Almanacs Considered Harmful

[flwyd]

FBI issues alert against almanac carriers

The FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning.

...

The FBI said information typically found in almanacs that could be useful for terrorists includes profiles of cities and states and information about waterways, bridges, dams, reservoirs, tunnels, buildings and landmarks. It said this information is often accompanied by photographs and maps.

So the authorities want to take special notice if you're in New York and have information about the New York, Hudson River, Brooklyn Bridge, St. Lawrence-FDR project, good boating spots, Friends Lake, Lincoln Tunnel, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. I mean, obviously people with such information should be suspected of terrorism. Er, wait. I mean suspected of tourism.

The problem with all these terror warnings is base rate neglect. Shouldn't we also stop people with road atlases? I mean, if you were a real American, you'd know how to get from LA to Dallas.

Comments

[hattrickflyer.livejournal.com]

As an average citizen, I've had a lot more bad experiences with tourists than terrorists.

[flwyd.livejournal.com]

Tourists certainly do a lot more damage to our National Parks.

[kakos.livejournal.com]

If you accuse everyone of terrorism, you are sure to catch 100% of all terrorists.