Way to lead by example. Wuss... By BILL SANDERSON and ED ROBINSON New York Post December 31, 2003 -- Count on one less out-of-towner at tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) offered his regrets yesterday, telling The Post that he'd avoid the Times Square crowd because it's a "tempting target" for terrorists. "I wouldn't go to Times Square. That is my opinion. It is one based on the reality that the government has declared a Code Orange," said Shays. Air safety also worries Shays - "I wouldn't be flying from Europe to the U.S. in an airplane," he said. Shays, who chairs a House subcommittee that deals with terror issues, said officials shouldn't make citizens think that, despite the heightened terror alert, they need not take precautions. "We need to be straight with people," he said. He especially ripped Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's suggestion that people go on with their normal lives. "When I heard someone say, 'There is a Code Orange, there is a high alert, but keep doing everything you are doing,' then why do you bother to tell us?" Shays said. The congressman's fears about tonight's festivities are "totally unwarranted," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "We have better security than any place in the world in Times Square on New Years Eve," Kelly said. Jennifer Falk, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bloomberg, said "it's unfortunate that a U.S. congress- man has so little confidence in the world's greatest Police Department. We look forward to accepting his apology on Jan. 1."
I say that if you're gonna go, there's no better way to go than getting blown up while partying your ass off in Times Square on New Year's Eve...
well call me a wuss, but Times Square is the last place I am going to be tonight. Helicopters, metal detectors, I don't care. something has been brewing for the last two weeks, I don't know why, but this time I believe them.
It seems to me the best place to be for New Years of you want huge crowds would be Bourbon Street. It's probably the ONLY place where you'll get a "mardi gras" like atmosphere (if you know what I mean, nudge, nudge).
Hmmm...is there anything he would do? He has a laundry list of things he wouldn't do. What's next? Ummm...guys...I seriously wouldn't go grocery shopping. romaine lettuce makes a great hiding place for weapons of mass destruction. Give me a break.
That's interesting that the good representative from Conneticut should say he wouldn't go to Time's square or Europe on New Years. Wouldn't he go to Conneticut during his Holiday?
What a freaking weenie. You've gotta take reasonable precautions, of course. But it'll be a cold day in hell before I alter my plans because of some phantom menace who has killed fewer Americans in 230 years than tobacco does in a week.
When a guy who "chairs a House subcommittee that deals with terror issues" says he wouldn't do something, maybe he has a reason for it. If he had a good reason for saying it, then perhaps he was leading by example. I know it's strange to believe that he might know more than people on this board (or even a spokeswoman for the mayor of New York), but, hey, anything is possible. I think the comment from the spokesperson for the mayor made a foolish comment: "Jennifer Falk, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bloomberg, said 'it's unfortunate that a U.S. congress- man has so little confidence in the world's greatest Police Department. We look forward to accepting his apology on Jan. 1.'" Why is being cautious a slap against the NYPD? How does that rate an apology? Besides, just because nothing happened doesn't mean the NYPD did a great job. If they actually thwarted a planned attack, that's one thing. But if no one even tried to attack, how's that a credit to the NYPD? I'm not trying to be critical of the NYPD, just this woman's reasoning. Do people who choose not to jog at midnight in Central Park owe the police an apology the next day when no one was murdered or mugged there the night before? I just don't see the point of her comment.
I'm with you you, TraJ. He took criticism for saying he wouldn't take his family to an event we know has been a terrorist target in the past...and this guy is privy to a ton of information regarding these threats. How can you blame the guy? And I agree wholeheartedly with his comments about the alert system...they tell you, "ok..we're elevating the threat level...we have significat chatter that something is going to happen in a two week window...but go about your lives...in fact, just look for guys with almanacs. oh, and be careful. whatever that means." you either tell people there's a serious threat and warn them, or you don't. the guy is cautious...again, privy to more information than the rest of us....but he's not a wuss.
I completely disagree with you, A-Train. One hundred frickin' percent. If you're gonna go, there's no better way to go than to have a heart attack in the middle of a menage a'trois with Vida Loca and Jessica Alba!
Don't you have some, no make that TOTAL, control over your tobacco intake? Furthermore, doesn't death by tobacco take years or decades to steal your life? I don't think this guy deserves to be mocked for his decision. This reminds me of JAWS when the mayor of Amity Island bullied the Chief into keeping the beaches open for Fourth of July weekend in order to line the city coffers and the merchants registers.... and the little boy got eaten as a result. This is one serious problem with capitalism.
I don't disagree with your reasoning TraJ and Max. But if there was a credible threat to Times Square on New Years Eve, why didn't they just cancel it like all those international flights as of late? If you read his quote, he says he's staying away "based on the reality that the government has declared a Code Orange", not because he's privy to information about a specific NYE threat. If there was a specific threat, tell us and cancel it. I made the "wuss" comment because I'm of the belief that if we change our lives because we're scared of being killed by a terrorist, then they've already won. Just my opinion. As far as the alert system, whose to say changing it to "orange" in and of itself hasn't thwarted plots already? See all those cancelled flights from France and Mexico. Would they have been cancelled without the "orange" alert? What if we had this system on 9/9/01?
