U.S. warns of threat against specific financial sites in Northeast

[lebkuchen]

Breaking...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

What are you hearing stateside?

[Dover]

1. I think Tom Ridge of Homeland Security is giving a press conference

right now about whether to raise it to a RED alert, from Orange.

But apparently NYC and Washington are the main target of the threat.

[skip fox]

2. Just over. Most specific threats so far.

Financial districts in Northern New Jersey, New York, D.C.

[geek tragedy]

3. Terrorizing the NYC financial district is no way to boost the economy.

Somebody didn't get the memo from Karl Rove.

[abburdlen]

11. But the economy has begun to stall

So they need a to have something to pin the blame on, and gee if they scream terror loud enough they might just have to cut taxes once again.

[tngledwebb]

68. Terror warnings

All Americans should be asking themselves: If THIS admin is so great on the war on 'Terrorism', as they've bragged so often- 'Mission Accomplished', and as in SOTU speech, with that sickening smirk, 'lets just say the rest are no longer a problem'- and if US military is the most powerful in the world, why are third world fanatics STILL posing a threat to the Homeland? If the electorate actually believes Ridge on this, would anyone with half a brain vote for the same admin come November? And if we don't buy this fear mongering 'but don't worry the pretzeldent is on the case' BS, how could the admin imagine that anyone would vote for their lyin' asses at all? Have they no shame? For those who came in late here's the key to the puzzle: This admin is NOT worried about what the voters think, or what could happen in November, because they have NO intention of ever giving up the power they have illegally wrested from the electorate. To maintain power they will steal the election, or cancel it due to terror threats, and if real carnage is needed, either LIHOP or MIHOP.

[Journeyman]

4. If they know of such a specific, limited plot. . .

why make it known to the nation? Why not quietly inform the effected office buildings and impacted police forces in the hope of baiting the plotters into exposing themselves, so they might be captured 'in the act' if necessary, but hopefully prior to their move? This way, the threatened area can be protected, the perpetrators caught and convicted, and the rest of the nation go about its business as it needs, without undue alarm.

Let's face it, when the feds have knowledge of a bank job in the planning, they don't bring every bank manager into the planning, nor do they unduly alarm all the potential customers.

Now, we're faced with an alerted group of plotters who may decide to shift their plans and attack elsewhere.

If this were anything more serious than a political ploy to divert attention from Kerry-Edwards, I'd feel we'd all been screwed. As it is, I feel that way nonetheless.

[Snoggera]

My thoughts EXACTLY

"Now, we're faced with an alerted group of plotters who may decide to shift their plans and attack elsewhere."

This game of "Scare the Masses" is getting old, kind of like the trivia games from years ago. They've played this card so many times that no one pays attention, and that is what they are counting on. It won't be such a big shock when Red is implemented and martial law follows.

The psychological warfare of this administration truly is mindboggling.

[Nitrogenica]

9. I agree

Ridgee gave an obvious political campaign speech. What's wrong with a fresh dose of politically motivated fear for average Joe and Jane?

[Strelnikov_]

12. The Whole Thing Doesn't Feel Right

Why would homeland security name specific buildings? Doesn't this just mean that the plotters, if they exist, will simply move on to another target. Terrorists are not know for taking on hard targets.

I have a feeling someone is being played here:

- We the people with politically timed alerts?
- Disinformation planted by the terrorists to prompt Homeland Security to overreact, thereby winning without 'firing a shot'?
- Inaccurate information gained from interrogation/torture passed on to Homeland Security?
- All of the above?

[belle]

28. Well, uh, yeah.

[lebkuchen]

46. The neocons have called many terror alerts

and thwarted all attacks post 9-11, right? Like Mitch McConnell said as he was talking to Wolfie today, just before the alert level was raised, "We haven't been attacked yet, have we? Our safeguards are foolproof!"

McConnell and Ridge's timing was impeccable. They'll be doing this on up to November.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

57. Amp up the Fear for Max Effect when Evil Doers Apprehended

If you have evil doers in your sights, you don't get as much bang for the buck with the public unless you get them agitated maximally. Then when you spring the August or September or October Surprise you magnify your perceived worthiness. If you are the War President like Bush wants to be. Oh wait. That was last week. This week it is the Peace President. Either way, Bush is still a wanna-be-president.

[truthisfreedom]

5. LINK to article [AP]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040801/D846J3400.html
Gov't Warns of Threats Against Buildings


Aug 1, 2:08 PM (ET)

By JENNIFER C. KERR

WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government warned Sunday of possible terrorist attacks against "iconic" financial institutions in New York City, Washington and Newark, N.J., saying a confluence of intelligence over the weekend pointed to a car or truck bomb.

Specifically, the government named these buildings as potential targets:

_The Citicorp building and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City.

_The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank buildings in Washington.

_The Prudential building in Newark.

"The preferred means of attack would be car or truck bombs," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in a briefing with journalists. That would be a primary means of attack."

The government said the new intelligence indicated the meticulous planning of al-Qaida.
<snip>

A White House spokeswoman, Erin Healy, said the intelligence on the threat is "very new, coming in during the last 72 hours."

