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Following FEMA's Zombie Preparedness Plan Could Land You On Terrorist List
colinneagle writes "As if warning a zombie apocalypse is imminent, FEMA hosted a webinar for its Citizen Corps encouraging emergency planners 'to use the threat of zombies — the flesh-hungry, walking dead — to encourage citizens to prepare for disasters.' The problem is many of those recommendations would have you do things that would flag you as a possible terrorist according to The DOJ's controversial 'Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities' guidelines. From the article: 'Don't be silly by thinking you must actually break the law before cops deem you a potential threat and report you. Paying with cash comes under numerous "you might be a terrorist if" lists. Whatever you do, stocking up on non-perishable food as the feds advise should not include buying "meals ready to eat" since that, too, is potentially suspicious and means you might be a terrorist. "Suspicious activity" at military surplus stores includes making "bulk purchases" of "weatherproofed ammunition or match containers and meals ready to eat, as does suspicious purchasing of "night vision devices include night flashlights and gas masks."'"
So are terrorists. How convenient.
"I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
Just rip off Foxworthy's act and replace redneck with terrorist.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
Buying MREs doesn't mean you're a terrorist; it means you're a moron with no clue about food storage.
Or maybe a zombie. (BREs?)
I buy all of my MREs at the Commissary on military bases. Nobody gives you a second look, just like nobody looks twice if you are wearing camouflage, carrying a gun and large rucksack, or running at 6 am on a Saturday.
sudo make me a sandwich
I suggest everyone ask to be added to the list.
*Actually* preparing for a zombie apocalypse should get you placed an some other lists as well.
A while back something mildly Kafkaesque happened to a friend of mine, who owned a light aircraft (a rather old tatty one).
He bought a few items from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty - some paints for fabric-covered light planes, and a few items of hardware, to perform some general maintenance and tidy-up. They duly arrive by courier, and he picked them up from his apartment complex's management office. A couple of days later the FBI turn up at his apartment to check whether he's a terrorist! Apparently, the apartment manager saw a box from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, saw my friend pick it up (who's skin colour is not perfectly white, somewhere between white and hispanic) and called the FBI who came out and investigated him.
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
nuff said
By reading this article you're suspicious.
By reading this comment you're even more suspicious.
Want to admit something, terrorist?
What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
is obviously a piece of highly specialized hardware. Civilians should only have access to standard flashlights.
Back in the nineties there was a group that called themselves "Viper Team". They were firearms enthusiasts, and among the things they did were to make a video on how to blow up buildings. They had no explosives, they and no intent, but they used public and government buildings in their video as to what parts of the buildings were structural and how those areas support the building.
There was, of course, an infiltration investigation. The infiltrator apparently tried to incite the members into criminal acts, specifically, robbing a bank. By the end of the investigation, only one person spent time in prison, and that was because he had modified an AR-15 to full-auto. But, people who were friends with this man and others in the group probably had their phones tapped and all of the various groups around these people were nervous.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that the convicted man and the others were also heavily involved in Fandom, so basically all Fandom around here was somewhat investigated? That's basically why I know about it, because there are still a lot of bitter people in local Fandom because of this.
The media referred to the group as, "The Viper Militia". Having been acquainted with some of these people that's a bit of a stretch. Even using "Team" in their name was a stretch, they were about as organized as a clowder of cats, as most Fandom is.
So, in my opinion, it's all a big friggin' joke.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
So that has been my problem all along. I always have used my day flashlights at night, now I know what I was doing wrong.
There have been numerous reports of the Homeland inSecurity demanding customer lists from bulk supply stores/online merchants. Some stores say "no" but some other stores happily hand it over. Then the customers on the list get visits from the DHS officers requesting permission to search those homes.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Whatever you do, stocking up on non-perishable food as the feds advise should not include buying "meals ready to eat" since that, too, is potentially suspicious and means you might be a terrorist.
You shop at Costco!
sysadmins and parents of newborns get the same amount of sleep.
Just in case there is one.
Seriously? I can't think of a reason.
Terrorism is usually something done in a very short time window. I don't think the hijackers on 9/11 took a coffee break to cook up some ramen in the middle of the flight.
