Yipes! What's your thoughts on this Vegas thing?

[CanuckAmok]

Scare-mongering, or truth?

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1092133632404_37?hub=topstories

"A year after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. Justice Department obtained video surveillance tapes suggesting terrorists were targeting Las Vegas casinos..."

"...In interviews obtained exclusively by AP, former U.S. Justice Department prosecutor Richard Convertino says that when the footage was discovered, an FBI officer tried to show it to Las Vegas officials -- but got a lukewarm response.

He says the FBI agent called a meeting of Las Vegas officials so that he could brief everyone in the law enforcement community about the threat. Only two people showed up."

[Coventina]

1. I'm angry about it

I'm leaving for Vegas tomorrow, but I'll probably never go there again. If the casinos don't care about the safety of their customers and employees, I'm not going to patronize them!!

[Warpy]

5. The casinos have the highest level of security in the country

much higher than the security at airports, nuclear power facilities, chemical plants, and container shipping ports. They're guarding money, remember, the most important thing in the US at the moment.

I think few people showed up to have the gummint try to scare them into voting for Bush because they know the level of security present in that particular city, at least around the casinos and tourist areas.

[THUNDER HANDS]

6. exactly

if the Big One occurs, I'm heading to Vegas. :)

[theboss]

29. A casino would be the worst place on Earth to get caught during an attack

As someone who has spent way too much time inside casinos, I take this as a very real possibility. And I understand the casinos' concern with not wanting to a) scare people away but more importantly b) show too much pre-knowledge of an attack.

Casinos are the most difficult buildings in the world to get out of. They are intentionally designed like mazes to keep you inside and confused. If there were ever a disaster on a casino floor, escape would be extremely difficult and the liability would be huge for the casino owners who approved the unsafe designs.

I mean, I have played poker at the Taj Mahal at least 30 times. The room is right next to the exit to the boardwalk. And I get confused nearly everytime I go there. And the Taj is a shack compared to something like the Bellagio.

[theboss]

30. A casino would be the worst place on Earth to get caught during an attack

As someone who has spent way too much time inside casinos, I take this as a very real possibility. And I understand the casinos' concern with not wanting to a) scare people away but more importantly b) show too much pre-knowledge of an attack.

Casinos are the most difficult buildings in the world to get out of. They are intentionally designed like mazes to keep you inside and confused. If there were ever a disaster on a casino floor, escape would be extremely difficult and the liability would be huge for the casino owners who approved the unsafe designs.

I mean, I have played poker at the Taj Mahal at least 30 times. The room is right next to the exit to the boardwalk. And I get confused nearly everytime I go there. And the Taj is a shack compared to something like the Bellagio.

[stopbush]

2. Scaremongering...and I live in Vegas.

Mayor Goodman says this is the first he's heard about it. The tapes were supposedly from 1997. I guess that qualifies as "new and current" info to the bastards. Exactly which "officials" did they try to show it to if not the mayor?

Why is this story out there now? Why, because Kerry is speaking at UNLV today, that's why! We can't have Kerry on the front page now, can we? This story is placed to blow Kerry off the news cycle for today. Bush shows up in Vegas Thursday for a "public not invited" event. The "terra tapes" story will be gone by then. You can take that to the bank.

BTW - I'm going to hear Kerry today and am bringing my two kids, aged 7 & 11.

[papau]

3. Those tapes taken in 1997 are the basis for todays Terror alert -WHY?

And why does the FBI think folks should show up for a Bush scare for votes campaign?

[Eloriel]

10. GREAT meme, papau: Bush scare for votes campaign n/t

[papau]

18. Thanks - :-)

:-)

[LoZoccolo]

4. Well, they're fucked if they do, fucked if they don't.

A lot of people here dismiss every warning and say that the terror alert system is completely useless, but if they didn't announce them at all they'd be pissed too, especially if something happened. I'm not saying there isn't politically motivated stuff going on, but that's why it's fucked up: because you really would want to know about threats if there was credible information.

[stopbush]

8. Believe me, Las Vegas isn't on the immediate needs list for

the terrorists.

They're waiting 15 years until Yucca Mt is full of nuke waste. Once they hit that target they can take out the entire west coast.

[fob]

14. Clinton and Sandy Berger seemed to be able to handle the job

without fearmongering, a color-coded terror system or giving out ongoing investigative data. They also didn't start WWIII to get the WTC bombers the first go around AND tracked them down, captured them and got them convicted in a COURT OF LAW! You know the thing that Clinton et al had/have that bush*co doesn't have/not interested in obtaining that makes all the difference?

CREDIBILITY

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LoZoccolo]

25. Way to completely miss my point.

My point was that here was something where they didn't give you the threat at the time they became aware of it, and people get upset by that, just as they get upset when they do tell you something.

Anyways, I don't know if I'm "retarded" or not, but I do know that what you just did is against the rules, so...

