It almost sounds like it to hear what the Anti-Terrorism czar of New Jersy to talk about it:
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Red alert? Stay home, await word

Sunday, March 16, 2003

By TOM BALDWIN
Gannett State Bureau
TRENTON

If the nation escalates to "red alert," which is the highest in the color-coded readiness against terror, you will be assumed by authorities to be the enemy if you so much as venture outside your home, the state's anti-terror czar says.

"This state is on top of it," said Sid Caspersen, New Jersey's director of the office of counter-terrorism.

Caspersen, a former FBI agent, was briefing reporters, alongside Gov. James E. McGreevey, on Thursday, when for the first time he disclosed the realities of how a red alert would shut the state down.

A red alert would also tear away virtually all personal freedoms to move about and associate.

"Red means all noncritical functions cease," Caspersen said. "Noncritical would be almost all businesses, except health-related."

A red alert means there is a severe risk of terrorist attack, according to federal guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security.

"The state will restrict transportation and access to critical locations," says the state's new brochure on dealing with terrorism.

"You must adhere to the restrictions announced by authorities and prepare to evacuate, if instructed. Stay alert for emergency messages."

Caspersen went further than the brochure. "The government agencies would run at a very low threshold," he said.

"The state police and the emergency management people would take control over the highways.

"You literally are staying home, is what happens, unless you are required to be out. No different than if you had a state of emergency with a snowstorm."

Rokenn, I think this belongs in the terrorism/war forum. Moving it now.

Red Alert means they have creditable information as to where, when, and how an Terrorist attack WILL happen.

If they know where then I don't see the need to paralyze an entire state. I think such an action does amount to martial law. I'm not sure that it could be legally enforced either.

If I were a terrorist then I definately would target New Jersey. Let it slip that you are going to blow something up and you bring the state to a standstill, causing millions of dollars of lost man hours and revenue, and you don't actually have to follow through with your "plot". The whole thing is preposterous.

I am pretty sure Martial law is for severe civil unrest. It can also be issued for one state only if needed. Martial law = under severe attack.

Despite the scorn the rest of the nation usually give NJ, there are numerous reasons for this seemingly over the top posture. There is a lot of value packed into this little state.

As the rep said. It is no more than blizzard lock downs. Threat Con Red is for iminent, credible, devistating attack. This state of emergancy would never be issued for wide spread areas or for lengthy periods of time. The reason for the seemingly over the top posture is to allow necessary personel the freedom to be able to move and react accordingly. Be they snow ploughs, or ambulances, or troops.

Don't sensationally over read into the actual situation.

sounds like Tom Baldwin has watched to many war movies ard thinks that RED ALERT meens the End is comming.
It's just another Draft dodger running for cover.
10 years ago southern California had Martial Law declaired for 7 days just after a pair of 6.8 Earth Quakes came close to flatining the San Feranado Valley (my home at the time), all phone, water, and electric service was off and there was no food stores open for 10 miles in all directions due to the fact that everything in them was turned upside down.all the roads in and out of the valley were closed due to land slides and freeways falling apart so the governor declared Martial Law nobody was suspose to stray from their homes after dark to allow the Police and National Guard to protect private property from looters and theives from outside the area from comming in and causing trouble. During the Daylight hours life went on like normal or as normal as we could considering our world had been turned upside down we cleaned up the neiborhoods and reopened the roads and freeways rebuilt the city and life went on.
Let me tell everyone this:
if you pannic during this time the only thing your going to hurt is yourself so just calm down and don't believe everything you here and only half of what you see and then someday you can tell your grand kids about it.