I fought the War on Terror.

Well, maybe not but I felt I should post this. I read a few days back that the FBI is warning local law enforcement to be on the watch because Terrorist may use coolers to hide bombs. On my way back from West Point yesterday night I went over the Bear Mountain Bridge and saw an orange cooler just sitting up on the guard rail. It was 12 am and no workers were around. I felt that it was my civic duty to call the State Police and inform them. A worker might have forgotten about it but you can never be too sure.

No, you DID fight the war on terrorism. That is exactly what you should have done. Good job.

Thanks from a fellow American.

Hey wow...I have a few coolers in my basement. I'll call the police as soon as I get home.

That is exactly what people should do when something is suspicious. I'm a waterplant operator and we've been told that terrorists have waterplants on their lists. We've spent countless dollars fortifying our building and the surroundings since this has begun. We now have 8 night cameras at our plant and 2 at each of our resovoirs, We have a gate that is locked at the end of the drive, We have a ditch around our property with large boulders, this is because we are a 24hr operation. The best thing for terrorists is prevention and what you have done by calling the proper authorities. Even if was just a cooler left from a worker on the job but what if it was a something more and you didn't?

Thanks for your effort, it is very important to act upon any suspicious item these days, you get another big

That is exactly what people should do when something is suspicious. I'm a waterplant operator and we've been told that terrorists have waterplants on their lists.

You mean like terrorists dropping stuff in the water? Don't the reservoirs get filtered before they make it to homes? Or like blowing it up, cause i doubt that would be on their list, just seems kind of frivilous.

The reservoirs don't get filtered, just re-chlorinated. The reservoirs are about 20 miles from the plant. We have been told that they are on the list. Whether or not they can comtaminate the water is not the point. Imagine a large city without water a great deal of time. Not a good situation at all. Terrorism at it's best.

This is a joke, right? Terrorists are going to blow up the frickin Bear Mountain Bridge by leaving a cooler on a guard rail?

Did the question WHY ever enter your mind? Or HOW? Did you think that the beer cooler might contain a uranium core? LOL

Tell me this is a joke, because it's pretty hilarious. Scratch that, it's TOTALLY hilarious.

www.time.com...

Along with this now familiar general warning, the FBI has introduced the specter of a new terrorism threat: booby-trapped beer coolers. A lightly classified bulletin sent to 18,000 state and local agencies last week advised local authorities to look out for plastic-foam containers, inner tubes and other waterborne flotsam commonly seen around marinas that could be rigged to blow up on contact. Also, the bulletin warned, terrorists might attach bombs to buoys. FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials say no such devices have actually been discovered, nor is there any current intelligence that terrorists are hatching plots involving floating bombs.

AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Monty Python couldn't do better!

Jakomo's post does a fine job of illustrating why we are not depending on Canada for our national security.

We should also be on the lookout for; childrens' lunch boxes, McDonald's Happy Meals, any cereal box, suspicious traffic lights, any car with a trunk, cell phones (they could really be detonator devices!), people wearing large coats, any type of delivery person, fake police officers, and people claiming to be patriots.

Oh yeah, and make sure you have plenty of duct tape at all times.

[edit on 29-6-2004 by Damned]

Ambient Sound:

Jakomo's post does a fine job of illustrating why we are not depending on Canada for our national security.

Yeah, because we all know how many people in the mainland USA have lost their lives to terrorists since 9-11.


Oh, that's right, NONE.

You're a good little sheep.

Your experience reminds me of a time when I lived in Lorton VA. There was this construction site right off the 95 exit next to a gas station. The site had been there for months on end with no activity. There was a box on stilts about 5 feet maybe 6 foot high that had a door with a lock and a radioactive materials sign. This box was right next to the entrance to the gas station about 10 feet from a public pay phone. This box caught mt eye every time I went to the station, I guess because of 911 and all.

One day I noticed the box was on it's side and the lock was off of it. Obviously, someone had been in it because the lock was missing, not to mention it was knocked over. This concerned me. I was not about to go inspect it, so I called the police and informed them what I found. They told me they would send someone out to check it out right away. I asked if I should stay to talk to the officer and show them what I was talking about. I was told "yes, they will want to ask you some questions".

