← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · amundsen
Thread ID: 5608 | Posts: 2 | Started: 2003-03-18
2003-03-18 04:54 | User Profile
[color=red]You gotta love the names these people come up with. Liberty Shield? What a farce. The communist countries call themselves democratic republics for the same reason. 'The act was one of those cheap tributes which Pharisaic avarice knows so well how to pay to appearances.'[/color]
US boosts terror alert to "high", Ridge warns of "multiple attack" attempts
Tuesday March 18, 9:42 AM
The United States increased its terrorism alert to the second-highest level and announced a new operation to boost security and defend citizens on US soil.
Warning of "multiple attacks" nationally and abroad in the event of a US-led war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security said it was raising its level of alert to orange, and announced the launch of operation "Liberty Shield."
The announcement was made shortly after President George W. Bush advised Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, accused of illegally storing weapons of mass destruction, to flee within 48 hours or face war.
Department Secretary Tom Ridge said that intelligence agents believed terrorists "will attempt multiple attacks against US and coalition targets worldwide" in retaliation for a potential US-led war on Baghdad.
"A large volume of reporting across a range of sources, some of which are highly reliable, indicates that al-Qaeda probably would attempt to launch terrorist attacks against US interests," Ridge said in a statement.
In his televised address to the nation, Bush also warned Americans of potential terror strikes by the Iraqi leader and terrorist groups against the United States and its allies in the event of war.
"In desperation, he (Saddam) and terrorists groups might try to conduct terrorist operations against the American people and our friends," the US leader said.
"Our government is on heightened watch against these dangers. Just as we are preparing to ensure victory in Iraq, we are taking further actions to protect our homeland," he added.
Authorities, explaining the scope of precautions taken by Washington, described "Liberty Shield" as "a national plan designed to increase protections for America's citizens and infrastructure while maintaining the free flow of goods and people across our border with minimal disruption to our economy and way of life."
The unprecedented US operation will be a "multi-department, multi-agency, national team effort," the Department of Homeland Security said. This was to ward off any criticism from lawmakers and lobby groups that US agencies have in the past lacked coordination in fending off attacks.
The most vehement criticism came in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror strikes on US targets that left 3,000 people dead. The attacks caught US authorities off guard, despite numerous unheeded intelligence warnings prior to the strikes.
Operation "Liberty Shield" envisages increased security at borders, stronger transportation protection, ongoing measures to disrupt any threats to the nation, greater protection for "critical infrastructure and key assets," and increased public health preparedness, the Department of Homeland Security said.
It also seeks to ensure federal response resources are "positioned and ready".
The increase in the security warning level represents the third time that US authorities have raised the level to orange -- the fourth rung on a scale of five whose highest level is red and lowest green.
The alert system for national security was introduced in March 2002, in the wake of the September 11 attacks for which Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network have claimed responsibility.
[url=http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030318/1/39299.html]Article[/url]
2003-03-18 21:29 | User Profile
Operation Liberty Shield? Bah. Whose liberties are we shielding? Certainly not ours. :angry: I'm entertained by the ever more imaginitive operation names, though. They're getting quite ridiculous under King George II. We need some revisionist names for these faux-wars, though. How about...
'Civil' War: Operation Leviathan WW1: Operation Eretz Yisroel WW2: Operation Eretz Yisroel, Take 2 Vietnam: Operation Reduce White Breeding Stock Desert Storm: Operation Seed Muslim Hatred Enduring Freedom: Operation Friendly Fire Liberty Shield: Operation Attempt Armageddon