Just rip off Foxworthy's act and replace redneck with terrorist.
And if the Muslim comedian asked for permission from Jeff Foxworthy to use the "You Know You're a Redneck if..." he would probably get a chuckle and agree.
You know you're a terrorist if you stock up on MREs at the local military surplus store. Who else would eat that stuff?
You know you're a terrorist if you buy night-vision goggles from your neighbour at the flee market.
You know you're a terrorist if you USE CASH!
Thank you, I'll be here until #$#%#%$#%#$
No? Then the system of checks and balances still works.
People who talk about the gestapo never know what this truly means.
The Gestapo doesn't ask if you are guilty. They decide, then torture you for information or just kill you. And if a second after they decided, they get proof from god that your innocent? No difference. THAT IS DICTATORSHIP.
Everything else is freedom with a legal system. And if you thought your legal system doesn't mean things can happen like being arrested on a mere suspicion and questioned for hours. Then you have just lived a very sheltered life. Any normal country with a legal system gives the police the duty and the powers to investigate, arrest and question to follow leads. Just hope you are never a subject of a investigation or will you will learn just what it means to live in a system with a working legal system.
Then again, since the line for emigration to places like Somalia where there is no police who can question you just for receiving a package, is non-existent, I get the feeling that either Somalia government is high efficient at processing immigration requests, or people prefer a country with a working legal system even if it sucks if you ever get caught in its gears.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Our church leaders have continually told us that we should have both a 72 hr kit and a year's food storage. Its not uncommon for a food storage order make its rounds at church every few months or for there to be classes taught during the week on canning and food storage meal prep. Tack on the fact that besides organizations like Walmart & the Red Cross, we have the largest food production & distribution network, all in house and mostly staffed by volunteers.
I guess all of that make us one of the largest terrorist networks in the world. And here you thought that our missionaries were just there to annoy you with offers of Mormon Videos & a copy of the Book of Mormon. Never underestimate the clean white shirt, pressed dark pants, tie and the infamous black & white name tag.
You would think there would be some sort of acronym checker to prevent things like this...
If paying cash for lots of items lands a person on a watch list, then every person I know must be on the list. Likewise, lots of people stock up on food and ready to eat meals, either in case of emergency or just to avoid cooking from time to time. So I guess we are all dangerous.
Wouldn't it be easier to just add EVERYONE to the terror list? I was about to say "and drop off those who have been cleared", but I couldn't stop laughing long enough to add it.
"Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
"night vision devices include night flashlights and gas masks."'
Instead of those highly specialized day flashlights...
Glad that cash is still widely used in Europe and in the rest of the world. It would be a sad day when you can't buy something without giving up your privacy or when you can't buy something with cash and immediately being flagged as a terrorist suspect. Frankly, wtf?
cpghost at Cordula's Web.
TFA's 2 points about over/under - interest in radio controlled aircraft, I can see it now: "Good morning sir, I'm somewhat interested in radio controlled aircraft and would like to purchase one. Now, don't get me wrong, I do have a interest that sits above just a casual interest, however I'm also not overly interested in them, in fact, I'd say I'm about just the right amount of interested in radio controlled aircraft to buy one, but not so interested that it'd be suspicious.... say, who are you calling?"
> no, yes, maybe (tagging beta)
The suspicious activity list is just another sign of the decline of our society. Time to stock up...
Why would I care if they think I'm a terrorist?
You are messing up the delivery. It has to follow the format.
If you (insert joke here) , you might be a terrorist.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
Not to mention the fact that many of the acts of terrorism these days involve suicide bombers. Maybe the assumption is that terrorists all live in secluded bunkers in the middle of nowhere and don't have ready access to McDonald's?
What I like is "buying firearms outside of season". Okay, hunting rifles, I can sort of see--except for the fact that many gun stores hold sales in the off season in order to keep customers coming in. But what about handguns? Is there a "handgun season" I don't know about? Some high-caliber revolvers are used in boar hunting, but that's all I know. I guess the take-away is, "Legally own a firearm, which the Constitution lets you do? You might be a terrorist."
