The Orc Alert color is Orange!
The Orc Alert color is Orange!

God, I just love that...

What, regarding a terror alert system John Kerry doesn't have a plan?
Mon deux! (or however the frogs say it.)

To be fair, Rolling Stone asked him about it. And Rolling Stone is so 1975.

Robert, you need to go back and re-read what Kerry said. It's not that he doesn't have a plan, just that he will come up with a more thoughtful way! Just like his secret but more thoughtful ways to approach terror, Iraq, Social Security, taxes, gay marriage, stem cell research, healthcare, and education. If you right wingers would just elect him already, he can start implementing his Plans.

Yeah, let's all ponder at leisure while they prepare to lob a missile our way . . .

Let's give the alert system (or ANY graded alert-system) some serious thought...

It's a well-meaning idea that Americans apparently refuse to take seriously, and for natural psychological reasons.

Have you seen that old heist movie from the 1960s? The thieves repeatedly set off the alarm -- until the exaspered guards just shut it off. Then the thieves can steal the jewel undisturbed.

Same principle at work with the Homeland Security alert system: enough false alarms and "heightened awareness" occasions, and the general public just blocks out the system from the mental radar. It's a coping mechanism.

So the system is useless because people plain WON'T care until something really really bad actually happens -- and then, of course, it's too late for warnings.

-A.R.Yngve
http://yngve.bravehost.com

It's because of liberals and ambulance chaser that we need a color-coded alert system. If we didn't have one they'd be reminding us daily that not everyone here can read the English language. Has everyone forgotten the nine-eleven lawsuit where an English second language type couldn't find the eleven button on the phone? There's just no pleasing a liberal in an election year.

Stephen,

You missed the money quote:

"Q: People say this is the most important election of our lifetime — do you agree?

Kerry: I believe it is. And I want your readers to stop in their tracks and consider what’s at stake for them. Because not enough people connect the things they hate, or feel or want, to the power of their vote. And they’ve got to be willing to go out and work in these next couple of weeks."

Yea, most people aren't connecting with their hate enough.

This is one sick, sick puppy we're dealing with.

'No. I'm going to find some more thoughtful way of alerting America.'

Maybe he can just change the colors to lavender and chartuse?

I have an idea. Instead of color coded warnings, Kerry could show a video of Edwards doing his hair. If he takes the usual several minutes, there's nothing to worry about (except Edwards).

Maybe he will alert us with UN blue helmets in the street!!!!!

Fritz's Thoughts

... I'm going to find some more thoughtful way of alerting America. If we have to alert America, I think the most important thing to do is alert law enforcement more effectively across the country....

Once again, Kerry demonstrates the arrogance of the left. They believe that because they're smarter than the rest of us, that we ought to let them make decisions for us (HillaryCare being the prime example.).

Although they're not using the same words, they're still, in effect, claiming that Bush doesn't have "gravitas"; that he's a dumb Texan controlled by Karl Rove.

Here I am to stop the spin:

Rob, I'm with you. Kerry puts a lot of thought into what he is going to do.

A.R. Yngve I am with you too. I like your thinking when it comes to the alert system.

Bullwinkle: You'd like to imply that our color coded alert system helps immigrants. We wouldn't have so many if Bush controlled immigration better. I saw O'Reilly Factor when he interviewed someone from border patrol. It isn't as good as Bush says it is.

Slim: Let me reproduce the quote.

"Q: People say this is the most important election of our lifetime — do you agree?

Kerry: I believe it is. And I want your readers to stop in their tracks and consider what’s at stake for them. Because not enough people connect the things they hate, or feel or want, to the power of their vote. And they’ve got to be willing to go out and work in these next couple of weeks."

Then let me point out that you took something out of context and put some spin on it which is spinsanity if you ask me...

You said, "Yea, most people aren't connecting with their hate enough.
This is one sick, sick puppy we're dealing with."

