The UK's terror threat level is being raised from "substantial" to "severe" in response to conflicts in Iraq and Syria, Home Secretary Theresa May says.

Step 1 to putting boots on the ground. Use propaganda to scare the home folks and demonize then enemy.

Step 2 http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/08/29/Plague-bomb-data-found-on-seized-Islamic-State-laptop/8051409329417/?spt=hts&or=12

How nice. WMD!
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/08/28/found_the_islamic_state_terror_laptop_of_doom_bubonic_plague_weapons_of_mass_destruction_exclusive
"The real difficulty in all of these weapons ... (is) to actually have a workable distribution system that will kill a lot of people," said Magnus Ranstorp, research director of the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defense College. "But to produce quite scary weapons is certainly within (IS) capabilities."

The UK's terror threat level is being raised from "substantial" to "severe" in response to conflicts in Iraq and Syria, Home Secretary Theresa May says.

Step 1 to putting boots on the ground. Use propaganda to scare the home folks and demonize then enemy.

Step 2 http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/08/29/Plague-bomb-data-found-on-seized-Islamic-State-laptop/8051409329417/?spt=hts&or=12

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Reminds me of the Comedian George Carlin (LOVED HIM) years ago, who would say to his audience: "How many of you believe you will be killed by a terrorist?" When no hands were raised, he would say "OK - Let's just sit back, and enjoy the show."

George Carlin

Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_carlin.html#jcO3eYKpbI5EL7hw.99

He was my favorite.

George Carlin interviewed on The Chris Rock Show on November 28, 1997
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw1ImiSR6Eg
Why is he unknown in Sweden? Unbelievable.
In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Keith Olbermann honors George Carlin, slams Bill O'Reilly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCY40EIQ8Gk

Reminds me of the Comedian George Carlin (LOVED HIM) years ago, who would say to his audience: "How many of you believe you will be killed by a terrorist?" When no hands were raised, he would say "OK - Let's just sit back, and enjoy the show."

George Carlin

Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_carlin.html#jcO3eYKpbI5EL7hw.99

The Threat Level has more to do with the Government Response, than alerting the population.

Мишель believes since the chance of any individual, being killed by a Terrorist is remote: No precautions should be taken.

Reminds me of the Comedian George Carlin (LOVED HIM) years ago, who would say to his audience: "How many of you believe you will be killed by a terrorist?" When no hands were raised, he would say "OK - Let's just sit back, and enjoy the show."

Мишель apparently has a Comic's thought process.

Nope, actually I'm just better at judging risk than you are. And statistically the chance of me getting killed by a terrorist is just really really low. There is a far bigger chance that I die in a traffic accident, a heart attack or cancer. Really, terrorism is, in Europe and the US, statistically one of the more unlikely ways to die.

Yet when I see those terror threat levels, I feel like I should fear for my life because a terrorist attack is apparently very likely to happen very soon. Or maybe even imminent. If you look at those levels you almost get the idea that within a few days some nut is going to set off a big bomb in front of my house, while in reality the chance that anything happens is very very unlikely.

Remember Norway? They raised their terror threat level and in the end nothing happened. They think the people that were going to do something didn't even make it past Greece. So, what were the actual chances that even under one of the higher alert levels something actually goes wrong? Well apparently closer to zero than anything else.

Look at the UK. Why did they raise the threat level? Do they have actual intel that some nut is going to set off a bomb somewhere in the UK? Nope, they raised it because now they finally acknowledge that a lot of British citizens have gone to Syria to fight with ISIS. And some of them might be coming back. So basically, this is just fear mongering. Be afraid, be very afraid of the people that went to Syria and now surely want to set off bombs all over the country, even though we have no actual intel that suggests anything of the sorts is going to happen.

Does it mean you don't have to take precautions? No I never said that. Sure, post more agents at key locations, tell them to be on the look out for possible terrorists. But don't tell the public that a terrorist threat is now 'severe' or 'imminent' because it tells nobody anything relevant and is more likely to scare people for no good reason.

I'm just wondering why you reacted the way you did to Chris's post, if pretty much all alert levels in various countries are meaningless.

All I did was repeat what I said in a different thread where I stated that the terror threat is a meaningless tool that inspires a disproportional fear of terrorism to the actual threat and because of that is useless and maybe does more harm than good. I felt it was relevant to the topic.

