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U.S. sees lull in terror threat "chatter," Ridge says
WTNH.com ^ | 1/6/05 | AP

Posted on 01/06/2005 6:41:54 PM PST by wagglebee

(Washington-AP, Jan. 6, 2005 4:03 PM) _ U.S. intelligence monitors are picking up less terror threat talk than a year ago, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Thursday.

A variety of factors could be contributing to the lull, Ridge said, and he warned that terrorists "are strategic actors and long-range planners" who could be merely lying low before striking again.

"There certainly is a diminution, reduction in the amount of intelligence, and the decibel level is lower," Ridge told reporters, comparing information picked up over the past several months to the similar period a year ago.

Ridge offered no single explanation for the drop, saying it could be stepped-up U.S. efforts to boost security, increase military action, disrupt terrorist leaders and their finances or, simply, the "hardening of America."

"Could be any of those and none of those," he said. "I suspect it's probably all of them."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: chatter; dhs; homelandsecurity; jihadinamerica; terrorchatter; terrorism; tomridge
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I think this is a clear indication that we are winning!
1 posted on 01/06/2005 6:41:54 PM PST by wagglebee
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To: wagglebee

It also means the Fallujah operation scared the jabber out of them. :-)


2 posted on 01/06/2005 6:43:11 PM PST by SubMareener (Become a monthly donor! Free FreeRepublic.com from Quarterly FReepathons!)
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To: wagglebee

Maybe Terror Central had a large component in Aceh.


3 posted on 01/06/2005 6:43:12 PM PST by Fitzcarraldo
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To: wagglebee

"Ridge offered no single explanation for the drop, saying it could be stepped-up U.S. efforts to boost security, increase military action, disrupt terrorist leaders and their finances or, simply, the "hardening of America.""

They drowned in the tsunami. Our God drowned them. HA!


4 posted on 01/06/2005 6:44:28 PM PST by RtWngr (Being tolerant of the intolerant is pretty stupid actually.)
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To: wagglebee

Hopefully, you're correct. But it could ALSO mean they've moved to more secure means of communications. . .


5 posted on 01/06/2005 6:45:43 PM PST by Salgak (don't mind me: the orbital mind control lasers are making me write this. . .)
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To: wagglebee

I forget, what happened this time a year ago, that the Terrorists were all a twitter about?

I mean besides us taking Iraq?

What were they planning... I can't remember much except the
Spain bombing.

Were they playing us then, or are they playing us now?
Where's my tinfoil hat?....


6 posted on 01/06/2005 6:45:54 PM PST by konaice
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To: wagglebee
Hearing this it makes me think of "THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM".

Always vigilant, Always prepared, and Always Faithful!!

7 posted on 01/06/2005 6:46:47 PM PST by PISANO (The MSM's MOTTO: "Whatever it is..if it's bad.....it's GW's fault!!")
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To: wagglebee
A variety of factors could be contributing to the lull, Ridge said

Dead men may vote, but they tend not to chatter.

8 posted on 01/06/2005 6:46:58 PM PST by dirtboy (To make a pearl, you must first irritate an oyster)
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To: wagglebee

Wasn't there a claim that the amount of chatter decreased just before 9/11?


9 posted on 01/06/2005 6:48:11 PM PST by The Electrician
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To: wagglebee; JustPiper; Velveeta; all4one; flutters; MamaDearest; KylaStarr; Rushmore Rocks; ...

PING


10 posted on 01/06/2005 6:49:19 PM PST by WestCoastGal ("If you can't run with the big dogs, you'd better go sit on the porch." (Daytona 500 45 days);-)
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To: wagglebee; admin
Look like you beat me by three minutes!!!!!  I did a search, really!!!!!

U.S. sees lull in terror threat "chatter," Ridge says
  Posted by Phsstpok
On News/Activism 01/06/2005 8:45:52 PM CST

Admin Mod - can you consolidate these threads?  I don't care which is which.  It's the same article.  My only contribution is the link to an earlier thread on the same subject.

11 posted on 01/06/2005 6:49:39 PM PST by Phsstpok (Often wrong, but never in doubt)
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To: Salgak
But it could ALSO mean they've moved to more secure means of communications. . .

Such as what? I'm not trying to be a smartass, but I'm not aware of any form of worldwide communication that the NSA can't monitor; we have not always been able to decipher the meaning of the "chatter," but we have always been aware of the level.

12 posted on 01/06/2005 6:50:48 PM PST by wagglebee (Memo to sKerry: the only thing Bush F'ed up was your career)
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To: wagglebee
A variety of factors could be contributing to the lull, Ridge said, and he warned that terrorists "are strategic actors and long-range planners" who could be merely lying low before striking again.

Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!

13 posted on 01/06/2005 6:51:14 PM PST by nonliberal (Graduate: Curtis E. LeMay School of International Relations)
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To: wagglebee

Maybe instead of just listening to them "chatter" we have actually started shooting them instead.


14 posted on 01/06/2005 6:51:44 PM PST by KoRn
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To: The Electrician

IIRC, before 9/11 there was a major increase in chatter.


15 posted on 01/06/2005 6:52:00 PM PST by wagglebee (Memo to sKerry: the only thing Bush F'ed up was your career)
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To: wagglebee

They are getting the message that mass murder does not pay.


16 posted on 01/06/2005 6:52:16 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie
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To: Phsstpok

It happens to me all the time. I do a search, but before I've finished posting, someone else has already posted it. It's no big deal, just more chances that people get to see the important news.


17 posted on 01/06/2005 6:53:31 PM PST by wagglebee (Memo to sKerry: the only thing Bush F'ed up was your career)
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To: wagglebee

I think this means they are done with the planning stages, now they are going into operation mode.

This does NOT make me feel safer.


18 posted on 01/06/2005 6:54:54 PM PST by sandbar
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To: wagglebee
the Soviets transmit 24/7/365 on their most important channels/frequencies so we can never see patterns or spikes in their transmissions or watch alerts go up and down their fire chains or go secure radio silent before an event.

they x-mit junk whenever it's not being used to send flash traffic just to keep the lines busy.

19 posted on 01/06/2005 6:54:54 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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To: wagglebee

Stenographic messages. One-time pads embedded in what apparentely are spam messages. High-bit quantum cryptography.

Just because the NSA can see it, does NOT mean they recognize it, or can decode it in a timely fashion . . . .


20 posted on 01/06/2005 7:04:24 PM PST by Salgak (don't mind me: the orbital mind control lasers are making me write this. . .)
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