CNN reports Vas Vegas y2k crowds will be down

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

The news ticker on CNN reported that the expected crowd in Las Vegas for y2k celebrations has been reduced from 750,000 to 240,000. So much for crowd control.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), December 24, 1999

Answers

It must be working. One most effect measure of crowd control is simply this, "make sure the people understand that a large gathering could be interrupted by terrorists".

Media, which is the governments most powerful element of all it's services, hammers the public with caution after caution and, walla, the people govern themselves. Ney a shot fired by Slick Willie's strong-arms. Very effective and quite ingenious. It even worked on me this time. I'm not going out either (grin).

Ever wonder why the are pounding this message home so hard ? Saves a lot of $$$ in mobilization and emergency response resources when the media can do it for the cost of a few memos from TPTB desks. Just a thought...

-- Rob (maxovrdrv51@hotmail.com), December 24, 1999.


It is acceptable to be frightened by a small group of well armed/trained extremist terrorists who might strike at a large group of people gathered together in a public place. (PS-why an intelligent group bent on garnering maximum impact would choose to wait until the authorities are on Defcon 12 to attempt something is beyond me. Don't these guys usually strive to be effective? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to attack somewhere, sometime when we weren't expecting it?)

It is unacceptable to be frightened by a few billion computer errors/chip failures which have the potential to rip the fabric of our society to shreds and potentially kill millions.

I wonder what the odds are of either happening? Do you think the Y2K problem is probably a little more likely to affect Joe Public?

The technique is called projection and transference. Uncle Sam is making it OK for you to be afraid, but afraid of terrorism. Y2K fear is being subsumed by Terror using sophisticated Neurolinguistic Programming techniques. Several times this week, I have heard these terrorist reports referred to as Y2K Terror Threat.

Ask yourself again how likely you are to be impacted by terrorism sitting in your home on New Years?

Ask yourself how likely you are to be injured by a bomb in Times Square? According to the govt., quite likely because according to them, wave after wave of "mad Algerian terrorist cells" have swarmed through our borders. Hell, the bastards have even been using the German Post Office!

Look, I'm not saying the terrorist threat isn't real, I'm simply pointing out that you're much more likely to be injured this New Years by a Y2K problem than a terrorist bomb attack.....

You should be scared shitless like I am, but understand, the main threat is not Terror, it's Y2K.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), December 24, 1999.


Yes, Y2K failures via collapses of the JIT resupply theory, electrical grids in many regions and many others. Also, failure of our own social structure; not so much outside terrorism. The "bangers" that "just can't wait for T2L" and the likes of those rejects. Chomping at the bit to take advantage of a glitch in the social order. As was once Rome, so are we.

-- Rob (maxovrdrv51@hotmail.com), December 24, 1999.

That's not what I've heard from a co-worker:

I've a co-worker at my office who was planning to go to Las Vegas for Y2K, however, at yesterday's office party, I heard her say that she wasn't going there because although there was room on the flight, ALL of the hotels had been booked. So now she's going to Times Square for the rollover... We've never gotten along, so I've not made any mention of my concerns. To tell the truth though, I'm torn between praying for her soul and helping her pack her bags. (Guess I'd better go say a few more prayers...)

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), December 24, 1999.


I give up. What's the attraction of being in Times Square for News Years?

It's f-ing cold. You're surrounded by thousands of total strangers, some of them pickpickets, many of them drunk, with all that goes along with public drunkenness -- puking, random violence, pissing just about anywhere, etc.

You're herded about by cops, some of them on horse-back (beware the hooves of death, & watch where you step).

Grid-lock traffic means you're obliged to walk to wherever you're going.

This is fun? Really?

You could be home, safe & warm & cozy, watching that same big ball go down just like it does every damn year.

Seriously, & y2k aside, this genuinely puzzles me.

-- staying home (just@like.lastyear), December 24, 1999.



Moderation questions? read the FAQ