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Wed. Jun 30, 2004

Imminent Danger Tour

Gosh, I can’t imagine why I wasn’t invited to this: ”[Attorney General John] Ashcroft also appeared before Atlanta reporters with rows of uniformed law enforcement officials standing behind him so they could be photographed with the attorney general.”

Why was Ashcroft in town? Well, he was supposedly meeting with the “Atlanta Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council” (never heard of it myself, nor has Google), but I think it might be more accurate to say Ashcroft was speaking as part of his “Imminent Danger Tour”:

“We face serious challenges, imminent danger,” said Ashcroft, speaking in downtown Atlanta. “Al-Qaida wants to hit us and hit us hard, especially sometime during this year — summer or fall.”

Because of its importance to the country’s economy and air traffic system, Atlanta could be a target, the attorney general said. “This leads us to believe we should do everything we can to mobilize our resources and cooperate, particularly in conjunction with state and local authorities.”

Credible intelligence indicates al-Qaida has plans that “are largely in place” to attack the United States soon, Ashcroft said, listing as possible targets July Fourth holiday celebrations or the upcoming Democratic and Republican conventions.

Ashcroft made similar statements a month ago at about the same time Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge appeared to downplay threats, saying the new intelligence was not unlike what authorities had detected over the past several years. Ridge also said the government did not plan to raise the nation’s terror alert level.

AJC: “Ashcroft: Atlanta may be target”

An Al Qaeda threat for the 4th of July weekend? Oh, my! Do you mean like the one in July, 2002? Or like the one in July, 2003? Any additional details would be helpful, so I know exactly how I should dress for this year’s masquerade.

Of course, Ashcroft didn’t come to town just to meet with an anti-terrorism group, or to pass on the annual 4th of July “Boo!” from Al Qaeda. He held a deliberate press conference in front of a wall of uniforms, in order to make sure we know Atlanta could be a target.

In the broadest sense, I suppose that any citizen of any American city is potentially a target of Al Qaeda. But let’s be real. Al Qaeda hits symbolic targets. Any “chatter” that’s been revealed to us involves New York, DC, LA, Seattle … mostly coastal cities with tall targets.

What symbolic target will they attack in Atlanta? The Varsity?

Ashcroft claims Al Qaeda could hit Atlanta as a part of targeting our country’s economy or transportation network. While it may be true that you have to travel through Hartsfield Airport to get anywhere, including Hell, it can still be routed around (as Reagan Airport was in DC). And I find it hard to believe that anyone can make Atlanta road traffic any worse than it is, without holding elective office. Plus, any attack attempting to block Atlanta drivers from getting home on a Friday afternoon would likely be meet by a spontaneous counterattack that would make the heroes of Flight 93 look like a group of pacifists.

As the article points out, Ashcroft made similar statements last month, yet the Department of Homeland Security seemed somehow less concerned than Ashcroft. Now he’s at it again, spreading the word on the road.

OK, John, I’m scared. And I know you are the only one who can protect us (that’s what’s scaring me). So why don’t you shut down the “Imminent Danger Tour” and put your energies into a more concrete response (like keeping suspected terrorists from being deported to countries that sponsor terrorism). One that doesn’t make me laugh at its transparency and pointlessness.