I see Sue's point. What's the usefulness in these "We've received credible evidence that terrorists will hijack a plane and fly it into a power plant. But we don't know which plane, or which power plant or which day or month or city or country, but by the way, go forward with your travel plans" warnings.
I guess they're trying to cover their a...s after the 9/11 warnings were ignored, but all those vague warnings do is confuse and terrify people.

The US had more than just general info or vague indications when it asked France to cancel those specific flights.

The gameplan was to cancel only AFTER all the passengers checked in so they could ALL be questioned. Media reports came out early and alerted the terrorists, who naturally didn't show up at the airport.

Right, Marty. You are so right.
The latest report I read said the French could find no evidence of a plot to hijack the airplanes.

There are wolves out there, and if the government yells "Wolf" often enough, one might eventually show up.

In the meantime, Ridge and company are scaring the living you know what out of the public.

The old navy adage applies:

When in danger, or in doubt,
Run in circles, scream and shout.

If you scream and shout continually, and something ultimately happens, no one can say that you did not warn them.

Let's assume for a moment that the Code Orange and cancelled flights were based on real intelligence (I use the word deliberately) regarding specific threats. As others have pointed out, we play percentages every day, or else we don't leave home. Traffic accidents, street crime, domestic violence, cancer, heart attacks, random crazies with guns, kill many more people every day than terrorists do, unless you live in the Middle East.
So those of us who crawl out of bed every morning are quite brave.

I must admit that fearful thoughts have crossed my mind about my travel plans next week, and I was also one of those who traveled to Europe shortly after 9/11. But logically the new fear makes no sense.

We all assume every day that the 1% or 3% or 10% or whatever the applicable odds of death or disease are each day, happen to someone else.

I wouldn't let concerns stop me from flying, but be sensitive to the concerns your friends and family will probably have with your traveling.

I was in France shortly after the beginning of the US invasion of Iraq this spring and telephoning home on the trip seems to relieve my family.

Keith

dixon, please advise Mr. Ridge of exactly how you would run things. A big security expert like you must have plenty of innovative ideas. And I'm sure he needs a good laugh along about now.

Its so easy to critize, but much harder to actually perform well in a position of great resposnsibility.

Of course, we have not suffered an attack in over two years and you know those crazy fools have trying night and day to do it.