# Is an attack on DC already underway? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 16, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718 "2015-11-16T18:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/21 "2015-11-17T06:56:32Z")
DC will always be a significant target, announcement or not. Too many big, juicy targets. I shot a story with my reporter today asking people what they thought about the threats. To a person everyone refuses to allow it to change their lives in defiance of the terrorists desires. Will DC be attacked? Of course, it’s only a matter of time. How we react before and after will be the definition of ourselves. Were a gun to my head (pun intended) I think an ISIS attack will occur or be thwarted within the year. No reason beyond gut feeling. We are actively preparing at work for the eventuality. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/22 "2015-11-17T14:03:46Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Black Friday sales, but would anyone notice. > > Declan The crowds of people waiting outside store entrances could use some thinning. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/23 "2015-11-17T15:49:12Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > The radio service of the Associated Press pointed out that if ISIS indeed intended to attack DC, they’d have gone silent rather than issue a warning. “But if they know that we know that…” Second or third guessing. I would imagine that while security is always in place, they will be more vigilant all over the country. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/24 "2015-11-17T18:32:09Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > The story I saw on CNN’s front page earlier today was that ISIS does not have the capability to pull off something in the US. Who says? 😛 My question is, are we prepared or are we apathetic? (The government that is) I can never tell if Obama is really that stupid or is hiding what our safety plans really are. Its more believable that they are keeping stuff from us if it was anyone but Obama > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The crowds of people waiting outside store entrances could use some thinning. That’s a good thing, let them stay home and order online, think of all the delivery services hiking up employment… > [@2gigch1](#): > > DC will always be a significant target, announcement or not. Too many big, juicy targets. I shot a story with my reporter today asking people what they thought about the threats. To a person everyone refuses to allow it to change their lives in defiance of the terrorists desires. > > Will DC be attacked? Of course, it’s only a matter of time. How we react before and after will be the definition of ourselves. > > Were a gun to my head (pun intended) I think an ISIS attack will occur or be thwarted within the year. No reason beyond gut feeling. > > We are actively preparing at work for the eventuality. Its the old cry wolf story…complacency always wins out sooner or later Me? We are always targets. How many sleeper cells are here in the US already? How many are coming in with the refugees? How many Americans are aware of the possibility of sleepers waking or just in denial? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/25 "2015-11-17T19:02:41Z")
> [@WildBlueYonder](#): > > My question is, are we prepared or are we apathetic? (The government that is) I can never tell if Obama is really that stupid or is hiding what our safety plans really are. Its more believable that they are keeping stuff from us if it was anyone but Obama So you would want the federal government announce their plans to prevent and respond to terrorist events so that you can feel comforted that they have plans? Wouldn’t revealing those plans render them useless? You do realize, I hope, that ISIL, Al Queda and the other groups monitor American media and so anything revealed to the American public will be known by them as well? Or do you just want Homeland Security to whisper their plans in your ear? ---
**Author:** ![grayhairedmomma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/47e85d/32.png) [@grayhairedmomma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grayhairedmomma)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/26 "2015-11-17T19:50:19Z")
> [@2gigch1](#): > > DC will always be a significant target, announcement or not. Too many big, juicy targets. I shot a story with my reporter today asking people what they thought about the threats. To a person everyone refuses to allow it to change their lives in defiance of the terrorists desires. > > Will DC be attacked? Of course, it’s only a matter of time. How we react before and after will be the definition of ourselves. Remember the sniper attacks of 2002? To me that is/was even scarier than a guy with a bomb or guns at a concert. It was completely terrifying to wait at a bus stop or stop at a gas station for fear of being shot. The poor guys who drove delivery trucks (especially white vans and box trucks) were constantly being harassed and treated suspiciously. Thank God none of them were killed by a too nervous police officer. I am not ashamed to admit that I did change my routine in those days. Prior to the sniper, I would leave work a little bit earlier so that I could get in line for my commuter bus and get a window seat on the bus. But I changed my routine so that I would leave work with just barely enough time to catch the bus at all, just so I wouldn’t be a sitting duck. I used to walk around the city at lunch just to get fresh air and stretch my legs, but I stopped doing that too. And I know I wasn’t the only one even though no one talked about it. I know it’s inevitable that an attack is coming here. And I fully support the US taking in refugees from Syria and any other country (except Canada) even knowing that it may increase our risk somewhat. What scares me about ISIS is that they seem completely okay with smaller scale attacks like the sniper, and I just pray they never become that sophisticated. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/27 "2015-11-17T20:07:04Z")
