Have we ever NOT been at Homeland Security Threat Level Orange? - Page 3

Dave · 09-27-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Props on Buddy Club, I heard there stuff is pretty nice.......Shoulda got their 6-spoke forged wheels as well (similar to the Advan RG's if I recall correctly).

at the time i was using na1 nsx-r wheel by enkei. hard to find a lighter set out there but also weird sizes for tires. ive since switched back to the stock wheels

Particle Man · 09-27-2009, 02:23 PM

I just get annoyed at the inconsistency from one trip to the next. Last time it was "take your phone out of your bag" when the time before that (just a few days prior) I was told to put it in my carry-on bag. Make up your freakin' mind people, don't make me guess.

goof2 · 09-27-2009, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Particle Man

I just get annoyed at the inconsistency from one trip to the next. Last time it was "take your phone out of your bag" when the time before that (just a few days prior) I was told to put it in my carry-on bag. Make up your freakin' mind people, don't make me guess.

I doubt this is why you run in to inconsistencies, but standardization makes it easier for bad guys to plan around as well.

Particle Man · 09-27-2009, 10:54 PM

I just ate an orange. Does that count?

Tmall · 09-28-2009, 06:17 AM

I have a tiger repelling rock to sell you tigger..

There are no tigers around, so it must be working.

RACER X · 09-28-2009, 08:45 AM

crazy! it's not like they arrested 2 people this week trying to blow chit up or anything......sec. in the US airports still suck...

sec. was tighter in eur. in the mid 90's when i was over there........

dammed if you do and dammed if ya don't......

TommyHotWheel · 09-28-2009, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Seriously.

I've flown over 100 times since 9/11, and I can't remember it ever being anything BUT orange.

What's the point of having a "threat level" if the level always stays the same?

Talk in the Middle East of an Oompa Loompa attack on U.S. strategic candy stockpiles. The European Marzipan Cooperative was crippled by a gang of singing, surly little people a few short...(Pah dum) weeks ago....

Homeslice · 10-20-2009, 07:03 PM

Ownage, in the latest issue of Wired:

Why Color-Coded Terror Alerts Have Made Us Less Safe

By Gary Wolf October 19, 2009 | 3:00 pm | Wired Nov 2009

It only hurt when you paid attention. As you stood in the airport security line, itchy with impatience and boredom, it became harder to block out the announcement that played over the PA system again and again: The terror alert level was set to orange. Still. What a joke.

Today, our national mood ring is under review by a fresh set of bureaucrats. A formal announcement of changes is expected this fall. But to understand how the color-coded terror alert system was ever considered a good idea, you have to think back to the spring of 2002. With the 9/11 attacks barely six months in the past, nerves were frayed. The topics of the day were weaponized anthrax, uninspected shipping containers, suitcase nukes. Federal officials, especially new homeland security czar Tom Ridge, felt a need to keep the nation vigilant, but they had few specifics to offer.

It was frustrating, Ridge recalls in a memoir published this fall, to keep passing on confusing news about vague threats from unknown enemies against unspecified targets.

The secretary tried to solve the problem with a simple and convenient public relations tool. It would have five colors: green (for low risk), blue (guarded), yellow (elevated), orange (high), and red (severe). It was an immediate failure.

Comedians were merciless. “The lowest level is condition off-white, followed by cream, putty, bone, and finally, natural,” said Darrell Hammond, playing Tom Ridge on Saturday Night Live. “It is essential that every American learns to recognize and distinguish these colors. Failure to do so could cost you your life. For those who may have questions, an excellent guide can be found on page 74 of the spring J.Crew catalog.”

After a cabinet-level debate that was resolved personally by President Bush, the system was launched at its midpoint: yellow. It cycled between yellow and orange five times during the first two years of its existence, and almost every time it changed, presidential approval ratings bumped up slightly, raising suspicions of partisan manipulation. But eventually the colors stopped changing and, over time, Americans gave it their ultimate disrespect: They ignored the system completely. Nobody knew what it meant, and even federal officials stopped using it. The press conferences ceased, the announcements disappeared. The national level has been kept at yellow since 2004. The threat level in airports (presumably at greater risk of attack) hasn’t changed since 2006. Every few minutes for the past 1,200-some days, all around the nation, travelers have been dutifully warned that we are, as always, on the brink of disaster: The terror alert level is at orange.