One thing that should be mentioned, though, is the key phrase: "large quantities". The list mentions propane gas. Just buying one tank for your family BBQ isn't going to arouse suspicion. Buying 50 canisters, though, might--and, honestly, even I would raise my eyebrows at that. My favorite part, though: "Shoplifting or purchasing [...] several large aircraft, engines, or transmitters". If a guy manages to fit several large aircraft under his coat, he deserves to keep them.
If you can't convince them, convict them.
What should the DOJ do to prevent possible future terror attacks? Should they just be accepted as a cost of freedom? Rejected as a highly improbably occurrence? If not, what sort of indicators should they look for before investigating further?
With a list like that I'm surprised that the noise level isn't so high it makes the data pretty much useless.
You might be a terrorist if you're buying freeze dried meals, survival equipment, ammo (especially out of season), camouflage gear and night vision equipment, etc (all from the list). Then again you might be preparing for a backpacking trip, a cost conscious hunter, prepping for unlikely events, or any number of things normal people are extremely likely to do.
Between the parent and the replies, you guys don't watch SNL? They did this years ago, in an opening where they had GW and someone else doing them back and forth.
If you (insert joke here) , you might be a terrorist.
I don't get it...
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
'Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities' guidelines? PITA guidelines? Well done!
Dunno, I think that one fits pretty well... "Hey guys, we've got another PITA to investigate."
William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
I've noticed this is actually really common. Just about anytime I hear people say "you might be a redneck" jokes they say it in the format "You might be a X if you Y" whereas I've only ever heard Foxworthy deliver them "If you ever Y, then you might be a redneck".
Funny, I was starting to think I was the only one who noticed other people were screwing up the format.
"... the LAPD adopted 15 of the DOJ's ridiculous lists regarding 'Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities.' "
Yeah, because nothing ever goes wrong in L.A. that citizens would need to be prepared for.
Except for riots. And earthquakes. And the whole place burning down every year. But other than that, it's just like you see on TV.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Comparing a network world blog response to the infowars response network world cleaned house pointing out state sponsored terrorism scare mongering, highlighting a program aimed at conditioning the public to accept more intrusion and overreach to combat the terrorism boogieman.
All of this while Alex and crew pissed away their opportunity on the phrase "real survivors" (soundex "real men") followed by a list of sponsors and reciprocating friends.
http://www.infowars.com/cdcs-zombie-apocalypse-propaganda/
Sad... really quite sad.
If you (don't get it), you might be a terrorist!
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
Looks like anyone that follows the guidelines for hurricane season in Florida is a terrorist too!
Here's your sign.
Government increasing a grip on our habits, whereabouts, manners, thoughts, etc. which results ideally in absence of successful acts of terrorism, that being the measure of some kind of synthetic success of the society. This is in a striking contrast with other crimes: theft, for example, where the rights of thieves are protected.
Granted, destruction of twin towers which led to deaths of 3000 people are not comparable to typical home invasion/exceeding defense limits scenario, but they might be comparable to the massive billion-dollar scams that deprived thousands and thousands of people of their earnings.
When some intellectuals defend the "freedoms" of a gangster terrorizing poor ethnic neighborhoods, when they defend "freedoms" of a home invader who met a bullet in the face, the society sees this a healthy sign of a liberal society. Some intellectuals consider existence of some sort of crimes as a healthy sign of freedoms in society: drunk driving, for example, would not be possible in a Shariah country.
I propose to similarly consider the incidents of successful terror acts as a measure of "healthy liberalism" in society:
If in some Western country X, terrorists are able to carry their acts - good for X, liberties, privacy of ordinary citizens are preserved.
If a president of the country Y is killed - good for Y, liberties are preserved.
How do you like them apples now, slashdot?
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
Bunch of people appear to be intent on blowing up buildings. Fed investigates, determines that one guy committed a crime, nobody else did. One guy gets arrested, indicted and imprisoned for the crime, everybody else gets asked questions, not arrested, indicted, convicted, improsoned or disappeared.
Many, many people can't tell a joke.
I once had a lady who I saw on a daily basis try three different times, on three successive days, to tell me the same joke. The third time was because she realized she botched the delivery the second time, which was because she realized that she botched the delivery the first time.
Well, at least she realized it.
Unfortunately, by the time she got to the third time, when she finally delivered it well enough, I already knew the punchline, and, quite frankly, the joke wasn't that funny anyway.
On the fourth attempt, I asked her if she would please stop.
Even sadder, the whole thing began when I asked someon a riddle. This poor lady didn't even grok the difference between a joke and a riddle. She had no chance of telling it well the first try.
www.wavefront-av.com
Plus, it is even more retarded.
If I was some sort of country-hating terrorist trying to stay off the grid and on the down-low, want to know where I would be getting food from? Farmers markets that is where.
Buy things in bulk and make any kind of food any way I wanted to, and equally without wasting money on packaging, distribution and the usual company costs to stay afloat and expand.
Buying ready meals? That'd be a waste of funds, which they likely have very little off which they'd put towards getting chemicals for all sorts of crap or bullets / guns, or whatever other nonsense terrorists buy.
Why waste money on bland things when they could be making nice, tasty meals for what could possibly be their last few days on Earth?
It ain't hard to make a decent meal in even 30 minutes. There are obvious exceptions for some preparations that need several hours to be done in the right way, and then even sometimes things that need days or even months.
Unless of course they are speaking about the lazy terrorists. But you wouldn't even need to look out for those. If they are too lazy to make food on tight budgets, you can tell the kind of person they are already. Those are the ones that get caught every month simply because of how sloppy they are in general.
You'd think they would have psychologists employed in these agencies.
Mormons are mandated to have 6 months of food storage. There are MANY businesses in Utah (that offer mail order service) that will prepare you for the "end days"! You are unlikely to set off the government terrorist alerts if you are simply following the precepts of your cult (ahem), I mean religion!
Proposal: Everybody go out and spend as much time as possible taking pictures of dams, power plants, government buildings, and anything else that makes the Spooks paranoid.
Also, let's agree to stop buying firearms, ammunition, fuels, adhesives, plumbing bits, et. al., with anything but cash.
Dress in cammies. All. The. Time. This is especially important to do when taking photographs of infrastructure as mentioned above.
Have a poker night with your buddies, or a member of a DnD club? Make your meetings (and communications regarding meetings) as cloak-and-dagger as possible, to give the impression that you're engaging in some sort of nefarious activity.
In essence, let's poison the holy living FUCK out of this well - give them so many false positives, they'll be forced to scrap the whole project.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Is that an airplane in your.... oh my god! Someone call an ambulance!
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
1990s: Everyone is gay --Curt Cobain.
2010s: Everyone is a terrorist --the government.
Did anyone read the linked too article? The amount of overlap from the actual CDC list of items to have and the list of items that could land you on a watch list are.. zero.
I have belonged to several zombie fansites and zombie survival oriented forums over the years, where the members regularly do the things mentioned in this article. There are even threads where members post and compare photos of their massive weapons collections, many of which have AR15s, pistol grip combat shotties and other goodies not allowable in my state.
No one has ever posted, at least to my knowledge, about being questioned, harassed or contacted by any official in the midst of their activities; and while that doesn't mean they aren't silently placed on some watchlist, I think it's unlikely; especially given the number of natural disasters the North American continent has seen in recent years. It just makes sense to stock up on some supplies. Not every government agency is the TSA. It's a losing argument for the feds because the CDC and FEMA promote survival saavy; if a serious terrorist attack occurs again, or a hurricane/flood/wildfire/earthquake/tornado strikes, victims in that area will need some of those survival skills and gear, and they know it.
Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
This isn't about middle eastern "crash planes into buildings" terrorists, they're looking for Timothy McVeigh type terrorists and Michigan Militia types. Basically far right rednecks that are not always completely with it mentally and sometimes go a bit too far.
I read the internet for the articles.
Here's a link if you want to listen for yourself: http://www.citizencorps.gov/resources/webinars/zombieawareness.shtm
This string walks into a bar
says "no sir, I'm a frayed know"
The premise is to prepare for a zombie attack, correct?
"Suspicious activity" at military surplus stores includes making "bulk purchases" of "weatherproofed ammunition"
There are two constants when it comes to zombies:
"night vision devices"
Aside from the specific problem of thermal imaging not working too well on the walking dead (who are likely ambient temperature), passive night-vision technologies are generally intended to be able to see in the dark without being seen yourself. I don't recall many examples of zombies being that reliant on their visual senses (assuming they even still have eyes).
gas masks.
