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Homeland Security to Retire Color-Coded Terror Alert System

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Posted on Apr 20, 2011
Flickr / Beatrice Murch

The Department of Homeland Security has finally caved in to widespread public disdain for its color-coded terror alert system and will replace it with a new, simpler system next week.

The original warning system, introduced in 2002, offered five threat levels ranging from green (low) to red (severe) without expiration dates or clearly defined criteria. The new system, rolling out April 26, is dead simple by comparison. —KDG

Associated Press

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the color-coded terror alert system will be replaced next week by two warnings — elevated and imminent.

The new warnings could be conveyed to the public through Facebook and Twitter. Unlike the colors, the alerts will have expiration dates.

The past system described the threat in five colors, from green, low risk, to red, severe.

Napolitano says the threat picture in the U.S. is currently at an “elevated baseline,” and future public warnings will hinge on specific and credible intelligence above and beyond that threshold.

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, April 22, 2011 at 1:05 am Link to this comment

Maani, April 22 at 1:29 am,

Hitler’s Right-Wing dialectic triumphed over Left-Wing dialectic of
those supporting the Weimar Republic; and in the United States
today the same war of dialectic is being pursued by the
Conservatives Right against the Liberal Left and has been pursued
in the Conservative Revolution against the Liberal Left for the past
40 years and only in the past 3-4 years has there been any idea
that Hitler’s conservative propagandized dialectic was being used
as a weapon against the liberal Left, but it is beginning to become
known. 

Just as with Hitler, the dialectic of the Conservative Right is more
successful because as with Hitler the Liberal Left accepts the
dialectical frame of the Conservative Right and argues within the
Conservative Right-Wings dialectical frame, when the Left should
argue the Left’s own dialect and support its own dialectical frame.

Political dialectic of the Liberal Left is the logical proof of the
political agenda of the political Left.

Political dialectic of the Conservative Right is the logical proof of
the political agenda of the political Right.

It is not logical for the Liberal Left to argue political benefit and
best interest of the Liberal Left using the frame of the political
dialectic of the Conservative Right, because dialectic is a logical
loop that is causal in nature and arguing a causal loop that does
not support the thesis of your argument is not beneficial to the
best interest and outcome of your argument, which is what
happens with the supposed Left’s Right-Wing politicians in
Congress and on the Right-Wing’s television and radio media
political talk shows that are suppose to be representing the
Liberal Left, but argue within the dialectical framework of the
Conservative Right the same plan that Hitler used to destroy the
Liberal Weimar Republic.

This is what is happening and it is time the real Left realize not to
argue for the Left using the dialectic of the Conservative Right’s
frame, because no one can win an argument for the Left arguing a
Right-Wing frame. 

I’ve always heard people talk about being framed, and this is
exactly what the Right has done and is doing to the Left and the
Left goes along with it, either through ignorance or on purpose.

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By Maani, April 21, 2011 at 9:29 pm Link to this comment

I’m sure you’re all aware that, immediately upon becoming Chancellor, Hitler’s very first official act as Chancellor was the creation of…a Department of Homeland Security (which is an exact translation from the German).

Since 9/11, the populace has been controlled by fear and propaganda; it doesn’t get any more Orwellian than that.  What is sad is that so many people are unable to see it.

Peace.

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By jr., April 21, 2011 at 2:52 pm Link to this comment

Tell me, if america be such a “democratic” country, who was it that voted for the formation of this new militant group called ‘homeland security’?  And, who voted to determine it’s authorities, how far they can go, even relating to u.s. citizens, etc., and with what restraints, if any??  It seems we are bound to do as we are told whether we fuc*ing like it, or not; else, they will get their ray-guns out after u.s.  I’m telling you, nevada is now more thoroughly policed than the dmz was between north and south korea in the 80’s; here, they may not have the check-points, yet, but they do have one-up, that being police choppers.  The police are constantly stopping people and acting for their papers, in the form of id, and for doing nothing more wrong than “looking usual” according to those police.  I was once very patriotic, enough so that i was willing to sacrafice my life for my country, but had i known then that my wonderful government was taking my tax monies and buying terroist groups, as carter and regan did, i would have resigned then. One can never trust those keeping secrets; or, better yet, trust they are not to be trusted, no matter what the excuses.

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By Rodney, April 21, 2011 at 11:31 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

It’s about time we retire the crayola crayon system of fear created by the Bush Admininstration. I’m still wondering what to do with the plastic and duct tape I bought.

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By Salome, April 21, 2011 at 11:11 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Add this to Homeland lunacy:

A “Trusted Traveler” program where those with the money to invest can purchase a ‘pass’ from airport screening.  Besides fomenting more class warfare (the schlebs will be standing in line for a pat down while the banksters will breeze by), the very idea seems oblivious to the fact that PEOPLE CHANGE.  Today’s “Trusted Traveler” is tomorrow’s “Terrorist Recruit”.  Absolute security (an illusion anyway) can only be obtained by the absolute loss of freedom.

Glad to see that Homeland Security is beginning to be challenged under the Constitution’s prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure.

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rico, suave's avatar

By rico, suave, April 21, 2011 at 9:01 am Link to this comment

It doesn’t matter whether they use colors or numbers or odors. It will always be set one level below “apocalyptic” and people will go on ignoring it like they always have.

What was the “official” threat level at 7am, September 11, 2001? There was none. What was the official level at noon on that day? “Red” although the chance of another “imminent” attack was zero.

What a stupid system.

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By TDoff, April 21, 2011 at 12:11 am Link to this comment

If it were possible to accurately quantify the level of terrorism threat to the US, it would be precisely proportional to the Pentagon’s War Department budget and the profit levels of US MIC corporations. And inversely proportional to the aggregate I.Q.‘s of US ‘Foreign Policy’ experts, and members of Congress.
So, we’re doomed!

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, April 20, 2011 at 11:49 pm Link to this comment

TDoff, April 21 at 3:05 am,

Awful shame. Proper worrying is important to the war effort.

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By TDoff, April 20, 2011 at 11:05 pm Link to this comment

This new terrorism threat level warning system has a major defect that’s very similar to the problem with the original system.
In the old color-coded system, terrorists who were color-blind could not tell the best time to attack, and color-blind citizens didn’t know when to worry.
Now, terrorists have to be able to read English to properly plan their attacks, and many, many, many people in the US will have no idea when to worry.

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, April 20, 2011 at 10:37 pm Link to this comment

Wow, getting rid of the fear consuming color codes, how in the world
are we going to know if there are terrorists!  What ever will we do
not having a color to watch for terrorists on every corner and behind
every twig. 

I agree with PatrickHenry, since the color codes are not
needed, neither is Homeland Security needed, and just think how
much money will be saved for war, because Heaven knows, this
government doesn’t see any needs of the majority population—only
additional money for the neo-con PNAC wars that must continue
unabated in one country after another http://www.newamericancentury.org/.

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PatrickHenry's avatar

By PatrickHenry, April 20, 2011 at 9:25 pm Link to this comment

We need to retire the department of homeland security.

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By samosamo, April 20, 2011 at 7:24 pm Link to this comment

Could it be they think they have caught all those ghosts or
do they think they’ll get more mileage from the next ‘pearl
harbor’ that just seems to keep working so well for their
agendas from all throughout u.s. history and even before it
came to the western hemisphere. Think, find, and read the
neoconservative’s ‘project for the new american century’.
Unfortunately, they are not done yet because the planet
hasn’t been bulldozed and paved and cemented over yet.

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