DHS Updates NTSA Bulletin – Blah, Blah, Blah

Earlier this week the Department of Homeland Security updated their National Terrorism Advisory Bulletin; they changed the effective date and the expiration date. All other information remains the same. End of news story. Oops, I forgot, instead of continuing for the expected six months, it only continues in effect until September 14^th, 2018; no explanation for the major change (sarcasm alert) was provided.

While I personally believe that the terrorism threat is real (covering that threat and the response to it by chemical facilities was the original purpose of this blog after all), you cannot continue to say ‘wolf’ (no one can accuse these bulletins of ‘crying wolf’; they are much too bland) in the same tenor, same words, and same lack of expressive involvement and expect anyone to pay any attention.

This is the same problem that DHS had with the old color-coded alert system. If nothing ever changes is it really and alert? If there is no new information available, is the government doing anything (that was a rhetorical question and not an intentional slur on the work being done by thousands of government employees, contractors and independent security firms to protect this country from terrorist attacks) to identify and deal with potential terrorist attacks? Should the public still be paying the huge sums of money required to support the anti-terrorism enterprise?

DHS really needs to do better. So here is a suggestion. How about a summary of the terrorist attacks that have taken place in the United States or directly against US interests around the world since the last alert? How about a summary of all of the anti-terrorism arrests and plots interrupted in the same time frame? How about a discussion about the changes in tactics and methods employed or proposed by terrorists (OF ALL BRANDS) in that time frame? That would be something worthwhile. That would be something worth discussing. THAT would be something that would help people prepare for, watch for, hell, even just pay attention to. Can we see something like that PLEASE.