Sorry to bring into the group a little conspiracy theory sniper hysteria, but I just couldn't help myself. When searching under "John Allen Williams," I learned of the following National Strategy Forum article written by a Political Science Professor at the Univ. of Chicago with the same name: "Preparing for and Responding to Catastrophic Terrorism." See http://www.nationalstrategy.com/nsr/v10n1Autumn00/100103.htm
Excerpt....
"Today there are more groups and individuals than ever before who may seek to make a political statement through violence against American civilians. Central to discussion about governmental response to catastrophic terrorism are the issues of necessary legal framework, division of labor among agencies, and the potential pitfalls of a too-powerful response. "
[snip]
"John Hamre, President and CEO, Center for Strategic and International Studies and former Deputy Secretary of Defense, argued that the central issue [in a terrorist attack] is not national security; 'the real concern is preserving American democracy in the wake of a catastrophic terrorist incident.' It is of paramount importance to be prepared ahead of time: 'The greatest threat to civil liberties in this country is going to be if we do nothing to get ready. And then the only option for the President is martial law, the Insurrection Act, or-even worse-simply to suspend due process under his supreme constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief.'"
[snip]
Is the sniper trying to send the American people a message, or have I just been getting too little sleep lately? :-)
_________________________________ Steven