The Threat Level has more to do with the Government Response, than alerting the population.

Мишель believes since the chance of any individual, being killed by a Terrorist is remote: No precautions should be taken.

Reminds me of the Comedian George Carlin (LOVED HIM) years ago, who would say to his audience: "How many of you believe you will be killed by a terrorist?" When no hands were raised, he would say "OK - Let's just sit back, and enjoy the show."

Мишель apparently has a Comic's thought process.

Replace that line with "how many think they will be killed by a drunk driver." Now go look up the statistics on cause of death. People are terrible at judging risk.

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I'm just wondering why you reacted the way you did to Chris's post, if pretty much all alert levels in various countries are meaningless.

All I did was repeat what I said in a different thread where I stated that the terror threat is a meaningless tool that inspires a disproportional fear of terrorism to the actual threat and because of that is useless and maybe does more harm than good.

+1

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I'm just wondering why you reacted the way you did to Chris's post, if pretty much all alert levels in various countries are meaningless.

All I did was repeat what I said in a different thread where I stated that the terror threat is a meaningless tool that inspires a disproportional fear of terrorism to the actual threat and because of that is useless and maybe does more harm than good. I felt it was relevant to the topic.

Hi Sten,
Good to see you. Sadly I fear that you are probably right, and I really wish that wasn't the case. But we have to deal with the world that we live in as best we can. We have to protect the UK at all costs but without unduly alarming the public. it is necessarily a delicate balance of judgement.

Define "At all costs"! Do you mean those "throwaway servicemen" (of all nationalities) to protect the UK at all costs put their lives on the line, survive only to be told on their return, job done, now bugger off like a good chap?
How about protecting them when they can no longer protect themselves?
Case in point

Your link shows something that I like to call terrorism. Terrorism against your own people.

My brother, David Clapson, a diabetic ex-soldier, died starving and destitute because he was penalised by the Job Centre for missing a meeting.

Could this happen Scandinavia? Of course.
A man was penalised by the Job Centre for missing a meeting.
Why. Because his was sedated and lying on the operation table and could not go to the Job Centre.

Hi Sten,

Good to see you. Sadly I fear that you are probably right, and I really wish that wasn't the case. But we have to deal with the world that we live in as best we can. We have to protect the UK at all costs but without unduly alarming the public. it is necessarily a delicate balance of judgement.

Define "At all costs"! Do you mean those "throwaway servicemen" (of all nationalities) to protect the UK at all costs put their lives on the line, survive only to be told on their return, job done, now bugger off like a good chap?

How about protecting them when they can no longer protect themselves?

Case in point

Hi Sten,

Good to see you. Sadly I fear that you are probably right, and I really wish that wasn't the case. But we have to deal with the world that we live in as best we can. We have to protect the UK at all costs but without unduly alarming the public. it is necessarily a delicate balance of judgement.

Dutch response

The trouble is Zapped, that Мишель is not Dutch. He/she is an international student studying EU politics over there.

Actually I am Dutch O.O

I knew that Michiel...

@Sirius: Can't you give Chris a break? I wouldn't call this a warm welcome back to politics:(

This is the politics thread...

Can't find the exact quote, but it was stated that Michiel was an "intellectual breath of fresh air" on this board...

Not long after, we see this...

Мишель I'm involved in local politics, drop me a line by pm.

Followed by this a short time later...

Up until now I was quite impressed with your posts, which seemed to have a depth of understanding and a breadth of appreciation across the whole spectrum of European politics. I see now that I was sadly mistaken.

...and now the above in bold!

Mr S is okay when issues/topics/debates are all onside with him in control. However, whenever they do not, we see the above...

...Nickerless Clegg, the worst DPM this country has ever had is nothing but a child compared to Mr S himself.

No one forced him off but he will continue to get taken to task over inane comments/posts. He does it to the rest of us, so those that dish it out must be prepared to take it. If not...

...so better late than never, Welcome back, your sparring with me has been greatly missed & I for one would love to see it back.

However, lay off the B/S & personal attacks should you deem yourself worthy to cancel your self imposed exile

And what does any of that have to do with this thread?

Ask your colleague

You'd better stay out of politics, Zappy, I don't want you to get all soured up, you're such an amicable person!

