As the hours tick away before the bombs drop on Baghdad, Americans are acclimating to life under Code Orange for the third time since September 11, 2001. But Code Orange has a darker hue to it this time around. Raised from Code Yellow’s “elevated risk” after President George W. Bush told Iraqi president Saddam Hussein he must leave the country within 48 hours or face military action, Code Orange indicates a “high risk” of assaults on the United States. To respond, the Department of Homeland Security is driving a coordinated effort, dubbed Operation Liberty Shield, under which the federal government, state governors and local officials are taking a battery of steps to protect citizens and crucial infrastructure.
Addressing the country Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said that “while Al Qaeda and those sympathetic to their cause are still the principal threat, Iraqi state agents, Iraqi surrogate groups, other regional extremist organizations and ad hoc groups or disgruntled individuals may use this time period to conduct terrorist attacks against the U.S. and our interests either here or abroad.” During last decade’s gulf war the number of terrorist attacks tripled worldwide, although all were on targets abroad.
PROTECTING DISNEYLAND
Wary that this time around terrorist reprisals are more likely to be directed at targets on American soil, Operation Liberty Shield will increase security at major U.S. ports and waterways; implement greater surveillance and monitoring along the borders; flood airports with more law-enforcement personnel and patrols; restrict flights over New York, Washington, Disneyland and other strategic locations; install National Guardsmen at selected bridges; increase security at chemical facilities, nuclear power plants and along key electrical grids; inspect imported foods and food-storage areas; monitor the Internet for signs of hacking, and increase reporting of unusual diseases and disease patterns. Many government officials, including Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., are calling it Code “Orange-Plus.”
One aspect of Operation Liberty Shield that has some groups up in arms calls for the indefinite detention of asylum-seekers from more than 30 countries that have had affiliations with Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. “We want to make sure that those who are seeking asylum, No. 1, are who you say you are,” Ridge said Tuesday. “We’re obviously not happy about this,” says Samantha Morse of Physicians for Human Rights, a constituent group of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. “It’s prompted by nationality and nothing else. It will have severe effects on health for torture survivors and other asylum-seekers,” many of whom have endured physically and emotionally traumatic events before arriving in the U.S.
In New York City–which suffered the brunt of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001–Mayor Michael Bloomberg outlined the details of “Operation Atlas” yesterday. “As we in New York City know only all too well, events halfway around the globe can turn our world here upside down,” he said at a press conference. “But if we are smart, prepared and thorough, we can minimize the chances of a terrorist attack. And I assure you this city is doing that as much as is humanly possible.” In measures that could cost the city up to $5 million a week once war begins, the city will see increased police presence in the financial district, outside key businesses, houses of worship, government buildings, hotels, bridges and tunnels. Motorists with a penchant for double parking will witness a vigorous towing program in front of missions, embassies and United Nations buildings. There will be 250 National Guard troops and additional canine teams riding subways, and frequent police grid checks for radioactive material.
In Washington, officials say that the increased security measures in the nation’s capital will not be overtly visible to the public. “We’ve had a tremendous improvement in the District of Columbia’s emergency preparedness plan which Congress deemed nonexistent in the aftermath of 9-11,” says Tony Bullock, spokesman for Washington Mayor Anthony Williams. “We didn’t have much of a plan but we did have a plan. We have taken our routine static emergency-preparedness plan, updated it and drilled on it.” He says in the intervening time, the district has received $100 million of federal funding to equip first responders with protective gear, vehicles and training. In the police’s Joint Operations Command Center, which controls a network of surveillance cameras in the district, two people from every city agency will monitor streaming video from around the city. “It’s kind of like Noah’s Ark,” says Bullock.
Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn has asked the city council for $5.9 million to buy radiation detectors and biochemical protection suits for the police and fire departments. Elsewhere in California, the 26 members of the University of California Board of Regents canceled flight plans for a regular meeting in San Francisco this week, opting instead for a teleconference. The Oakland A’s canceled their trip to Japan for a season opener against the Seattle Mariners, opting instead to play in Oakland. And California Gov. Gray Davis ordered around-the-clock watches at airports and other infrastructure sites–establishing a no-fly zone over Camp Pendleton, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and Disneyland.
But one measure being taken in California will not go unnoticed–not just by locals, but by the entire country. An annual signature scene at the Academy Awards, which turns 75 this year, will be eliminated. Oscar organizers have announced that the tradition of ogling celebrities as they arrive along the famous red carpet will banned from this year’s event.
