The terrorist threat level this week?

Dave, you mention Homeland Security being the ultimate oxymoron, only sentences after stating that there have been no American deaths related to terrorist attacks on American soil. If there have been no related deaths on our homeland, wouldn't it suggest that the Dept of Homeland Security IS actually working?

Dave the threat level has NEVER been lowered below Yellow (Elevated). In fact when it does get raised to Orange (High) I don't even pay attention anymore.

The other truly odd thing about the terrorist threat scale is that it does not have a mid point. Of the 5 levels 4 of them are basically look out it could happen at any point anywhere.

My current personal threat level is plaid.

Dave, you mention Homeland Security being the ultimate oxymoron, only sentences after stating that there have been no American deaths related to terrorist attacks on American soil. If there have been no related deaths on our homeland, wouldn't it suggest that the Dept of Homeland Security IS actually working?

SJ, I have a very expensive (but functional) anti-terrorism rock you can purchase.

Dave, you mention Homeland Security being the ultimate oxymoron, only sentences after stating that there have been no American deaths related to terrorist attacks on American soil. If there have been no related deaths on our homeland, wouldn't it suggest that the Dept of Homeland Security IS actually working?

Ahhh, JOe you always make me think....My point, albeit subtle is we are more of a danger to ourselves than terrorism is a danger to us.

So now my question to you is how many deaths occurred in America due to terrorism prior to 911 and homeland security? My point exactly....

Dave the threat level has NEVER been lowered below Yellow (Elevated). In fact when it does get raised to Orange (High) I don't even pay attention anymore.

The other truly odd thing about the terrorist threat scale is that it does not have a mid point. Of the 5 levels 4 of them are basically look out it could happen at any point anywhere.

My current personal threat level is plaid.

I think I woke up my sweetheart laughing out loud!

I don't know that answer, Dave, but I hear that many Americans were killed by dog attacks. I agree -- Terrorism apparently works. Scare the people into realizing the true threats in their own society. We are all much more likely to die in our car in an auto accident than we are to die from a terrorist attack, even if we weren't battling it out in Iraq. People focus on the wrong things, and live a stressful life because of it.

I think I woke up my sweetheart laughing out loud!

I'm getting quite the reputation for waking up peoples significant others.

The terrorist threat level drives me nuts! So sick of the prerecorded messages at airports and scare tactics. :angry:

Find it either hilarious or indicative of 'government efficiency' that despite the constant announcements I've only ever seen info on the threat levels posted in ONE airport (and it was a small regional airport, not a hub).

I happened to notice that the MARSEC Level at the Freeport oil depot was at one yesterday. Locally, anyway, we are quite safe.

The Coast Guard has a three-tiered system of Maritime Security (MARSEC) levels consistent with the Department of Homeland Security?s Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). MARSEC Levels are designed to provide a means to easily communicate pre-planned scalable responses to increased threat levels. The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard sets MARSEC levels commensurate with the HSAS. Because of the unique nature of the maritime industry, the HSAS threat conditions and MARSEC levels will align closely, though they will not directly correlate.
MARSEC levels are set to reflect the prevailing threat environment to the marine elements of the national transportation system, including ports, vessels, facilities, and critical assets and infrastructure located on or adjacent to waters subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S.
MARSEC Level 1 means the level for which minimum appropriate security measures shall be maintained at all times. MARSEC 1 generally applies when HSAS Threat Condition Green, Blue, or Yellow are set.
MARSEC Level 2 means the level for which appropriate additional protective security measures shall be maintained for a period of time as a result of heightened risk of a transportation security incident. MARSEC 2 generally corresponds to HSAS Threat Condition Orange.
MARSEC Level 3 means the level for which further specific protective security measures shall be maintained for a limited period of time when a transportation security incident is probable, imminent, or has occurred, although it may not be possible to identfy the specific target. MARSEC 3 generally corresponds to HSAS Threat Condition Red.

For all domestic and international flights, the threat level is currently High (orange).

It's like going to a fast food joint, and the smallest drink you can get is medium-sized.

Here are some highlights from yesterday's happenings in FL:

There were three reported bomb threats, and three reports of suspicious packages or substances.

Location: Palm Beach
Incident: Bomb/Threat
Description:
A suspicious package with the words "Be Alert, For Jewish People" was found in front of a deli/strip mall in the Delray Beach area. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, Sheriffs Office and EOD all responded to the scene.
Approximately 70-80 people were evacuated. The scene was cleared by Fire Rescue.
Status: Closed.

There is a Miami Heat game today in Miami and a Tampa Bay Lightning game today in Tampa. (Yes, they keep track of all of the large events (crowds of 10,000+ people, on a daily basis, for awareness)

No reports of Cuban or Haitian illegal immigrant landing in Florida during the last 24 hours. :funn:

Burn Restrictions
Hendry and Glades Counties have enacted Burn Bans.

Yesterday:
Location: Clay
Incident: Fire - Brush/Forest
Description:
A 70-100 acre brush fire was reported in the Middleburg area. The fire started as a 55 acre controlled burn by DOF that got out of control. SR-16 at Blanding Blvd was closed due to the fire.
Status: Open.