Such systems are stuck on stupid by their very nature. Broad national warnings are almost impossible to issue until they are too late to matter. And bureaucrats have every incentive never to touch them. Raise the level and you risk disturbing everybody’s day with a message that will cause great disruption and expense and may well prove, in the end, to be a false alarm. Lower the alert level and you make yourself vulnerable to charges that you’ve let down your guard, that the country somehow doesn’t need to worry about the host of threats that almost certainly loom.

Meanwhile, we have the technology and manpower to do it right. We live in a world of automatic traffic alerts, air-quality notifications, tsunami sirens, and seismic reporting. We’ve got crime-watch RSS feeds and automatic fire and burglar alarms that send out text messages.

The complexities of transmitting secure and reliable warnings through these systems are not trivial. There are more than 1 million police officers and another million private security guards in the US, many of whom are carrying radios that are closed to external transmissions and cell phones that will turn into bricks when the cell towers are overloaded with voice traffic. As we try to wrap our heads around these real challenges, anything that conveys a false sense of centralized control — that includes warnings without specific content and alert levels set by officials far from the scene — is mere noise, and harmful. Motivated by bureaucratic embarrassment and conceived to serve the needs of officialdom, the Department of Homeland Security’s color-coded threat alerts were a broadcast signal for a networked age, and we are safer without them.

goof2 · 10-20-2009, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Ownage, in the latest issue of Wired:

Why Color-Coded Terror Alerts Have Made Us Less Safe

I don't see much "ownage" there. The author doesn't like the system. He makes that dislike clear in the article with little reasoning. His logic amounts to "We are less safe cuz I say so bitches!".

Looni2ns · 10-20-2009, 07:28 PM

Ron White, the comedian, was on HBO the other night, and part of his routine dealt with the Homeland Security Threat Level. His mom called and wanted to know what to do when the level was yellow. His response - Go find a helmet. She called back and wanted to know what to do when the threat level was increased to orange. His reponse - Put on the helmet.

So, if the TL ever makes it to red, what am I supposed to do? Bend over, grab my knees, and kiss my A$$ goodbye with my helmet on?

09-27-2009, 02:23 PM	#2
Particle Man Custom User Title Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central NY Moto: 2003 SV650S Posts: 14,959	I just get annoyed at the inconsistency from one trip to the next. Last time it was "take your phone out of your bag" when the time before that (just a few days prior) I was told to put it in my carry-on bag. Make up your freakin' mind people, don't make me guess. __________________ I'm not "fat." I'm "Enlarged to show texture." Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.

09-27-2009, 10:54 PM	#4
Particle Man Custom User Title Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central NY Moto: 2003 SV650S Posts: 14,959	I just ate an orange. Does that count? __________________ I'm not "fat." I'm "Enlarged to show texture." Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.

09-28-2009, 08:45 AM	#6
RACER X AMA Supersport Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Richmond, Tx Moto: '10 Tuono Factory Posts: 4,569	crazy! it's not like they arrested 2 people this week trying to blow chit up or anything......sec. in the US airports still suck... sec. was tighter in eur. in the mid 90's when i was over there........ dammed if you do and dammed if ya don't...... __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ 2014 GROM! 181cc of FURY 2010 Aprilia Tuono Factory - SOLD 2009 SFV Gladius - SOLD 2008 Hayabusa - SOLD. Last edited by RACER X; 09-28-2009 at 08:49 AM..

10-20-2009, 07:28 PM	#10
Looni2ns Crazy Lady Rider Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Metro Atlanta Moto: '05 SV650S "Baby", '00 Bandit 600S "Rita", '87 EX500 (track) Posts: 311	Ron White, the comedian, was on HBO the other night, and part of his routine dealt with the Homeland Security Threat Level. His mom called and wanted to know what to do when the level was yellow. His response - Go find a helmet. She called back and wanted to know what to do when the threat level was increased to orange. His reponse - Put on the helmet. So, if the TL ever makes it to red, what am I supposed to do? Bend over, grab my knees, and kiss my A$$ goodbye with my helmet on? __________________ Elite Sportbike, LC Gain the knowledge, live the experience! www.elitesportbike.com

09-28-2009, 06:17 AM	#5
Tmall Aspiring Rapper Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Halifax, NS Moto: '12 CB1000R Posts: 3,569	I have a tiger repelling rock to sell you tigger.. There are no tigers around, so it must be working.

