Questions raised over terror exercise

[formercia]

Source: Yahoo!

By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 44 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The nation is preparing for its biggest terrorism exercise ever next week when three fictional "dirty bombs" go off and cripple transportation arteries in two major U.S. cities and Guam, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

Yet even as this drill begins, details from the previous national exercise held in 2005 have yet to be publicly released — information that's supposed to help officials prepare for the next real attack.

House lawmakers were expected to demand answers Wednesday, including why the "after-action" report from 2005 hasn't been made public. Congress has required the exercise since 2000, but has done little in the way of oversight beyond attending the actual events.

Next week will be the fourth Top Officials exercise — dubbed TOPOFF. The program costs about $25 million a year and involves the federal government's highest officials, such as top people from the Defense and Homeland Security departments.

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Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071003/ap_on_go_ot/terror_exercise

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Guess what? Real Terrorists don't group think like DHS.

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. First responders drill all the time. With Dem oversight, it could be useful n/t

[formercia]

5. In that respect, it's a good thing.

We used to get to play Red Team. That was fun.

[Ian David]

2. Self-delete (wrong thread) n/t

[Danieljay]

3. Portland Oregon. Topoff4. Week of October 15th.

According to an internal department briefing of next week's exercise obtained by AP, a dirty bomb will go off at a Cabras power plant in Guam; another dirty bomb will explode on the Steel Bridge in Portland, Ore., impacting major transportation systems, and a third dirty bomb will explode at the intersection of busy routes 101 and 202 near Phoenix.

Local hospitals and law enforcement agencies will be involved in the "attacks" by the dirty bombs, which are conventional explosives that include some radioactive material that would cause contamination over a limited area but not create actual nuclear explosions.





Yet, no local coverage and no one (public) seems to know a damn thing about it. Having originally been involved in the planning at a non-profit service organization, I'm struck at how few people know about it when I bring it up. Everyone in the response and planning side knows, but the public is clueless. Its going to involve thousands of people and a traffic nightmare on the 16th, and yet anyone I mention it to hasn't a clue its even happening. I searched the Oregonian newspaper and there is only one mention of it, last February. Bizarro. My biggest concern is widespread panic for those who know nothing about it.

My wife and I refuse to be part of that fear energy. We are closing shop and heading to the coast.

[jaybeat]

4. September 11, 2001 was a "drill"

This was supposedly why the FAA and NORAD were so slow in responding.

Also made for damn-good cover for Bush to keep reading to school kids and Cheney to order the plane headed for the Pentagon *not* to be shot down.

I live south of Portland... I don't think I'll be heading into town that week if I can avoid it...

:nuke: :tinfoilhat:

[formercia]

6. I'm glad you pointed that out.

Someone needed to say it.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. let's hope it's not like 9/11 when they got confused between the exercise

and the real thing!

[Niccolo_Macchiavelli]

8. a new month - a new conspiracy theory.

cali where are you? it's not fun making up ct prognostics when you aren't here to call it bs ;)

well i'll definitely lose my bet if bush leaves office not having declared martial law before.

[earth mom]

9. Why is this story being buried so deeply? That's the question. nt

[truthisfreedom]

10. I tried to vote it up, but it's frozen at 225 votes and 4 out of 5 stars.

It won't even load completely.

on edit: 225 votes, not 250 as I originally posted. Sorry.