Isnt the demonization of books an early step toward 1984 ?
"The FBI noted that use of almanacs or maps may be innocent, "the product of legitimate recreational or commercial activities." But it warned that when combined with suspicious behavior - such as apparent surveillance - a person with an almanac "may point to possible terrorist planning."
Is this an ANTI-information policy. (For our own good of course.)
my friend who just got back from Minneapolis says they are announcing the code orange ever few minutes over the loudspeakers and requesting that passengers "remain vigilant"
For some reason that article buries all the stuff about "deadly almanacs" at the end:
In a bulletin sent Christmas Eve to about 18,000 police organizations, the FBI said terrorists may use almanacs "to assist with target selection and pre-operational planning." It urged officers to watch during searches, traffic stops and other investigations for anyone carrying almanacs, especially if the books are annotated in suspicious ways.
"The practice of researching potential targets is consistent with known methods of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations that seek to maximize the likelihood of operational success through careful planning," the FBI wrote.
The FBI noted that use of almanacs or maps may be innocent, "the product of legitimate recreational or commercial activities." But it warned that when combined with suspicious behavior - such as apparent surveillance - a person with an almanac "may point to possible terrorist planning."
"I don't think anyone would consider us a harmful entity," said Kevin Seabrooke, senior editor of The World Almanac. He said the reference book includes about a dozen pages out of its 1,000 pages total listing the world's tallest buildings and bridges but includes no diagrams or architectural schematics. "It's stuff that's widely available on the Internet," he said.
The FBI said information typically found in almanacs that could be useful for terrorists includes profiles of cities and states and information about waterways, bridges, dams, reservoirs, tunnels, buildings and landmarks. It said this information is often accompanied by photographs and maps.
It sounds like they are grasping at straws here for lack of a real plan. The Farmers Almanac is not a very good resource for anything outside of weather prognostication for surperstitious agraculture folks. It was a regular stocking stuffer in our house for its novelty value.
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"The FBI noted that use of almanacs or maps may be innocent, "the product of legitimate recreational or commercial activities." But it warned that when combined with suspicious behavior - such as apparent surveillance - a person with an almanac "may point to possible terrorist planning."
Is this an ANTI-information policy. (For our own good of course.)
- bill 12-31-2003 6:44 pm
my friend who just got back from Minneapolis says they are announcing the code orange ever few minutes over the loudspeakers and requesting that passengers "remain vigilant"
- sally mckay 12-31-2003 7:09 pm [add a comment]
For some reason that article buries all the stuff about "deadly almanacs" at the end:
In a bulletin sent Christmas Eve to about 18,000 police organizations, the FBI said terrorists may use almanacs "to assist with target selection and pre-operational planning." It urged officers to watch during searches, traffic stops and other investigations for anyone carrying almanacs, especially if the books are annotated in suspicious ways.
"The practice of researching potential targets is consistent with known methods of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations that seek to maximize the likelihood of operational success through careful planning," the FBI wrote.
The FBI noted that use of almanacs or maps may be innocent, "the product of legitimate recreational or commercial activities." But it warned that when combined with suspicious behavior - such as apparent surveillance - a person with an almanac "may point to possible terrorist planning."
"I don't think anyone would consider us a harmful entity," said Kevin Seabrooke, senior editor of The World Almanac. He said the reference book includes about a dozen pages out of its 1,000 pages total listing the world's tallest buildings and bridges but includes no diagrams or architectural schematics. "It's stuff that's widely available on the Internet," he said.
The FBI said information typically found in almanacs that could be useful for terrorists includes profiles of cities and states and information about waterways, bridges, dams, reservoirs, tunnels, buildings and landmarks. It said this information is often accompanied by photographs and maps.
- tom moody 12-31-2003 7:15 pm [add a comment]
It sounds like they are grasping at straws here for lack of a real plan. The Farmers Almanac is not a very good resource for anything outside of weather prognostication for surperstitious agraculture folks. It was a regular stocking stuffer in our house for its novelty value.
- bill 12-31-2003 7:52 pm [add a comment]
- anonymous (guest) 3-11-2004 4:57 am [add a comment]