I waited almost an hour and noone showed up. I called back and asked if they were still comming and they said an officer came and didn't see what I was talking about. HUH, I was there the whole time, sure they came out. I told them again where I was and what I discovered and they said once again, they would send someone out.......nope, noone ever came. I called back a third time and was told that they were busy and didn't have time to check every suspicious package, that I would have to wait. This pissed me off, this was not just some "suspicious package" it was a box that had "radioactive meterials" sign on it, a big one at that. It had been knocked over and God know what else. I'm suprised it was as close to the road as it was. I was begining to wonder if this was a trap set by the athorties to catch someone.

I returned home and contacted the State Police who called me back about 10 minuits after calling saying they had someone on the scene and thanks.
I don't know what came of the box, but it was gone the next day and the state police said they "had it under controll". Sometimes I wonder if it's also our civic duty to babysit the athorities and make sure they do their job.

Originally posted by Jakomo

Yeah, because we all know how many people in the mainland USA have lost their lives to terrorists since 9-11.

Oh, that's right, NONE.

You're a good little sheep.

That's right. None have lost their lives to terrorism in the mainland USA since 911. That pleases me quite a bit.

Tsk, tsk, Jakomo. Personal attacks are the last resort of the defeated debater.

Like I said, I'm glad that we don't have to depend on people with your attitude to defend our country.

Lol @ Jakomo and ambient, the two of you make a great team, bringing ATS the needed entertainment.

I guess common sense is just as usefull as being suspicious.
It's all about finding tha rite balance.
As for "the war on terrorism", I think it's all a little hysterical and blown out of proportion. First of all it's not a war, and second it did not start @ 9-11, we allready disliked terrorism before that.

I remember right after the attacks on NY, when it became clear that arabic fundamental terrorists were the ones responsible, all innocent Arabic people and muslims in the USA became victims of all kinds of abuse from fellow USA'ers.
I was just wondering, did this ever improve?

Originally posted by Damned
Hey wow...I have a few coolers in my basement. I'll call the police as soon as I get home.

hahaha

Originally posted by Jakomo

This is a joke, right? Terrorists are going to blow up the frickin Bear Mountain Bridge by leaving a cooler on a guard rail?

Did the question WHY ever enter your mind? Or HOW? Did you think that the beer cooler might contain a uranium core? LOL

Tell me this is a joke, because it's pretty hilarious. Scratch that, it's TOTALLY hilarious.

www.time.com...

Along with this now familiar general warning, the FBI has introduced the specter of a new terrorism threat: booby-trapped beer coolers. A lightly classified bulletin sent to 18,000 state and local agencies last week advised local authorities to look out for plastic-foam containers, inner tubes and other waterborne flotsam commonly seen around marinas that could be rigged to blow up on contact. Also, the bulletin warned, terrorists might attach bombs to buoys. FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials say no such devices have actually been discovered, nor is there any current intelligence that terrorists are hatching plots involving floating bombs.

AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Monty Python couldn't do better!

I dont find that funny at all. I thought to myself it could have been left over from the workers but I dont think I was wrong in calling it in. Your a joke.

Ok no Personal attacks please,

Keep this on topic,

Asala

Jakomo is the type of person who would say if warned on 9/10 to look out for arabs on planes in case they try to hijack them, "Oh like what would they ever do with an Air Plane? Crash it into a building? HAHAHAHAHA. Have you ever bothered to ask WHY they would even want to do that..."

I think Jakomo should shut-up.

I think that was good looking out! How many times do we pass things without noticing them? Maybe it was nothing, maybe you saved many lives. Better safe than sorry! Your post made me to stop and become more aware of my surroundings.

Too bad there wasn't that sort of caution when the Olympic Park bombing happened...there's probably countless times civilian tips have averted major disaster without public knowledge.

It's a new age, everyone should police for attention to details of your surroundings...within reason, of course.