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"Credible" Bomb Threat Closes, Evacuates All Los Angeles Public Schools

The Washington Post reports that all Los Angeles public schools have been closed for the day after a "'credible threat' of violence to students at numerous schools in the sprawling district, and a schools official confirmed that it was a bomb threat to the school district." According to the Houston Chronicle, a law enforcement official speaking anonymously with the Associated Press said that the threat "was emailed to a school board member and appeared to come from overseas. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation. The official says the threat was sent late Monday. Superintendent Ramon Cortines says the threat was made against students at many of the district's schools." The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school system in the U.S., is no picnic to close; the New York Times notes that the closure throws into disarray "the lives of millions of Angelenos — students, parents, teachers and other school staff members."

13 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. So vague is has to be true? by s.petry · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm not sure how this is being spun where you are, but think for a minute. 650,000 students are being sent home because of a "credible" threat. I might be convinced that a school was threatened, but the complete district of LA is bullsh$*. Someone is attempting to change the definition of the word "credible" here.

    Before you "but the children", give me the percentage of terrorist activities or even bombings where someone gave warning.

    No matter what though, you can bet your ass this will be used as propaganda to argue for more government and more freedom loss to the same.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    1. Re:So vague is has to be true? by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Before you "but the children", give me the percentage of terrorist activities or even bombings where someone gave warning.

      I can't give you a lot of digits of precision, but here's the number I came up with: more than 0%. The warning is the terrorism. You don't have to murder anyone to be a terrorist (though it sure helps).

      How to be a terrorist: Do something scary, preferably targeting a society of cowards. Did you scare people into overreacting? Yes: mission accomplished, you're a good terrorist. No: You're a bad terrorist, so don't quit your engineering day job.

      They probably didn't scare any students ("yay, day off!") but the parents were hit. As for how successful it was, I'll wait for the media to tell me. Everyone, please remember to FREAK OUT, so that we can guarantee a repeat of this cheap tactic. I know I can count on Republican candidates to join the terrorists on this, but let's all please try to remember to include the progressives too: kids need more days off like this! All that pot isn't going to smoke itself!

      --
      "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
    2. Re:So vague is has to be true? by modecx · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just imagine the alternative: You're the superintendent, and it was discovered that your received a somewhat credible threat, after something actually happened--no matter how trifling in the grand scheme. You know full well that you'd be publicly crucified by the entire nation's media, maybe you'd even be inquisitioned by Congress. You'd almost certianly lose your six figure job, and become unemployable to that standard ever again. You probably lose everything you worked your entire life for, and it would probably break up your family as well.

      If you throw up the red flag, none of this happens, except people raise an eyebrow, and some kids get to take the day off, some tax dollars get wasted and the SWAT guys get to go play Rambo in a bunch of empty schools.

      Which path do you chose?

      If I was in his/her shoes, I'd sure as fuck play the CYA card too.

      --
      Constitutional rights may be respected, repealed, or modified; but they must never be ignored.
    3. Re:So vague is has to be true? by MikeMo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This. ISIS doesn't phone in warnings, they kill people. If they had a bomb in the schools, they wouldn't say a thing. Now, all they have to do is phone it in from time to time in various states and they've succeeded.

    4. Re: So vague is has to be true? by Talderas · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Really, california (and texas.. and new york) should be broken up into smaller states.

      Their population's representation in the Senate and house are grossly smaller than those from many other states.

      The Senate is not there to represent the people. Perhaps you should sue your high school for giving you a piss poor civics education.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    5. Re:So vague is has to be true? by neminem · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If I were an awful terrorist that really wanted to make the whole country go crazy, I'd *absolutely* call in "credible" bomb threats like this. I'd keep doing them randomly until someone told the superintendent that he *cannot* keep closing schools like this, it's making everyones' jobs impossible and losing millions of dollars of taxpayer money.

      *Then* I'd blow up a school.

      Luckily, I'm not a terrorist.

  2. Terrorists win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    An emailed bomb threat from overseas evacuates the entire school district of one of the biggest cities in the United States. When did Americans become such cowards?

  3. Someone had test today they didn't want to take by JoeyRox · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sending in an email is much easier than pulling the fire alarm.

