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J-10
08-02-2004, 11:15 AM
Ridge: U.S. Ought to 'Go to Work' Despite Security Fears

WASHINGTON (*******) - Americans must accept their nation is a target and get on with business as usual, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Monday after raising the threat levels in Washington and New York to high.
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20040802/washington_detail2_map.gifThe United States issued a 'high' level threat alert for financial institutions in Washington and the New York area on August 1, 2004 after receiving detailed intelligence about a possible al Qaeda attack. The specific targets were the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington, the New York Stock Exchange and Citigroup Inc. in New York and the Prudential Financial building in Newark, New Jersey.

"The reality of living in America after September 11 is that we have to accept the fact that from time to time that we're going to get information about attacks," he told ABC's "Good Morning America" show.

The United States issued a "high" level threat alert for financial institutions in Washington and the New York area on Sunday after receiving detailed intelligence about a possible al Qaeda attack.

The specific targets were the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington, the New York Stock Exchange and Citigroup Inc. in New York and the Prudential Financial building in Newark, New Jersey.

The "high," or code-orange, threat level is the second highest in the government's five-stage terrorism alert system. It represents a "high risk of terrorist attacks."

"We have to go on being America. Go to work. There will be additional security measures taken to protect you ... let's go back to work," Ridge said.

It was the first U.S. terror alert to focus on a specific sector of the economy and the dollar slipped and stocks retreated as investors sought the haven of government bonds. Security fears also helped push oil to a fresh record high.

The "high," or code-orange, threat level is the second highest in the government's five-stage terrorism alert system.

It represents a "high risk of terrorist attacks." and was last invoked on Dec. 21 but then lowered back to yellow, or 'elevated', on Jan. 9.

Sunday's warning was based on the discovery of materials analyzing how to attack some of the most powerful symbols of western capitalism.

"The quality of the intelligence ... is rarely seen and it is alarming in both the amount and specificity of the information," Ridge said on Sunday.

Dealers said U.S. oil prices struck a new 21-year peak, climbing close to $44 a barrel on Monday. Most Asian stock markets fell, with Japan's Nikkei stock average down 0.9 percent by mid afternoon to 11,222.24.

Both the IMF and World Bank are located within a few minutes' walk of the White House. Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey said his department had beefed up coverage of the institutions as well as the Federal Reserve and Bureau of Engraving.
news yahoo (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20040802/ts_nm/security_alert_dc)

2Sheds_Jackson
08-02-2004, 12:28 PM
I heard some jackass on NPR this morning - I didn't get his name but he was billed as a "former CIA anti-terror expert".

This pointy headed idiot claimed that the US was intentionally enflaming the situation for political gain by raising the terror alert status. He suggested that just because detailed planning information was found, that didn't mean an attack was imminent. Sure they had construction info, traffic pattern info, plans on what explosives to use, a target list etc. but that didn't mean they were going to attack.

That's just typical of somebody who doesn't have to make the decisions. You know damn well that if something did happen, that this fool would be first in line to accuse the administration of not doing enough. I can just hear him "My God, how could they not raise the level - look at all the documentation they found! Call for impeachment!"

NPR of course offered no contrary opinion, and just left this politically polarized paper pusher's opinion out there as gospel.