Date/Time: 02/11 1619
Location: Okaloosa
Incident: Fire - Brush/Forest
Description:
A 10 acre brush fire due to unknown cause(s) was reported in the Crestview area. The local Fire Department and DOF were on scene and successfully put out the fire. No injuries, evacuations or road closures were
reported.
Status: Open.

Date/Time: 02/11 1719
Location: Statewide
Incident: General
Description:
A Blackberry (the phone, not the fruit) outage along the east coast was reported to the SWP.
Status: Closed.

Cyber Terrorism/Information and Technologies
Nothing to report.

Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear
Nothing to report.


Arbovirus Diseases - Human Cases
STATUS: Florida Mosquito-Borne Disease Summary for January
Special Note: No locally acquired human cases have been reported this year.

C. Health News
Nothing to report.

Dave, you mention Homeland Security being the ultimate oxymoron, only sentences after stating that there have been no American deaths related to terrorist attacks on American soil. If there have been no related deaths on our homeland, wouldn't it suggest that the Dept of Homeland Security IS actually working?

What about total American death in Iraq and Afganistan?

McBush and McCain would like us to believe that we are in a World Wide War (WW 3)on terror, why aren't they included in the numbers--if our soldiers are being killed by Al Qeda over there, and if we are nation building in these 2 countries then there should be no physical distinction of U.S. boundaries, and no distinction of terrorist caused deaths.

hnooe, Dave was talking about HOMELAND Security, as in security of the people in the USA, not security of people abroad. I was simply replying to what he posted.

I love that a terrorist can simply go on line and pick the large event they might want to bomb. Without all the annoyance of looking in a newspaper.

For all domestic and international flights, the threat level is currently High (orange).

It's like going to a fast food joint, and the smallest drink you can get is medium-sized.

Here are some highlights from yesterday's happenings in FL:

There were three reported bomb threats, and three reports of suspicious packages or substances.

Location: Palm Beach
Incident: Bomb/Threat
Description:
A suspicious package with the words "Be Alert, For Jewish People" was found in front of a deli/strip mall in the Delray Beach area. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, Sheriffs Office and EOD all responded to the scene.
Approximately 70-80 people were evacuated. The scene was cleared by Fire Rescue.
Status: Closed.

There is a Miami Heat game today in Miami and a Tampa Bay Lightning game today in Tampa. (Yes, they keep track of all of the large events (crowds of 10,000+ people, on a daily basis, for awareness)

No reports of Cuban or Haitian illegal immigrant landing in Florida during the last 24 hours. :funn:

Burn Restrictions
Hendry and Glades Counties have enacted Burn Bans.

Yesterday:
Location: Clay
Incident: Fire - Brush/Forest
Description:
A 70-100 acre brush fire was reported in the Middleburg area. The fire started as a 55 acre controlled burn by DOF that got out of control. SR-16 at Blanding Blvd was closed due to the fire.
Status: Open.

Date/Time: 02/11 1619
Location: Okaloosa
Incident: Fire - Brush/Forest
Description:
A 10 acre brush fire due to unknown cause(s) was reported in the Crestview area. The local Fire Department and DOF were on scene and successfully put out the fire. No injuries, evacuations or road closures were
reported.
Status: Open.

Date/Time: 02/11 1719
Location: Statewide
Incident: General
Description:
A Blackberry (the phone, not the fruit) outage along the east coast was reported to the SWP.
Status: Closed.

Cyber Terrorism/Information and Technologies
Nothing to report.

Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear
Nothing to report.


Arbovirus Diseases - Human Cases
STATUS: Florida Mosquito-Borne Disease Summary for January
Special Note: No locally acquired human cases have been reported this year.

C. Health News
Nothing to report.

Let's not forget MEDIACOM internet was down for unknown and suspicious reasons this morning.

hnooe, Dave was talking about HOMELAND Security, as in security of the people in the USA, not security of people abroad. I was simply replying to what he posted.

American soldiers are just other "people abroad," away the U.S., even if they are killed by Al Qeda?

Sorry, I am off topic here--I guess this is a whole different thread SJ, I think Homeland Security is a joke--it seperates our troops from "Us." Homeland Security is just a "feel good" term for disconnected, unaffected civilians. A lot of Americans don't feel any real personal connection to our troops abroad, I am just on a rant about how seperate our troops are from us, compared to other declared wars in our history. No reponse to this post needed here.

Ahhh, JOe you always make me think....My point, albeit subtle is we are more of a danger to ourselves than terrorism is a danger to us.

So now my question to you is how many deaths occurred in America due to terrorism prior to 911 and homeland security? My point exactly....

A moment of silence for the over 3,000 people killed on 9/11.
.
.
.
.
Thanks.

Now, Dave. What restaurants are you running again?

