Be Prepared For Boardings!!!

[sharkeymarine]

Last night NY ABC Channel 7 reported that the terrorist's plans for attack on the USA homeland were to be using speed boats. They had plans to carry out an attack on the Prudential building in downtown Newark, NJ using a limo by pulling into the parking garage filled with explosives.
Other plans include speed boats in the harbor area. If I recall correctly, the UN building is on the East River...
Just what we needed to hear with the upcoming race on the Hudson which is on the weekend of Sept. 11th.

In my opinion, be prepared for boardings anywhere. Be nice to the coasties, they are only doing their job to help protect us all.

With the latest intelligence our guys got with the latest captures, I strongly feel they helped stop some of the terrorist's missions.
God Bless them!
They are doing a great job!!!

[wafi]

hm ... Sir,
maybe we ... in the old europe ... are a little bit stupid ... or something like that, but I believe that you can not stop terrorist or you should have very good luck. BUT to try really to stop terrorists you should change US imperialistic politic. Maybe first step could be to realize that you have your way of life in your country and other counties have maybe other ideas of how they want to live their life. Your way may be ok for you, but accept that other ideas of living maybe ok for other people. That would be the first and real step to fight against terrorism.

regards
Peter

[Corpus Skipper]

hm ... Sir,

BOATS!!! NOT POLITICS!!!!!!!

[dvgale]

Originally Posted by sharkeymarine

In my opinion, be prepared for boardings anywhere. Be nice to the coasties, they are only doing their job to help protect us all.

With the latest intelligence our guys got with the latest captures, I strongly feel they helped stop some of the terrorist's missions.
God Bless them!
They are doing a great job!!!

In addition to expecting and preparing for boardings it might be well to remind ourselves that the U.S. Coast Guard, through its Operation ON GUARD outreach program, has appealed to the boating community to aid in homeland security efforts by staying alert to possible terrorist activity as we go about on the waterways. This, of course, complements a similar request by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge more than two years ago to the American public in general.

I recall the annoying vagueness of the term “strange or unusual behavior” for which we were all to be on the lookout, until the Coast Guard came forth with some more specific examples.

One source mentioning such examples is the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Office in Tampa, FL, http://www.uscg.mil/d7/units/mso-tampa/onguard.html,
which cites the following “strange and unusual behavior” as possible terrorist activity (which I've extracted from the Web site):

The items to report are:
• Suspicious persons conducting unusual activities
• Suspicious persons photographing/making sketches
• Suspicious person loitering for extended periods
• Suspicious person renting watercraft
• Unknown vendors attempting to sell/deliver merchandise
• Unknown persons asking detailed questions

I believe I recall another source mentioning unusual activity aimed at boat dealers, namely, that of a buyer paying for an expensive boat with cash, seemingly in an effort to minimize or avoid paperwork that would be traceable.

Finally, I’d like to offer another possible example I picked up from reading an article about the U.S. Customs Service in and old issue of Boating magazine. During the 1980s the War on Drugs was on the marine community’s minds nearly as much as is the War on Terrorism today. This article from 1987 or ’88 or so cited how one Customs officer was tipped off to a drug run by noting a boater’s “strange, unusual” activity. A sportfishing yacht with a fisherman in the fighting chair had its lines out trolling the Gulfstream. Trouble was, he was “trolling” at 30 knots.

[wafi]

when I`m looking to the list .... one question,
is your coastguard looking for tourists or terrorists?

[Corpus Skipper]

is your coastguard looking for tourists or terrorists?

Buddy, if you ain't got anything useful to add here, why don't you find another forum for your political statements. Boats/boating anyone?

[ErikG]

Craig, in Wafis defense... you took it up. Just because your initial post mentioned it was the CG doing the boarding, doesn't make it boat related, or less political does it?

I'm just glad we don't have those issues here... yet...

[wafi]

@ErikG, it was sharkeymarine who brought up the initial post.

@Craig ... from my point of view the initial post was a political posting. I think, specially during the next months and the election of your new president, terrorism is also a part of a campaign from the one or other side to get votings. Look what happened in Spain /Madrid. (@Erik ... not so far away :-((
Whatever. I think it`s ok to discuss also political questions, why not? In the moment I`m really afraid that the daily campaign of possible terrorist attacks should only create a feeling of fear with the aim to get a strong president ....

In fact, the initial posting is a political one, that`s why I gave my statement. Your free to read or to ignore it.

regards
Peter

[mmd]

Gentlemen, if you want to see how wrong this place will go if you use it as a forum for USA/International political and anti-terrorist discussions, go visit the "Misc. Non-Boat Related" thread at www.woodenboat.com - it has become a vile, name-calling, partisan place where Americans hurl insults at each other regarding the presidential candidates and regionalities, and call non-Americans derogatory names, all under the loudly proclaimed American right to free speech. Not a pretty sight. While I believe in their and our right to free speech, the excesses of it should be tempered with civility and enforced by moderators. Our moderator here is a nice, benign fellow; please lets not make his job difficult. Please refrain from such volatile subjects here and do not allow this fine forum to devolve into the type of mess that is currently going on over at WoodenBoat.

Please.

Pretty please.

[duluthboats]

Thank you mmd,
I to would like to see this forum stay free from the type of place the WB forum has become in the name of free speech.

As for the CG they follow orders and do the best they can with what they have, so be courteous.

Gary

[Corpus Skipper]

Please refrain from such volatile subjects here and do not allow this fine forum to devolve

This is exactly why I said what I said. This wonderful site is a place to get away from all that #@%!, and I really want to keep it that way.

@Craig ... from my point of view the initial post was a political posting.

Sorry, I didn't take it that way, to me it was intended to be informative, as a "heads up", nothing politically charged in there at all. I thought your (wafi) response was unnecessary, as this is not a political forum. I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers, just wanted to express my sentiment. I'm sure we're all glad to have you here and we'd love to talk boats with you, but PLEASE.....keep it boats!

[wafi]

@Craig,
no problem to keep it on boats and let`s close this discussion.

regards
Peter