Kerry said people aren't connecting the things they hate, or feel or want, to the power of their vote. This means many people aren't sure what to base their vote on and he suggests using the next few weeks to find a reason for who they will be voting for.

Azlibertarian? You spun this one nicely. How do you get 'they're still, in effect, claiming that Bush doesn't have "gravitas"; that he's a dumb Texan controlled by Karl Rove' from 'I'm going to find some more thoughtful way of alerting America. If we have to alert America, I think the most important thing to do is alert law enforcement more effectively across the country'?

I fail to see how a change in our terror alert system means Bush is a dumb Texan controlled by Rove.

The left is arrogant. The left is snobby and critical right now. The left wants change. And I am not against a little change.

That is hilarious. A more THOUGHTFUL way of alerting America? Is Kerry so arrogant that he thinks that everyone else is dumber than he is? The most humourous part of this is that Kerry (again) has as his remedy "whatever President Bush is doing, but I'll just do it better." It's easy to criticize when you don't have the responsiblity to get something done. Twenty years in the Senate, and he gets five bills passed? Or maybe we just haven't seen his brilliance yet.

"Robert, you need to go back and re-read what Kerry said. It's not that he doesn't have a plan, just that he will come up with a more thoughtful way!"

Rob and Robert - I think he has a plan to come up with a more thoughtful way.

***

And as for the "most important election" quote, I think the last sentence is the most telling part: "And they’ve got to be willing to go out and work in these next couple of weeks."

Many of us here are concerned about whether the US will do the hard work to defeat radical Islamic terrorism in the next couple of decades. Kerry's base consists of people who even he's not sure can hold it together and work toward a common goal for the next couple weeks!

"The most humourous part of this is that Kerry (again) has as his remedy 'whatever President Bush is doing, but I'll just do it better.' It's easy to criticize when you don't have the responsiblity to get something done."

Brian -- I understand where Kerry's coming from here, because I feel the same way about Dick Vermeil.

Speaking from the right...

Kevin: We wouldn't have so many if Bush controlled immigration better. I saw O'Reilly Factor when he interviewed someone from border patrol. It isn't as good as Bush says it is.

It's far far worse. See this about O'Reilly's interview with Bush. Just today the administration is trying to remove provisions from the 9/11 bill that would help keep terrorists from getting driver's licenses. Details here.

Certainly, many people from right, left, and in between can come up with something far better than the color-coded alert scheme. How, about, for instance, breaking it down by region, industry, and suspected means of attack?

As far as the integrated watch lists are concerned, see Department Blamed For Watch List Confusion: The government's effort to consolidate federal agencies' 12 terrorist watch lists into one has all but failed, partly because the Department of Homeland Security has abandoned its responsibility to take the lead on the project, according to a report released Friday by the department's internal watchdog.

That's from 10/2/04. But, keep in mind, Bush is keeping you safe despite all fact-based indications to the contary.

To Kevin:

Kerry is clearly advocating that people let their HATE guide their VOTE.

I agree with your statement that many people aren't sure what to base their vote on.

Darth Kerry suggests using the next two weeks figuring out something you hate and then CHANNELLING that into THE POWER OF YOUR VOTE.

The Emperor could not have said it better.

Yes, a more thoughtful terror alert system. A set of complementary fabric textures accompanied by soft musical chimes would be so much less jarring than those gauche primary colors. Today's Insurgent Notification Level is Cordouroy in B-flat.

Seriously, though. I can see how a single, unified watch list would be a good thing to have, but so long as they have access to the multiple is it really that hard for law enforcement to multiple searches against these seperate lists? After all, criminal background checks are routinely run against federal and local databases. I just don't see this as a crippling blow against Homeland Security.

'Kerry puts a lot of thought into what he is going to do. '

No he put's a lot of thought into what he says he's going to do. If past performance is an indicator of future results he's going to do nothing.

Kerry's going to adapt his campaign's color-coded Teresa-stupid-comment-danger-alert system to terrorist threats.

Of course the Teresa alert system would work better if they'd just stuff a gag in her mouth...