"The president made the final decision today agreeing with the recommendation of Secretary Ridge to go ahead and raise the threat level in these select areas," Healy said.

[Tansy_Gold]

8. "meticulous planning" my ass

If the terrorists' planning was "meticulous," Ridge wouldn't know anything about it.

dumbass.

[Snoggera]

13. AND

If they have all this specific information, why can't they track down the sources and do something about it rather than "notify" the American people (and all the bogeyman terrorists)?

It's a complete fabrication. Anyone who believes these lies for a moment will believe anything.

[jimshoes]

14. The way this terra alert reads

It's like they're asking for someone to hit certain buildings and specifying their preferred method of attack. What are they gonna do hire the low bidder.

[Tansy_Gold]

15. "low bidder" ha ha

Best reply I've seen all day!

:thumbsup:

[InkAddict]

40. Ongoing bidding war

between domestic terrorists (Wackenhut vs. Halliburton)

[tlcandie]

42. Hmmm and here I thought all along it was a NO bid contract...

:shrug:

[LiberalEsto]

18. ROFLMAO!

"financial institutions in New York City, Washington and Newark, N.J., saying a confluence of intelligence over the weekend pointed to a car or truck bomb."


THEY'RE TRYING TO TELL US THAT TERRORISTS COULD ACTUALLY GET THROUGH THE GRIDLOCKED TRAFFIC IN NYC, DOWNTOWN NEWARK, AND WASH. DC with cars or trucks? Who are they trying to kid? Where on earth would they PARK?

Even if they found a spot in DC, the city's vicious meter maids would have the offending vehicle towed before the perpetrators could get three steps away from it.

My gosh, Ridge & Co. must think we're stupid....

[belle]

30. Heh.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

58. They wouldn't have to park or even stop

Just roll by and push the button, if they are suicidal.

Drive up on the sidewalk into the lobby or as close as possible and then touch it off.

If not suicidal, double park, and go into the lobby with a clipboard and out the back way.

Please engage brain cells before fantasizing about meter maids.

[Wednesdays]

69. It looks like

some people don't appreciate tongue-in-cheek humor. :eyes:

[belle]

29. Over the last 72 hours. Gee, what a coincidence.

It's really considerate of the terrorists to be so coordinated with the rising fortunes of the Democratic party, isn't it?

Red alert myass. If they try to lockdown my city, man...

[kysrsoze]

55. Yeah, and when these buildings aren't attacked, we will have thwarted them

Right? Yeah.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

62. The Level of Republican Chatter has Increased Greatly

The Repluggers are terrorized by the prospect of losing the election and have significantly increased their level of chatter. Raise the alert.

[BenDavid]

6. BUSH RE-ELECTION BASED ON FEARMONGERING:

The boogeyman will get us, and prior to and now afterwards it is the boogeyman cometh. Yep, and we all should have seen this coming because the Republican National Committee showed what bush's re-selection campaign would be about: FEARMONGERING.

Hell folks just think about it, bush is pretty good at warmongering, so why the hell not play the fear card? Just think back a lil' and think of the first ad ran by the RNC. It plainly stated, that if we do not re-elect Bush, the big, bad boogeyman will get us.We can also remember now going on 3 years after 9-11 the Bush administration has: failed to identify and capture the anthrax killer, failed to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, THE ACTUAL BOOGEYMAN WHO GOT US, and failed to capture or kill Mullah Omar of the Taliban. Worse, rather than going after the terrorists who actually attacked us, Mr Bush has invited all of the world's terrorists to attack us by delaring war on them and the result is the U S is bogged down in two guerrilla wars.

Personally, I found the secret Bush is using. He (Bush) has no desire to win the war on terrorism. What he wants is PERPETUAL WAR,and PERPETUAL FEAR because that means perpetually enchancing the power of the government:His government.

So now as Tom Ridge comes forth with his message of FEAR, two times in the past two to three weeks, we as citizens ought not fall for all this fearmongering. We all knew this was going to be the "SUMMER OF FEAR" and to me, Bush's war on terrorism is a flop. Terror is merely a tactic, not an entity. Yes, the big, bad boogeyman did hit us on September 11, 2001 and yes we all should remain calm and well informed but never give in to their FEARMONGERING.

[maddogesq]

21. Yep, Oeration Enduring Poll Numbers in overdrive mode. NT

.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

59. Right on! Perpetual War is why BushCo must be stopped

The Drug Perpetual War was not enough for authoritarian control, so they have instituted Perpetual Terror War. Now was that perpetually terrorize the world or keep the American people terrorized perpetually? Maybe the NeoCons plan both.

[Mari333]

7. NYC, Sept 11, massive protests against the RNC

ergo, terra alerts.
They know whats coming. They cant stop the protests.

[smirkymonkey]

54. Exactly, a very un-clever "scare away the protesters"

ploy. F**ing morons.

[steely]

56. That's what I thought - a legal way to keep the streets clear....

for the safety of the protesters of course.

And as for Ridge - I never saw his ugly mug this much when he was the governor. He creeps me out.

[MGKrebs]

10. We are under attack. We are safer.

Whatever.

