Encounters With Canada theme weeks?

travel to Florida

• Is there a high risk of terrorism in florida and its theme parks ? we plan to travel to florida the first two weeks of march , and plan to visit Busch Gardens and the Magic Kingdom. We have a place in St Petersburg for one week and a place in Kissimee for one week, and wonder if it is safer to stay home in Ontario Canada instead.

• Answer:

  Dear tim34-ga; Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question. As you know, today’s world is a fluid and complex environment. The international landscape tends change rapidly from day to day. One must take into consideration the seemingly impending conflicts and the possibility that certain restrictions in light of added dangers may prevent them from doing some things that peaceful global conditions would otherwise allow. Moreover, one must consider “Why” these restrictions are put into place and make their own conclusions. Having said that, there is no real way to know for certain if anyone at any particular place is at increased risk of harm due to these factors. If we knew this for certain, the threat would be addressed and the risk itself would be greatly minimized. It is only logical to assume that a certain amount of these threats are not being mentioned, while a number of others are simply not known to us. The truth of the matter is that we do not know, what we do not know, and vigilance, couple with common sense, should dictate our decisions when it comes to the welfare of our families. Let me point out a few things that we DO know that should be logical indicators that we are at increased risk in our travels: On February 7, 2000, the US Homeland Security Department released a statement, raising the American threat level from “yellow” (and elevated risk of terrorist threat) to “orange” (a high risk of terrorist threat). US Attorney General John Ashcroft said, in part: “Recent reporting indicates an increased likelihood that Al Qaida may attempt to attack Americans in the United States and/or abroad in or around the end of the Hajj, a Muslim religious period ending mid-February 2003.” US Home land Security Secretary Tom Ridge said: “We do recommend that individuals and families, in the days ahead, take some time to prepare for an emergency.” He went on to say: "Well, what should we do? What does this mean for us?…all I would say to you as a parent and a spouse is, take the time now to get informed. There are so many available sources of information that you could refer to that will give you and your family and your businesses and your schools some comfort to know that in the eventuality, with the possibility that something might happen, you have taken some precautionary measures or taken some steps to minimize the damage or perhaps to avoid it altogether.” What was noticeably absent from this threat announcement was the normal encouragement that citizens and travelers go about their business as usual without regard to any perceived threat. What he did say was this: “We are not recommending that events be canceled or travel or other plans be changed.” …However, as you may have noted in the statement above, he wasn’t quick to encourage it either as the Department normally has in the past. WHITE HOUSE http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030207-6.html Here is what an “orange threat level” represents. Please not the recommendation beside which I have placed an “X”. While the government will not advise people to stay at home during this period, presumably at the risk panicking consumers and harming the US economy, the threat level clearly states that we should reconsider the need to gather in high profile public places. ORANGE A High Condition is declared when there is a high risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the measures taken in the previous threat conditions, federal departments and agencies will consider the following protective measures: Coordinate necessary security efforts with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, National Guard or other security and armed forces; X - Take additional precautions at public events, possibly considering alternative venues or even cancellation; Prepare to execute contingency procedures, such as moving to an alternate site or dispersing the workforce; and Restrict access to a threatened facility to essential personnel only. On Feb. 6, 2003, the US State Department issued this warning (I will emphasize where necessary): “The Department of State reminds Americans that U.S. citizens and interests are at a heightened risk of terrorist attacks, including by groups with links to Al-Qaida. Terrorist actions may include, but are not limited to, suicide operations, assassinations or kidnappings. While conventional weapons such as explosive devices pose a more immediate threat in many areas overseas, terrorist use of non-conventional weapons, including chemical or biological agents must be considered a growing threat. These individuals and groups have proved that they do not distinguish between official and civilian targets. Because security and security awareness have been elevated within the United States, terrorists may target U.S. interests overseas. Private Americans should remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and exercise caution. Attacks on places of worship and schools, and the murders of private American citizens and other westerners, demonstrate that as security is increased at official U.S. facilities, terrorists and their sympathizers will seek softer targets. THESE MAY INCLUDE FACILITIES WHERE AMERICANS OR POSSIBLY OTHER FOREIGNERS ARE GENERALLY KNOWN TO CONGREGATE OR VISIT, SUCH AS RESIDENTIAL AREAS, CLUBS, RESTAURANTS, PLACES OF WORSHIP, SCHOOLS, HOTELS, OUTDOOR RECREATION EVENTS OR RESORTS AND BEACHES. Americans should increase their security awareness when they are at such locations, AVOID THEM, or switch to other locations WHERE AMERICANS IN LARGE NUMBERS GENERALLY DO NOT CONGREGATE. There is a possibility that American citizens may be targeted for kidnapping or assassination.” US STATE DEPARTMENT http://travel.state.gov/wwc1.html I suppose one might judge the safety of travel based on what is evident. We must ask ourselves, “Will there be war, and if so, when?” and “What are the potential indicators that might suggest war is imminent?” Consider this: The world has long known and predicted that if there were to be war, it would most probably take place around the end of February to mid-March because of the ideal weather conditions. One of the last stages of preparation that has yet to be implemented is the placement of troops in Turkey. Just yesterday (Feb 8) Turkey reportedly agreed to accept 38,000 allied and US soldiers. The final vote on this decision by the Turkish parliament is February 18, 2003. Logically, then, nothing will probably occur before that date. YAHOO NEWS http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=535&ncid=535&e=3&u=/ap/20030208/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_us_iraq_4 On Feb. 7, 2003, the US State Department ordered its Consular services, operating out of the Polish Consulate to close, effectively ending non-essential US diplomatic presence in Iraq. It also advised a number of foreign diplomats and their family members in the various parts of the Middle East to leave. This is a reliable indicator, indeed. US STATE DEPARTMENT http://travel.state.gov/iraq_warning.html The bottom line is this – you now know what everyone else knows and must make your own decisions. No one say for sure if certain events or venues are at more risk of dangerous activity than others, but it is only logical to assume that terrorists would select a rather high profile venue over, say, a local potato festival in Idaho. From where I sit in the US, if I had reason to doubt the prudence of visiting a threatened, high profile area in Canada, I’d likely reschedule rather than place myself at risk unnecessarily. In view of the current circumstances, I’d certainly weigh the necessity of taking any risk against the potential detriment of not taking the risk. If I didn’t stand to suffer a serious loss from rescheduling an elective travel activity that might put my family and me at risk, whether war was on the horizon or not, I would probably do so. Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any questions about my research please post a clarification request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us. Best regards; Tutuzdad-ga INFORMATION SOURCES WHITE HOUSE http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030207-6.html US STATE DEPARTMENT http://travel.state.gov/wwc1.html YAHOO NEWS http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=535&ncid=535&e=3&u=/ap/20030208/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_us_iraq_4 SEARCH STRATEGY SEARCH ENGINE USED: Google ://www.google.com SEARCH TERMS USED: SAFETY US THEME PARKS TERRORISM US THEME PARKS FOXNEWS DRUDGE REPORT NEWSDAY WHITE HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY US STATE DEPARTMENT