U.S. Headed for 'Heightened Alert' Stage

[texasleo]

Source: ABC News

Government officials have been quietly stepping up counterterror efforts out of a growing concern that al Qaeda or similar organizations might try to capitalize on the spate of extremely high-profile events in the coming months, sources tell ABC News.

Security experts point to next month's Olympics as evidence that high profile events attract threats of terrorism, like the one issued this past weekend from a Chinese Muslim minority group that warned of its intent to attack the games.

Anti-terror officials in the U.S. cite this summer and fall's line up of two major political parties' conventions, November's general election and months of transition into a new presidential administration as cause for heightened awareness and action.

This is what the Department of Homeland Security is quietly calling a Period of Heightened Alert, or POHA, a time frame when terrorists may have more incentive to attack.

According to drafts of government memos described to ABC News, the period would run roughly from this August through July 2009.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=5420514

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Gee, it must be an election year.

[Hestia]

1. HLS will require that Obama have no more than 10 people (to match McCain's crowds) in order

to minimize the terrorists who come see him speak. :sarcasm:
McCain losing, time to ratchet up the terror alerts.

[HopeHoops]

8. They found McCain's prayer paper too!

"Oh Lord, please let there be some major terror attack right before the election - OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE!"

<rant><b>
The Rainbow Alert always goes up before the election - have to scare people into voting against freedom!

It is pathetic. The flag waving FREEDOM "patriots" will give up ANY liberty provided by the Constitution as long as it means they won't be attacked by "terrorists". BOOGA BOOGA! The irony is clear. Terrorism is intended to instill fear with minimal effort. The sheep are afraid. The sheep don't want to be afraid so they elect the wolves to protect them. The wolves tell them to be afraid so they are afraid, but they don't want to be. So they elect more wolves to protect them (begin tape loop). Benjamin Franklin was correct - "Any society that would sacrifice liberty to gain safety deserves neither and will lose both" (rough quote).

On a side note, Leiberman recently predicted a major terrorist attack right before the election. Gee, I wonder if he has inside information.

As for Obama's prayer note - shame on the person who pulled it out - it is forbidden to be read. There is a government team that regularly removes the notes and disposes of them respectfully - they are not read, but sealed and buried, I believe on Mt. Olive but I'm not positive of that. This is allowed. Reading is bad, but posting a picture on the net is disgusting.

So, be prepared to remove more than just your shoes come November - I can't wait to hear Bush - "Tourists is attackins us, we's gots to be fraids!"
And the FOX Opinion Channel scrolling marquee - "TERROR ALERT CODE - MAUVE - REMOVE CLOTHING, BEND OVER AND COUGH" Only Rambo McCain can save us.

</b></rant>

[immoderate]

19. Welcome to DU HopeHoops, and well writ!

Yes it's the bein' afraid time again! :scared:

--IMM

[Robb]

2. Ha!

At the moment, the nation's public threat level will remain at yellow, or "elevated," but not orange, or "high."

The reasons: There are no specifics indicating an attack on the U.S. is imminent, and U.S. officials do not want to be accused of trying to inject themselves into the presidential campaign.

...So they're not elevating the color coded threat level, although they think there's foul play afoot, because they don't want to seem political?

Sounds, er, political to me. Political concerns trump this oh-so-clever safety system? :D

[Eurobabe]

3. Just in time for Georgie's little wish

"well you know those terrarists always strike a new administration." :eyes:

[KaryninMiami]

4. Wow- they're early- I was expecting this to happen after the conventions not before

I figured they'd start once the poll numbers really started climbing for Obama after the big speech. Guess they figured now is a good time to start up those fear engines.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Skelator Strikes.

It was just a matter of time before he injected himself and his empire into the campaign.

[daggahead]

6. Gee, I wish there was this much attention paid ...

... to the terrorism threats from January 2001 to August 2001.

Of course, the fascistas were waiting for any excuse to take control ...

[Phred42]

7. Of Course - The Conventions are coming soon

A red alert - or better - another false flag event will change the tone of both Convertions


......then there are the Debates about to happen and then the Election

Hey it worked for 6 years - why not now?

[librechik]

9. Cheney's going to "fire up" the Republican convention

It's the only chance McCain has.

[Doctor_J]

10. Oh, God. They're going to have to stage something really big

Maybe some Muslims attacking the RNC and carrying Obama signs, with Col. McSame hopping into an F4 and strafing them with cannon fire, then parachuting onto the podium after his plane is hit by a SAM.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

26. I only hope Obama stays safe...

I put nothing past rethuglicans seeking to retain power. Nothing.

[readmoreoften]

29. I'm more worried about the 13 million people in Tehran than one politician.

[Joanne98]

11. Terra terra terra... Only McCain can protect you..

We've seen this movie before.

[Supersedeas]

24. and they just keep remaking it

[pipi_k]

12. Uh, oh yeah...I forgot...

It's election season

Time for the Repubs to try and scare Americans into voting for them by pulling the "Terror Alerts" out of their asses again.



Oh, and probably apropos to nothing, but I just wanted to rant for a minute...

there's almost no term that burns me up more than people using the phrase

"The Terrorists"

Like it's a specific and concrete group.

Sort of like "The Waltons"

"The Brady Bunch"

"The Smith Family"


When people say "The Terrorists" I honestly want to slap them.

Hard.


thank you.

[Alter Ego]

13. Time to dust off the old color-coded TERROR ALERT SYSTEM

and raise it to orange so that people will get properly scared and vote Republican!

[kath]

17. Actually, when my family flew to OH this month, I saw that we're already at "ORANGE"

Terra terra terra, fear fear fear, terra terra terra...

[Javaman]

27. it's been stuck on orange for years now.

only now, no one pays it much attention anymore, because we all know it's bullshit.

[bigworld]

25. Hey it worked last time

[kmac3]

14. Pure signs of desperation . . . .

Everyone who follows elections knew this would be coming . . . just didn't think quite this soon. Obama's trip to Asia and Europe, which earned him tremendous success, has McCain totally rattled.
Gotta go fear strategy to keep these folks in line. :nuke:

Buuut, I don't think the people will be as gullible as they have been ... used this play one too many times. Rove need to get some new plays in his book.

[Solly Mack]

15. The election is coming! The election is coming!

Fear election time.

[bikebloke]

16. They'll reach into that bag of M & M's...

...for the latest terror colour code.

Keeping us safe for disaster capitalism.:sarcasm:

[CrispyQ]

18. They are so fucking transparent,

& yet almost half of our fellow citizens won't see through it. :eyes: :crazy: :banghead:

[Born_A_Truman]

20. I am shocked! NOT! n/t

[demo dutch]

21. Jeez, how convenient, just in time to scare the electorate!

[samsingh]

22. couldn't be that Obama is cleaning the mcidiots clock?

[yurbud]

23. one of Obama's first orders of business should be investigating political use of terror alerts

and worse uses of terror for political purposes.

[melody]

28. Time to turn the flame up on the frogs

These people are miserably predictable.