Ridge wishes terror tip had been kept quiet

Houston Chrionicle/AP ^ | Jan. 29, 2005 | LARA JAKES JORDAN

[bayourod]

An unsubstantiated tip that terrorists planned to attack Boston earlier this month should not have been made public, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Friday.

The warning — which turned out to be bogus — led to a public alert, increased security in Boston and prompted Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to skip President Bush's inauguration. It reflected a breakdown in the United States' still-developing intelligence-sharing system that was put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

"This was information shared with our partners, and some of them viewed it as a need to take action on it," Ridge said in one of his final interviews with reporters as he prepares to leave office Feb. 1. "And no one on the Department of Homeland Security, based on these initial reports, thought we should do anything with it but share it."

Ridge said he has seen no credible information that would signal an attack against the United States as a result of the Iraqi election this weekend.

[bayourod]

But it was funny watching the anti-immigrants go hysterical over the prospect of finally proving that a terrorist had jumped the border.

[flashbunny]

What an unfunny, one note joke you've become.

[Darkwolf377]

That you find it funny that people freaked over a nuclear scare says a lot more about you than legitimate concerns about ILLEGAL immigrants says about others.

[bayourod]

It was an obvious hoax from the beginning and I posted a comment to that affect the first hour it appeared.

The anti-immigrant people were so hoping that it was true they were irrational.

The shame is on those who harbor so much hatred and resentment for Hispanics and President Bush that they would actually desire to see a nuclear attack on the U.S. in order to say "I told you so" about sealing the border to keep out Mexicans.

They went postal again when they saw that the man who caused the train derailment had an Hispanic surname.

[Darkwolf377]

"The shame is on those who harbor so much hatred and resentment for Hispanics"

Then you share that shame, as someone who thinks this stuff is funny. I don't know how that makes you superior in any way.

[SolutionsOnly]

It was the media that was hysterical - and only the media.
Once again, they embarass themselves.

[Marine Inspector]

You'll have to excuse bayoufraud, he thinks he's superior to everyone.

[Darkwolf377]

OHHHH, OK, thanks for the heads-up.

But if he's superior, he should let Hilary! and Kerry and terayza and Eleanor Clift, and etc. know... ;)

[xm177e2]

It sure sounded bogus to me.

But it was funny watching the anti-immigrants go hysterical over the prospect of finally proving that a terrorist had jumped the border.

Could an open-borders proponent have deliberately leaked the information just to make anti-immigration folks look stupid? Well, how hard is it to do that?

[xm177e2]

The shame is on those who harbor so much hatred and resentment for Hispanics and President Bush that they would actually desire to see a nuclear attack on the U.S. in order to say "I told you so" about sealing the border to keep out Mexicans.

That's a dirty slander, Bayourod. They just wanted a radiological attack, not a nuclear blast ;-)

Don't you know gays and Mexicans are the worst people in the world, and any time anyone says anything bad about them, we have to belive it?

[Gritty]

But it was funny watching the anti-immigrants go hysterical

Why don't you get it right for a change, bayourod?

... it's anti-illegal immigrants...

Is that too hard for you to understand?

...I-L-L-E-G-A-L, as in entering the country and being here against the law!

[mewzilla]

But it was funny watching the anti-immigrants go hysterical over the prospect of finally proving that a terrorist had jumped the border.

Just out of curiosity, how do you know that one hasn't?

[bayourod]

In the 1960s the segregationists hid behind the phrase "states rights". Today the anti-immigrsants hide behind the term "illegal". It's obviously an insincere argument because they also object to changing the laws to allow in "legal" guest workers.

Interesting how states rights don't mean anything to the anti-immigrants who want the federal government to step all over the states in an effort to make life as unpleasant as possible for Hispanics.

[bayourod]

I don't, but the burden of proof is upon the alarmists who want us to pull all our troops back from Iraq to guard a massive fence along the southern border.

Note they aren't worried about terrorists coming across the northern border. That's because they aren't really concerned about terrorists at all. They just want to stop Mexican laborers.

Remember Buchanan (whom many of them still worship) campaigned on building a fence across Mexico long before 9/11.

[flashbunny]

And you apologize for people breaking our laws whenever you can, don't respond to legitmate questions, and constantly harp the same lame comments over and over again.

At least Willie green has two tricks in his stable. You are purely an ignorant one-note troll.

[Balding_Eagle]

But it was funny watching the anti-immigrants

As a decendant of immigrants myself, I refer to 'them' as invaders. That way there's no confusion between those who are here legally (as my grandfather) and those who don't belong here.

[bayourod]

"I refer to 'them' as invaders."

Well isn't that nice.

[Balding_Eagle]

It is, and I hope it catches on.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1327840/posts

January 24,2005

Two planes were forced down by Homeland Security, in Texas.

They contained illegal Chinese and Mexican men and women.

the next day it was announced that Boston was safe and it was a false alarm.

Posts #293 and 286, give a quick take on the story.

The entire thread has been picked up and spread over the internet.

The thread was a first thread for a new Freeper and he has spent days pulling and posting a full report, my thanks to
Elephant in Texas for an excellent job.

And yes, terrorists do cross the border, unless you have lived near the border you wouldn't understand.

Nor, would you understand what it feels like to go and help find 8 out of one family, all dead. The heat killed them.

[Master of Orion]

It's obviously an insincere argument because they also object to changing the laws to allow in "legal" guest workers.

I thought Green Cards took care of that problem.