FBI nationwide alert=Watching almanacs too???

[cycloneye]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... =printable

Another form of terrorism that those people can do harm with the almanacs.Read the alert in the link above.

[Josephine96]

Ok.. I'll go turn myself into the authorities now cause I happen to have an almanac sitting on my desk and always bring it to school with me.

The thing about the almanacs steps over the line a little bit.

[Lindaloo]

Just goes to show you that these cowards will stop at nothing.

[cycloneye]

Just goes to show you that these cowards will stop at nothing.

I was carrying an almanac from a supermarket today so I am a terrorist of Al-Qaeda. But seriously they have many ways to do terrorist acts not only fly planes into buildings or carrying bombs with themselves.

[Josephine96]

Yeah.. They're doing 1 right now. They are messing with our heads and some people are probably getting the bajeezers scared out of them

[cycloneye]

Yeah.. They're doing 1 right now. They are messing with our heads and some people are probably getting the bajeezers scared out of them

We cannot cave into them because they win.Let's live our lives but also be vigilant to anything suspisious that we may see anywhere even watch out for thoseAlmanacs.

[Stephanie]

I guess I should burn my Farmer's Almanac!

[cycloneye]

I guess I should burn my Farmer's Almanac!

Not go that far extreme Steph.

[Josephine96]

LOL We'll all have a Almanac bonfire lol

[Skywatch_NC]

Well...there goes one of my favorite Christmas gifts...
a set of 3 almanacs: Old Farmer's, Farmer's and Blum's Carolina.

Eric

[Stephanie]

I guess I should burn my Farmer's Almanac!

Not go that far extreme Steph.

Actually, you're right - I might get arrested for "suspicious behavior"!!

Seriously, I guess any hint that they get give to the public is good.

[cycloneye]

Yes Steph any form of plot to create caos in the US has to be revealed to the public.

[GalvestonDuck]

Well, that's going to slow the baggage screening process a bit more. Imagine having to open backpacks and briefcases just to show what books we might be carrying.

[Lindaloo]

Well...there goes one of my favorite Christmas gifts...
a set of 3 almanacs: Old Farmer's, Farmer's and Blum's Carolina.

Eric

I thought of you when this thread was started. I thought "Poor Eric" let's see them try to take his Christmas presents. LOL!!

[streetsoldier]

Maybe Al Qaida could get away with carrying nasty stuff in hollowed out volumes of "Return of the King"...with UBL's face superimposed on the cover?

[blizzard]

OK, can't open the link here. What is with the almanac thing here. I haven't been up on the latest here.

[GalvestonDuck]

Here ya go, Bliz!

FBI urges police to watch for people carrying almanacs
TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer
Monday, December 29, 2003
©2003 Associated Press

(12-29) 16:18 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

The FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning.

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 Associated Press obtained a copy of the bulletin this week and verified its authenticity.

"For local law enforcement, it's just to help give them one more piece of information to raise their suspicions," said David Heyman, a terrorism expert for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It helps make sure one more bad guy doesn't get away from a traffic stop, maybe gives police a little bit more reason to follow up on this."

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 publisher for The Old Farmers Almanac said Monday terrorists would probably find statistical reference books more useful than the collections of Americana in his famous publication of weather predictions and witticisms.

"While we doubt that our editorial content would be of particular interest to people who would wish to do us harm, we will certainly cooperate to the fullest with national authorities at any level they deem appropriate," publisher John Pierce 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.

The FBI urged police to report such discoveries to the local U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force.

©2003 Associated Press