US Terror Alerts Were Used as Electoral Weapons

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8814.htm


New Evidence : Terror Alerts Were Used As Electoral Weapons

by Chris Bowers

05/11/05 - - Via Parker's diary on the subject. Remember the chart that showed the relationship between Bush's approval rating and terror alters? The chart clearly suggested that terror alerts were used more frequently during times of unpopularity for Bush. Now, new evidence, from Tom Ridge himself, suggests that there was indeed massive outside pressure on the department on homeland to security to often raise the terror alert despite flimsy evidence:

The Bush administration periodically put the USA on high alert for terrorist attacks even though then-Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge argued there was only flimsy evidence to justify raising the threat level, Ridge now says.
Ridge, who resigned Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he often disagreed with administration officials who wanted to elevate the threat level to orange, or "high" risk of terrorist attack, but was overruled.

His comments at a Washington forum describe spirited debates over terrorist intelligence and provide rare insight into the inner workings of the nation's homeland security apparatus.

Ridge said he wanted to "debunk the myth" that his agency was responsible for repeatedly raising the alert under a color-coded system he unveiled in 2002.

"More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it," Ridge told reporters. "Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily put the country on (alert). ... There were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, 'For that?' "​

Combined with what Ridge has said, and the chart linked above, can there be any doubt that the Bush administration was frequently raising the terror alerts to help his election chances and increase his political capital rather than to signal actual threats? As Parker says, Howard Dean was right. Terror alerts have undoubtedly been used as a electoral weapon rather than as a safety measure. For more on this subject, JuliusBlog.

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information Clearing House endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)​

 

**

The use of supposed or even factious threats has long been a method used by political groups to gain power.

People should always be aware of the fact from whatever direction it might come from, for example Rat himself has published many of these type of pieces on these very forums. For example

America's Destruction a Long Term Agenda

http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73859

("In May 1919, at Dusseldorf, Germany, the Allied Forces obtained a copy of the "Communist Rules for Revolution." Eighty-five years later, they have nearly succeeded in every area.

A. Corrupt the young; Get them interested in sex. Make them superficial; destroy their ruggedness…." )

**

Governments can talk about threats but so can other groups, be it the yellow peril, reds under the beds, Islamic fundamentalists or shadowy conspirators.


Always be wary of anyone that seems more interested in instilling a sense of danger than they are in debating the issues and talking about rational solutions

 

**

There was a great BBC series called ‘The Power of Nightmares’ by Adam Curtis that is related to this subject.

“In the past our politicians offered us dreams of a better world. Now they promise to protect us from nightmares.
The most frightening of these is the threat of an international terror network. But just as the dreams were not true, neither are these nightmares.”

I think you can catch the original here and there is a transcript -

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/video1037.htm

 

Don't forget the Mexican gangsters with whooping cough that are invading America.

 

Balbus, can you please clarify what you mean? I am not sure if you are agreeing with this article or attacking it.

I already saw that BBC piece.

 

I gotta say, Rat. I actuall agree with you on this one. Fearful people are good for dictators.

 

**


Fear and hate are powerful emotions and many that seek political power know that emotions if whipped up sufficiently can override judgement.

For example –

“He claimed that XXXXX had achieved economic dominance and the ability to control and manipulate the mass media to their own advantage. He wrote of the need to eradicate their powerful economic position, if necessary by means of their physical removal.”

It was meant to instil the fear of manipulation by a shadowy conspiracy and fits in well with Rat’s theories except it is about Hitler’s opinion on the Jews.

But then the Nazis also “viewed Bolshevism as the most radical recent form of the ancient Jewish conspiracy that would lead to national dissolution and disintegration”

Again this has similarities to Rat’s conspiracy the “national dissolution and disintegration” has echoes of his fear of a world government and he also indicates that communism and socialism are only parts of the more ancient conspiracy.

I’m sure Rat is not contemplating the eradication of the Jews when he talks of ‘Rothschild’ conspiracy but many of the quotes he has cut and pasted on these forums to back up his own conspiracy theory have direct links to that old theory of a Jewish conspiracy that many believe lead to the gas chamber.

