There are enough everyday examples (wiretapping, Guantanamo, etc.), but when those criticisms are conflated with what amounts to UFO stories, we all start looking like wackos.

Amen.

I got into a raging argument with people last week about the recent presidential directive on "continuity in government". They kept talking like it wasn't the sort of thing any other president has ever issued (when it is), and kept quoting passages and arguing they said precisely the opposite of what they said.

I made, at the time, much the same point as above. I don't, frankly, put anything past the GOPresidency. But if we don't separate the wheat from the chaf, and the signal from the noise, any real and actual threats can be dismissed as lunatic ravings.

Comparing concerned citizens with UFO Wackos is actually pretty Wacko dude! If you study the evidence you will see 9/11 was basically a drill that went live (coughStudyNotCNNcough). I would say the threat of Noble Resolve going live was real and yes it is true that the more exposure the drill received the less likely it would be switched into "live" mode. That is just plan logic. Your argument is though that this entire threat was "Wacko" and therefore justified your argument stating "Then, of course, when nothing happens (and just to reiterate it, nothing has happened), believers can give themselves all the credit for saving the city.". That argument proves nothing at all. If you have some sort of logic to present here to make me believe it was all an "e-mail chain hoax" then present it, but please do not belittle concerned citizens of this city that understand how modern propaganda and population control work. I live in a world much different from you my friend, I understand and know what has happened and can happen. I'll stop talking now so I don't infringe too much therefore destroying your ignorant foundation of reality. I guess ignorance is bliss though and I do at least thank you for bringing the subject some attention although it was slanted. Thing is concerned citizens are always made out to be conspiracy crazies and belittled, when actually they care very much about this country and the lives of others. This is why they take the time to bring things up and work even if it requires slander and working against the grain. Usually the only payback is in the form of ridicule but that is ok because the goal is to prevent these horrendous attacks on our nation from internal corrupt groups and not to stroke our egos..

Also note the annoying habit of the wackos to avoid going anywhere near that marvelous invention called The Paragraph Break, thereby rendering their prose even more insufferable.

Scott Moore sounds like an coincidence theorist. Given the many bizarre circumstances of 9 /11 that have never been adequately addressed by officials, it is no wonder that people are suspicious of the Shrubbery.

Thank GOD it's over. They wouldn't take facts and reason for an answer, it seemed.

We're not making fun of you because you're "concerned;" we're doing it because your concern is fairly ludicrous. There's a difference.

Ummm, OK, but What If the Smoking Gun Turned Out To Be A MUSHROOM CLOUD?!? HUH???

Heh heh heh - just kidding, of course!
The fact that nothing has happened just goes to prove to everyone with half a brain how very silly it is to question the motives and credibility of any agency of the federal government in general, and the Bush Administration in particular. They are all doing a heckuva job in protecting us from Islamo-Fascist, box cutter-wielding terrorists, who have obviously been completely thwarted in their attempts to attack America ever since the last time that it happened. Besides, if anything "funny" was even remotely likely to happen, the plot would certainly be exposed by our country's celebrated "watchdog" Free Press, so let us not tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories.
It certainly bears mentioning that this outstanding victory over the freedom-hating evildoers has been won solely through the efforts of Uber Patriots like President Bush and those members of the Armed Forces who have traveled to the other side of the globe to kill any potential terrorists over there before they get here. There is simply no other logical explaination for the lack of new terrorist attacks on our soil, so Mr. Moore and other spineless, mewling liberal wackos of his ilk should just shut up already and stop all of the whining about domestic spying, Guantanamo detainees, and having to give up a few civil rights and constitutional limits on power, blah blah blah, ad nauseatum. All of these issues have perfectly reasonable explanations, as given by the actual authorities with actual knowledge in the Bush Administration, and there is absolutely no basis whatsoever for any real American to believe otherwise, let alone PUBLISH any alternative viewpoints that only serve to weaken our country and aid our enemies.
So, Mr. Moore, if you hold such little faith and confidence in our country's TWICE ELECTED President and the policies that he has so resolutely pursued to keep us safe from crazed Iraqi and Afghani terrorists, tree-huggers, WTO protesters, and Quaker peace activists, then why don't you just move to France? Think it over, because your inane, wacko ravings reflect badly on the rest of us real Americans, and we'd all be happier with your being over in that slimy, snooty, cheese-eating, freedom-hating, dog crap-infested, surrender-happy Capital of the Axis of Weasels. And take the Dixie Chicks with you, that way, you can all sit around in bistros eating brie, sipping wine, and commisserating about the "legitimate outrages" of your former country that is preparing to actually DO SOMETHING about ridding the planet of Evil(which currently has its headquarters in Iran, apparently.)
Other than that - Great article! Way to hold those Tin-hat wackos' feet to the withering fire of your impeccable logic by digging deeply to report that nothing happened during the "reported" emergency disaster response drill this week! (To reiterate, nothing has happened. Damn, that's some cutting-edge reporting!) Hey, I know you don't owe me, but if you happen to be over in France and Portland gets nuked, could you do me a favor and write a Mercury article about it? Thanks!

