# I KNEW IT!!! Al-Qaeda threat fabricated **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 14, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987 "2003-02-14T02:46:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/21 "2003-02-14T20:46:20Z")
I attended a high school on the wrong side of town. At some point certain unscrupulous individuals discovered that the most effective way to postpone a test was to hustle out to the payphone in the parking lot and call in a bomb scare. Everyone would be evacuated and have a pleasant afternoon out on the football field while the police dogs did their stuff. We had three bomb threats during exam week my junior year. Never occurred to me that the same trick would work on the whole danged country. (One time a bomb threat was called in, and when the police searched they actually _found_ a pipe bomb. All us kids were shocked that someone would abuse the tradition in such a manner.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/22 "2003-02-15T02:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > The word that the terror alert was based partly on false information has the potential to do some significant damage to the public perception of the alert system. It has the potential to turn into a real-life version of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Damn straight, Atreyu. I also wonder how much it is costing us to investigate & respond to these terror threats, especially when the economy is as bad as it is. I swear this period is worse than the Reagan recession of the early '80’s. GaWd: I think jarbaby is right. Had the government not done anything and the press learned of that fact, you would have heard a lot of people whining that the Bush Administration was doing nothing. I think W & Co would be wise to put Iraq on the backburner and concentrate on frying Al Qaeda. We live in interesting time. ---
**Author:** ![Skid\_Row](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Skid\_Row](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skid_Row)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/23 "2003-02-15T18:40:55Z")
Please keep in mind that this is the same administration (_Son of a Bush_) that lied about the president’s actions on 9/11. Remember… He jetted the hell outta Florida to Louisiana then to the midwest (Kansas?) before heading into DC later that day. The reason: “Threats against Air Force One.” WTF?!?!? One month later, Ari Fleischer had to admit there was no threat. Was GW just showing his true colors or was he duped by another “terrorist” threat? The more things change, the more thay stay the same. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/24 "2003-02-15T18:42:59Z")
This is just fucking crazy. I have to drive on two highways and a freeway on the way into work each day- crazy bastards driving like complete idiots. My life flashes before my eyes multiple times on each hour long trip. And I’m supposed to be worried about terrorists and duct taping up plastic sheeting? It is completely cliched, but it’s true. If you’re in a panic over these “threat levels” and warnings, the terrorists (by definition) have really already won. This shit is just ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/25 "2003-02-15T19:52:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > \*\*Well, in defense. If something ever DID happen again in this country, there would be fifty five threads from these same people blaming the government for not warning us adequately, just like they did after 9/11. Do you disagree? \*\* I sure as hell don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/26 "2003-02-16T02:52:49Z")
I just want to know, how did we get through all those threads about duct tape… **without a single Red Green reference**?! ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/27 "2003-02-16T05:59:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > \*\*Well, in defense. If something ever DID happen again in this country, there would be fifty five threads from these same people blaming the government for not warning us adequately, just like they did after 9/11. Do you disagree? \*\* Yes. It sounds kinda spiteful. “Oh, gonna bitch about us farking up the 9/11 intel, are you? Well, fine! We’re going to scare the pants off of you every time some nutjob we’ve illegally detained makes some vague threat!” Each time they freak out over nothing like this makes the system seem only that much more stupid. You can only cry wolf for so long. There’s a thread about how would you strike if you were a terrorist. Who even needs actual acts of terrorism anymore? This country goes willy-nilly over made-up stuff, let alone real threats or events. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/28 "2003-02-16T15:47:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Perhaps in the future they should give the fucking guy a lie detector test first. \*\* I’m not sure what’s worse here. That one clown in a detention camp can put the whole country on Orange Alert or that we use polygraph voodoo to investigate his claims. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987/29 "2003-02-16T23:28:32Z")
[mumble]I did a more extensive search and found out that there were Red Green references…Carry on…[/mumble] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-al-qaeda-threat-fabricated/154987.md?page=1)