FBI: Something bad may happen somewhere, sometime

[sspadowsky]

No shit, genuii. These guys should keep their mouths shut until something DOES happen. I'm tired of intelligence and law enforcement agencies running around telling us to be vigilant, something bad could happen, somebody's gonna have a bomb, somebody's gonna shoot something. "We don't have any hard evidence, or really any reason to believe it's going to happen any time soon, other than the fact that it's inevitable." Of course, tards. Something bad is going to happen sometime because that's what happens in the real world.

Being vigilant is THEIR job, not ours, and besides, any plot so poorly constructed that it can be uncovered by Joe Sixpack is doomed to failure anyway.

I'm just fucking tired of having paranoia shoved down my throat. Living in a truly free society involves assumption of risk.
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http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/20/fbi...cks/index.html

FBI warns of possible suicide attacks

From Kelli Arena
CNN Washington Bureau
Thursday, May 20, 2004 Posted: 10:43 PM EDT (0243 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI is warning state and local partners to be on the alert for suicide bombers.

The bureau says there is no hard intelligence warning of any plans by terrorists to launch suicide attacks in the United States, but wants those on the front lines in the war on terror to be aware of such a threat.

In its weekly bulletin distributed to 18,000 agencies, the FBI says to look out for people wearing bulky jackets on warm days, smelling of chemicals, or even individuals whose fists are tightly clenched.

The bulletin also says suicide bombers may disguise themselves in stolen police uniforms or even as pregnant women.

The FBI has warned before of possible suicide bombings, but officials tell CNN extremist rhetoric following reports of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, as well as concern over several special events coming up in the United States, have renewed concern. Those special events include the official opening of the World War II memorial in Washington, the July Fourth holiday and the Democratic and Republican conventions.

Officials say suicide bombers are often impossible to detect. There is usually no advance intelligence and so-called soft targets such as shopping malls are nearly impossible to protect from such an attack.

[soundtest]

Originally Posted by sspadowsky

Being vigilant is THEIR job, not ours, and besides, any plot so poorly constructed that it can be uncovered by Joe Sixpack is doomed to failure anyway.

Well put. Admittedly I don't keep track of this stuff too much, but what I do hear just sounds absurd. My question is, if something does happen, will there be even more fear because 'they were right! they said something was gonna happen and it did!', or just outright anger because with all this fear mongering and preparation, they were still too incompetent to stop it?

[Anonymouse]

Welcome to the age of fear production.

[punkgrrrlie10]

Well I also think it does some good now b/c so many people have the "doesn't involve me, not going to get involved either" attitude. Alot of people will see something suspicious or hear someone screaming and won't even call the cops. At least now the fear will provoke at least a phone call.

[mburbank]

Not that I don't appreciatte a little heads up from the G-Men, but I already figured photos of soldiers with Iraqis on dog chains might encourage suicide bombers.

[punkgrrrlie10]

Some people aren't as intelligent as you. I just remember the story of that women being attacked, raped and murdered outside her apartment and no one doing anything even though she was screaming for help. When they asked why - "didn't want to get involved".

Whereas people like you or I might go "hmmmmm, a big bulky coat, 90 degree day, white van, different people coming and going out of a house constantly for a month, maybe I should warn someone". Others will go "well not my problem, they aren't threatening me"

[kellychaos]

Did you ever watch old WWII documentaries wherein the U.S., in attempt to throw the Germans off track, would put out fake intelligence about fake units, fake equipment, fake objective times, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake ... ?

[mburbank]

Kitty Genovese was her name.

[kahljorn]

People who don't call for help and say they don't want to get involved sho uld be charged as accomplices.

[sspadowsky]

I guess I should have been clearer, but sometimes frustration clouds the intended messsage. Ever since 9-11, we've been getting a steady diet of fear and paranoia, and it just makes me angry. Of course it's going to happen here eventually, and by all means, if you see a guy wearing a coat in Texas in the middle of July, carrying a suitcase, walking toward a tall tower, then, call the police. I'm not saying not to get involved, just use common sense. And common sense dictates that more terrorist attacks in this country are inevitable.

To me, this article just feels like your older brother stopping by your room just before bedtime to tell you to watch out for the boogeyman. That's all I meant.

[punkgrrrlie10]

Oh I know, but all too often and with too many people they really need to be told to tell on someone or else they just will go on driving their SUVs and going "not my problem".

[kellychaos]

To be more precise, what I'm saying is that the terrorists are clever and have the potential to plant evidence, communications, or conspiracy theories in the minds of the FBI ... a wild goose chase, if you will, to keep them busy. They have their work cut out for them, in this sense, and probably one of the biggest jobs is for them to sort out the real threats from the bogus ones. That is not to say our guys lack intelligence or resources. It's just a big job and they're probably doing it as honestly as they can. On the other hand, vague warnings of threats isn't exactly helping the matter or bolstering my trust in them.