A zombie hoard's main weapons are tenacity and numbers, not mustard gas and sarin. Zombie plagues tend to spread by fluid exchange (e. g. biting) rather than airborne agents.
Homeland Security wants us to prepare for zombies. These items don't seem to prepare one for zombies very well.
But when did this stupid zombie apocalypse fad become so widespread? Does it have to do with movies? Resident Evil (2002) and Shaun of the Dead (2004) have been around awhile, but I feel like it's only been in the last couple of years that everyone and their damned grandmother has started talking about it. Maybe video games. Either way, it won't be zombies that kill you. It will be cancer. Sorry to be such a buzzkill =(
What about rabies?
to just have a well stocked pantry? I can understand having a few in your car, etc. but if you are in your house, you should have access to a lot tastier options.
Since there *are* no such things as zombies, I have to wonder what all these preparations are for. Judging by the demographics, I'd say that "zombie apocalypse" is really just a fun proxy code word standing in for "racial holy war".
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
If you (insert joke here) , you might be a terrorist.
I don't get it...
It depends on where you insert the joke. It also depends on how forcefully you do so. Using certain values for these variables will increase the likelihood of you being a terrorist.
:-P
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."
How long does jelly/jam last?
What about jarred veggies?
Why not just buy them off the illegal down on the street corner? He'll have no problem taking cash, and certainly won't complain if somebody buys out his entire stock of fruits or veggies. Properly preserved and you left no record.
Now who'd want to spend that much time preparing their own food is beyond me, but it's possible and would keep you from getting flagged for that particular thing.
There must be something suspecious about you.
-- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
Under these guidelines, the Social Security Administration qualifies as terrorists.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-social-security-bullets-20120910,0,2812457.story/
Since Wornick discontinued the civilian MIL-SPEC line, the commerclal MREs haven't been as good. The Eversafe ones are much worse, and run heavily to pasta. (Chicken-based MREs are OK cold. Pasta, no.)
Any recommendations?
I would imagine those might come in handy if you're planning on a trip to join the jihadis in, say, Afghanistan.
Though the guys in the mountains of Chechnya make do with Snickers bars...
If you
Just rip off Foxworthy's act and replace redneck with terrorist.
you might be a terrorist.
Yeaahhh, you need to work on your delivery.
And in other news, an individual known only as "Tater Salad" has been added to the FBI's list.
Far right (think KKK), OR far left (think Symbionese Liberation Army).
It's not just rednecks who go too far.
Basically anyone who's completely off their rocker.
Why are you stocking up on supplies? Only terrorists need supplies! Citizens are not meant to purchase any of these things, as they are earmarked for the greater good of The State. Should an actual disaster arise, The State will dispense goods to you as needed at the discretion of local officials. Since you have shown you are unable to trust your glorious benefactors, you are hereby remanded to State custody to be re-educated.
Always remember:
The State knows best. The State keeps you safe. The State will provide for you. Freedom breeds individuality. Individuality breeds free thought. Free thought breeds unhappiness. Unhappiness breeds dissent. Dissent breeds chaos. Sowers of chaos will be dealt with accordingly.
"So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."
You might just be a terrorist...
- If you consider C-4 an undergarment...
- If your shoes provide energy return, light up when you walk and go BOOM...
- If your Gawd is bigger than their Gawd and you're willing to fight about it...
- If your idea of "Spraying Pests" includes an automatic machine gun...
- If you're setting off a nuke sounds like the Mutha of all Weenie Roasts...
- If a businessman walking down the street holding out his hand yells "Hi Jack" and you pull a gun...
You're right this works pretty good... Thank you Mr. Foxworthy!
Not everyone has that option. Half my family is across and ocean. I wonder if no-fly means no-boat either.
Does it mean no drive across the boarder as well? With the larger PITA of international flights, it is something to consider...
If you've found a way to *drive* across the ocean, well, my hat is off to you, sir!
:-P
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."
