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February 22, 2003
Homeland Security's New Website
Have you all heard of this new site the Department of Homeland Security has set up? I haven't had a chance to look through the whole site, but apparently there are instructions for setting up a terrorism survival kit, directions for disaster-proofing your home, and an outline for a family plan in the event of a terrorist attack near your home.
The site is located at Ready.gov.
I found it somewhat interesting, and I definately feel it is worth a second look. However, from what I understand the government is getting a lot of flack over it. Certain people seem to think that a website of this nature only serves to scare the general public and put our nation on edge. I tend to believe it is better to be prepared, and I applaud the government for trying to help americans to understand the importance of being ready.
Posted by Joey at February 22, 2003 10:20 AM
Comments
I don't understand what people mean when they say they think that a website of this nature only serves to scare the general public and put our nation on edge. I honestly believe that's exactly what it is for (so I don't understand why they "think").
The whole idea of the warning scale, and websites devoted to this nature, and all the tv programs that bring it up is to raise people's awareness of just how serious this situation is. 17 months ago a group of people decided that they had enough hatred to kill over 3000 of us. I have no doubt that this hatred still exists. I also believe that our nation's intelligence system does know about possible other attacks. All these people who think that we are in the clear now need to wake up. Our government (as well as a few foreign ones) are pushing really hard for a war over there, and that is only going to serve to upset more people.
As much as I would like to say that we should all be friends, I just don't ever see that becoming a reality (at least not in the near future). As long as the rulers over there are preaching anti-American sentiments, we should be worried. That's just my right-winged opinion though ;) and I think that most of you know that I am not really all that right-winged. I suppose that I just believe that there are some issues that go above and beyond party lines.
Let me know...
Posted by: Stu at February 23, 2003 10:24 AM
There is some pretty lame brain stuff on that site about what to do during a Nuclear blast though.
"Duh... seek shelter immediately, get as far away as you can from the blast yada yada yada."
Are people really dumb enough to believe they will have TIME to take shelter if a Nuclear bomb goes off near them?? They will most likely be instantly incinerated. If they are farther away and don't even know about, they'll probably be outside walking around and won't realize they have radiation poison till they die years later from complications of it. Have these people NOT looked at what immediately happened after Hiroshima?!?! People were literally hurling themselves into rivers because they were on fire or their skin was hanging on their bones by strands. Well... that is if you were still alive.
Yeah, I'm suuuure lots of people will be wondering when they see a big flash of light... "Hmmm.. what is that?? A nuclear bomb? Maybe I should.... BLAMMMMMMMMM!!!" Yep... sounds logical. :duh
Posted by: Kristen at March 8, 2003 01:37 AM
Kristen, have you seen "The Sum of All Fears?" From what little I know of nuclear explosions, I think they did a good job of showing some effects of a blast.
In the movie, people felt/heard/saw the blast several miles from ground zero, but they sustained no immediate injury (although the shock wave knocked them around a bit). Then, they found themselves in a haze of dust (the remains of everything that was "incinerated" :&), smoke, and radiation.
The info ready.gov provides on nuclear blasts is legitimately meant to people in these circumstances escape further harm. Hopefully, it will save someone's life in a nuclear catastrophe.
Posted by: steve at March 10, 2003 01:58 AM
Yeah... I'm talking about the people who are much closer to it. I probably should have said that. ;)
Posted by: Kristen at March 10, 2003 02:08 AM