Whatever, what he does state clearly is his belief that those ‘tools’ of his conspirators the communists and the socialists are trying to weaken the USA.

It should be remembered that McCarthy used the same fear of a ‘communist conspiracy’ to great effect, and many that joined and the wave of ‘un-American’ baiting found it a useful road to power.

**

Many in the Bush admin are using the current fear of ‘Islamic’ terrorism as a means to gain power for their political ideas but to me Rat seems to be doing exactly the same.

I think they are both equally contemptible for doing it

(quotes from - http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559508/Holocaust.html)

 

I have noticed the same thing, Rat's theories bear an uncanny resemblance to anti semetic conspiracies popular in the past. "Global bankers" has long been a codeword for jews.

But how far do we have to look? On Rense's webpage, we have multiple links to Ernst Zundel sympathetic stories - including one referring to him as a prisoner of war.

Of course Rense (and Rat) will immediately claim "plausible deniability" - Rense didn't write the stories, he just linked to them, and Rat seems happy to turn a blind eye to holocause deniers and pretend it says nothing about Rense.

Yet he felt this story was worth copying and pasting into Hipforums - http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1209143#post1209143 - which includes the interesting quote

Funny? I guess I don't get the joke.

What surprises me is that so many other people are also willing to turn a blind eye.

 

Rat posted the original article to highlight a serious issue – That some in the Bush admin are use trying to use fear to manipulate people’s political viewpoint.

The problem is that Rat seems do be doing the very same thing and Rat has not challenged this opinion so it must stand.

 

So let us move on -

The thing is that I grow up in a country that was always having terrorist alerts.

But in the end it didn’t change my political views in the way those in power might have thought, I didn’t end up being frightened or angry at all Irish people, Irish nationalists or Catholic or whatever. What the alerts said to me was that the government of the days policies were not working that British force wasn’t working and that debate and understanding were probably more productive.

 

Ernst Zundel may be anti-semitic, and I do not agree with his views. HOWEVER, he has the right to speak his mind without being persecuted! So who are the real fascists here, Zundel or the government?

 

Life is good at the donut shop when bagels are on sale. That's all I have to say about that.

 

Plausible deniability again. But if you look closely enough, you'll see there is a lot more on Rense than defending Zundel's freedom of speech. How about this little story:

Are you going to shrug your shoulders at this too? How about the picture of an octopus with the star of david on it spreading its tentacles around the world. Still in denial? How about this quote - taken, from all places, a denial of Rense anti-semetism:

How about this:

How about this article, which denies the holocaust ("Paper Calls For Fresh Look At Holocaust "): www.rense.com/general53/dave.htm

How about "The Strange, Mysterious Eternal Allure Of Adolf Hitler" by "author unknown". And thoughts on that?

So Rat, do you really believe it means nothing that all these stories appear on Rense? Aren't you just a sucker who is easily manipulated into believing in the "illuminati" when it is just a rebranding of an age old anti-semetic conspiracy theory?

Or are you still sticking with plausible deniability?

 

First, it's anti-semitic, not anti-semetic. Before you criticise me, learn how to properly spell what you're criticising me for.

And how is that any worse than the rampant anti-Muslim rhetoric found in the mainstream media? You don't seem to have any problem with that.

Again, I don't agree with everything on the Rense site. However, I find some of it to be absolutely true. Most of the so-called "Jews" involved in the Zionist movement have absolutely nothing to do with the land of Israel. Little do you know, many Jews are totally against Zionism, yet their voices are silenced by the media.

Rense is not anti-semitic and neither is his website. If you interpret it that way, that's your problem -- not mine.

The fact is that Zionism is a lie and is responsible for the deaths of millions of people -- far more than what died in the Holocaust (as terrible as the Holocaust was). If that makes me a "Holocaust denier", I don't care, so be it.

 

I'll criticize you whenever I feel like it.

What exactly does that have to do with whether or not Rense is anti-semitic? Nothing. Pure evasion.

And you are willing to carefully step over explicit, blatant, in your face Nazi ideology and holocaust denial in order to get to these "true" parts?

I'm not sure what a "so-called jew" is, but anyway what does that have to do with holocaust denial or the Strange, Mysterious Eternal Allure Of Adolf Hitler? Nothing. More evasion.

