Ridge: Boston Terror Tip Shows Intel Woes

[Rose Siding]

snip>
"This was information shared with our partners, and some of them viewed it as a need to take action on it," Ridge said in one of his final interviews with reporters as he prepares to leave office Feb. 1. "And no one on the Department of Homeland Security, based on these initial reports, thought we should do anything with it but share it."
...
In the Boston situation, however, he asked: "Could we have handled the information a little bit differently on our part? Maybe. Could they have handled the information when we shared it with them and told them everything around it? Absolutely."

The incident, Ridge said, highlighted the need for the Homeland Security Department to be the primary federal contact for state and local authorities as they grapple with threats or other security needs. Ridge said he was not included in the conversation during which FBI agents briefed local authorities about the tip.

"Secretary Ridge is 100 percent absolutely correct," said Eric Fehrnstrom, communications director for Massachusettts Gov. Mitt Romney. "When details of the threat were leaked to the news media it forced law enforcement and elected officials to publicly address this information, even though it was unsubstantiated and uncorroborated."

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-ridge-bogus-threat,0,2585096.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[PATRICK]

1. Reflect on the consequences

had anything happened while this sad show was going on. No one EVER would have gotten over the suspicion about the Chinese, as ludicrous and irrational as their official or unofficial involvement might be and the later uncovering of the mistake.

It is the atmosphere of mess that IS the danger, part of the "fear itself" syndrome where chicken little is wright about danger and counter intuitive about the intelligence AND the proper action.

We are trapped in a spiral of madness without any concrete results of making this country actually safer in any conceivable way. This is structured panic and anything but "Homeland Security".

Duct tape was funny. The situation itself is horrendous and apt to turn very bad with no possible way to repair the damage of bad intelligence much less human casualties.

We will die stupid, study it stupid, mythologize it stupider, kill and be killed like sharks in a instigated frenzy.

[Mabus]

2. those "alerts" have always bothered me

remember when Grey Davis went public with one and they (RW) made a mockery of him? Then the Texas governor went public with one against Texas schools, nothing happened. No attack. No ridicule. Unfortunately this latest non-event should highlight that Homeland Security and the other federal agencies still have no clue.

And so, one more time an alert is leaked and another minority group falls under suspicion. Why don't they just issue an alert for all "brown people." The government could issue us specialized tags that we wear at all times to prove we've been cleared.

This part sounds like a Rumsfeld press conference: In the Boston situation, however, he asked: "Could we have handled the information a little bit differently on our part? Maybe. Could they have handled the information when we shared it with them and told them everything around it? Absolutely."

[jdj]

3. I guess I'm gonna go to bed. I read this as "Boston Terrier tip".

when I got to the word intel, I knew it was my bedtime.

[biftonnorton]

5. Everytime I See The Topic I Misread It The Same Way

http://www.bostonterrier.org/ :scared:

[Ian David]

4. Give me a break! This was a calculated misdirection and distraction!

They intentionally released this fake "threat" to make people panicked and scared during the inauguration.

Who do they think they're fooling?

Oh yeah... 51% of us.

You can fool all of the people some of the time.
And some of the people all of the time.
And that should be sufficient for most purposes.

[cthrumatrix]

8. BINGO..... it's all aout fear (and keeping the US people uninformed)

[Redstone]

6. Am I getting sick and tired?

You bet I am.

Of hearing everyone talk like Rumsfeld?

And now everyone else in the Government and all the military officers.

Where they always ask a question? Then answer themselves?

Yes, like that.

Do they sometimes ask two questions in a row? Three? Can it go on for over a paragraph if they're really on a roll? On and on, question after question, until you're yelling at them to just get to the fucking point, already?

Absolutely.

Redstone

[Ian David]

7. The local FOX News channel did another VaporScare story yesterday

I only saw the news teaser, but it was something like this:

Wow, look at all the security and technology protecting airports.

But hey, what about SHOPPING MALLS?

[leesa]

10. Great! Stop people from going to the malls. I LIKE it!

[leesa]

9. No. It shows yet another BushCo con job.