[stepnw1f]

16. Yes... of Course the Northeast

primarily a Democratic region of the US of A!

[JDPriestly]

17. They probably already have the terrorists in custody

or are eavesdropping on them. How else could they have such precise information. They are just hiking up the suspense as they ready to catch them. If I'm right, I'm ecstatic that they are going to catch terrorists, but they shouldn't be grandstanding it and making it seem like a movie. That encourages copy-cats. They should just quietly go after the terrorists and arrest them. If the information is this detailed they can get them for conspiracy.

[Wednesdays]

70. Uh, if they have the terrorists in custody...

then where is the threat?
:crazy:

[Pathwalker]

19. "This Terror Alert is sponsored by The Committee To

Re-select George Bush."

[drdtroit]

24. I'm George Bush and I approve

of this message!

[ItsMyParty]

20. They call the wee bastards "terrorists" because they usually don't

publish their plans in Popular Mechanics, Better Homes and Garden or in e-mails to our unintelligent intelligent agencies. If we are alerted that they are going to take out the financial spots in NYC, DC, NJ, etc., they probably will blow up a perfume factory in Idaho or a car wash in East Bumpkin, Alabama. Or more likely, they will wait until after elections when everyone is snoozing again.

[ailsagirl]

22. Just exactly who ARE the terrorists, anyway??

Sometimes, folks, I can't help thinking that the barbarians are inside the gates.

As horrific as that may sound, we have to consider it as a possibility.

There's a book out by that title written by Col. Donn de Grand-Pre, US Army (ret.).

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0945001797/ref%3Dnosim/addallbooksearch/103-0069292-7472643#product-details

Too many unanswered questions, too many anomalies, too many lies emanating from 9/11.
Check out the following article (it's lengthy but it asks the right questions).
==================================================================

The U.S. Governments Unbelievable Disrespect Towards The 9/11
Victim's Families

Free Press International 7.24.2004

The 9/11 Commission and the U.S. government, in an unbelievable
show of disrespect towards the victims families of 9/11 have left
them and the world with many UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.

The families questions are listed below and can be found at:
http://911independentcommission.org/questions.html

President George W. Bush

As Commander-in-Chief on the morning of 9/11, why didn’t you
return immediately to Washington, D.C. or the National Military
Command Center once you became aware that America was under
attack? At specifically what time did you become aware that
America was under attack? Who informed you of this fact?

Vice President Richard Cheney

Please discuss the advice and plans of the Energy Advisory
Council specifically as they relate to pipeline development and
gas/oil exploration in Afghanistan, Iraq and other Middle Eastern
countries, and the feasibility of such development or exploration
specifically in those two countries in 2001.

Condoleezza Rice posted April 6, 2004 Regarding the meeting of
Abdullah Abdullah (close aide to Massoud and now the Afghan
Foreign Minister) in July , 2001, with “some top National
Security Council (NSC) and State Department officials,” what
information about al Qaeda did he convey?

Central Intelligence Agency

George Tenet, Director of the CIA Why didn't the CIA share vital
information about the terrorists with the

FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation Robert Mueller, FBI Director,
September 4, 2001-present Which hijackers have been positively
identified by DNA? Is the FBI in possession of DNA samples for
all of the hijackers?

Questions for Director Mueller Regarding the Hijackers Please
explain how the passports of Mohammed Atta and Satam al-Sugam,
both on Flight 11, survived the inferno to be found on the street
near the World Trade Center.

•Who found the passports and what time where they found?

•Please describe the condition of each passport.

•Please explain how the passports of two hijackers survived the
explosion and inferno.

Thomas Pickard and Louis Freeh

From the questions for Thomas Pickard: Please explain why the
July 10, 2001, Phoenix memo got no farther than FBI headquarters.
Why wasn’t the Phoenix memo shared with “threat subgroup” of the
interagency Counterterrorism Security Group? From the questions
for Louis Freeh: Why weren’t the flight schools shut down, or the
terrorists deported, if the “FBI Knew Terrorists Were Using
Flight Schools” for years, as reported in the Washington Post,
September 23, 2001.

Richard Clarke

On July 5th, Clarke summoned all the domestic security agencies
—the Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard, Customs,
the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the F.B.I.—and
told them to increase their security in light of an impending
attack.

Were plans made to implement immediate counter-measures to
deflect an attack? If so, what were they? If not, why not?

The Clinton Administration

Bill Clinton, former President of the United States Why wasn’t
bin Laden brought to the United States for trial when the Sudan
offered to extradite him? Al Gore, former Vice-President of the
United States Please discuss the intelligence and concerns which
spurred your contact with Saudi Arabia in 1999 and 2000 to
request that the Saudis and the Royal Family stop funding
charities that were contributing to the Al Qaeda... describe
the steps the Clinton administration had planned to take in order
to convince the Saudis to comply with our request to stop the
flow of charitable funds to terrorists.

Federal Aviation Administration

Jane Garvey, Former Director of FAA (follow-up) Please provide a
specific timeline for each of the four aircraft which includes
all FAA notifications and responses on the morning of September
11th, and the exact times at which air traffic controllers
notified the FAA of a possible hijacking of each aircraft.

North American Aerospace Defense Command Was NORAD aware of the
four hijacked planes veering off course even before being
reported by the FAA? If not, please explain why NORAD which
monitors 7000 flights a day, was unable to track the four
aberrant flights.

United States Strategic Command

Admiral Richard W. Mies former Commander in Chief, United States
Strategic Command

Did USSTRATCOM at any time track the four hijacked planes?

Airports, Airlines and Flight Schools

Administrators

Logan Airport. Boston, MA; Newark, NJ Airport; Dulles Airport,
Washington, DC

Specifically, what information/warnings/alerts did you receive
regarding the possibility of hijackings between March 1, 2001 and
September 11th, 2001? What precautionary actions were taken as a
result?

Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)

9/11 hijackers, Mohammed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi both received
I-20 "Vocational" visas from Huffman Aviation. The OIG report
indicates that the school should not have been allowed to issue
this type of visa ... Why did the INS certify Huffman aviation as
a full time vocational school?

Governor Jeb Bush

1. Why was the Florida National Guard called up in the state of
Florida on September 7th, 2001 in order to help handle “civil
disturbance” and “acts of terrorism”?

Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Within months of the Twin Towers collapse, tons of metal from the
collapsed towers were sold to scrap yards in New Jersey, which
then sold the debris to other recyclers in the United States and
overseas. That metal was evidence which could have helped explain
the collapse.

• Why were the steel beams sold and shipped overseas and not
retained as evidence? Was the material examined before it was
sent overseas? If not, why not?

Forewarning

This page includes questions for these people, among others:

Willie Brown, former Mayor of San Francisco who received a
warning about 10 PM on the evening of September 10...

High-ranking Pentagon officials who cancelled travel plans for
the morning of September 11 “…apparently because of security
concerns”

Odigo employees who received IM warning two hours before attack

Randy Glass, government informant, who has indicated that he
passed along warnings before 9/11

Ptech

1. What were the findings and conclusions of the FBI/U.S. Customs
investigation code- named Operation Greenquest.?

The company's Web site reveals a list of customers that is a
who's-who of sensitive government agencies, including the Naval
Air Systems Command, NATO, the House of Representatives and the
Department of Energy, which handles security for nuclear weapons
and material. Experts said Ptech had easy access to the computer
systems of those agencies and that a link to terror groups could
signal a breakdown in national security.

Congress

Oversight regarding the CIA, FBI, FAA, NORAD, INS:

1. From 1998 on, what steps did you take in light of the growing
terrorist threat to ensure that our security agencies were
functioning at their maximum and in tandem with each other for
our utmost safety?

Questions about Al Qaeda and State Sponsored Terrorism

1) What connections did our government have with the terrorists
prior to 9/11?

· State department negotiations with Taliban re: pipeline through

Afghanistan

· interaction with the Taliban and/or Bin Laden

· CIA training and arming of terrorists

2) What is the state of the Afghan pipeline now?

· When was the deal to construct it finalized?

· Who was involved?

· How is the pipeline being protected?

· Who profits from the connections as the pipeline passes through
each country?

· Who has rights to the pipeline?

3) Why isn't Saudi Arabia on the list of countries sponsoring
terrorism?

4) Why are the FBI and CIA seeking to exclude evidence about
Saudi involvement with terrorists (See Exclusive: CIA and FBI
press Congress to exclude intelligence on the Saudi role with
9/11 terrorists by Linda Robinson and Edward T. Pound:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/usinfo/press/saudi.htm )

5) In what ways might our government's policies toward Saudi
Arabia have contributed to September 11th?

6) Why was Saudi Arabia given preferential treatment above all
other nations in immigration? (Visa Express)

· What was the reason for creating the Visa Express?

· Prior to Sept. 11, Visa Express permitted approximately 97
percent of Saudi applicants to obtain visas without face-to-face
interviews http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,73485,00.html

7) Why were the Saudi relatives whisked out of America so quickly
when other planes were grounded after the attacks?

· Who gave permission for them to leave?

8) On September 9th the president had a war plan on his desk to
go into Afghanistan.

· What was the origin of this plan?

· Why was this plan drawn up even before the September 11th
attacks? 9) Intelligence was told in March of 2001 to back off
investigating terrorists.

· Who gave the order?

· Why?

10) Why did Donald Rumsfeld, immediately after the September 11
th attack, say that Saddam Hussein was involved?

11) Does the FBI have proof that it was in fact Al Qaeda that
perpetrated 9/11?

· Do they know if the names the hijackers used were their real
names?

12) Did Atif Ahmad have a connection to Atta as well as to
Moussaoui?

· Is Atif Ahmed a British double agent?

13) What is the truth about the arrest of El Atriss who sold fake
IDs to two 9/11 terrorists? There are discrepancies between the
NY Times and Washington Post accounts of his arrest and release.

· Atriss is an Egyptian national who committed a crime. Why
hasn't he been deported?

14) Who were the terrorist informants working with the FBI?

a.) What did the FBI learn from them?

b.) What were the 9/11 warnings provided by these informants?

c.) What was done with these warnings to protect the American
public?

