06/06: Color-coded Alert Levels

[Freakapotimus]

Jun 6, 7:56 AM EDT
Ridge: Color-Coded Alerts Have Drawbacks
by JOHN J. LUMPKIN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge acknowledged frustration with the nation's color-coded terror alert system Thursday and said he wants a system of specific alerts when intelligence warrants it.

Ridge said he believes the national alert system provides vital information to law enforcement, businesses and the public about the seriousness of intelligence gathered on terrorists. But he said his goal is to supplement it with more targeted information so individual communities or sectors of the economy can take needed action.

Full story at http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HOMELAND_SECURITY

[Lord-Miroku-Sama]

I remember on the daily show when they had a traffic light and were calling it a terror level notification device.

[torq]

All these terror levels do is cause people to panic. What good is it when you tell your citizens "You know, you can't do anything about this, but be cautious, you have a higher chance of being blown up. Have a nice day!"

[Commander-K25]

At 6/7/03 02:25 AM, torq wrote: All these terror levels do is cause people to panic. What good is it when you tell your citizens "You know, you can't do anything about this, but be cautious, you have a higher chance of being blown up. Have a nice day!"

Well, if something happened and there hadn't been any alert beforehand, then everyone would whine that someone should have sent out an alert.

[sirevil]

wow, my first post in Politics

anywho, all it does is make people paranoid

[Freakapotimus]

Every time the level changes, the switch the way we can go into work. On a lower lever, they just check to see if we have an ID badge hanging around our necks. When it moves up a level, we have to hold it up for them. When it moves up another lever, they have to hold it when they look at it.

At 6/7/03 03:55 AM, Commander-K25 wrote:
Well, if something happened and there hadn't been any alert beforehand, then everyone would whine that someone should have sent out an alert.

Isn't that the purpose of the emergency broadcast system?

[mrpopenfresh]

I can't say anything about it because im not an american, but from what im seeing, it dosen't do much.

[Commander-K25]

At 6/8/03 12:33 AM, nailbomb wrote: Isn't that the purpose of the emergency broadcast system?

That's DURING an emergency, not a pre-emptive notification to be careful.

[dudeitsallama]

Does anyone even pay attention to the alert colors anymore. Personally, I have two alert levels. "All's well" and "holy shit!" I don't even get what there is to be alerted about. I think we've sent a pretty clear message to terrorists and other people who hate us. Mess with us and we'll turn your country into a smoking crater. Don't mess with us and we'll turn your country into a smoking crater anyway. Then we'll say it was to liberate the handful of people who survive the bombing and find a new target. So, unless it's alert level ultra crimson X, I'm not gonna lose sleep over it.

[Alejandro1]

I suppose the color levels are ok; I can see the benefits of a system, but the alerts have to be more specific. Frankly, I can't say what the difference is between a mandarin orange and a blood red, in fact, I don't really care. I think the government should tell us what to be on the lookout for in case something really does happen.