Ridge said terror alerts were political

[shockingelk]

On July 8, Tom Ridge said the decision to issue more frequent terror alerts was a response to the observation that terrorist attacks can influence elections. That's in direct contradiction to his more recent claim, "We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland Security."

Question: Why give all of these briefings at this particular point and time?

Secretary Ridge:   Well, actually, we started this process several months ago, and I think there was a -- I gave a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters some time ago.  I thought that in the post-Madrid environment, it would be very important on a periodic basis to, frankly, just give Americans an update as to where we are and what we are doing, and you can fully anticipate that in the weeks and months ahead, we will ask you to convene again for another update.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3810

Anybody know where his speech to the National Association of Broadcasters can be found?

[NMDemDist2]

1. you should be able to find a transcript at the DHS website

if you have the exact date it will help

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/archdisplay?theme=43,44,45,47&monthyear=072004

[shockingelk]

5. got it - interesting quote in there

It was to the Radio-Television News Directors Association ... He didn't say plan for regular updates. That he falsely remembered that he said it leads one to the suspicion that fear propaganda was part of the plan.

We again saw the damage wrought by those who make loss of life their number one goal one month ago in Madrid.  Terrorists struck innocent people only days before the free and democratic elections in Spain ...

The terrorists are resolute, but we are more so.  They plan and prepare -- and so must we.  At this time we do not have specific, credible threat information around any of these events. But we do have common sense.  And, we don't need a change in the threat level to improve security.

...And, as one of freedom's greatest champions, the news media--the producers and writers and reporters in this room--will always have a vital role to play.

The threat remains very real--even if other issues may temporarily eclipse it in the public mind.  At those times your reporting becomes more important, not less.

Abraham Lincoln once said that "our government rests in public opinion."  

By informing the public and asking insightful questions of its leaders, the media shapes and molds public opinion.  Sometimes politicians complain about it.  But it is vital to a functioning and fully aware democracy.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3497

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. Check out this letter in yesterday's NYTimes:

To the Editor:

I live in northern New Jersey and work in Midtown Manhattan, near the Citicorp Center. I was listening carefully to Tom Ridge's warning, as the sites he was mentioning for possible attacks basically encompassed all of my daily life. Then he said, "We must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the president's leadership in the war against terror."

I realized that I was listening to a paid political announcement and turned the radio off. The credibility of the announcement had been reduced to zero.

John Morley
Ridgewood, N.J., Aug. 2, 2004

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/opinion/l03terror.html

[eleny]

3. So that's why they closed the Holland Tunnel?????

And put up all sorts of barricades in NYC? For crying out loud - how can cities afford this manipulative crap?

[central scrutinizer]

4. It's all part of the plan

Cut federal taxes -> pass the tax burden along to the states and since most use a regressive sales tax it will fall on the working class -> divert resources at the state level away from education and social services into bogus terror activites -> cut education and social services due to lack of money -> increases public demand for school vouchers and faith-based social services -> rinse -> repeat ->