Xenophobe: Briefings from the US State Department

Following is an announcement posted on the US State Department’s website, issued April 10, 2007. Here I’ve copied it verbatim:

This Public Announcement updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and our political agenda overseas. This supersedes the Worldwide Caution dated October 11, 2006 and expires on October 9, 2007, in which time we will have likely fabricated a completely new set of threats and issue a whole new, particularly bone chilling list of threats.

The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas, though our concern stops short at taking any actual action toward reducing that threat. We think that this warning will suffice to show our concern and fulfill our duty as protector of our citizens, without requiring any action on the part of the US military or international business community to reduce the so called “damages” done the cultures now attacking us. Current information, from sources akin to those providing the previous tidbits of information that have been continually proven false, suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, regions with a substantial and necessary US military or economic presence. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics to include assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings, desperate and evil actions from a people with no respect for their right to sit under oppressive regimes with little means to redress their grievances.

Ongoing events in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East have resulted in demonstrations and associated violence in several countries. Americans are reminded, shockingly, that demonstrations and rioting can occur with little or no warning. The right of the people to peacefully get permission from, or be arbitrary barred by a large undefeatable government body, is being ignored. Many people in the Middle East have taken to the streets in desperate attempts to get control of their country, posing a risk to all those who currently possess wealth and freedom, owed in no small part to the vast superiority of our enlightened western thought.

In August 2006, British authorities arrested a significant number of extremists engaged in a plot to destroy multiple passenger aircraft flying from the United Kingdom to the United States. The September 2006 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Syria and the March 2006 bombing near the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan illustrate the continuing desire of extremists to strike American targets. And with our agenda calling for the continued creation, at breakneck pace, of American targets overseas, the attacks are likely to become easier and easier. We will continue to retaliate, but because they have no military bases, or harbors under their country in our lands, attacks on Middle East targets require we go to their land.

Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. Those private interests remain utterly innocent and apolitical, despite government sanctioned oil contracts and adequate military support for their operations. The bomb attacks targeting buses carrying foreign workers in March 2007 and December 2006 in Algeria, a series of bombings in Thailand in May and September 2006 that targeted commercial and tourist destinations in the far south, and the bombings in the Egyptian resort town of Dahab in April 2006 all illustrate how terrorists exploit vulnerabilities associated with soft targets, and are especially cruel due to their refusal to allow foreign travels a little R&R in their country. Additional examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays. Financial or economic targets of value may also be considered as possible venues; the vehicle-based suicide attack on an oil facility near Mukalla and Marib in Yemen in September 2006 and the failed attack on the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia in late February 2006 are such examples of their clear and deliberate hatred of natural resources, sanction by radical religious doctrine.

In the wake of the August 2006 plot against aircraft in London, wherein it was renewed their war against avian technology, the evidence for which you must take our word for, numerous terrorist attacks on trains in India in 2006, the July 2005 London Underground bombings, and the March 2004 train attacks in Madrid, Americans are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems. Please take precaution and avoid all environmentally-friendly and efficient modes of transportation. Avoid riding with passengers. SUVs may be hard to come by in other countries, but the British-made Range Rover remains a worldwide popularity. It is also far more comfortable than most public transit, which are often sources of too-intimate contact with people harboring a slightly less-American sense of hygiene. In addition, extremists may also select aviation and maritime services as possible targets.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance by refusing to trust most people who you encounter. What appears a friendly tour guide could in fact be an al-Qaida operative scouting for a potential kidnap victim. Be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security, including bringing your own arms where possible (see your destination country’s policy toward concealed weapons, which are often not as lenient as ours). For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at http://travel.state.gov.

U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a heightened state of alert. These facilities may temporarily close or periodically suspend public services to assess their security posture, and so that personal can easily escape potential unrest by evacuating to their summer homes on the Mediterranean. In those instances, U.S. embassies and consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens, through a toll-free hotline connecting you with a very sophisticated phone answering system. Make sure you call with plenty of time remaining on your calling card. Americans abroad are urged resist their aversion to local news and maintain contact with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Privacy on your travels is not a luxury you can afford.

As the Department continues to manufacturer misinformation on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.