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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ed Huang who wrote (8467)	2/15/2003 10:36:19 AM
From: PartyTime	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Perhaps that's what the UN Security Council should do. Double the inspections not in Iraq, but to include inspecting Israel. Indeed, the UN should make the US-Brit military build-up a true coalition, with the ultimate goal disarming both Iraq and Israel simultaneously. If a peacekeeping force is needed afterwards, the UN can stay close to Israel with Israel picking up some of the tab; concurrently, the UN coalition would stay close to Iraq with Iraq picking up some of the tab.

To: Ed Huang who wrote (8467)	2/15/2003 10:46:19 AM
From: BubbaFred	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Bad Tip May Have Helped Boost Alert By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - A senior government official said Friday the administration now believes some of the information which led to upgrading the nation's terror threat level last week to orange, or high, was likely fabricated. Authorities drew that conclusion based on polygraphs given to terrorist suspects interviewed by the government, said this official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The apparent fabrication was first reported by ABC News. But that information was not the sole basis for the decision to raise the alert status, the official said, adding that the change of the status from code yellow to orange was based on multiple intelligence sources and not a single tip. Eying a jittery public, President Bush (news - web sites) planned a speech Friday at FBI (news - web sites) headquarters to highlight steps the federal government is taking to increase security, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said. Bush was making the short trip down Pennsylvania Avenue primarily to talk up the new Terrorist Threat Integration Center. First announced in Bush's State of the Union speech, the center will analyze foreign and domestic intelligence gathered from a wide array of federal agencies and report to CIA (news - web sites) Director George Tenet. In some cases, the center will also decide which intelligence should be collected at home and overseas. Meanwhile, business is going on in the nation's capital, but signs of preparation for possible terrorism are everywhere. Members of Congress are being told to have necessary supplies ready in the event of evacuation while the government warns key industries about potential attacks. "Everyone in (the Capitol) has remained calm but cautious," said Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, chairman of the House Administration Committee. "There is not a panic situation here." Even so, lawmakers were told to gather up supplies, sensitive documents, medicine and a laminated list of key phone numbers in case they have to leave quickly. Congressional staffers this week received training in how to operate "escape hoods" that protect against chemical and biological substances. Justice Department (news - web sites) officials said Thursday there were no plans to raise the terror threat level to red, or severe, meaning an attack was imminent or under way. The official also said federal authorities have identified between 20 and 40 people in the United States that trained in al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan (news - web sites). Of those, "less than a dozen" are believed to have had recent contact with al-Qaida operatives overseas, this official said, commenting on a report first broadcast by NBC. Authorities also are keeping tabs on roughly 600 al-Qaida "sympathizers" in this country, said the official, who cautioned that there may be many more who are unknown to law enforcement authorities. Visible anti-terror security measures around Washington included officers carrying rifles in the Capitol complex and the deployment of anti-aircraft missile batteries. A new bulletin from the FBI and the National Infrastructure Protection Center was issued to companies involved in such industries as telecommunications, energy, and banking and finance, as well as operators of water systems and electric utilities, law enforcement agencies and emergency services. Officials believe al-Qaida could target these entities with chemical, biological or radiological attacks. Such an attack, officials say, could prompt terror and mass casualties and disrupt the regional or national economy. For people who might be faced with or respond to an attack, the bulletin recommends reading the Chemical, Biological and Radiological Incident handbook available on the CIA Internet site. The FBI bulletin urges people who come in contact with a suspect substance to "cover their mouths with a cloth while leaving the area, avoid touching surfaces and wash their hands thoroughly.