Is The Terror Threat Real?

Is the threat of a terrorist attack real (or as real as governments say it is), or is it simply a means of controling the public (using so called 'fear tactics')?

Opinions please!

I know a few cops making a lot of money right now with all the OT needed for high alert. I believe NYPD was looking for federal funding to cover the OT they need to pay out. If it's not real, it's just more money being wasted by Bush to benefit his plight.

IMO I think that Bush is willing to spend whatever amount of money it takes to get what he wants. If the threat isn't real, of course it'll cost a lot of money to convince the public.

Yes, the terror threat is real. But its only as real as it has always been. America has changed, not the terrorists. Now the American people live in fear, watching the news in record numbers to see what attack has happened today, or what one will happen tomorrow. Its hard to believe its been so long since 9/11. If you ask the average person on the street, they still believe we're under attack. They still believe we're in immediate danger.

There is no question that President Bush is using the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to control the public. But thats not saying a democratic president wouldn't do the same. Fear is the ultimate tool. We ignore everything, even our own freedoms, in an attempt to save our lives.

1. Determine X where X is the number of domestic US terror incidents anticipated and reported by ATS members since inception of Dept Of Homeland Security color code alerts.

2. Determine Y, where Y is the number of actual domestic US terror incidents since same date. (Qualify whether "terror incident" is to include anthrax hoaxes or paper plane hoaxes).

3. If X > Y, determine correlation co-efficient for ATS population sanity versus US general population sanity.

4. If correlation coefficient is close to 1, then either the US population is insane or the Bush administration truly is f*cking with your minds.

[edit on 5-8-2004 by MaskedAvatar]

Originally posted by JabbaOnTheDais
Fear is the ultimate tool. We ignore everything, even our own freedoms, in an attempt to save our lives.

Exactly. This is particularly evident with the PATRIOT Act. Civillians giving up their basic civil rights and liberties to the government in expectation that they will protect them. Such a lie. No matter, the government should be extremely well acquainted with decption, lies and 'half-truths' by now. When will the people rise up against this reign of corporate control and take back what is theirs? Having said this, the enstatement of the US PATRIOT Act, and how it is being employed to strip the public of their rights shouldn't come as such a shock. This has been happening for a long time, it's just the fact that it is so obvious this time around. If you read up on the PATRIOT Act you'll discover some interesting facts surrounding how it was passed.

[edit on 5-8-2004 by darkcreation]

[edit on 5-8-2004 by darkcreation]

MaskedAvatar - I like your thinking

Of course the terror threats aren't real!
This is classic population control through the guise of a fabricated and cleverly created false fear spewn forth by the almighty government propaganda machine.

Tell the masses something bad is going to happen, and tell them many times over and before you know it, they will believe you.

They will believe it to the point where they are willing to sacrifice their rights founded by the constitution and the bill of rights just so they can sleep at night...all along believing that the government will keep them safe.
What an f'ing joke!

I am not american nor do I live in the US but I sure as hell see what is going on.

The american media control things to the point of absurdity. Watching the same news story on the other side of the border is like black and white. Don't get me wrong....the same bastards control our media as well, just not to the extreme that it is down south.

Headline News (a CNN spinoff) carried over 35 minutes of terror related propaganda over the course of the last hour!
What does this tell you?

Anyways, it is time the good folk of the US wake up and take back their country and allow us all to take back our world from these neo-fascist globalist war mongering bastards!

Time to kick it up a notch!

There will always be terrorism in the United States. There were 3 high profile incidents within a span only 8 years from 1993 to 2001 inside the country.

Do I think the current threat is any more real than I did back in 93? No. What I do see is a huge amount of fear mongering and unanswered questions as to the validity of anything concerning what is called "Al Qaeda". It seems to be more a case of our politicians terrorizing us than of actual physical terrorist events happening.

As we have seen through the investigations that have arose since 9/11/01, we have found out that not only are all our intelligence organizations 100% incompetent, they most likely manufacture threats to produce political results for the whims of who is in charge of the country. There is also the glaring fact that there has been zero effort thus far to fix such problems. Knowing this, my conclusion can only be that "terrorism" will not be stopped in favor of allowing complicit murderous morons to do as they wish within the corrupt federal system. If another 9/11 style event is set up, you can be absolutely sure it will go off as planned. Nobody in charge would dare stop such a public fear gold mine.

[edit on 6-8-2004 by heelstone]

Say US government agencies [CIA, FBI, ATF] were involved in the first wtc and Oklahoma city bombings. Now imagine Muslim extremists seizing the idea and creating 9-11. Sort of a self fulfilling prophecy if you will. The originators may have started it and succeeded far beyond their expectations. They started the spin and it went out of their control.

So perhaps they decided to run with it: The war in Iraq seems almost designed to incite resentment towards the US. And after Abu Grabe it would appear to be to inflame the radical elements of Islam against us.

I think either the current intelligent agencies [CIA, FBI, Military Intel] are incompetent, or complicit. In any event it is unacceptable.

Fear does serve those who would try to round US into a herd mentality. It is used by many for short term political gain. It creates media 'noise' that distracts us from other focuses of our attention. Is it orchestrated or incidental?

I guess it comes down to whether you think the Universe/reality we live in is ultimately controlled or if you think it is a chaotic/unpredictable sequence of events.

My inclination is that the Universe/reality is essentially unpredictable. One does best to adapt to it and roll with the changes.

Stray thought: Could those in power be using terrorist events to cover up the financial fraud and scandals they have been involved in?
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war on terror = grand distraction. although terrorist are a real threat they pose no immediate danger to the US government.

Exactly. The terrorist threat is made out to be a lot worse than it is.

How many terrorist attacks have there been on US soil since 9-11?

ZERO.

Is that due to the incredible diligence and professionalism of the CIA and FBI and Homeland Security?

Haha! Not likely at all.

If they foiled a big plot, they would be shouting it from the rooftops!

Instead, we hear about a guy trying to light his freakin shoes on fire aboard a plane. Or a guy who MAY be planning to use a dirty bomb (Jose Padilla).

Other than that and a very few more, NOTHING.

So of course this one's probably fake too.