15) How did and do US energy policies play into Islamic
terrorism?

· the Caspian Sea pipeline?

· Dick Cheney's energy task force?

16) How do corporate and big business interests play into foreign
policy decisions?

· Enron pre 9/11; Halliburton, Bechtel pre and post 9/11?

· what are the names of the companies which are getting contracts
in foreign countries and how do they influence our foreign
policy?

17) What role did American think tanks, which make policy
recommendations to the administration, play in American foreign
policy decisions and the proliferation of Al Qaeda?

18) Regarding sharing of intelligence pre and post 9/11:

· Did U.S. intelligence agencies share information about Al Qaeda
with foreign governments?

· Did foreign governments share information with our government
about Al Qaeda?

· If so, what information was shared about threats within the
U.S. and from which countries did it come?

· Who received this information and what did they do with it?

· What changes have been made in sharing intelligence?

19) Why did President Bush specifically request a briefing on Al
Qaeda in August 2001?

20) What is the connection between the Bush family and Bin Laden?

21) Regarding the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which is a
collaboration between the FBI and NYPD, also at times NYS Police,
NY/NJ Port Authority PD and the US Secret Service:

· Was the JTTF aware of 20 warnings of an impending terrorist
which were mentioned in Joint Intelligence Inquiry testimony?

· What did the JTTF know prior to 9/11 regarding potential
terrorist attacks in NYC and specifically, the WTC?

· Was the JTTF informed of any warnings regarding the impending
attacks from agencies of foreign governments?

· What was the nature of the warnings?

· What if any security precautions were taken as a result of the
warnings?

· What information did the JTTF pass up the chain of command? 22)
On the issue of state sponsored terrorism:

· Why did Mahmood Ahmed, Director of Pakistan's secret service,
the (ISI) order Saeed Sheikh to wire $100,000 to hijacker Mohamed
Atta?

· What was Mahmood Ahmed's relationship with Al Qaeda?

· Where did the money come from?

· Did officials in Pakistan know in advance about the terrorist
attack? · On September 11 th , Mahmood Ahmed had a breakfast
meeting in Washington, D.C., with House and Senate Intelligence
Committee chairmen, Rep. Porter Goss and Senator Bob Graham. What
were they discussing?

23) To combat terrorism

· What sanctions can the U.S. place on individuals of
non-terrorist states who aided and abetted terrorists through
funding or other means?

· If there is no recourse, will the CIA continue to monitor their
activities in the future?

· Will the State Department and other allied countries seek to
ban their entry into the U.S. and their nations?

· How long does an individual remain a terrorist threat according
to our policies?

· Will those individuals be banned from doing business with the
U.S.?

· Since September 11 th , has our government developed specific
policies regarding individual sponsors of terrorism?

24) Were individuals with ties to terrorists or states which
sponsor terrorism involved in shorting airline and other stocks
which were impacted by the terrorist attacks on September 11th?

September 11 Inquiry: Questions to be Answered

SEC 1. What are the names of the individuals and the financial
institutions who placed "put" orders on American Airlines and
United Airlines for the 3 weeks prior to 9/11? Who has possession
of these monies?

INS 1. Who approved the posthumous visa requests of Atta and
Al-shehhi?

2. Whose job was it to check on the validity of student visas?
Specifically, Hani Hanjour entered this country on a student visa
and never attended class. Who was responsible for this?

3. What countries did the terrorists enter this country from?
Specifically, when, where, and how did they enter this country?
What country of origin were the terrorists' passports from? Under
what names were their passports?

4. In 1996 Congress gave $800 million to the INS to upgrade its
computer systems. To date, those systems remain antiquated. Where
is this money? Whose responsibility was it to oversee that this
was carried out?

5. Why was the CIPRIS (the Coordinated Interagency Partnership
Regulating International Students – created by Congress in 1996)
system not used to track foreign students after it was
recommended by the National Commission on Terrorism in 1998 and
was so effective in trials?

6. Three hijackers obtained visas under an accelerated approval
program, called Visa Express at travel agencies in Saudi Arabia.
Visa Express had only been in place for three months before
September 11, 2001. Saudi Arabia is the only country with known
terrorist risks which had this accelerated approval. Who
initiated this process and what was the reason given for
instituting the program? Why were incomplete and erroneously
filled out visa applications of the hijackers approved?

FAA

1. A flight attendant on AA#11 notified her supervisor within the
first few minutes of the plane being overtaken. What was the name
of this supervisor? What exactly did he do with this information?
Why was NORAD not immediately notified? What are the names of the
individuals whose responsibility centers upon notifying NORAD in
situations like this--on the local, regional, and national
levels? Why was the protocol not followed?

2. Why were these four planes able to evade all radar ? Even when
the transponders are disconnected, a plane is still able to be
located by its "skin" on radar screens.

3. Was there a gun on AA#11? FAA executive summary stated that a
gun was fired. This report was thereafter redacted. What is the
truth?