Dave wasn't disrespecting the victims of 9-11, he was just trying to put things in perspective $ spent vs. actual risk!

from: http://www.reason.com/news/show/36765.html

........if terrorists were to destroy entirely one of America's 40,000 shopping malls per week, your chances of being there at the wrong time would be about one in one million or more. Rothschild also estimated that if terrorists hijacked and crashed one of America's 18,000 commercial flights per week that your chance of being on the crashed plane would be one in 135,000.

Even if terrorists were able to pull off one attack per year on the scale of the 9/11 atrocity, that would mean your one-year risk would be one in 100,000 and your lifetime risk would be about one in 1300. (300,000,000 ? 3,000 = 100,000 ? 78 years = 1282) In other words, your risk of dying in a plausible terrorist attack is much lower than your risk of dying in a car accident, by walking across the street, by drowning, in a fire, by falling, or by being murdered.


So do these numbers comfort you? If not, that's a problem. Already, security measures?pervasive ID checkpoints, metal detectors, and phalanxes of security guards?increasingly clot the pathways of our public lives. It's easy to overreact when an atrocity takes place?to heed those who promise safety if only we will give the authorities the "tools" they want by surrendering to them some of our liberty. As President Franklin Roosevelt in his first inaugural speech said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself? nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." However, with risks this low there is no reason for us not to continue to live our lives as though terrorism doesn't matter?because it doesn't really matter. We ultimately vanquish terrorism when we refuse to be terrorized.

American soldiers are just other "people abroad," away the U.S., even if they are killed by Al Qeda?

Sorry, I am off topic here--I guess this is a whole different thread SJ, I think Homeland Security is a joke--it seperates our troops from "Us." Homeland Security is just a "feel good" term for disconnected, unaffected civilians. A lot of Americans don't feel any real personal connection to our troops abroad, I am just on a rant about how seperate our troops are from us, compared to other declared wars in our history. No reponse to this post needed here.

Dave is the one who mentioned that no Americans have died in the US due to terrorism since 9-11. I am simply using his statement to question his statement. Nothing more. If Dave had mentioned the number of innocent civilians killed by our actions, and the number of American troops who have been wounded or killed in combat, "fighting terrorism," that would be a different story, but still wouldn't make "Homeland Security" an oxymoron.

Someone mentioned that we make it easier for the terrorists to find our large events to target, by posting them online. I am sure that one reason why the alert status hasn't gone below yellow is due to the terrorists waiting for us to drop our guard and wave the green, no threat, flag before attacking.

Dave, MediaCON is out too frequently to be considered unusual activity. lol

A moment of silence for the over 3,000 people killed on 9/11.
.
.
.
.
Thanks.

Now, Dave. What restaurants are you running again?

I cannot recall the number of people who died in 9-11. It seems like it was over 4,000. I also have no idea how many people have died in the War on Terror (retaliation). One would think that if a country like the US wanted to show the terrorists that we would retaliate, we would do so on a slightly stronger level than the original attack. Instead, in this War, we have lost many more thousands of our own people, while trying to "get even," and plenty of thousands of innocent Iraqi people on top of that. Seems like Congress and the President have some loose screws.

...Rothschild also estimated that if terrorists hijacked and crashed one of America's 18,000 commercial flights per week that your chance of being on the crashed plane would be one in 135,000.




So do these numbers comfort you? If not, that's a problem. Already, security measures?pervasive ID checkpoints, metal detectors, and phalanxes of security guards?increasingly clot the pathways of our public lives. It's easy to overreact when an atrocity takes place?to heed those who promise safety if only we will give the authorities the "tools" they want by surrendering to them some of our liberty. As President Franklin Roosevelt in his first inaugural speech said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself? nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." However, with risks this low there is no reason for us not to continue to live our lives as though terrorism doesn't matter?because it doesn't really matter. We ultimately vanquish terrorism when we refuse to be terrorized.

Regarding commercial flights, I think to get that level of risk of dying, one would actually have to fly once a week. I doubt the average American flies more than one round trip flight per year, so the chances would be much, much less. than one in 135K.

It is much more likely that the terrorists would shut down America through the internet, rather than some physical attack on our persons or buildings.

So will it be "More of The Same McCain's" brand of fear mongering to distract us from the real issues that confront our nation?

dave how did you get from where you were to john mccain ? i will agree i would rather vote for obama. shouldn't this start with congress ? do you think the president can stop this ? i hate w but i don't think this is one you can blame directly on him. it seems to be an american society problem . maybe sheriff candidate jimmy macon can weigh in, what do you think jimmy?

It's nice to know that some people are sleeping soundly in America.
As opposed to the folks I know in Homeland Security who talk about the stress and night sweats.

I plan for the worst and hope for the best!

It's like watching a 24 hour news channel - you can freak out or you can get some perspective and live your life. There is always something that is "coming to get you".

IMO idiots in SUVs and whack-a-doo evangelicals are currently a MUCH bigger threat to my safety and way of life than Jihadists!

How come nobody talks about terrorist groups in the U.S.? Skinheads, Ku Klux Klan... feel free to add some others here, friends.

How come nobody talks about terrorist groups in the U.S.? Skinheads, Ku Klux Klan... feel free to add some others here, friends.

Gangs, those have been discussed to death.