"The Fandom" - you speak of this as if there is only the one. Care to be more specific?
The furry fandom. They were/are a bunch of yiffing furries.
MREs have very low dietary fiber content, and that's what messes with your system. As a past consumer of many an MRE going back to the days of the four fingers of death, I can confirm the effects. Otherwise, MREs are nutritionally sufficient, although high in fat and sodium. So if you plan on living on MREs, make sure you pack a few bottles of fiber supplement like Benefiber and mix it with lots of water.
thinking like an individual = terrorist.
Also, for everyone out there with stories about being investigated by the FBI, the FBI HAS to investigate every single report they get; they are just as thrilled about following you between work, home, and the grocery store, as you are about being followed.
The DOJ has got a problem, they have become lawless, unaccountable, arrogant and secret, this is why they don't want juror's to know their right to nullify bad laws. They don't prosecute big banksters, or the Senate who broke their oath to regulate the monetary system.
Businesses who flag cash can be boycotted anonymously, and their actions can be spread word of mouth. "Don't shop there, they don't take cash"
Take it up a notch, DESTROY them, rumor they sell GMO's. If the government can lie, and there's only lawlessness, let's continue the trend.
MRE's taste like shit, why would anyone stock them? Who's selling them? If the DOJ really obeyed their oath, and they think that people buying this stuff are terrorists, they would have already raided the Home Depot, Lowes, CostCo's, but they haven't done that because they are oath breaking thugs starting shit with people for no fucking reason.
The problem with Eric Holder breaking his oath, is a matter of trust.
Prepping for a flood, earthquake, tsunami, bad weather isn't terrorism.
A Juror knowing about nullification isn't wrong, yet the same people go after that.
Homeland Security, FEMA, DOJ Of these three, DHS needs de-activation, FEMA needs de-activation, and the DOJ needs a complete cleansing of the highest offices, lifetime ban from EVER being in government again for all three agencies employees.
With those gone, the US Constitution can be restored. From there the monetary system, and banks become regulated again and trust can come back. Keep down this bullshit secrecy, corruption oath breaking path, and it's going to be very nasty.
of the brains!!!
They questioned him as a witness to one crime, with wich he had nothing to do and was perfectly innocent. But during the questioning he ended up laying some crumbs with a few wrong words, which the investigator followed, and ended up in him being arrested for another crime (adultery, he was in the military).
It may not be adultery for you, but maybe something you didn't even know was a crime. Maybe you admitted to sightseeing along a highway in Nevada, and off-handedly mentioned how much you love camels too. Wait, did you ride a camel on a Nevada highway? Busted! A lawyer will tell you "Don't answer that" before you hit that point.
Don't go camping.
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
"No officer, this is a day flashlight."
Sorry I don't watch SNL. I like comedies.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
FWIW, Jeff Foxworthy has used "You might be a redneck if..." as the title to several of his books.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
"Then I bought the horse a prostitute!"
...maybe you had to be there...
Everything you know is wrong, Just forget the words and sing along.
Well, there you have it, being prepared means you're a terrorist. Somebody better go round up the Boy Scouts, wouldn't want those terrorists in training getting away...
Yeah, the harassment of those "unpatriotic commies" during the red scare is pretty well-known. Look back from that and the government wasn't exactly friendly towards the union activists. Look back from that and at issues like woman suffrage or slavery (The latter might have been in line with the founding documents, but if we're talking about human rights in general...).
Things might suck now, but looking at human rights and what the government can do to humans inside the borders... things are a lot better than in the good old days.
I don't care who you are, that there is funny!
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
Americans are more likely to be killed by a piece of their own furniture falling on them than they are by terrorism.
Honestly, you're more likely to trip and fall face-down in a mud puddle and drown in it, than you are to be blown up by terrorists. Life's too short, just forget about the terrorists and get on with living your life.
I agree with your post that people tend to get the government they deserve. US Americans have brought this on themselves through carelessness, neglect, ignorance, and apathy.
That said, the entire election system is utterly corrupt and fraudulent. It's now the case that whomever pays for the best hackers can cause any election to show whatever result is desired. Exceptions for a few states, like Oregon, with harder-to-defraud systems.
The current US Government no longer has the consent of the governed.