So I have "interpreted" paeans to Adolf Hitler, holocaust denial, and claims of jewish conspiracies as anti-semitic?

I think when you say its not your problem, you are saying that you are simply going to tune out anything you don't want to hear and if Rense were to walk around with Swatikas on a red armband singing Deutschland uber alles you would still be telling everyone it is "their problem, not yours" if we interpret that as anti-semitic.

I cannot think of a better example of cognitive dissonance than this thread.

IF DENYING THE HOLOCAUST AND PRAISING ADOLF HITLER ISN'T ENOUGH EVIDENCE FOR YOU WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

 

Why should I have to answer to you? You are the equivalent to horse shit in my book.

You talk about me evading your idiotic questions, when you were the one to change the topic of this thread from terrorist alerts to the content of Rense.com.

So who is the one evading? Unless you have any comments about the original thread, I really don't give a fuck what you have to say.

 

This thread is about political scaremongering, and you are the biggest scaremonger at HipForums. And as I have shown, you get your scaremongering from websites which are anti-semitic.

The reason you "don't give a fuck" is because whenever things start to look bad, you abandon the debate. Running away is always your best option. That's because you are a coward and you can rarely back up anything you say. And while I'm at it, let me point out that you are a gullible moron who gets sucked in by anti-semitic conspiracy theories because you would rather act like a sullen teen rebel that admit what has become blatantly obvious.

Rense is a site which is overflowing with anti-semitic material. Anyone, except you, can see that. Praise of Hitler, holocaust denial, the zionist protocols - what more do you need? Even an octopus with the star of david on its back spreading its tentacles around the world - hmmm... takes a real sherlock holmes, doesn't it? Yet you tell us that "Rense is not anti-semitic and neither is his website".

By what possible definition of anti-semitic could this possibly be true? Is holocaust denial no longer considered anti-semitic? Was Hitler not an anti-semite? Are the zionist protocols not a tired old anti-semitic conspiracy theory?

Do you want me to create a thread about how one of your favorite websites is blatantly anti-semitic so you can ignore it there, or do you just want to ignore it here?

And why don't you explain this:

 

Rat

Point has not evaded any question involving the ‘terrorist alerts’ as far as I can tell you didn’t ask any you just cut and pasted an article.

And it was I who pointed out that –

The use of supposed or even factious threats has long been a method used by political groups to gain power.
People should always be aware of the fact from whatever direction it might come from, for example Rat himself has published many of these type of pieces on these very forums.

It was also me that pointed out that your scaremongering is very similar in style and even content to that of the Nazis


So it wasn’t Point, but he has very clearly shown that you seem either unwilling or unable to addressed this issue.

It is not Point but you who is evading questions.

 

I'd think about getting in the argument but dealing with a religionist... I don't fully appreciate that. So what if they killed people... they are being killed at the same time. Something always ignored.

 

You know rat, sometimes the best thing to do is just admit you're wrong. I know it's hard, and it sucks, and it hurts the pride and whatnot, but in the end it will actually earn you some respect in a world where people will continue to fight and bicker and argue because they will do anything and everything before admitting being wrong. As it stands, you're arguments have been utterly defeated; you continued to dispense them in response to PBs statements up to that point, then, when all hope was lost, you "don't have to answer" because PB is "horseshit." For what reason? Because he proved your wrong? It seems to me all he's done is engage in argument with you.

Your beliefs have been shaken and you just can't let go of them, just like the Christians and Muslims, and yes, the Jews, and the people who still think we have a right to be fighting in the middle east, and anyone with deeply rooted beliefs. They simply can not let go of them, even in the face of undeniable proof that their beliefs are baseless. I urge you to be better than that, Rat. I've mistakenly posted claims and information on this board that I later regretted a few times, and though I didn't enjoy it, I admitted I was quick to judge my claims as accurate. Are you up to that challenge Rat? Can you join us as thinkers and open-minded people, and most importantly, people who can admit that they are wrong, and earn yourself some respect?

Or will you continue to stubbornly parade your conspiracy theory around, bashing anyone who denies it's authenticity, and quickly losing any respect for you that might remain among the members of this board?