  4. so, great success. by nimbius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    After the San Bernadino shooting that killed 14 people, we have shut down more than 900 public schools in the second largest city in america. terrorism isnt about killing people, or maiming them, or destroying property. terrorism is about undermining the authority of a target nations government. Its about making its populus too frightened to send their children to school, too worried to board a plane without massive security theatre, and too scared to accept immigrants into a nation that was founded and championed by immigrants. Today is a dark day not because of lives lost, but because we have effectively agreed to the premise of terrorism.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:so, great success. by nimbius · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I would argue to the contrary as youre assuming a short term definition. While not strictly necesary in the short term, an outright ban on middle eastern nations has a significant long term impact on our ability to understand, react to and interact with these cultures. shunning these immigrants would beget demonizing the region and cultures and, much as demonizing communists/reds/russians in the sixties, would lead to strategic and tactical disadvantages as we supplant knowledge for rhetoric. A prime example lies in the Tupolev bomber, which was consistently outclassing our best range and capability assessments as they were founded on a fundamental predicate of soviet 'inadequacy.' We based much of our political interaction with russians on the rhetoric of politicians and social scientists who, without direct access to a communist russian, simply assumed that due to their atheism they were untrustworthy scoundrels.

      considering society as an organism, diversity in organisms enhances their survival capabilities while enhancing a monoculture causes increased succeptibility to its environment. Becoming less adaptive and diverse would naturally be in a nations least interest.

      --
      Good people go to bed earlier.
  5. mass violence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I hear the strange echos of conversations. People saying that if other people hand in their firearms then they will be perfectly safe from mass violence. People defending their use of firearm homicide statistics instead of using homicide statistics. People who said a couple in California with a garage full of pipe bombs wouldn't have killed anyone if they just didn't have black semiautomatic rifles.

  6. The terrorists are winning. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Every time I see a fearful reaction like this I think back to what I heard one newscaster said near the end of live broadcasts of 9/11. I can't remember the exact wording of the quote and I haven't been able to find it posted online anywhere, but the meaning of the message is still clear in my mind. He said that the goal of terrorists is to change the lives of the population. To undermine our freedom and our ways of life using fear. Violence, destruction and killing are not the goal but rather just tools to reach their goal via fear. He said that we should not change how we go about our lives due to fear. If we do the terrorists have won.

    Every time I see a reaction such as this I know that we did not take his message to heart. The patriot act, the TSA, mass surveillance, locking down and closing schools, push for increase gun control, freedom-stripping legislation, threats and discrimination against particular races/religions creeping towards the levels of WWII with Jews (and others) by the Nazis and Japanese/Germans/Italians by the US, and so much more. Knee-jerk reactions to everything, and reduction of freedoms throughout all out of fear. If we don't start to realize what is happening and take back our lives then the terrorists have officially won.

    1. Re:The terrorists are winning. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Every time I see a fearful reaction like this I think back to what I heard one newscaster said near the end of live broadcasts of 9/11. I can't remember the exact wording of the quote and I haven't been able to find it posted online anywhere, but the meaning of the message is still clear in my mind. He said that the goal of terrorists is to change the lives of the population. To undermine our freedom and our ways of life using fear. Violence, destruction and killing are not the goal but rather just tools to reach their goal via fear. He said that we should not change how we go about our lives due to fear. If we do the terrorists have won.

      Every time I see a reaction such as this I know that we did not take his message to heart. The patriot act, the TSA, mass surveillance, locking down and closing schools, push for increase gun control, freedom-stripping legislation, threats and discrimination against particular races/religions creeping towards the levels of WWII with Jews (and others) by the Nazis and Japanese/Germans/Italians by the US, and so much more. Knee-jerk reactions to everything, and reduction of freedoms throughout all out of fear. If we don't start to realize what is happening and take back our lives then the terrorists have officially won.

      It wasn't just the newscasters who predicted we'd overreact. It was in Bin Laden's playbook. "I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed. The U.S. government will lead the American people in -- and the West in general -- into an unbearable hell and a choking life." http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/01/31/gen.binladen.interview/

      The terrorists couldn't take down America. Only we could do that. And we did. Just as he predicted.