Relax, this week was just the prepwork. The badgeboys return in mid-October for the real deal, "TopOff," where full-on drills as if attacks had actually taken place are going to be held here, in Phoenix, and Guam.

The real danger isn't so much an actual bomb going off...that kind of stretches belief...but the further militarization of our local Police forces when the Feds arrive with the HMMWVs and automatic weapons to train the local blueshirts for martial law scenarios.

It will be an interesting couple of weeks...I wonder if Potter is going to put the kaibosh in it, like with the JTTF.

Potter is mailing it in, Cabbie. If he was gonna kabosh it, why did he not say no to this round of warm ups? The guy is worn out, tired and appears utterly disinterested.

I agree though...the biggest threat is one that can only be seen in the psyche of our police officers. They already have tough jobs that probably induce many feelings of murder. Now the feds are going to train them with military grade weaponry and tactics? Not a great idea.

The Top-Off exercise will simply be a practice exercise to ensure that the various local, state, and federal agencies would be able to communicate effectively and respond in an emergency situation.
The idea that this contributes to the "militarization" of local law enforcement agencies is laughable. There is no component of the exercise that is even close to that.
News flash - the local law enforcement agencies already have automatic weapons. And "the Feds" are already here. Open a phone book and turn to the blue pages.

I truly believe that this nation is on the course for martial law by reading all of the Executive Orders that Mr. Bush has entered into the National Register. This President has done more than any other WH incumbent to curb and actually eclipse the US Constitution from legal operation thereof.
There are other issues such as the $4.5 billion that somebody has bought shorts in the market for Sept. 21, 2007. No one ever found out who bought short in airlines stock right before 9/11/01. Just a thought as there maybe a so-called terrorist incident on or before 9/21/07.

Because they bought so many shorts, does that mean the terrorist attack will happen at the beach?

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Portland leave the Joint Terrorism Task Force?
Would it not make sense for our city council to just say "no thanks" to these simulations/drills as well as police training for martial law scenarios?

BTW in my opinion a declaration of martial law outside of a direct and obvious attack from another major power would be the just about the only way that this country would ever enter another civil war (sorry anarchist the "revolution" is not nigh) and EVEN Bush is not that stupid.
I think people are sick of the "shadow of terrorism looming over us" excuse at this point. I don't think that if an attack was invented people would believe it.
I think any political misdirection tactics used at this point are purely to avoid impeachment and or criminal charges post presidency.

The issue of leaving the JTTF was about not having any functional oversight of the Portland police officers assigned to it. That's different than the notion of being able to cooperate with them.

Portland leaving the JTTF was not about a lack of functional oversight of the police officers assigned to it. It was because Potter threw a fit when told he wouldn't just be automatically issued a top secret security clearance as he demanded. As soon as the Portland police were pulled out they were replaced by Multnomah County Sheriff Deputies.

Well, I suppose the concept of LEOs as "Peace Officers" went way out yonder, out the window, ages ago. The local police are indeed pretty militarized as it is.

A while back, I was driving southbound on Barbur at about Capitol Hwy. There was a pretty serious traffic stop/arrest in progress on the other side of the street.

The perp, a young black guy with some probably pretty serious warrants, was behind the wheel, looking shit scared with his hands out the window, as per the commands being barked at him over the loudspeaker.

Two blueshirts had what looked to be M-4 carbines trained on him as they crouched behind their car's doors, all of maybe 20 meters away. Now, OK, so far, all well and good, right ?

Behind the perp, to the north, was a wide open panorama of rush hour traffic and residences. No backstop whatsoever. Now, anyone with the slightest bit of marksmanship training knows that a high-power rifle round, even a supposedly "tumbling" 5.56x45 round from a mousegun like the M-4, will go right through a human being and travel for a long, long way. At 20 meters, with no backstop, they should have had sidearms drawn on the dude, not rifles.

Are you good people aware that our cops are the laughingstock of local shooting ranges, their marksmanship is so bad ? I hear the guys from this side of the river got the boot from Clark Rifles for a good while, after the members got sick of all the missed rounds chewing up the structure over there.

So, maybe some good might come out of this, after all.

Robert Fisk: Even I question the 'truth' about 9/11

How come nobody is talking about the real problem? It's chemtrails, baby. Chemtrails.