The Vigilant Citizen & Alex Jones & Mike Towle / The Tennessean – 2011-11-10 00:27:30
http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/fema-taking-over-the-nations-airwaves-today-for-first-national-test/
(November 9, 2011) — At 2PM today [EST], FEMA will be conducting its first Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. The test will interrupt the programming of all TV stations (cable and satellite) and radio stations (regular and satellite) to broadcast a test signal.
The test will be the first instance ever that all American media channels will be broadcasting content from a single source. This is quite an event in the history of media as a single organization can single-highhandedly take over the nation’s entire mass media channels.
Mashable also reported that: “In addition to government efforts, private service provider T-Mobile issued a test warning last Saturday to thousands of their subscribers, which rang a siren noise and read ‘Presidential Alert’ with the word ‘Test’ below. The alert was part of FEMA’s Personalized Local Alert Network, which allows ‘customers who own an enabled mobile device to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area.'”
Here’s the official FEMA statement to the population:
Nationwide Test of the Emergency Alert System
As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our country and communities safe during emergencies, we’re working in partnership with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The EAS test plays a key role in ensuring the nation is prepared for any type of hazard, and that the US public can receive critical and vital information should it ever be needed.
Over the past year, our agencies have been working with the broadcast community, cable operators and programmers, and other communications service providers that participate in the Emergency Alert System; our state, local, tribal, and territorial partners; and other critical stakeholders to help inform all members of the public regarding the nationwide Emergency Alert System test.
Here are specific items we want everyone to know about the test:
• It will be conducted Wednesday, November 9 at 2:00 PM EST.
• It will be transmitted via television and radio stations within the US, including Alaska, Hawaii, the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
• Similar to local emergency alert system tests, an audio message will interrupt television and radio programming indicating: “This is a test.”
• When the test is over, regular programming will resume.
As we get close to the test, the FCC and all of our many partners are working together to spread the word to as many members of the public as possible — so people know what to expect when the test takes place, and no one is caught off guard. We’re asking everyone to join us by spreading the word to your neighbors, co-workers, friends and family — share this web page, post a message on your social media site, and feel free to embed our videos on your website or blog.
FEMA taking over the airwaves might be practical in case of a hurricane or whatnot. But there are many other potential applications of this system for FEMA. Do a little internet search on “Rex 84.”
Obama Launches Total Takeover of Media: Emergency Alert System
The Alex Jones Channel
Commentary by Mike Towle / The Tennessean
HENDERSONVILLE, TN. (November 9, 2011) — At 1 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, millions of Americans will be tuned in to what might be the most-anticipated live weekday media event since the O.J. Simpson verdict was televised live in 1995.
This special broadcast will be carried live on broadcast TV and radio, cable TV, satellite radio and television services, and wireline video providers. No, it won’t be Jerry Springer moderating jury selection for the Kim Kardashian divorce trial, nor will he be performing Kardashian’s next reality-TV sham wedding ceremony.
Today’s made-for-media blockbuster will be the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will conduct the test.
If you get bored counting down the minutes to the test, which we’ve been told will last 30 seconds (some online rumors have pegged it at 60 seconds), you can always kill time by using all those acronyms to play Scrabble or devise catchy anagrams.
The fact we are even having a national alert test can be disconcerting . Anytime the president needs to make an emergency announcement for all to hear, you know it can’t be good. Could this test be the precursor to the real deal that comes tomorrow, or next week, or some other time between now and December 2012?
If there is a meteor headed our way, or terrorist chatter is off the charts, or Iran is getting close to launching an armed missile destination unknown, then we need to know about it. Or, perhaps President Obama is preparing to make a national martial law declaration if and when banks crash and our financial system collapses, sending panicked citizens running amok into the streets, making all those Occupy occupations in comparison look like Sunday family picnics.
Reader alert: this is not an attempt at humor. So, where do you plan to be at 1 p.m. today?
Ken Weidner, Sumner County Emergency Management Agency director, advises everyone to remain calm. Please folks, no need to dial 911 this time.
“People need to be aware that it is only a test so they don’t think there is a real event going on,†Weidner said Friday.
The EAS, according to the Ready Campaign website, is “a national alert and warning system established to enable the President of the United States to address the American public during emergencies.†The nationwide test is being conducted today and at this particular time, FEMA says, because hurricane season is about over, the severe winter season has yet to start in earnest, and it will avoid rush hour while taking place during normal work hours across the United States.
Emergency alerts have been a part of American society for decades.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, our biggest national threat was perceived to be a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. Across the country, we practiced duck and cover when air raid sirens occasionally blared, warning students to crouch under their desks and then wait for the all-clear signal.
In recent decades, national warning tests have been more sanitized, limited to audio interruptions on the TV or radio and lasting about a minute or less. It’s not as simple as it sounds; past tests have revealed glitches in the system, such as some key graphics not appearing everywhere they should.
The EAS in 1997replaced the Emergency Broadcast System that had been used since 1963, using such time-worn phrases as “If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed where to tune in your area for news and official information.â€
The EAS all-digital-technology signal is the same one used by the National Weather Service to send out vital local emergency information targeted to a specific area. Many homeowners now own NWS alert radios so they can be alerted to threats such as tornadoes moving into their area.
One more time, folks, this is only a test.
Stay tuned.
General Manager/Editor Mike Towle can be contacted at 575-7122 or mtowle@mtcngroup.com.
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
