JMO - Threat level

I read the Sunday NY Times about the discussion to update the nation's terrorist threat level operated by the Homeland Security Administration (HSA). They've convened a task force to consider new goals, levels, symbols, etc, and the one obvious thing, it's existence.

So I hope they engage in a meaningful discussion to abolish it. Not a surficial one to fill the goals of the task force, but one which will address the real issue, is it meaningful and useful. And I don't see where they won't come to the conclusion it's useless and should be abolished. No one uses it and no one believes it. Because it doesn't effect our everyday lives except for some imaginary, pre-emptive HSA fear.

I'm not saying we should scrape any government effort to find and fight terrorists. I only argue, to focus it on the work of the agencies and just let the public go about their lives and work and only interrupt it when it's really serious and not some trumped up false fear which won't happen.

Yeah, like 9/11 was a surprise and had we had such a system could have inhibited or even stopped it? Not really, because we had everything there. The FBI, CIA, NSA, etal had everything to identify who and that something was immenient, and they warned the President. But no one did anything. And no amount of "threat level" would have helped, only people connecting the dots and acting.

And that doesn't take a threat level. All people who want a threat level want is power and control. Nothing else, just power and control over our lives and political power and control to make it appear they're protecting us when they aren't. They're simply selling us fear when and when and where it's unnecessary. We could easily return to 9/10 with a better FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. focused on the real terrorists than every citizen.

And they can do it without broadcasting fear. That's where the task force should focus on, making our government work for us than against us, suspecting all of us of being terrorist without any evidence or reason. It's why the whole baggage and passenger inspection and surveillence system is a failure. It has never worked to find real threats (tests always fail to find or detect them) or stopped any terrorists (only ordinary citizens).

So I vote to scrap the threat level and let us all get on with out lives, and the government simply do its job than advertise its fear.