[Peace-discuss] Almanacs "R" Us

[Ricky Baldwin]

While I do think Carl may be correct about the
reaction we could get from some, I also think Doug's
right that we have to call our government on this
boundless fear-mongering.  In this, I think, we should
be at least as bold as the notoriously timid NPR (see
the last three paragraphs below):

FBI bulletin labeling almanacs as possible terrorist
tools

All Things Considered (9:00 PM ET) - NPR, December 30,
2003 Tuesday

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

Today, almanac publishers and editors throughout the
land have been responding to an FBI bulletin issued
yesterday. The popular reference books contain all
sorts of information, from agricultural statistics to
weather trends. The FBI says they could be used by
terrorists to assist with target selection and
preoperational planning. 

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

The government warning notes that the use of almanacs
or maps may be innocent, but it warns that a person
with an almanac who's also engaging in suspicious
behavior, such as apparent surveillance, may point to
possible terrorist planning.

NORRIS: This has put almanac peddlers on the
defensive. One of them, Kevin Seabrooke of The World
Almanac, says the FBI's warning makes little sense to
him.

Mr. KEVIN SEABROOKE (The World Almanac): I was a
little surprised, actually, to hear this. I've
certainly never thought of us an any kind of a
nefarious thing. This is all public information. This
is available from government Web sites. The government
is actually one of our biggest contributors of
information. And this is all available in libraries,
on the Internet. I mean, there's no top-secret
documents here.

BLOCK: Kevin Seabrooke's defense of his publication
aside, FBI officials are dead serious in warning that
terrorists could use almanacs to plan attacks. After
all, there are maps and transportation routes and
statistics about nuclear power. But Seabrooke doesn't
see how that poses much of a threat.

Mr. SEABROOKE: There is a chapter, "Buildings, Bridges
and Tunnels," and it does have a list of the world's
tallest buildings and the tallest buildings in North
America and so forth. But certainly, there's no
schematics or architectural diagrams and not even any
pictures of them.

NORRIS: So exactly what facts could fall into the
hands of potential terrorists remains a mystery.

BLOCK: Maybe it's there on Page 79 of The World
Almanac, those statistics on the percentage of high
school-aged students who never wear bicycle helmets.
Could that be used to bring America to its knees? In
case you were wondering, the figure is 84.7 percent.

NORRIS: The bad guys could turn to Page 605 to
pinpoint the highest settlement in this country,
Climax, Colorado, and the lowest, Calipatria,
California. Or the secrets of collective names of
animals on Page 630. How else to learn it's a cluster
of peacocks, a gam of whales and a bale of turtles?

BLOCK: If all that sounds too innocent, then perhaps
the danger from the almanac lies not within its pages,
but from the book itself. After all, a 1,000-page
hardbound edition of the 2003 World Almanac released
from a great height could be a formidable weapon; not
of mass destruction, but enough to cause a nasty lump.

LOAD-DATE: December 31, 2003 


--- Dlind49 at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 1/1/04 3:08:18 PM Central
> Standard Time, 
> galliher at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu writes:
> 
> << Does it invite the response, "See, you all don't
> take terrorism seriously,
>  while George Bush does -- sure, the FBI may be
> over-reacting and may even
>  sound silly on this, but the government is trying
> to stop terrorism in
>  Iraq and elsewhere, and you're just making it
> tougher by jeering, and
>  that's anti-American"?  --CGE
>   >>
> 
> Will we get the response or comments from "my
> country love or leave- U.S. 
> can't do anything wrong. officials would never
> violate civil rights or existing 
> laws" types   that Carl suggests- probably but then
> it is time to inject common 
> sense once more back into life. 
> 
> some thoughts  on reality----
> 
> trying stop terrorism?  not even.... threats  are
> virtually non-existant and 
> the concept of using an almanac is just plain
> stupid- the pirpose of the 
> warning was to create fear in individuals to permit
> intervention and security 
> efforts that violate law.  a telephone book is more
> useful and just driving around 
> is better yet.  15 minutes of work and information
> is gathered.  the hype and 
> hysteria is setting up martial law scenarios as
> desired and practiced for 
> years since clinton and gore and reno wrote the
> directives and had military start 
> practicing intervention rechniques.  and if you look
> at who is practicing 
> terrorism by DOJ definition - it is actually some of
> our own military and law 
> enforcement   
> 
> created fear = need for solution = permitted
> violations of civil rights 
> because everyone who would speak up is scared by
> design.  
> 
> ain't it nice when a plan comes together? 
> 
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