4. Where did the information about box-cutters come from? How do
we know that the terrorists were armed with these? Furthermore,
why was the American public told after 9/11 that box-cutters were
allowed on planes, when we have since come to find out that they
were specifically listed as airline contraband? Who is
responsible for this disinformation?

5. Where are the "black boxes" and the transcripts from all four
crash sites? Why has the FBI not invited the NTSB into the
investigation?

6. Nine of the hijackers were selected for special security
screenings, two for irregularities in identification documents,
six for extra-scrutiny by a computer screening program and one
because he was traveling with a questionable individual. What
exactly were the irregularities in identification? Which two had
these irregularities? What is the name of the individual who made
the decision to let these two men board the planes? What was done
during the course of the detainment of these two individuals?
What questions were asked? Was anything confiscated? With regard
to the remaining seven hijackers, what was the list of questions
asked of them? Who interrogated them? Was anything confiscated?
What is the name of the individual who permitted these men to
board the planes? Where are the logs and records and incident
reports from these detainments?

7. Why was Logan Airport not sanctioned for its repeated failure
to meet FAA standards for airline security? If they were
sanctioned, how much were they fined? Did they completely pay the
fine? What is the name of the individual who was responsible for
making sure that Logan Airport met its airport/airline security
requirements?

8. Where are all transcripts from Air Traffic Control? Where are
all logs and records from the FAA?

9. Why did three foreign owned airline security screening
companies have their liability levels capped in the Homeland
Security Bill? Who is responsible for this? What was the
reasoning?

Port Authority/WTC/City of New York

1. WTC was not up to "code" with regard to their fireproofing.
Whose responsibility was it to ensure that these buildings were
built to "code"? What is the name of the individual who was
responsible to ensure that all buildings were maintained?

2. Why were WTC emergency evacuation protocols not followed?

3. Why were the roof access doors locked?

4. Why were the sprinkler systems locked?

5. Why was there no roof-top evacuation?

6. What is the name of the individual who made the announcement
in 2 WTC who told workers to return to their offices?

7. In light of the 1993 bombings, what additional security
precautions were put into effect?

8. The Port Authority of NY/NJ owns and operates Newark
International Airport. They also owned and operated the WTC.
Please explain the failure of the Port Authority to coordinate
and act on the information about the second plane heading for the
South Tower when they had this information available to them by
their own Air Traffic Control Center. They had eleven minutes of
notice that the plane was bearing down on Tower Two and yet, they
told people that the building was safe and secure.

9. Why won't the Port Authority in concert with the City of NY
release the 9/11 tapes?

10. What was the City of NY and the Port Authority told about
these numerous warnings, which occurred over a period of years,
and the dozens of warnings in the months preceding 9/11?

11. If they were told nothing about the warnings, why were they
told nothing? If they were told, why did the City of NY and the
Port Authority do nothing?

12. Why was the World Trade Center steel removed so quickly,
without being examined, from the scene of a mass murder? Who
ordered the removal of the steel?

Secret Service

1. Why was President Bush not immediately evacuated from the
Sarasota school, but rather was permitted to remain in the
building after the second building was hit and this nation was
under attack? Why was protocol not followed? Was President Bush
deemed to be in the "zone of danger"? If so, at exactly, what
time was he put in the "zone of danger"?

2. Where is the log and record of the Secret Service agents?
Where is the incident report?

NORAD

1. At precisely what time was NORAD notified of each plane being
hijacked? What was their response? What is the name of the
individual who determined from which bases the F-16s should be
scrambled from? What are the names of the pilots of these f-16s?

2. Whose decision was it to not utilize the F-16s' weapons? 3.
Whose decision was it to not fly the F-16s at maximum speed?

4. Why didn't the F-16s intercept the hijacked airliners?

5. Please draw up a chart of NORAD's response to the Payne
Stewart Lear jet incident vs. the 9/11 incident. Why was protocol
not followed on 9/11? What is the name of the individual who did
not follow protocol? Where are the transcripts from the F-16s?
Where is the log and record from NORAD?

6. What satellites were orbiting North American airspace on 9/11?
What exactly does the satellite imaging reveal? What companies
own these satellites? Where are the records and logs for these
orbits?

FBI/CIA/NSA

1. At a point in time when there was a "high level of chatter"
why were the NSA warnings not translated on time? What
information was contained in the warnings, specifically?

2. What agency obtained the photo of Atta at the ATM machine in
rural Maine less than 48 hours after September 11th? Was Atta
under surveillance? Where are the logs and records from the
Boston FBI field office for the months June through September?

3. What degree of probable cause was Moussouai being held under
when he was arrested in mid-August? What is the name of the
individual who turned down the request for the search warrant?
What is the name of the supervisor who was overseeing the
Moussouai case? Where the transcripts from the original
detainment hearing for Moussouai?

4. What is the name of the CIA operative who delivered Bin Laden
to an American hospital in Dubai in July of 2001?

5. What is the name of the individual who decided to fly the Bin
Laden family back to Saudi Arabia on the night of September 11th?

