Let's see. The Democrats announced their VP selection, John Edwards. This has gotten a lot of democrats and independents energized and had gotten lots of news coverage. How should the Bush Administration respond to this? Unsubstantiated terror threats.
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml...toryID=5621516
Quote:
Ridge Cites New Al Qaeda Attack Plans
Thu Jul 8, 2004 11:29 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is not raising its terror alert level, despite new intelligence that al Qaeda is moving forward with plans to attack the United States in this presidential election year, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said on Thursday.
"While we are not raising the color-coded threat level today, we are constantly reviewing threat reporting and strengthening the nation's security," Ridge told a press conference.
The terror alert level will stay at elevated, which is yellow, or the third of five levels on the color-coded scale.
"Credible reporting now indicates that al Qaeda is moving forward with its plans to carry out a large scale attack in the United States in an effort to disrupt our democratic process," Ridge said. U.S. authorities had no knowledge about precise place or time of such an attack he added.
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So, once again: NO evidence, the threat level is NOT being raised (wow, this is familiar), and the target is the "election process", a vague idea more than a target. That's like when they target "freedom" (W's favorite threat) or maybe the next target will be "your souls."
Well, it's a damn good thing in the face of this vague, non-specific, possibly fabricated threat that we have such a brave war-time president to defend us all right?
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...on_terrorism_1
Quote:
Voting Official Seeks Terrorism Guidelines
By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The government needs to establish guidelines for canceling or rescheduling elections if terrorists strike the United States again, says the chairman of a new federal voting commission
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What's that? Cancel the elections? Well, we'd have to follow our war-time president no matter what. I mean, he obviously knows what's best for us and cares about us deeply and honestly. So don't worry. Even though General Tommy Franks already said another terrorist attack in the US and we would scrap the constitution and declare martial law. So I guess you not getting to vote is no biggie.
And what will the global media and foreign news say about this? Well, they won't be allowed in the country:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/sto...256588,00.html
Quote:
A crackdown by US authorities on issuing visas to foreign journalists threatens to cause chaos for overseas broadcasters and newspapers just five months before the presidential election. The new rules, which come into force next week, will ban overseas reporters and news crews stationed in the US from renewing their visas without leaving the country first.
Just five months before American voters decide who will be appointed to the most powerful office in the world, the US state department said it would no longer allow overseas journalists to renew visas from within the country.
From next week the estimated 20,000 foreign journalists stationed in the US, who used to be able to renew their visas with ease in any major city, will be forced to leave the country to do so. Rather than applying to renew their visas in Washington or New York, they will be forced to leave the country and re-apply at a US embassy or consulate abroad, delaying their application for between four weeks and six months.
.....
The move has been criticised in the US by the Society for Professional Journalists, which has voiced concerns that in addition to creating logistical problems for thousands of foreign journalists, it could lead to a backlash against American reporters working overseas
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At the very least this will keep those god-damn freedom-hating foreigners from intereferring with our election coverage. If the U.S. media corporate spin-machine is good enough for me it can be good enough for you. This is in NO WAY a MEDIA BLACKOUT. That would be absurd. This is just a step to make sure we don't get another ignorant Irish journalist asking our president questions and not sticking to the script. They did it to themselves, it's not our fault.
Now, as promised, an eagle to stare at:
