[mburbank]

Is it...


"Official: Terrorists preparing to strike

By Curt Anderson, Associated Press | May 26, 2004

WASHINGTON -- US officials have obtained new intelligence deemed highly credible indicating Al Qaeda or other terrorists are in the United States and preparing to launch a major attack this summer, The Associated Press has learned.
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The intelligence does not include a time, place, or method of attack but is among the most disturbing received by the government since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a senior federal counterterrorism official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity yesterday."

or...

"Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday that he did not plan to raise the national terror alert level.

"There is nothing specific enough or -- that rises to the level where we would presently today ... make a recommendation to the president to raise the threat level,"



Does it seem as if the whole 'terror alert' color chart is kind of meaningless and maybe should be scrapped? I mean, if this threat is "among the most disturbing" since 9/11, what does that mean? That all the time's we've raised the level to Orange were more disturbing than this one? Or that we shouldn't have raised the level then? Or that wether or not the level gets raised has to do with concerns not related to the disturbingness of the threat?

I personally don't like the whole 'climate of fear' explanation, I mean, I hate the administrations whole approach, but I think incompetence explains it just as ell as paranoia.