Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center






The Latest from National Terror
Alert Response Center

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Weak Economy Spurs Spike In Emergency Preparedness


Posted: 22 Jun 2009 08:44 PM PDT


72_hour_kit_video


Six months ago, Jim Wiseman didn’t even have a spare nutrition
bar in his kitchen cabinet.


Now, the 54-year-old businessman and father of five has a
backup generator, a water filter, a grain mill and a 4-foot-tall pile of
emergency food tucked in his home in the expensive San Diego suburb of La
Jolla.


Wiseman isn’t alone. Emergency supply retailers and military
surplus stores nationwide have seen business boom in the past few months
as an increasing number of Americans spooked by the economy rush to stock
up on gear that was once the domain of hard-core survivalists.


These people, snapping up everything from water purification
tablets to thermal blankets, shatter the survivalist stereotype: they are
mostly urban professionals with mortgages, SUVs, solid jobs and a twinge
of embarrassment about their newfound hobby.


From teachers to real estate agents, these budding emergency
gurus say the dismal economy has made them prepare for financial collapse
as if it were an oncoming Category 5 hurricane. They worry about rampant
inflation, runs on banks, bare grocery shelves and widespread power
failures that could make taps run dry.


For Wiseman, a fire protection contractor, that’s meant
spending roughly $20,000 since September on survival gear — and trying to
persuade others to do the same.


Read Full Article


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Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for
homeland security news and information.






Dept. Homeland Security To Kill Domestic Satellite Spying


Posted: 22 Jun 2009 08:29 PM PDT


janet napolitano


Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to kill a
program begun by the Bush administration that would use U.S. spy
satellites for domestic security and law enforcement, a government
official said Monday.


Napolitano recently reached her decision after the program was
discussed with law enforcement officials, and she was told it was not an
urgent issue, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to talk about it.


The program was announced in 2007 and was to have the Homeland
Security Department use overhead and mapping imagery from existing
satellites for homeland security and law enforcement purposes.


The program, called the National Applications Office, has been
delayed because of privacy and civil liberty concerns.


The program was included in the Obama administration’s 2010
budget request, according to Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat and
House homeland security committee member who was briefed on the
department’s classified intelligence budget.


Harman said Monday she had not been given final word that the
program would be killed. She said she would talk to Napolitano on
Tuesday.


Harman has been outspoken about her concerns that the program
is unnecessary, far reaching and open-ended.


“I thought this was just an invitation to huge mischief,”
Harman said. Of killing the program, she said, “It shows real leadership
on the part of Janet Napolitano.”


Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said Napolitano began
looking at the program shortly after she became secretary. Kudwa said the
department expects to announce the results of that review soon.


Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he hoped the department wasn’t
canceling the program.


“If it is true, it’s a very big mistake,” said King, who is the
top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. “This is
definitely a step back in the war on terror.”


For years, domestic agencies such as the Federal Emergency
Management Agency and Interior Department have had access to this
satellite imagery for scientific research, to assist in response to
natural disasters like hurricanes and fires, and to map out
vulnerabilities during a major public event like the Super Bowl.


Read Full Article


This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National
Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for
homeland security news and information.






People On Terror Watch List Allowed To Buy Guns


Posted: 22 Jun 2009 08:08 PM PDT


gun_store


When people on the government’s terrorist watch list have tried
to buy guns or explosives in recent years, the government has let them the
vast majority of the time. That’s the finding of a new report by the
Government Accountability Office, sent to lawmakers last month and
released publicly Monday.


From February 2004 to February 2009, 963 background checks
using the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System
“resulted in valid matches with terrorist watch list records; of these
matches, approximately 90 percent were allowed to proceed because the
checks revealed no prohibiting information,” the GAO report says. About 10
percent were denied.


“Under current law, there is no basis to automatically prohibit
a person from possessing firearms or explosives because they appear on the
terrorist watch list,” wrote the GAO’s director of homeland security and
justice issues, Eileen R. Larence.


“Rather, there must be a disqualifying factor (i.e.,
prohibiting information) pursuant to federal or state law, such as a
felony conviction or illegal immigration status.”


Of the 963 background checks, 865 were allowed to proceed, and
98 were denied, the report said
.
People on
terrorist watch list allowed to buy guns – CNN.com


This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National
Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for
homeland security news and information.






Pakistans Nuclear Nightmare


Posted: 22 Jun 2009 07:59 PM PDT


pakistan_terror


Al-Qaida says it will use Pakistan’s nuclear weapons against
the U.S. if it ever gets the chance. We’re not surprised. Nor would we be
surprised if it eventually got the opportunity.


‘God willing, the (Pakistani) nuclear weapons will not fall
into the hands of the Americans, and the mujahedeen would take them and
use them against the Americans.” So says Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, al-Qaida’s
top commander in Afghanistan, where the terror group has found a friend
and ally in the Taliban.


If you think 9/11 was bad, just wait until al-Qaida gets a
nuke, which is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Based both in Afghanistan
and Pakistan’s untamed northwest frontier, al-Qaida in April launched a
major offensive into Pakistan’s Swat Valley, engaging in fierce fighting
with Pakistani army forces.


Swat is just 60 miles from Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad. If
al-Qaida beats the Pakistan army in Swat, what will keep it from marching
on Islamabad and gaining control of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal — said
to number as many as 55 warheads? If you said Pakistan’s ISI intelligence
agency, guess again. It’s riddled with fundamentalist al-Qaida
sympathizers.


Source


This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National
Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for
homeland security news and information.






Homeland Security Drone Patrolling New York


Posted: 22 Jun 2009 07:51 PM PDT


homeland_security_drone


A monitor inside an operations trailer shows a close-up view of
a boat skimming across the water on Lake Ontario.


The image was taken from an unmanned aircraft more than three
miles away.


A Predator B Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has been
temporarily based at Fort Drum since early June in an experiment by the
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office.


The Department of Homeland Security is using the extensive
restricted air space over Fort Drum to test whether the drone could be a
good fit along this stretch of the northern border.


Source


This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National
Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for
homeland security news and information.






DC Metro Trains Collide During Rush Hour – Several Casualties


Posted: 22 Jun 2009 02:49 PM PDT


dc_metro_train


Two D.C. Metro trains collided during rush hour Monday. Initial
reports indicate several casualties.


Metro confirms two trains have collided on the Red Line between
the Takoma and Fort Totten stations. It happened close to the Fort Totten
station, a Metro spokesperson said.


A Metro spokesperson said one person is dead and nine others
have been hurt.


D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter said one train was on
top of the other train.


This is “developing into a mass casualty event,” Etter said.
“We’re expecting a number of injuries. We’re not aware of any fatalities
at this point.”


Watch Live Coverage On CNN


This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National
Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for
homeland security news and information.














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