[edit] Sorry for being off topic Chris...

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Music
Pictures

Dutch response

The trouble is Zapped, that Мишель is not Dutch. He/she is an international student studying EU politics over there.

Actually I am Dutch O.O

I knew that Michiel...

@Sirius: Can't you give Chris a break? I wouldn't call this a warm welcome back to politics:(

This is the politics thread...

Can't find the exact quote, but it was stated that Michiel was an "intellectual breath of fresh air" on this board...

Not long after, we see this...

Мишель I'm involved in local politics, drop me a line by pm.

Followed by this a short time later...

Up until now I was quite impressed with your posts, which seemed to have a depth of understanding and a breadth of appreciation across the whole spectrum of European politics. I see now that I was sadly mistaken.

...and now the above in bold!

Mr S is okay when issues/topics/debates are all onside with him in control. However, whenever they do not, we see the above...

...Nickerless Clegg, the worst DPM this country has ever had is nothing but a child compared to Mr S himself.

No one forced him off but he will continue to get taken to task over inane comments/posts. He does it to the rest of us, so those that dish it out must be prepared to take it. If not...

...so better late than never, Welcome back, your sparring with me has been greatly missed & I for one would love to see it back.

However, lay off the B/S & personal attacks should you deem yourself worthy to cancel your self imposed exile

And what does any of that have to do with this thread?

Ask your colleague

In the light of this announcement I will temporarily break my self imposed silence.

The UK's terror threat level is being raised from "substantial" to "severe" in response to conflicts in Iraq and Syria, Home Secretary Theresa May says. The new alert level means an attack on the UK is "highly likely", although Mrs May said there was no intelligence to suggest an attack was "imminent".

BBC News

Threat levels

MI5

Thanks Chris. I'm sure that the UK is not the only EU country that will come under increased terrorist threat in the coming months/years.

Dutch response

The trouble is Zapped, that Мишель is not Dutch. He/she is an international student studying EU politics over there.

Actually I am Dutch O.O

I knew that Michiel...

@Sirius: Can't you give Chris a break? I wouldn't call this a warm welcome back to politics:(

This is the politics thread...

Can't find the exact quote, but it was stated that Michiel was an "intellectual breath of fresh air" on this board...

Not long after, we see this...

Мишель I'm involved in local politics, drop me a line by pm.

Followed by this a short time later...

Up until now I was quite impressed with your posts, which seemed to have a depth of understanding and a breadth of appreciation across the whole spectrum of European politics. I see now that I was sadly mistaken.

...and now the above in bold!

Mr S is okay when issues/topics/debates are all onside with him in control. However, whenever they do not, we see the above...

...Nickerless Clegg, the worst DPM this country has ever had is nothing but a child compared to Mr S himself.

No one forced him off but he will continue to get taken to task over inane comments/posts. He does it to the rest of us, so those that dish it out must be prepared to take it. If not...

...so better late than never, Welcome back, your sparring with me has been greatly missed & I for one would love to see it back.

However, lay off the B/S & personal attacks should you deem yourself worthy to cancel your self imposed exile

And what does any of that have to do with this thread?

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Member of the People Encouraging Niceness In Society club.

I thought this thread where about terrorism.
Now it seems like post summer quarrel.

Chris S. I would like to thank you for letting me know.
Both my sister, brother in law and nephew lives in England.

You are very welcome janneseti.

This is the first time for a while it has been upgraded, and hasn't been done lightly. It is worrying that it has been considered necessary.

I knew that Michiel...

You did, but apparently Chris and Zapped didnt :)

I was just going from your flag, but since they can be changed you could be a neighbour living across the street from me for all I know :)

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Member of the People Encouraging Niceness In Society club.

I said it before and I'll say it again, but British terror threat levels are idiotic. Substantial, severe, those words are meaningless.

What about minimal, limited, substantial and critical?

Does it give me an accurate idea of how likely it is that terrorists are going to attack when the threat is critical or substantial? Does it accurately give me an idea whether I should fear for my life if I step into a train, bus, public space? No, it doesn't, the words substantial and critical are meaningless as they severely over hype the actual threat I'm in.

I'm just wondering why you reacted the way you did to Chris's post, if pretty much all alert levels in various countries are meaningless.

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Member of the People Encouraging Niceness In Society club.