Stupid horse! I said posse! POSSE!
www.wavefront-av.com
Or people of any political persuasion who don't go too far, but take their responsibility to defend their homeland if invaded seriously. Just because we now have a standing army* doesn't relieve the militia (i.e. the subset of the population able to bear arms) of their duty. The government is not fond of them, both because from a distance they look similar to the nutjobs, and because their presence indicates a self-reliant distrust of the government to make everything ok.
*a standing army was considered harmful by the founders. There's legitimate arguments why things have changed and there are now better reasons for one than there were then (though all the reasons against one remain), among them that the advance of warfare technology makes it prudent to have aircraft, tanks etc. stockpiled before war, and to maintain a subset of the population with the significant training required to use them effectively. Frankly I think we could hew much closer to the Founders' aims without compromising security, e.g. by universal service for a couple or so years, so the whole militia has some training, however distant, and can be called up, drilled for a few weeks, and deployed, but I don't reject the legitimacy of the present arrangement.
suprised to find themselves on a terrorist watch list
Other indicators of potential terrorism include:
Growing your own food
Keeping dogs as pets
Buying or selling things on Craigslist
Purchasing gas cans
Buying bottled water by the case
Buying camping equipment (I work for a camping store and we submit a monthly report on all camping equipment sales to the government - except some sales get reported immediately, such as camping fuel, and more than two of anything in the camping department).
Hiking the Appalachian Trail
and more..
Yeah, that bugs me to no end as well.
If you've ever cut your grass and found a car... you might just be a redneck!
...is proof that the education system has FAILED in America. Now politicians and bureaucrats raised under a failed education system are starting to make policy and decision while citizens of a failed system are going to vote.
I am personally preparing for the Stupocalypse which is currently in progress and nearing its peak.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
The only way to oppose terrorism being used as a tactic is to not be afraid. Their goal is to terrorize us, so our response should be, "Go ahead. We kill more of us than you ever will. You don't scare us in the least and if you keep annoying us, we'll simply nuke you."
The war on terrorism is having one success. The American people are becoming afraid of their own government. Or, maybe that was the goal all along. We're losing our freedoms one after the other and the central government gets stronger and more oppressive with each passing day.
Whichever way you vote in November won't make a difference. One party may get us to totalitarianism a little quicker than the other party, but make no mistake -- both parties have the same goal. I fear this won't be resolved until there is blood in the streets.
guess the US meets the definition of a terrorist state. we need to boycott ourselves.
or maybe fix the defini.... nah, it's a trick, boycott ourselves! keep America free! -- uh, wait....
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Most of the people stocking up on ammunition and non-perishable foods are doomsday cultists who should on no account be trusted with weapons.
For simplicity purposes I propose we move to a"whitelist" system. If you haven't specifically proven that you are NOT a terrorist, the government will work under the assumption that you are. Indefinite detention for all!
You are messing up the delivery. It has to follow the format.
If you (insert joke here) , you might be a terrorist.
Since I did not have Jeff Foxworthy's permission to use his "You Might be a Redneck" format, I had to paraphrase. Anyway, if you make jokes about terrorists, you must be a liberal (Democrat) according to Bill O'Reilly and should be sent to Gitmo. ;)
The sites it comes up with are places like "shtfplan.com" "oathkeepers.org" all linking back to the same story on Oathkeepers (look them up with the SPLC), which they pulled, that is an unconfirmed account that says "A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies." So it is "I heard somebody say that they knew somebody that said."
That is not "numerous reports" as you claimed, it is one report repeated numerous times and the report is of very poor quality. Granted shit like this gets passed off as "journalism" but that doesn't make it any more accurate or proper in this case.
I'd link to the actual comic, but they are having problems at Blind Ferret right now. It's somewhere in here (or will be when they get back up properly):
http://www.leasticoulddo.com/
Running gag, as it were. Also, it might be "tried to buy" instead of bought. Yeah, good times.
Everything you know is wrong, Just forget the words and sing along.
Guess I'm missing something here but I thought all flashlights, that work, were for night time.
So has anyone else noticed that "Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities" and "Pain In The Ass" have the same starting letters if you turn them into acronyms?
