The more things "change", the more they stay the same: "Counter-Terror Operation" in Georgia

www.wsbtv.com...

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. -- A team of federal agents stopped tractor-trailers on Interstate 20 just west of Atlanta, inspecting each truck as it passed through a weigh station, and Channel 2 has learned its part of a counter-terrorism operation.

Channel 2's Linda Stouffer reported a flashing sign on the interstate directed the trucks to pull into a state-owned inspection station near Lee Road in Douglas County at the height of the evening commute.

Channel 2 Action News confirmed that agents from several federal agencies, including Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation, and the Transportation Security Administration were involved. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the exercise.

A TSA spokesman told Channel 2 the event is known as Visible Inter-mobile Prevention and Response, or VIPER, an operation that is conducted with local authorities as a training exercise. The TSA spokesman said the operation is not in response to a specific threat.

However, federal sources told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne the inspections are part of a counter-terrorism operation.

News Chopper 2 showed screening devices, dogs and a large drive-through bomb detection machine in use along the eastbound interstate near Lee Road.

www.myfoxatlanta.com...

So, no specific intel, no search warrants.

What's amazing is how this story played out on the local news channels. Various truck drivers who were interviewed expressed appreciation for a job well done by law enforcement and no one raised concerns for civil rights. I just wanted to puke. All I could think of was - first trucks and then cars. I'm appalled by how complacent everyone is about the whole thing.

It just strikes me as more than a coincidence that last week Obama is quoted as saying the U.S. can absorb an attack and this week there are increased concerns in the intelligence community over vague threats of a Mumbai-style attack, all preceding an election in November. Not to mention the FBI now wants back door access to encrypted communications.

It gets old. It feels like deja vu. This is not change.

I saw this on the news and had the same thoughts the OP did.

Then I began thinking about it and realized that the I-20 corridor, coming in from Alabama, has been a mess for years. Construction is a constant (or was up until last year, when I stopped driving it weekly). In fact coming into downtown Atlanta it seems that there is quite often a construction project which virtually shuts down major corridors of traffic.

Could this be conditioning to make us get used to slowing in cities and, therefore, less apt to argue with "checkpoints"?

I wonder if other cities have had their own version of these "checks"?

I drive the I-20 corridor west everyday and and had to bypass the area where search was done. Initial traffic reports indicated ALL truck traffic eastbound was being searched for unknown reasons by heavy law enforcement presence. Later radio reports identified the search as an "exercise" by "Viper Operation Teams" consisting of Air Marshal's, DHS, TSA and local law enforcement. The later reports indicated search was for drug, explosives and other contraband but was not based on any intelligence received.

Thought it very strange to have Air Marshal involvement.

When I arrived home I searched term Viper Team and found that past actions by Viper had only occurred at airports, ports, bus and train terminals - usually for bomb, IED type search but never on an inland highway as I could find.

If anyone on ATS knows of other inland actions I would be interested in hearing about it.

This mornings radio news report led in with announcer saying "initially nothing found" ending with announcer saying no contraband found. I found it odd to use word "initially" - usually indicates some later finding?

TV news showed use of hand held radiological detectors along sides of trailers, trucks were driven through portable X-ray, selected trucks were pulled off to side for more intense inspection.

To my limited knowledge the Federals involved do not have jurisdiction to halt and search trucks other than ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) inspectors and DOT inspectors tasked with regulation by congress, possibly NTSB after an accident.

My thoughts and speculation,

I am assuming in order to accomplish search the federal agencies named would have to operate under the auspices of local and state law enforcement who can legally search commercial trucking.

That being the case it is not plausible that state and local agencies would agree to do an "exercise" on a major Atlanta area interstate during the rush hour causing such chaos on the roads as occurred.

Under normal conditions a simple stall off on the shoulder in the area will cause 1-5 mile back ups depending on time and weather. This is a very heavily traveled corridor.

The drugs don't make sense because SOP is to intercept those shipments at delivery point in order to cast a wider net.

Normal explosives are not much better as a reason since it would require intelligence info that would plausibly narrow the vehicle search.

If on the other hand a roadside radiological device was tripped between Birmingham and Atlanta or actionable intelligence was received then the extreme measures would make a bit more sense.

This seems to be just short of troops on street, whats next?

I am just glad I was able to give this area a wide detour supposing there actually might be something to find other than drugs and explosives.

Wow. Great post.

Originally posted by Phoenix
That being the case it is not plausible that state and local agencies would agree to do an "exercise" on a major Atlanta area interstate during the rush hour causing such chaos on the roads as occurred.

This struck me as well. It does seem like someone had actionable intelligence that they were not disclosing or it was a total psy op to ratchet up the fear.

the new world order is here and now.
it's not a shady vague plot..it's a
systematic ongoing psy-op..
maybe its called operation get used to it.
go back to your television programming .
these matters dont concern you..
do we need to dump more corexit on you?
back to your work stations!

This struck me as well. It does seem like someone had actionable intelligence that they were not disclosing or it was a total psy op to ratchet up the fear.

Well as a psy-op it failed miserably since I'm pissed off not afraid. The whole bit stinks - give us the truth we can handle it damn it!

I think it was actionable - only thing that makes any sense whatsoever and I do not believe they were just attempting interdiction of drugs or regular explosives for one minute when the results in the area were oh so predictable by anyone with even a pea for a brain.

When missiles are lobbed into Israel do we see the population rushing off in a panic? - no, because they are informed and inured to that kind of thing.