:hi: :nuke:

[Fleshdancer]

7. Is this planning or just brainstorming?

Every one of us could sit down and write a list of all the places in this country a terrorist might want to attack. Las Vegas shouldn't be a big suprise to anyone given the sheer amount of people who vacation there each year.

What angers me is that Bush dismissed the viability of Al Queda when he decided he wanted to hit Iraq next. Now, months before the election, he wants me to believe Al Queda is hell bent on killing me and my family over information that's years old? Life is too short to constantly look for boogy men under my bed. At this point, I choose to not live in fear of the unknown and if I die tomorrow by a terrorist or by a drunk driver or a sudden heart attack, then so be it.

[SOS]

9. Complete and total BS!

It's been "terror" day and night since Kerry was nominated.
I am full agreement with Howard Dean. The threat is real, but the chumps in the White House are issuing bogus alerts for political gain.

[stopbush]

11. AP sez the tapes also showed Disneyland.

Was it a terra tape..or a tourist tape?:


Las Vegas SUN
August 09, 2004

Al-Qaida cell had video of LV sites

Second surveillance tape seized in 2002

By John Solomon
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Authorities have a second surveillance videotape made by terrorists showing Las Vegas and other U.S. destinations.

(snip)

Both tapes obtained by the Associated Press show surveillance of casinos in Las Vegas including the MGM Grand; various landmarks in New York, including the World Trade Center; and Disneyland in California. Both tapes showed nearly identical footage of security, information on how cars could access the landmarks and other footage potentially useful for staging an attack.

Some law enforcement officials have labeled the tapes surveillance footage, while others have said they appear to be nothing more than tourist video.

"It's in the eye of the beholder," Nanz said. "They're (al-Qaida) using it as surveillance, but the footage is the same thing a tourist could shoot at these locations. It's not like it was footage from the bowels of the MGM or these other locations."

Both tapes also include extensive footage of Hollywood, Disneyland and the Las Vegas casinos.

Here: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2004/aug/09/517309034.html

Ya know, they probably could have obtained a more-detailed tape of Vegas from The Travel Channel.

[zbdent]

12. Let me guess - the Democratic mayor of L V is up for re-election

Right?

All this time, up until just after the DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVENTION, all they gave areas were vague threats, no details.

I would bet that, had the feds actually given the LV cops the pictures of any of these, they'd match up the faces using the software they use to match card-counters with people who walk into the casinos.

[VOX]

13. "al Qaeda -- Wherever BushCo Needs It to Be"

It's here, it's there...it's wherever it'll literally scare up the most votes for BushCo.

Aren't Nevada's Electoral votes still in play?

[ProfLefty]

15. Definitely Scaremongering!

Nevada is a battleground state. Most of Nevada's votes are in Clark County (Las Vegas & surrounding communities). Most likely this is more of the far too familiar posturing we consistently see from this administration as it tries to milk every conceivable political advantage from this "terra" thing.

[flpoljunkie]

16. Not much. Headed to Vegas for a few days soon, will not change plans!

[downinit]

17. good

good

[TankLV]

19. Can't say - what are the odds?

nt

[Bluebear]

20. More swing state terra.

Any state that goes from safe to in-play seems to have some "threat" suddenly revealed.

[wabeewoman]

31. Interesting you say that...

The Sunday Tacoma paper was FULL of terror news. I bet there were 10 articles(at least) on terror, potential terror, past terror and on and on. There was more on terror than in the past when they have had war articles. And the Tribune isn't pro-bush but the articles were mostly AP. I think Washington is considered an 'in-play' state although I can't imagine why. Only eastern washington is likely to go bush and they are vastly outnumbered.

[noonwitch]

22. If they did, the mob would find bin Laden and take care of him

They're probably more efficient at such things than W and his band of lunatics that he calls a cabinet.

[Rockholm]

23. Maybe Bill Bennett Made Those Tapes.

Hey, he spent a bunch of time in Vegas gambling. He is a repub.

[xxqqqzme]

24. just so we can get advanced warning

of squatter's 'terror alerts' - where is Kerry 2morrow and what popular attraction is nearby?

Since Missouri is considered a 'swing' state - will Branson B a likely target? how about the NASCAR (lots of people on lots of bleachers) circuit? baseball stadiums?

[CanuckAmok]

26. Would anyone hear if Branson was taken out?

Not exactly a high-profile target. :shrug:

[in_cog_ni_to]

27. I think it's all a crock of shit.

WHY are they releasing this info NOW? Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. See any pattern here? We are going to have this bullshit released every month until the election. They must instill fear. They have to convince the sheeple that the shrub will keep them safe and they should NEVER change presidents in the middle of a war. Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. It's pure bullshit. IMCPO

[drdigi420]

28. bright lights attract dim tourist, kemosabe