The color-coded nationwide terror alert system, adopted six months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, probably helps terrorists more than it helps make Americans secure, according to Ivan Eland, director of the Independent Institute's Center on Peace & Liberty, in his latest op-ed.

Not only do federal "orange alerts" unnecessarily startle 285 million Americans, most of whom live far from the most likely terrorist targets in major U.S. cities, in effect they tell terrorists when their activities and electronic "chatter" have been discovered by anti-terrorism officials.

"Although raising the alert level nationwide results in greater state and local protection of, for example, subway stations, shopping malls and airports, it probably wastes scarce state and local resources where the threat is not acute and gives the general citizenry everywhere no useful information about what they should do," writes Eland

"The government's advice to the public essentially boils down to 'be alert and keep shopping so the economy won't go south.' But, unfortunately, many people that are little threatened by terrorism do become fearful and curtail their normal activities -- all with consequences for the economy. Impairing the U.S.
economy through excessive fear is one of the primary goals of the terrorists."

Eland notes that Britain abandoned its formal index for the threat of Irish Republican Army bombings and that Israel, which has a much more serious terrorist problem than does the United States, does not have a formal terror threat index. He recommends that U.S. officials drop the nationwide threat alert system and return to their earlier practice of informing law enforcement and emergency mangement officials in areas that may be at greater risk.

"The country would be both safer and less fearful with a more low-key alert system, targeted to state and local agencies that specific intelligence shows to be under threat at a particular time. Instead, we have a high profile, nationwide threat index that draws a bull's eye on America, helps the terrorists achieve their goal of inducing fear and creates only the illusion that the government is protecting us."

See "The Greatest Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself" by Ivan Eland (12/31/03) http://www.independent.org/tii/news/031231Eland.html

Center on Peace & Liberty
http://www.independent.org/tii/tii_info/centerpeaceliberty.html

War on Terrorism
http://www.independent.org/tii/news/010915Terrorist.html

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