Life, ultimately, boils down to the Four Fs: Fighting, Fleeing, Feeding, and Mating.
The term "Terrorist" is not necessary equals to "Killer"
The real meaning of "Terrorist" is one who commits "TERROR" - which includes, but not necessarily limited to "KILLING"
Hence - your list of what most likely kill Americans is not necessarily the right list in pointing to what a "Terrorist" can do to America - and Americans
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
The whole list is fucking stupid. As you mentioned there are gun sales out of season, not to mention some animals (e.g. varmints) don't have a season, and there are a million different seasons for different animals. So do I have to wait till the morning the season starts to buy my rifle? Can I buy any gun if a season is in progress or only one that could be reasonably used for that type of animal? Do I need to own a tag for that type of animal and if not why not? And what about all the legal uses of firearms that have nothing to do with hunting?
As regards the "large quantities" part, anybody who works for the right company can purchase large quantities of stuff (propane, fertilizer etc) that could be used to make explosives and nobody bats an eye when they do because it would be prohibitive for the feds to keep track of it all. Which makes the whole list about as effective as the TSA screening passengers but not aircraft maintenance personnel. It's an excuse for a bloated budget and a bloated security industry run and incentivized from the top down. Nothing more nothing less. Let's hope that it doesn't turn into something worse.
Although I agree with your (and the GP's) assessment that the fear for terrorism is extremely exaggerated, the statistics you give do not matter much for any person's fear of terrorism. The question is not what the likelihood is of some American dying of terrorism. The question is what my likelihood of dying from terrorism is.
Most people feel they can control lots of those other risks (or make them non-lethal) by caring for their health, eating well, thinking they are a superior driver, etc.
However, they feel they have no control over "death by terrorist" which increases the fear of it by an important factor.
It still not worth all the fuss, but it can explain some of the irrational fear about it.
"Son, in a sporting event, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get" - Homer J. Simpson
Watching documentary last night on the fact bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics due to the widespread use of antibiotics in animal feed and the readily available over the counter antibiotics in Asia. The scientists researching new ways to combat superbugs have been attempting to come up with new solutions to this by various methods. One of they was to attempt to identify those bacteriophages (viruses these eat certain types of bacteria) to help us. As bacteria evolves quickly, those who survive change and adapt will be stronger until such time that they become more than superbugs. Bacteria also has the ability to communicate with other bacteria with the use of chemicals. They use these chemical signals to determine when there is enough of themselves to start doing nasty things to their hosts. Such as killing them. So scientists are going to find ways of stopping these bacteria from communicating.
How do we know that zombies are caused from a bacterial or viral strain? Well it's in books and T.V isn't it.
FEMA IS NUTS AND THIS PROVES IT BIG TIME!!!!!!!!! zombies my azz! what a joke fema should be shut down. i think it is being run by zombies now!
http://historylist.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/human-deaths-in-the-us-caused-by-animals/
I was looking for the Statistic for number of deaths caused by Deer per year as I remember hearing that it was the most dangerous animal in North America...
They don't count it in that list, but still a healthy (or not) 130/year.
Apparently alergic reactions to bees/wasps are also pretty high at 51/year.
Lassie weighs in at 31.
Closest to 2.3? Bull at 3/year. So you are slightly more likely to get killed by a Bull than by a terrorist.
they're looking for Timothy McVeigh type terrorists and Michigan Militia types.
Maybe they should stop looking in Sam's Club and start looking in churches.
Is Fox News a political party now?
As far as I'd heard, they were just the most sensational and biased outlet of the mainstream media in the USA.
The government cannot protect you from "Terrorist Activities", any more than they can protect you from the common cold. The TSA never catches any terrorists, and they are usually caught on the flights. Homeland security has done what for me? The cameras in the U.K have proctected us from what? WTF,,, get a life and don't be scared you are going to die at some time (I was told that my day is near, without treatment) just live your life.
Proudly Butchering code for 20 years
Hey i love zombie movies, can't get enough of them, but some say sadly, the earth is not going to face a zombie Apocalypse, so while it's fine and fun to come up with survival scenarios, you don't need to actually put them in practice, no individual needs a AR15
very