Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia

November 11, 2004 9:03 AM

I feel safer already!Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security lowered the terror alert-level for the financial-services sector in the NY/DC area from orange to yellow, which has nothing, repeat nothing, to do with the election. "We don't do politics here at this department," days DHS deputy secretary James Loy. When the alert was jacked up back in August, some felt otherwise.
posted by digaman (16 comments total)

*says, rather than "days," sorry.
posted by digaman at 9:04 AM on November 11, 2004

Well, since Kerry lost, we're obviously not going to get it. Time to go out and enjoy the sum. Ahem.
posted by NewBornHippy at 9:37 AM on November 11, 2004

Got Firefox? Now you too can stay ahead of the terrorists with the Homeland Security Threat Level Extension. It's like your own Personal DHS Jesus, right there in your browser.
posted by mr.marx at 9:50 AM on November 11, 2004

Did it ever occur to you that the election, the event itself, was focal point for a possible terrorist attack? Spain?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 9:52 AM on November 11, 2004

And it didn't happen, thanks to the ominent powers of Ashcroft and Ridge, eh Steve? USA?
posted by Eekacat at 9:54 AM on November 11, 2004

But NYC as a whole is still at special alert code level ORANGE. The new alert level downgrade special YELLOW terror-safety feelings only apply in the NYSE or Citigroup buildings. In the event of a nuclear dirty bomb anthrax box cutter explosion attack, New Yorkers should proceed to the NYSE or Citigroup building, whichever they is closer.
posted by eatitlive at 10:08 AM on November 11, 2004

Yes Steve, that did occur to me. Many things occurred to me this election season, some of them downright wacky! (Cue bin Laden video..., etc.) And of course, when the deputy secretary says that the DHS doesn't "do politics," we can believe him, because he stands on the current administration's sterling record of keeping political considerations out of such matters as science and the environment.
posted by digaman at 10:10 AM on November 11, 2004

But....but..."The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved."

Why aren't all the indicators green?
posted by m@ at 10:21 AM on November 11, 2004

Why aren't all the indicators green?

The 'government monitoring is bad for you' theory is the new 'privacy invasion' has provisions that data collected has to be dumped once the security level drops. If it never drops, "they" get to keep the data.

When asked for the parts of the laws that cover that, the line went dead, so
#!%# haea~~~~~
NO CARRIER
posted by rough ashlar at 10:31 AM on November 11, 2004

If the all-mighty bogie man of terror, bin Laden himself, said that Al Quaeda doesn't give a shit who's elected, then why would we assume that there was a terrorist threat to the elections? Steve, are you so naive to actually believe that there could be no political motivation to keeping the terror level high just before the election?
posted by mikrophon at 10:33 AM on November 11, 2004

Well, they don't need to keep the populance quaking in fear of imminent death from nerve gas belching terrorists since the election is over. Now we get a little break before they start to ratchet it back up for the supposed elections in Iraq in January.

Come on, this isn't political?

They jacked it up to scare people, now they can turn it back down to get ready for the next scare.

The terror alert system is a political tool, it has very little to do with actual terrorist threats and everything to do with keeping people scared and more than happy to hand over their rights in the name of protection.
posted by fenriq at 10:41 AM on November 11, 2004

OH SWEET JESUS THANK GOD LORD ALMIGHTY. NOW I CAN GO TO THE PIK'CHAAS.
posted by Satapher at 11:21 AM on November 11, 2004

"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved."

Its over!? Oh thank god... its like 1998 all over again.
posted by Satapher at 11:23 AM on November 11, 2004

It'd be cool if this James Loy worked for the DHS.
posted by trharlan at 7:33 PM on November 11, 2004

> Steve, are you so naive

Well, no. My post was ironic.
posted by digaman at 12:27 AM on November 12, 2004

"Oh", to be able to sleep soundly again!
posted by ScrewDriver at 9:25 AM on November 18, 2004