6. Please give a list of positive defensive postures that this
country took on the morning of 9/11.

7. At exactly what time was the shadow government put in place?

8. Was the White House a target on 9/11?

9. At exactly what time was the White House evacuated? Who was in
charge of this country on the morning of 9/11?

10. Please explain the United States' position with regard to the
UNOCAL pipeline in Afghanistan and the position of our troops in
Afghanistan prior to 9/11.

11. The Hart Rudman Report was issued in 2001, many taxpayer
dollars were spent. What steps were taken, if any, to implement
some of the changes put forward by that report?

12. "A briefing prepared for senior government officials at the
beginning of July, 2001, contained the following language: Based
on a review of all source reporting over the last five months, we
believe that UBL (Usama bin Laden) will launch a significant
attack against U.S. and/or Israeli interests in the coming weeks.
The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass
casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack
preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no
warning." How did Bush and his team respond to this dramatic and
accurate warning? What intelligence was this heads-up based upon?

13. What did the FBI tell the NYPD in their Joint Terrorism Task
Force regarding the numerous warnings about NYC being a terrorist
target and the possibility of NYC and the WTC being hit by
planes? What is the name of the FBI agent?

14. What interaction did our government have with the Taliban
prior to September 11, 2001?

15. Prior to September 11, 2001, were warnings regarding the
impending attacks received from agencies of foreign governments?
When and from where were they sent? What was the nature of the
warnings? What, if any, security precautions were taken as a
result of the warnings?

[scottxyz]

53. Thank you AilsaGirl! (and welcome to DU!)

I had never actually read through all those questions before. Very straightforward - and very important.

(And very chilling - to see such concerted incompetence on the part of the people who are supposed to be protecting us.)

Someone should set up a website-forum with each of those questions as an individual topic, which people could post answers under under. If the 9/11 Commission and the Administration won't answer these simple, vital questions, maybe we can start getting some answers via the web.

[belle]

31. They don't?? But I thought they were just sending Bush their plans in

advance, like they were supposed to. Just like the news reporters are supposed to submit their questions in advance. EVERYONE telegraphs their intentions to Bush in advance. Because that's just how the world is supposed to work.

[WillyT]

23. "Wolf !!!... Wolf !!!... Wolf !!!"

"How come nobody is buying this anymore?"

:shrug:

BTW - I doubt that THIS administration would ever do this...

But what OUGHT to happen when they go on TV and raise everyone's concerns, is to have it be bi-partisan. In this case, Ridge would have had Hart and Rudman by his side and taking questions, or Kean and Hamilton. People with stature, who are concerned, but hopefully would give us the straight scoop. Right now it just stinks of politics, and KKKarl Rove.

They ought to put a poll in the field to see if anybody is (or how many are) believing these warning anymore.

:shrug:

[ailsagirl]

25. Crying Wolf

If 9/11 hadn't happened, I'd be quick to dismiss these warnings. But everything changed that day. These people are cunning, lying, and, frankly, evil. Whoever did bring about 9/11 meant business and I have absolutely no doubt whoever-did-it will do it again.

(I just hope to God I'm wrong.)


ailsagirl

[WillyT]

26. True... But The Damaged Credibility Of This Administration...

makes you wonder whether you should belive it or not.

THAT is a major problem. Fair or not, I want to hear the warning from somebody I can trust. The Bush Admin fucked THAT up a looooong time ago.

:shrug:

[MaineDem]

27. "These people are cunning, lying, and, frankly, evil."

To whom are you referring? The "terrorists" or the Bush administration?

I find it disconcerting that I can't beleive the Administration.

[belle]

33. It's terrible!

[belle]

32. No, actually, everything didn't change. Least of all what SHOULD have.

There were terrorist plots before, you do know that, right? Some of them were even stopped. See: Clinton and the 2000 millenium plot, for example. The difference is, the government just DID THEIR JOB instead of attempting to scare the crap out of everyone without actually doing anything to make us genuinely safer. Dude, if you know when and where, then take care of it and shut up about it, you know? What next? More duct tape? Crawl under our desks and put our hands over our heads? I'm sick to fucking death of this. Ridge can blow me. He's halfway out the door anyway.

What SHOULD have changed, at least per THIS government, was that they should've actually DONE THEIR FUCKING JOBS. They haven't. All they've done is made everyone more scared and/or more cynical. Where's Bin Laden, huh? What the fuck is happening in Afghanistan? What the FUCK are we doing in Iraq, and what's going to happen if we need those soldiers to fight somewhere where there actually IS a real threat to us? Where, finally, is all that missing nuclear material from the ex-Soviet Union? Why haven't there been any steps to secure OUR nuclear plants? Our ports? They've only had two and a half years.

[ailsagirl]

48. What I meant is

What I meant when I said that things have changed since 9/11 is that we all know now that we are NOT safe from attack (as once-upon-a-time I believed). MY WORLD has changed-- my perceptions have changed-- it is not the same world in which I grew up.

That's all I meant.

ailsa

[Kool Kitty]

63. We haven't been safe from attack since the

Russians tested the first intercontinental ballistic missile. The notion that the oceans protect us is a farce. We haven't been safe for years. And Mr. McVeigh showed us what a terrorist could do with a truck bomb some years ago. Again, we weren't ever really safe.