10-20-2009, 07:03 PM	#8
Homeslice Elitist Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area Moto: Gix 750 Posts: 11,351	Ownage, in the latest issue of Wired: Why Color-Coded Terror Alerts Have Made Us Less Safe By Gary Wolf October 19, 2009 \| 3:00 pm \| Wired Nov 2009 It only hurt when you paid attention. As you stood in the airport security line, itchy with impatience and boredom, it became harder to block out the announcement that played over the PA system again and again: The terror alert level was set to orange. Still. What a joke. Today, our national mood ring is under review by a fresh set of bureaucrats. A formal announcement of changes is expected this fall. But to understand how the color-coded terror alert system was ever considered a good idea, you have to think back to the spring of 2002. With the 9/11 attacks barely six months in the past, nerves were frayed. The topics of the day were weaponized anthrax, uninspected shipping containers, suitcase nukes. Federal officials, especially new homeland security czar Tom Ridge, felt a need to keep the nation vigilant, but they had few specifics to offer. It was frustrating, Ridge recalls in a memoir published this fall, to keep passing on confusing news about vague threats from unknown enemies against unspecified targets. The secretary tried to solve the problem with a simple and convenient public relations tool. It would have five colors: green (for low risk), blue (guarded), yellow (elevated), orange (high), and red (severe). It was an immediate failure. Comedians were merciless. “The lowest level is condition off-white, followed by cream, putty, bone, and finally, natural,” said Darrell Hammond, playing Tom Ridge on Saturday Night Live. “It is essential that every American learns to recognize and distinguish these colors. Failure to do so could cost you your life. For those who may have questions, an excellent guide can be found on page 74 of the spring J.Crew catalog.” After a cabinet-level debate that was resolved personally by President Bush, the system was launched at its midpoint: yellow. It cycled between yellow and orange five times during the first two years of its existence, and almost every time it changed, presidential approval ratings bumped up slightly, raising suspicions of partisan manipulation. But eventually the colors stopped changing and, over time, Americans gave it their ultimate disrespect: They ignored the system completely. Nobody knew what it meant, and even federal officials stopped using it. The press conferences ceased, the announcements disappeared. The national level has been kept at yellow since 2004. The threat level in airports (presumably at greater risk of attack) hasn’t changed since 2006. Every few minutes for the past 1,200-some days, all around the nation, travelers have been dutifully warned that we are, as always, on the brink of disaster: The terror alert level is at orange. Such systems are stuck on stupid by their very nature. Broad national warnings are almost impossible to issue until they are too late to matter. And bureaucrats have every incentive never to touch them. Raise the level and you risk disturbing everybody’s day with a message that will cause great disruption and expense and may well prove, in the end, to be a false alarm. Lower the alert level and you make yourself vulnerable to charges that you’ve let down your guard, that the country somehow doesn’t need to worry about the host of threats that almost certainly loom. Meanwhile, we have the technology and manpower to do it right. We live in a world of automatic traffic alerts, air-quality notifications, tsunami sirens, and seismic reporting. We’ve got crime-watch RSS feeds and automatic fire and burglar alarms that send out text messages. The complexities of transmitting secure and reliable warnings through these systems are not trivial. There are more than 1 million police officers and another million private security guards in the US, many of whom are carrying radios that are closed to external transmissions and cell phones that will turn into bricks when the cell towers are overloaded with voice traffic. As we try to wrap our heads around these real challenges, anything that conveys a false sense of centralized control — that includes warnings without specific content and alert levels set by officials far from the scene — is mere noise, and harmful. Motivated by bureaucratic embarrassment and conceived to serve the needs of officialdom, the Department of Homeland Security’s color-coded threat alerts were a broadcast signal for a networked age, and we are safer without them.