Blue Alert. Kryten: Are you sure, sir? It does mean changing the bulb.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
Yep yep. I interpret the terror alert color to only indicate one thing: how long the line will be at the security checkpoint. And it's for purely psychological reasons: higher danger levels make us desire a greater inconvenience in order to feel safe.
To wit: if the color was green, nobody would care if they just whisked everybody through without searching purses, confiscating water bottles, and making us take off our shoes.
FATMOUSE + YOU = FATMOUSE
How is that racist? As far as I know, people of all races have joined the lunatics who launched the attacks. There's even a "white" american or two who have joined, are gained some prominence for doing so. I think everyone is getting a little tired of the old racist claim.
Law enforcement use a similar color code system. Officers must always maintain the "always alert" (on guard) awareness level of vigilance. The only reason to have codes below this is for training and discipline purposes. If an officer lets their guard down and drops below the "always alert" level, the safety of the officer and/or citizens can be jeopardized. So, on a public spectrum, I agree with the change that the public only need to know our code awareness level from "Guarded" on up.
LOL.
And the continuous state of alert just causes degradation and ignorance.
People would just ignore it like they do with some warning lights in the car. "You don't have the seat belt on" is just ignored since they already know it, and know it's illegal in most states to not have the seat belt on but they don't give a crap.
So an "Elevated" state of alert is in reality "Normal" to "Ignorable". A "Critical" state of alert will be considered "Elevated" and when it's critical all traffic will have a standstill anyway.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
Agreed -- mostly. You're right in that just because something is possible doesn't mean it's likely.
OTOH, there are a number of likely scenarios and we are certainly no better off security-wise than we were before 9/11. Sticking a bunch of rent-a-cops in front of possible terrorist targets and airport terminals and giving them metal detectors and bomb sniffers will stop only the casual terrorist who hasn't thought things through.
From what we know now, the 9/11 terrorist attacks took years of planning. Do you really think that terrorists who are willing to wait in the wings for years, plotting and scheming the whole time aren't already systematically testing this 'new' security for weaknesses?
Don't be stupid and above all, do not trust the DHS when they tell you that we are more secure. Because we are certainly not.
My blog
I'll be really scared when we hit plaid...
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
Somehow, I miss the "young libertarian" reference, or slur, or whatever. Libertarians didn't lead this nation into war, that was the doing of NEOCONSERVATIVES. Neocons are seperate and distinct from the more common conservatives, many of whom have been duped into following the neocons.
Whatever - the price of freedom is indeed eternal vigilance. But, vigilance != paranoia Paranoia is a trait of those aforementioned neoconservatives.
KTHXBAI
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
I'm far more worried about Washington and Albany than I am about a handful of naked savages residing in caves who managed to pull off a single mass casualty attack only through luck and our own incompetence.
How about your own arrogance?
If that's not how it works then the terrorists win.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
No the DHS can act as if it's always yellow or orange or whatever color they keep it locked to. The rating system is supposed to be FOR THE PUBLIC. I don't think since oh what was it Sept 11, 2001 that we should collectively be on a state of constant panic and alert looking for terrorists. Now if they get some credible threats and/or chatter that something is imminent then yes it would make sense to raise it from Blue or Green or whatever to yellow or orange to get the public involved in helping them. However, the presumed constant state of alert as others have said will only lead to people just flat out ignoring the system unless it comes out to 'WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!' and some jackass flies a few more planes into some buildings.
09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
+2 Troll is Slashdot's way of saying groupthink is confused
Ludicrous Fear! GO!
Libertarians didn't lead this nation into war, that was the doing of NEOCONSERVATIVES. Neocons are seperate and distinct from the more common conservatives, many of whom have been duped into following the neocons.
Both of these statements are true. It is also true that a great many libertarians and old-school conservatives continue to support the Republican party despite the fact that its agenda has been neocon-dominated for at least fifteen years. If you vote Republican, neocon policies are what you're voting for. So it's kind of hard for us lefties to believe people who say, "Well, here's what real [libertarians|conservatives] believe ..." when they're the exact same people who gave us Gingrich and Bush.
Actually, I do have some sympathy -- I'm a pro-gun liberal, so when I vote Democratic, I'm aware that I'm voting against a portion of my interests. But I don't try to hide it, or pretend otherwise. I can't say "real liberals support gun rights" when I can look around and see that the vast majority of people who call themselves liberals are, in fact, anti-gun. I just have to deal with it, and hopefully be honest about what I'm doing. It would be refreshing to see some of the same honesty from the other side of the aisle.
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
Look, it's a department whose sole purpose is defending the homeland. How is it fear mongering to stay on "a constant state of vigilance". And when would they ever go less than that, realistically? Do we want a Department of Homeland Defense whose alertness to terrorism status is "Not paying attention.", which is what is less than "vigilant".
What we want is a population with sufficient intelligence and maturity to be able to recognise the War on Terror for exactly what it is; a sham, and Orwell's "war without end," which exists for the express purpose of enabling the gradual, overt introduction of total fascism.
The GWOT has no legitimacy, and the DHS doesn't either. They are both instruments of fascism, and absolutely nothing more.
If you're having trouble believing that every single terrorist incident which has occurred in the last ten years, has been orchestrated by governments, it's very simple to figure out the underlying logic.
Simply ask yourself who the overwhelming beneficiary of the attacks has been.
The DHS was/is not even necessary, and is just another bureaucracy clogging up things even more.