> [@WildBlueYonder](#): > > My question is, are we prepared or are we apathetic? (The government that is) I can never tell if Obama is really that stupid or is hiding what our safety plans really are. Its more believable that they are keeping stuff from us if it was anyone but Obama Right now, it looks like he’s just apathetic. That’s certainly what the reporters thought at that last press conference. When was the last time you heard news reporters rip the president of the United States a new one over his lukewarm response to something? And really, they have a point; even if meaningful actions won’t be ready for weeks or months, they’ve had a few days to at least think of something to say, beyond canned bullet points about ISIS being evil, and about this being a “setback.” (Huh? A coordinted terrorist attack that killed 130 people is not a “setback.” :dubious: ) ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/28 "2015-11-17T20:17:30Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, if you want a gun to kill people in DC, just do what everyone else here does and go to Virginia. :smack: I laughed because it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/29 "2015-11-17T20:28:29Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > “But if they know that we know that…” Second or third guessing. I would imagine that while security is always in place, they will be more vigilant all over the country. Someone in another forum on this board pointed out that DAESH (the now-preferred name for IS/ISIS/ISIL, since they apparently detest that name) does not instruct its forces to perform any such attacks, rather just suggesting that it might be a fine thing if someone actually _did_ perform that action. Their announcement that “DC is next!” may be a call for volunteers. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/30 "2015-11-17T20:39:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > So you would want the federal government announce their plans to prevent and respond to terrorist events so that you can feel comforted that they have plans? Wouldn’t revealing those plans render them useless? You do realize, I hope, that ISIL, Al Queda and the other groups monitor American media and so anything revealed to the American public will be known by them as well? Or do you just want Homeland Security to whisper their plans in your ear? That was not what I was saying. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/31 "2015-11-17T21:11:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > According to the [Fox affiliate in Boston](http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/30522507/worcester-us-army-reserve-broken-into), “10 Sig Sauer 9mm handguns and six M-4 5.56mm assault rifles were taken.” Isn’t that all available at your local gun show? 16 firearms make up an “Arsenal”?!?? :rolleyes: Even if the M4’s have the “giggle switch”, meh, I know people with more than 16 firearms in their personal collection… No, no select fire M4’s though… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/32 "2015-11-17T21:32:26Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > 16 firearms make up an “Arsenal”?!?? > :rolleyes: Sixteen firearms were stolen from a arsenal. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/33 "2015-11-17T22:06:43Z")
> [@WildBlueYonder](#): > > That was not what I was saying. As I understand it, what you were saying was that you can’t trust the government to be proactive about national security unless a Republican with strong military support is President. Well, actually, you said “anyone but Obama”, but since Obama is indistinguishable from a typical liberal Democrat, I’m discounting that. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/34 "2015-11-18T13:19:59Z")
> [@WildBlueYonder](#): > > My question is, are we prepared or are we apathetic? (The government that is) I can never tell if Obama is really that stupid or is hiding what our safety plans really are. Its more believable that they are keeping stuff from us if it was anyone but Obama We had a small-scale attack here in Ottawa this time last year. What really surprised me was how quickly we had heavily armed police and military forces on the ground around Parliament Hill, where the attack took place. Apparently we had these guys just waiting on standby this whole time, with nary a hint of it getting out. If Canada has that kind of response on tap like that, it’s a safe bet the US has even more. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718/35 "2015-11-23T18:24:52Z")
Update: [3 of the guns have been found.](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/11/23/homeless-man-finds-stolen-massachusetts-armory-guns-near-yankee-stadium/) A homeless man found a garbage bag containing one of the rifles, plus 2 handguns, in a park near Yankee Stadium. Also, a guy with a latino surname (Morales) has been arrested for the theft. The garbage-bag-in-the-park thing was probably a blind drop, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-an-attack-on-dc-already-underway/737718.md?page=1)