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."'"

Comments

Are you a human being?

[magsol]

So are terrorists. How convenient.

Re:Are you a human being?

[History's Coming To]

Indeed. Things that (statistically) are more likely to kill an American than a terrorist attack:

• Obesity
• Cancer
• Car accident
• Non-terrorism based plane crash
• Dogs
• Cats
• Somebody elses gun
• Their own gun
• Lack of healthcare
• Peanuts
• Alcohol
• Stress

What's more likely to kill you than a terrorist? Worrying about a terrorist.

Re:Are you a human being?

[Genda]

Let's remember that in the entire history of this country, we've been invaded once (by our Mother Country), attacked once (at Pearl Harbor), and been terrorized once (on 9/11). Moreover, we had really good intelligence in each case that these events were coming and simply screwed up managing that information (if you believe the official versions or allowed them to happen for one reason or another if you believe in conspiracies.)

The whole point of terrorism is similar to an allergic reaction. The response outweighs the event so dramatically that it does infinitely more harm than the event itself. That isn't to say that blowing up the twin towers wasn't an affront to human dignity. It is to say that the number of innocent people that died as a result of that affront so outnumber the affront itself as to dwarf it to near invisibility, and worse, most of the people that died were innocent Iraqi bystanders who had no dog in the fight to begin with. In an allergic reaction your immune system can charge all the way up to anaphylaxis and death all over a few peanut molecules. We have to be very careful to teach people to weigh threats according to reality and when we catch politicians using the boogie man to scare the public into voting for abominations and the gutting of the Constitution, we need to drag these people out in public places and show the nation who the real terrorists are.

Re:Are you a human being?

[hairyfeet]

Actually the scary thing is journalists like this one are on the watchlist. Her crime? talking about the constitution and what we need to do to protect it.

When talking about the founding document of our country is enough to get you labeled as a possible "wrecker" then i think we can all agree the country has gone to shit. Kinda sad how we survived the USSR only to have those in power try to turn us into the USSA. I urge everyone to watch that video, she lays everything out with facts to back them up about how many of the "war on terrorism" plays were used before, even the language identical, by those that wanted to close free societies.

The fact that doing what you are told will put you on a list frankly doesn't surprise me, the more people hassled and afraid the better the chilling effect.

Um, yeah

[Quiet_Desperation]

*Actually* preparing for a zombie apocalypse should get you placed an some other lists as well.

Re:Easy

[Entropius]

Thing is these are all things that civilians ought to be able to do without arousing suspicion, too.

Re:Easy

[MetalliQaZ]

Being a parent requires you to have sex at least once. This is Slashdot.