Those who trade freedom for security get neither. The more you allow government to protect you the more power you allow them to throw you in a dungeon and throw away the key. No Trial, No Rights, No more Liberty.
You either put the handcuffs on the government or they put them on you.
Well, Mr. Dvorkin, it appears that you and I could sit and discuss politics, and we could agree and disagree all day long. But, take note of the post following yours. We aren't capable of critical thinking!! That is the province of people who post anonymously!!
BTW - I don't really fit into any party, but the Libertarians come closest to a fit for me. God, I hate that we are only ever given two choices. Can't we ever get anyone to run for office besides Dumb and Dumber?
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
You know what? Among conservatives, "Patriotic" has lost its original meaning of loving one's country. It has become the codeword for their own type of "Politically Correct."
It is already orange and has been orange forever as far as air travel goes.
I chuckle at that every time I fly, because leaving it at one step below the actual attack state means if it ever went to red for good reason, no one will care.
Boiling frogs works both ways. if you constantly caution people when there is no real danger, they lose the ability to see genuine threats.
In a highly anticipated move, Congress today determined that all DEFCON levels above 1 are unneeded and will be scrapped.
"Well, we're at war 24/7 as it is, the system should reflect that," stated a representative.
Defence contractors were unable to comment, though one did make a side remark that he was too busy counting his money.
Personally, I'm just happy to see the change because it means no more putting blue in between yellow and green. That always bugged me, as a slightly OCD person who used to sort things in rainbow order, from crayons to the Skittles I was eating.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Generally the savages aren't naked when they're in their caves, we have to capture them first.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Yes. Eternally staying vigilant against government abuses.
I am tired of government manipulation of the public via fear. There has always been terrorism, there always will be terrorism, and from what I can tell, a very high percentage it is state sponsored, in one way or the other.
Obviously we need military and intelligence services; they shouldbe the best in the world, and we need security - but what happened on Sept 11th is ridiculous and NEVER should have happened - all of this bullshit about all of these simultaneous coincedences letting this occur, as well as there being drills occurring at the WTC and Pentagon that very morning for THAT exact scenario (that's a fact by the way, not some truther conspiracy bullshit - look into it if you doubt that)...
I have no idea what really went on - but I just don't think that our country and the security of the people have been in the best hands. There is an article by Michael LeMieux called "Loss of Freedom" which I think sums up how I feel about the how the entire anti-terror laws situation in the US has been handled since 2001 quite well, here is an excerpt:
"On the Friday prior to voting on the PATRIOT Act, the Judiciary Committee passed a bipartisan version of the bill that did not have the broad sweeping powers wanted by Attorney General Ashcroft and the White House. At 3:45 am on Sunday the bill was printed; but it had been modified to include all the items of the original bill which, according to Rep. DeFazio from Oregon, were a direct challenge to our civil liberties. These same items had been rejected by Congress even before 9/11 occurred.
According to Rep. Barr, the PATRIOT Act was a device under the guise of fighting terrorism to expand federal police power. When we look at who attacked us, we see no U.S. citizens. Yet when we look at the PATRIOT Act, time and time again it provides the federal government with mechanisms to spy on the citizens of the United States, not on foreign terrorists. If the purpose of the PATRIOT Act is to aid in fighting the enemy, it has to make any rational person think, âoewho do they think is the enemy?â Obviously the government believes it is U. S. citizens. We have met the enemy, and it is us. "
Many of us (libertarians) belong to the Republican party, but only because we are trying to take it back from the neoconservatives. I, myself am a member, but I have informed the party leadership on many occasions that, while I do have the ability to support them financially, that I never will until they become more welcoming to libertarian and anti-war views. I, personally, have made a lot of progress in talking to conservatives who are now waking up and realizing that they were betrayed by their leadership, and that Democrats have been betrayed as well (Guantanamo is still open, last I heard, though it doesn't make the news any more, and the Patriot Act is being extended, and there has been little or no accountability for the war crimes of the Bush administration at higher levels). This started with Reagan and his spending binge that started us down the road to national decline, and hopefully ended with the endless atrocities and spending of the Bush Administration. It is strange, it seems like a switch was flipped in every Republican's mind as soon as they lost the election. Where before they supported everything neoconservative, now they scream for libertarianism (except with the war).
Also strange is the switch that seems to have been flipped in every Democrat's mind. Now Republicans are the whiney, America hating terrorists. They have taken up the exact same rhetoric used up until the election by the Republicans, and indeed, they are continuing ALL of the major policies left in place by the Bush administration, while instituting every program they can think of because they (sincerely, I think) believe that government spending can somehow get us out of this Depression. It can't, of course. If it could, there would never be recessions. The Japanese tried it for twenty years, and only got twenty years of stagnation, and a huge debt to boot. Our debt is already unsustainable. What is going to happen when we double it?
No, you are wrong there. Libertarianism does not support even the EXISTENCE of corporations, which is an unnatural shield that is granted by the government to shareholders. Articles of incorporation are granted by states, and entitle the owners of said corporation to conduct business and obtain personal profit without liability for their actions. This is the ANTITHESIS of libertarianism.
If everyone really understood how libertarianism worked, 99% of people would be libertarians. I used to be a liberal myself, until I learned about economics. REAL economics, not the Keynesian crap they teach in macroeconomics.
If you want to learn about REAL libertarianism, I would suggest going to mises.org and reading some of the articles there. They will open your eyes.