Under heavily armed guard, N Y rings in 2004 with dropping of Times Square

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Ball




Nearly 1 million revelers rang in 2004 with the dropping of the traditional New Year's Eve ball in Times Square -- a joyous, confetti-filled bash that took place under some of the tightest security ever seen.

With snipers posted on rooftops and helicopters patrolling overhead, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and guest of honor, former Iraq prisoner of war Shoshana Johnson, pressed a small globe, sending the 1,070-pound crystal ball on a 60-second drop that culminated at the stroke of midnight.

The celebration exceeded expectations, said Tanya Starkin, a 23-year-old waitress from Ireland. "It was brilliant. Everyone was so worried about everything, and now everything is good," said Starkin, fireworks lighting up the sky.

The raising of the national terrorism alert to orange, its second-highest level, prompted cities across the country to step up police patrols, plan aerial surveillance and install equipment to detect chemical, biological or radiological contamination.

"You can't let them spoil the party, right?" said Mike Riley of Huntsville, Ala., in Times Square. "Everybody in the world watches it on television, and since I was little, I wanted to be in Times Square on New Year's Eve."

More: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/12/31/national0003EST0401.DTL

[0rganism]

1. CNN whore Anderson was beaming about "Proud to be an American"

Apparently the NYers sang a rousing rendition in honor of their republican leaders and recording artists.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. We live in the Stepford Nation now.... n/t

[girl gone mad]

3. I think that was..

the tourists singing. :)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

6. Of course it was... that is all that is in Times Square

most NYers avoid it like the plague and only go there to show relatives, cause they always want to see it

[Erika]

4. Bush Depends on Paranoia

He'll go out there tomorrow and claim credit for protecting Americans from harm. People need to get real. Some Saudi fanatics took advantage of our "go along with the hijackers" and 9/11 happenned. That's all, people. These thugs were fanatics led by a greater fanatic.

[jmatthan]

8. Not paranoia but

one more Giant Step towards martial law.

With the more active presence of armed people on almost every major occasion and at every major location, the sheeple are only getting closer and closer to accepting marrtial law as their accepted way of life - well before your 2004 elections.

USA is now already half a banana republiuc and there appears to be nothing that can be done to stop it becoming a full one.

Jacob Matthan
http://www.findians.com/educated.html
Oulu, Finland

[0007]

11. Since nothing happened as far as destruction by terrorist -

junior will be hailed & honored and his polls numbers will raise. Expect junior to grown a big mustache this year and develope a deep husky voice.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING!!

[hippiechick]

13. Hmmm... yah, the US Invented New Year's Eve ....

:eyes:

Gawd these people amaze me with their idiocy.


:hippie:

[mouse7]

5. They dropped Times Square? Any injuries?

What did they drop Times Square from?

Did the drop it on Baghdad?

[Ernesto]

7. Happy Hoaxidays folks!

[mouse7]

9. Yahoo already has "Terror Feared from the Sea" on front page.

It went up right after midnight. When nothing happened at the stroke of midnight, they rolled out the next thing to be afraid of.

[SodoffBush]

10. I thought the world was a safer place w/Saddam captured

Why didn't Bloomberg send all those sharp shooters home?

[Blue Gardener]

12. Aren't the Holidays just too obvious?

Do any of us really think there is going to be a major terrorist strike on a holiday? This would not follow their pattern, they don't tend to strike when everyone's looking for them do they?

[diamond14]

14. like germany....the populace is just amazingly calm, as the heavily

armed military surrounds them for no reason at all....

and the repetition repetition repetition is getting most people real used to the continuous presence of the heavily-armed military everywhere...although, I'm still not used to it, because I remember when those heavily armed military started KILLING unarmed people during Vietnam...those heavily armed military scare me a lot....I had hoped that YOUNG people would not let this BIG step toward nazi-germany final solution happen...and IMO, there's a lot of easy, non-violent ways to do that...like...STOP SHOPPING and flying and encourage others to do same...

just having the streets, malls, airports totally EMPTY would expose shrub....as it stands now, the YOUNG citizens are CHEERING shrub, and accepting the presence of the heavily armed military....

it's all so stupid...bush* tells us that ORANGE ALERT...terrorists are going to attack us right now....but, our government is sponsoring great big street celebrations for you stupid people to come out and stand on the street.......and then people go right out and stand on the street...if terrorists start attacking, and our heavily armed military starts shooting, does it make sense for people to be standing on the streets?....brainwashed people like sheep going to the slaughter.....that was nazi-germany....

[October]

15. In Philly

On the news last night, they showed the Philly police in helicopters with special night-vision equipment. They were beaming huge spotlights onto buildings and vacant lots as they flew around the city. It was awful, and looked like some scene from Nazi Germany. They showed 4 people walking through one lot, you couldn't make out any details -- then the spotlight shone down upon them, and police cars showed up to check on who they were and what they were doing -- all of this under those bright lights.