United for Peace of Pierce County, WA - We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy.

The decision by the FBI to ask for the public's help in identifying "photographs of two Middle Eastern-looking men who had been reported travelling on ferries exhibiting 'unusual behavior'" in Seattle and the decision of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to refuse to publish the photographs because "We have no confirmation that these men's behavior was anything but innocuous, and to forever taint them by associating them with terrorism under these circumstances is not consistent with our policy" has provoked a controversy that AFP called illustrative of "the post-9/11 balancing act law enforcement agencies must perform as they attempt to prevent a new terror strike in the United States."[1] -- An "inordinate interest in the operation of the shipboard systems" was supposedly shown by the men in question. -- AFP found experts willing to argue either side of the question. -- A vigorous debate continued Friday evening on the Post-Intelligencer's reader response board. -- Other media did not hesitate to publish the photographs; here's one published by KING 5 (Seattle, WA). -- In an Op-Ed published in the Post-Intelligencer, Cathy Sorbo, a Seattle comedian, wrote: "This might be a good time for some enterprising individuals to market personal float-belts and inflatable vests for water commuters. Watertight zip-bags for cell phones and laptops might be a good idea as well. We can't let a random act of terrorism ruin our hard drives, can we?"[2] ...

LOS ANGELES -- The release of a controversial FBI security alert has highlighted the post-9/11 balancing act law enforcement agencies must perform as they attempt to prevent a new terror strike in the United States, analysts say.

The alert issued by FBI agents in Seattle on Monday called for the public's help in identifying photographs of two Middle Eastern-looking men who had been reported travelling on ferries exhibiting "unusual behavior."

While the FBI release stressed the men's behavior may have been "innocuous," critics have said the alert smacked of racial profiling.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper declined to publish the photos, citing civil liberties and privacy concerns.

"We have no confirmation that these men's behavior was anything but innocuous, and to forever taint them by associating them with terrorism under these circumstances is not consistent with our policy," the paper said.

But the decision not to publish drew an angry response on the paper's online message boards, with several bloggers criticizing the daily's stance.

In a report last year, the Justice Department named the Washington State Ferry System -- which transports tens of thousands of people every day -- as the No.1 target for maritime terrorism in the U.S. along with petroleum tankers on the Gulf Coast.

The FBI's assistant special agent in charge, Dave Gomez, said the alert was deemed necessary in order to definitively rule out suspicions about the men's behavior, which "showed an inordinate interest in the operation of the shipboard systems."

"We no longer have the luxury to wait until an act of terrorism occurs before we are pro-active. That's all we're trying to do here."

However, experts were divided on whether the security alert would generate useful leads or whether it could lead to "false positives" clogging the intelligence gathering network and putting a strain on resources.

David Harris, professor of law and values at the University of Toledo, said while information provided by the public played a key role in counter-terrorism, alerts that were too general could overload the system.

"The public has to be an integral part of any operation or effort to make us safe," Harris told AFP.

"Having said that, if you put out information like this you're unlikely to get a lot that will be helpful, and you are likely to get a lot of information into the system that will be basically unhelpful.

"You know the old saying 'separating the wheat from the chaff?' Well, you're going to get a ton of chaff."

Harris, author of a 2005 book Good Cops: The Case for Preventive Policing, said the problem was that members of the public were not trained to pick up on subtle behavioral cues.

Harris cited the example of "Millennium bomber" Ahmed Ressam, who was arrested after his demeanor aroused the suspicions of customs officers as he crossed into the U.S. from Canada in 1999. Ressam was later convicted of plotting to blow up Los Angeles International Airport.

"They didn't pick him out because he looked like a Middle Easterner; they picked him out because he was behaving suspiciously vis-a-vis his car and other things," Harris said. "It's all about behavior."

Yet other experts said law enforcement agencies were in a no-win position, and were right to issue the alert.

Michael Smith, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, acknowledged that there was a possibility that the Seattle alert could lead to "unwarranted suspicion falling on all Middle Eastern-looking men."

"But that intrusion must be weighed against the alternative, which is a terror attack on a ferry," Smith said in an email to AFP.

While the alert may generate a glut of information, Smith noted that "experience has shown that somewhere in the chaff is often the key piece of information that is missing."

"In today's world, law enforcement should and will err on the side of caution," he added.

This newspaper has been spanked hard by folks for the managing editor's decision not to run the FBI's photos of two men whose behavior aboard a ferry was deemed "suspicious."

In recent weeks, the FBI has received "dozens" of tips regarding non-touristy/non-commuterish actions by ferry passengers and Wednesday, ferry service was halted by what the Washington State Patrol initially said may have been "possible remnants of an unexploded device" in a ferry restroom stall. The device turned out to be a pot pipe, probably left behind from a groggy Hempfest commuter. That would be a b-o-n-g, not a b-o-m-b.

Although the men pictured could be completely innocent of nefarious activity, that didn't stop authorities from using the FBI bulletin with the photos in their terrorism-prevention exercises several weeks ago, nor has it stopped many media outlets from running the photos.

In case you haven't yet seen these photos, we see two men on the deck of a ferry. One man looks downright blissful. The other guy looks as if he has just accidentally dumped his Blackberry into the murky waters of the Puget Sound.

In online forums regarding this story, more than one person has wondered why ferry personnel simply didn't question the men themselves. Turns out that ferry employees are instructed not to intervene with anyone exhibiting suspicious behavior. They are instead supposed to contact the WSP or federal agents with their concerns. I'm assuming that after the ferry employee snapped the photos of the two men that he or she immediately contacted the appropriate authorities. What happened after that? Why weren't these two individuals met by the WSP or FBI when the ferry docked?

And why didn't any of the "dozens" of vigilant citizens who witnessed and reported this suspicious behavior during the last few weeks take it upon themselves to approach these people and strike up a conversation with them?

I'm sure that any and all information gleaned from a casual conversation would be extremely helpful to the FBI. For a sweet fee and free ferry beer I would offer to go undercover and chat up people taking pictures of restricted areas.

While the thought of ferry sabotage is frightful indeed, we commuters need to arm ourselves with knowledge. How many ferry users out there are familiar with emergency evacuation procedures? Do you even know where the life vests are stowed? Do you know how to swim?

This might be a good time for some enterprising individuals to market personal float-belts and inflatable vests for water commuters. Watertight zip-bags for cell phones and laptops might be a good idea as well. We can't let a random act of terrorism ruin our hard drives, can we? I'm fantasizing about a pair of John Fluevog boots (F-shoe Tiff Brogue, size 7) with tiny Evinrude motors that pop out of the heels that can propel me to safety if I find myself in need.

Everyday life presents us with a multitude of choices: Bus or car? Haagen Dazs or Ben and Jerry's? Pretty underwear or comfortable underwear? Paper or plastic? The P-I chose not to publish photographs of two men who are not accused of any crime. Other media outlets may choose to do so.

Next time I ride a ferry, I will choose to sit right on top of the seat that houses the life vests.