The way our government has been playing it the past decade or longer will absolutely result in nationwide panic if ever a major incident occurs, Rather have some now when it matters less than face that problem along with results from a nuke or something similar.

Bunch of bozo's in charge! I tell ya!

reply to post by kosmicjack


Shoot that's what I see every time I drive to the city. If you live in the interior of San Diego County it is not possible to drive beyond the county line in any direction without encountering a check point with an Xray thingie. Of course the Xray is just for trucks that are directed to it. Not too many really get Xrayed. All cars and occupants however have to "pass inspection" or be directed to a secondary inspection point before they may proceed. And, yes, there are sniffing dogs although they are not there every day.

OK they are looking for illegals, contraband and terror stuff. We are really used to this now around here cause it's been in place for years and years. I think, though, that the rest of the country has no idea.

Come, good citizens, drive eye 8 or eye 5 or eye 15 or hwy 78 or hwy 94 and some others in San Diego county and see where the action is.

Any congressman/woman who starts making noises about a national ID card or bio-implants is gonna be hearing about it from tens of thousands of us down here who put up with more than our share of invasive-ness on a daily basis.

tt







Mod Note: Excessive Quoting – Please Review This Link

www.thedailymaveric... k.co.za/article/2010-09-27-as-the-new-age-enters-the-world-atul-gupta-enters-new-controversy

Later Sapa and IOL News reported that a traumatised Gupta had broken down, wept and declared “I am mentally broken” on the steps of the Randburg court. Gupta’s lawyer, Cliff Alexander, said charges against the billionaire businessman had been dropped. “He refused to be searched because they (the police) didn’t have a search warrant and there was no suspicion of anything. Mr Gupta was treated for xenophobia because they said he must go back to India,” said Alexander. Speaking to Sapa, Gupta spokesperson, Gary Naidoo of TNA Media said Gupta didn’t resist being searched and that the police were hostile. Naidoo denied earlier reports that Gupta had threatened to phone the police chief and get the officers at the scene fired.“He does not even know General Cele. He has not met him and neither has he ever spoken to him.”

This happened over the weekend. A powerful businessman pulled over in a "routine" roadblock, and searched without warrant. When he refused, on the basis that he had broken no laws nor done anything suspicious, he was arrested and charged on the spot.
The charges were dropped in court for lack of evidence.

This is happening a lot around here, globally too it seems. What the legal system doesn't take into account is how utterly horrible it is to be arrested and detained. It's a rape. And they're doing it to everyone they can get their sticky fingers on.

This is just jacked up. What if an occupant of one of the scanned vehicles is pregnant? Why can't citizens stop this? How is this not a violation of our fourth amendment rights?

blogs.forbes.com...

American Science & Engineering, a company based in Billerica, Massachusetts, has sold U.S. and foreign government agencies more than 500 backscatter x-ray scanners mounted in vans that can be driven past neighboring vehicles to see their contents, Joe Reiss, a vice president of marketing at the company told me in an interview. While the biggest buyer of AS&E’s machines over the last seven years has been the Department of Defense operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Reiss says law enforcement agencies have also deployed the vans to search for vehicle-based bombs in the U.S...

...“It’s no surprise that governments and vendors are very enthusiastic about [the vans],” says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of EPIC. “But from a privacy perspective, it’s one of the most intrusive technologies conceivable.”

AS&E’s Reiss counters privacy critics by pointing out that the ZBV scans don’t capture nearly as much detail of human bodies as their airport counterparts. The company’s marketing materials say that its “primary purpose is to image vehicles and their contents,” and that “the system cannot be used to identify an individual, or the race, sex or age of the person.”

Though Reiss admits that the systems “to a large degree will penetrate clothing,” he points to the lack of features in images of humans like the one shown at right, far less detail than is obtained from the airport scans. “From a privacy standpoint, I’m hard-pressed to see what the concern or objection could be,” he says.

But EPIC’s Rotenberg says that the scans, like those in the airport, potentially violate the fourth amendment. “Without a warrant, the government doesn’t have a right to peer beneath your clothes without probable cause,” he says. Even airport scans are typically used only as a secondary security measure, he points out. “If the scans can only be used in exceptional cases in airports, the idea that they can be used routinely on city streets is a very hard argument to make.”

Here's a nice little piece of Orwellian propaganda:



www.technewsdaily.com...

I know www.whatdoesitmean.com is considered by many as mis/disinformation, but I check it out and then search for other articles supporting or debunking what they say. This morning the top article on their site was: US In Panic Over Nuclear Bomb Smuggled from Mexico. I am sorry, but I do not know how to post the article here, but it is interesting and may actually explain the I-20 searches by the new x-ray vans. If anyone finds out any conclusive reports, please post them. I am still searching.

Originally posted by Phoenix
I drive the I-20 corridor west everyday and and had to bypass the area where search was done.

Suspicious behavior. It is obvious that you are a terrorist.

reply to post by kosmicjack


Im glad someone ells caught this besides me I had to sit threw round 2 of this

I sat in the weight station for 45 mins. this morning for them to check out my new tractor I hauled from Oxford Al. I asked a paulding county sheriff what the deal was. He told me just routine checks and he asked me were I was going I told him home he looked funny at me and asked me to step out I asked on what grounds he replayed to search your truck. I asked for what? he replayed guns and drugs I told him I had a gun in the truck a Hi point 995 he put his hands on his side arm and freaked out when I smiled at him. It was a tense few mins. when the TSA came a running but turned out all right cheeked my ID an ran that big ass scanner over my tractor. I didnt wind up in no FEMA death camp but there is always next week

.Round 2