3 ms·

This is one of the least actionable and most poorly thought out travel alerts I've seen the Department of State hand out in quite some time. (Listing those thr

This is one of the least actionable and most poorly thought out travel alerts I've seen the Department of State hand out in quite some time. (Listing those three groups all in the same alert is just completely wild.) And the Department of State already issues travel alerts that seem more akin to someone's parents getting worried than real security risks. Shameful. I want my government to be less afraid.

Alex3917 11y ago
> I want my government to be less afraid. Given that this expires a week before super tuesday, I wouldn't be surprised if this is more about helping Hillary than about any fears of the government.
fredkbloggs 11y ago
> Shameful. I want my government to be less afraid. It's not that they're afraid, it's that they want you to be afraid, so you'll either look the other way or cheer while they fuck you over some more in the name of "security".
scintill76 11y ago
They go beyond just naming those 3 groups: > Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis. May as well just say, "We've just discovered that people can do bad things, at any time and for any reason." Random individuals are a "continuing threat" that might resolve by February 2016 when this notice expires. Really looking forward to the apparent cure for human nature they've got in the works!
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  The elevated-above-normal-levels threat from the named groups and individuals inspired by them is expected to be a temporary situation. That doesn't mean that bad people doing bad things is a problem that is expected to be resolved.
  - scintill76 11y ago
    But if attacks can "inspire" people, the very first attack that ever happened can inspire them in perpetuity, unless we can make the world forget the concept of violence. I do sort of see the point that successful attacks inspire copycats soon after, I guess it seems silly to name threats and then just throw in something that boils down to "or anybody else." Also, that it implies the threat is uniform across the entire globe (except maybe lesser in Syria and Iraq? Since those are the only two locations that are named but not in connection with a previous attack. And, it says the bad guys are leaving those places, so they're becoming safer, right? /sarcasm) I had the notion that "there are bad things happening out there" from skimming the news, but thanks State Department for letting me know they might happen in "multiple regions"! Meh, I guess maybe this is bureaucratically significant to someone (if some company has a policy to not travel when there's a State Department alert?) even if it contains virtually no information.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- djcapelis 11y ago
  Yes but listing those three groups together is just completely strange. Two of them are working against each other and a US general has explicitly floated the idea of arming some of those groups to attack the others. The idea that these three groups are somehow more of a threat between today and February across the entirety of the world than they are at other times is just patently absurd.

Alex3917 11y ago

> I want my government to be less afraid. Given that this expires a week before super tuesday, I wouldn't be surprised if this is more about helping Hillary than about any fears of the government.

fredkbloggs 11y ago

> Shameful. I want my government to be less afraid. It's not that they're afraid, it's that they want you to be afraid, so you'll either look the other way or cheer while they fuck you over some more in the name of "security".

scintill76 11y ago

They go beyond just naming those 3 groups: > Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis. May as well just say, "We've just discovered that people can do bad things, at any time and for any reason." Random individuals are a "continuing threat" that might resolve by February 2016 when this notice expires. Really looking forward to the apparent cure for human nature they've got in the works!

dragonwriter 11y ago
The elevated-above-normal-levels threat from the named groups and individuals inspired by them is expected to be a temporary situation. That doesn't mean that bad people doing bad things is a problem that is expected to be resolved.
- scintill76 11y ago
  But if attacks can "inspire" people, the very first attack that ever happened can inspire them in perpetuity, unless we can make the world forget the concept of violence. I do sort of see the point that successful attacks inspire copycats soon after, I guess it seems silly to name threats and then just throw in something that boils down to "or anybody else." Also, that it implies the threat is uniform across the entire globe (except maybe lesser in Syria and Iraq? Since those are the only two locations that are named but not in connection with a previous attack. And, it says the bad guys are leaving those places, so they're becoming safer, right? /sarcasm) I had the notion that "there are bad things happening out there" from skimming the news, but thanks State Department for letting me know they might happen in "multiple regions"! Meh, I guess maybe this is bureaucratically significant to someone (if some company has a policy to not travel when there's a State Department alert?) even if it contains virtually no information.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
djcapelis 11y ago
Yes but listing those three groups together is just completely strange. Two of them are working against each other and a US general has explicitly floated the idea of arming some of those groups to attack the others. The idea that these three groups are somehow more of a threat between today and February across the entirety of the world than they are at other times is just patently absurd.