MAJOR NEWS - U.S. WANTS MORE SECURITY FOR AIRLINERS - READ ALL ABOUT IT AT 7:56 P.M. ET:  Some ten years after terrorists attacked the USS Cole while it was anchored in Yemen, security minds-at-work in Washington have concluded that there is a terrorist threat from...Yemen.  Now we're talking:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- All airlines flying to the United States or within the country were told Thursday to prepare for even tighter security because of the al-Qaida threat from Yemen, a law enforcement official said.

The U.S. increased the number of air marshals on international flights and pressed for more random screening at airports as intelligence officials warned that al-Qaida's branch in Yemen was continuing to plot attacks on the United States.

Boy, I'm glad they found out, aren't you?

A U.S. counterterrorism official said American intelligence agencies were intensely examining all information about threats from the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula, including potential plots and specific individuals. Counterterrorism agencies have serious concerns about al-Qaida plots emanating from Yemen, the official said.

The officials did not pinpoint any specific evidence of new plots since the Christmas Day bombing attempt by a Nigerian national on a Detroit-bound flight. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss intelligence publicly.

COMMENT:  Well, I'm certainly relieved.  Now we can go back to calling terrorist attacks "man-made disasters."  So much more civilized.  Not like BUSH (!!).

January 14, 2010