This administration is trying to stay in power through fear. Every time sometime negative about any one of them gets ready to break, Mr. Ridge or Mr. Ashcroft roll out to tell us of a VERY REAL THREAT.

Also-why in the world would they want to attack the Prudential Building in Newark?

[Bridget Burke]

67. You don't remember the Cold War, I guess.

Did you ever "duck & cover"--hiding under your desk against a pretend nuclear attack? Even we kids had seen pictures from Hiroshima & wondered just how much protection our desks would offer.

The world has always been a dangerous place.

[CJCRANE]

66. Exactly

If you think about it, there must be "chatter" and unconfirmed threats intercepted every day (and have been for years). So on any given day it would be possible to say "we have received a threat to so-and-so place/building".

[MichiganVote]

34. They aren't so clever. We made it easy for them with ineptitude

[Bernardo de La Paz]

61. Crying Wolfowitz or is it Wolfowitz Crying?

Either way, just in case it is a third or fourth option, it needs to be taken seriously on face value. Investigation, hearings, and trials can wait for after the event. Gather facts and info and witnesses and whistleblowers now.

Maintain focus.

[MichiganVote]

35. Alright wait a minute

Let's think about this. If this so called "intelligence" is so good, how come,

1. They are bitching about poor intelligence procedures etc. What? They got lucky this time?

2.Where is the Senator from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to back up what they are saying?

3. How come in the three years since 9/11 we have not had as many terror alerts as we are now getting? And what is the level of threat reported in other countries?

4. If its so bad, where the fuck is George Bush and why isn't he working on this in place of his campaign. I don't recall the American people giving him a leave of absence.

If I'm wrong, a thousand pardons, but I think this is bull.

[AFSCME girl]

37. You raise some excellent points

MichiganVote. I think this "administration" thinks we are a bunch of idiots. This crap is getting to the point where it is surreal!
:grr:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

36. We're hearing that FratBoy's trying to get elected any way possible.

[pinniped]

38. The terrorists have an EMP "Goldeneye" type weapon?

Who put it in orbit and why?

[Clyde39]

39. What if all those billions for Iraq had gone to Homeland Security?

Surely the majority of Americans no longer believe we were under imminent threat from Iraq and are now questioning the money drain from our own shores?

[Davis_X_Machina]

41. Ridge must go.

But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the president's leadership in the war against terror, the reports that have led to this alert are the result of offensive intelligence and military operations overseas, as well as strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan.

This is a campaign commerical.

This is un-fucking-acceptable.

I want hearings TOMORROW.

I want calls for Ridge's resignation TOMORROW.

I want an FEC complaint TOMORROW.

[librarycard]

43. You're right.

What's worse, this administration is so willing to manipulate the public's sensibilities to get Bush elected that their efforts likely leave the country vulnerable to a real attack in the future. They don't have their eye on the 8-ball.

[Karenina]

44. strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan.

Erraaaa.... these are the MILITARY DICTATORSHIP guys they pressed to "give up" a "high-value target" a coupla weeks ago was it? Sheesh. :eyes:

[WillyT]

45. WOW... Excellent Catch !!! - Got A Link (Transcript) To That ???

:yourock:

[Davis_X_Machina]

47. Link to Ridge text...

Houston Chronicle is the first one Google gave me: try here.

And the campaign commercial was in the prepared part of his statement, not in thr Q&A...

[Nashyra]

50. And of course the whores on CNN

are exclaiming that OMG "it will deter the terrorist, so by raising the alert they have scared the boogeyman away" What a bunch of shit.

[Davis_X_Machina]

51. "I'm George Bush, and I approved this increase in the terror threat level"

If they made that announcement at the beginning or the end, at least the whole farce would be street-legal.

The 'terrorists' will be 'thwarted' with information obtained from GITMO and Abu Ghraib, thus justifying those two excesses.

The 'terrorists' will turn out to have links to pre-invasion Iraq, thus justifying the war.

The 'intelligence' will turn out to have been collected through use of procedures illegal before the passage of the PATRIOT Act.

So in one swell foop, we've got:

Rally round the flag effect
Poll bounce
Media domination -- how much of Kerry's bus trip have you seen today?
Justification of torture
Justification of the war
Justification of shredding the constitution

All with no loss of life except the 'terrorists'.

[WillyT]

52. Thank You Much !!!

:thumbsup:

[0rganism]

49. U.S.? I thought it was just the bush administration again

Suddenly, they're equated with the entire country?

[Tight_rope]

60. WHO'S AFRIAD OF THE BIG BAD WOLF!

[Borgnine]

64. "No guys, we're serious this time!"

This chatter is really real real real! It's super duper double reliable! We're all going to die, but as flames and disease eat away at our flesh, be sure to pull that lever for Bush!

It's I Love The '80s, and this is 1984. The fear! The lies! The totally awesome year that will strip away our constitutional rights!

[Dem2theMax]

65. That's it'. I'm borrowing 'supplies' from a republican -

Ear plugs, rose colored glasses and blinders.
On top of which I'm gonna sing 'la la la la I can't hear you' 24/7.