Militant Attack Is Worst Nightmare for U.S. Ports

[Khephra]

Militant Attack Is Worst Nightmare for U.S. Ports
Sun December 7, 2003 10:32 AM ET

(Page 1 of 2)
By Caroline Drees, Security Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Militants ship a nuclear bomb into a U.S. port and ravage an entire city. More than the plot of a Tom Clancy thriller, it is the ultimate nightmare for many U.S. officials, ports and businesses.

Clancy's book "The Sum of All Fears" predated the Sept. 11 attacks by roughly a decade, but officials and analysts say the vulnerability of U.S. ports has only recently sunk in.

"The thousands of cargo containers arriving at U.S. ports every day help fuel our economy, but they're also tempting delivery devices for terrorists trying to strike America," Congressman Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement to Reuters.

"I worry about a nuclear terrorist incident" at a port, said Graham Allison, a former assistant secretary of defense. "Even if it were a small nuclear weapon (which explodes) in New York, Washington or Boston, you'll end up with half a million dead. The whole world will change as much as it did on 9/11."

more...

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3950815

[Racenut20]

1. I recently saw a news report on tv

That Port of Tampa, actually spot checks 1% of incoming conex containers. WOW. No danger there.

Last week 30 vehicles in a secured garage at the Port were vandalized over a 3 day period while the owners were on a cruise.

[Lars39]

4. Wasn't Carlyle group buying a cargo delivery company?

Like the kind that gets put on ships and then hauled on semi-trucks?
I don't have the link, but I remember reading about this some time ago.

[Eloriel]

5. Yes

Seems to me it was the same one involved in the Longshore workers strike that Bush intervened in about a year ago. I think they also have a contrct in Iraq, one of the ports.

Eloriel

[pw]

2. This is news?

People in the national security business have been talking about this for 20 years or so. (Back in the 80s opponents of the Star Wars boondoggle pointed out that if you just put a nuke inside a shipment of cocaine or marijuana it would have a better than 80% chance of reaching its destination...)

[JailBush]

3. I hate to sound like a doomsdayer but what are the chances of this NOT

happening?

[Guaranteed]

6. Yet for some reason we're not checking cargo

coming into the US.

Bush is strong on national security WHY???

[Lori Price CLG]

7. So the Rove terror team can carry out their next attack...

After all, Carlyle Group bought CSX transport, it's convenient for the Idiot Usurper's team of terrorists to set up the next attack on the United States. Then, the Bush dictatorship can declare martial law, pass Patriot II, (hell, they can pass Patriots III, IV, and V, if they want)suspend elections, you get the drift.

For those who are skeptical... why WAS NORAD told to stand down on 9-11? Just curious.

Lori Price

CLG_Revolution_Tactics
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CLG_Revolution_Tactics/

[SquireJons]

9. Can you back up that claim about NORAD?

While I admit you are tugging at the strings of my conspiracy minded heart... those are pretty strong accusations. I've seen and read many of the more extreme theories and never heard that NORAD was ordered to stand down. That would be criminal negligence at the very least. Got a link?

[unbrand]

10. Hard to find just one link, but...

Try this for a detailed analysis of why it's so incredible that NORAD was not doing its job (or, equivalently, being told to stand down):

http://standdown.net

[mobuto]

8. And yet the Bush Administration

manages to find room to spend a record amount on Congressional pork barrel spending, while forgetting to find enough to provide adequate port security.

Homeland Security my ass, these people are complete, short-sighted morons. I realize I'm preaching to the choir, but its completely ridiculous.