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Hawaii missile alert mistake feeds doubts about a real emergency

32 Comments
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and BRIAN MELLEY

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32 Comments
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Yep. And Trumpty Dumpty was playing golf.

Which is probably a good thing.

Think. About. That.

8 ( +16 / -8 )

"THERE IS NO THREAT" is almost equally false.

There is a standing threat, just no missiles today.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Maybe the error was a good thing. Now it will give "some" people some food for thought and plan on how to handle a real threat.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Black Sabbath

What does this have to do with Trump and whether he was playing golf or not?

First...the mistake was made by an official in Hawaii. You can hardly blame Trump for that. What...he's meant to know everything, everywhere, that's going on?

Second... The man is entitled to his down-time. Just like you and everyone else are.

Just another reason...any reason, to attack Trump eh?

6 ( +14 / -8 )

Happen to be in Hawaii right now. Have a burner phone. Got the alert.

Some state employee screwed up. And ruined a beautiful aloha Saturday for us and everyone else in Hawaii.

And yet some hateful arsewipes can't help but throw shade at the President, etc. over a human mistake by a state employee in Hawaii.

Seriously, get a grip. We went through hell yesterday morning. It sucked. Had nothing to do with Trump. At all. And those that hate Trump just want to direct their hate at him.

Pathetic!!

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Agreed. It must have been very frightening for a great many people.

Can't imagine how I would have reacted. One things for sure...questions need to be asked and answered about how this "mistake" can happen?

...and make sure it NEVER happens again.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Blunder probably made KJU's day. He now knows that a/the us take him & NK's nuclear threat seriously, b/ us anti-ballistic missile system isn't infallible (human error is part of it) and c/ American ppl do get scared/panic etc if under threat (like everyone else) and aren't 'that' prepared.

Pretty good day at the office if you're KJU.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Black Sabbath's point seems to be that had Trump been doing something more important he would have seen the alert being reported and ordered a missile launch at NK... a view that I agree with. The world got lucky and we should be grateful Trump was playing golf.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

maybeperhapsyes: "What does this have to do with Trump and whether he was playing golf or not?"

Imagine if the man-child hadn't been, and had been watching TV and caught news of a missile alert (in Hawaii) before it was revealed to be false. He can't even react well to minor criticism, and often launches into Twitter tirades about false information he gets from Fox and Friends. How would the man with the launch codes react to this?

In any case, on another Trump-and-the-like front, Arpaio is saying that this launch is due to the same people who "made a false birth certificate for Obama".

2 ( +8 / -6 )

imagine if trump got a false twitter and thought, "right, game on!".

1 ( +4 / -3 )

It certainly is intriguing that the people of Hawaii were informed of a presumed missile attack, but that the President himself was left out of the loop.

Almost as if somebody at a higher level is actually in control.

Perhaps the world can relax a little, despite appearances....

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen urged Americans not to lose faith in their government.

Oh I'd say you're way too late for that sister

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

The more that tensions, ethnic divisions, and hatred are used by the POTUS, the more the chances for mistakes. We are living in terror because a madman is president. It will only get worse.

A serious event happens in Hawaii that scared a lot of Americans, and what does Trump do? He's on the golf course when it happens, and writes a Tweet soon after that does NOT even mention Hawaii, but includes the line "The Mainstream Media is crazed that We won the election!" Is this not a clear and indisputable example that Trump is NUTS? It's a year after the election, he's the President, there's a false nuclear attack warning in Hawaii, and THIS is what he has to say? My God, what is going to happen if there actually is a nuclear attack, or another 9/11?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Easy for me to say, but this seems ridiculous.  does anyone SERIOUSLY believe that L'il Kim would just lob a nuke at Hawaii?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Luckily he was not sitting in front of that big red button...

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Thunderbird 2

id hate to disagree but if you think the POTUS would launch a counter attack based on a text alert in Hawaii, you really don’t understand how it works.

There are numerous detection methods in place to verify an incoming attack.

Its not a case of “hand me the football !!”

press

boom !

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Imagine if the man-child hadn't been, and had been watching TV and caught news of a missile alert (in Hawaii) before it was revealed to be false.

It certainly is intriguing that the people of Hawaii were informed of a presumed missile attack, but that the President himself was left out of the loop.

These two comments get the idiocracy award today. There were no missles, so there was no NORAD warning.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

WakarimasenToday  05:28 pm JST

Easy for me to say, but this seems ridiculous. does anyone SERIOUSLY believe that L'il Kim would just lob a nuke at Hawaii?

That would have seemed totally unrealistic before 2017. Now that you have the Trump administration talking about "bloody nose" attacks on North Korea, it is no longer implausible that things could spiral out of control. The erroneous warning wasn't Trump's fault, but the fear it provoked certainly was.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Hawaii is a nuclear target and has been since China and Russia had nukes. Anyone there who doesn't know this is a child.

Most locations across the USA have practice warning systems for weather conditions which are used monthly, usually at noon for 5 minutes. We see TV interrupted monthly as each station tests their emergency broadcast system too. On CATV, if 1 station has a test, then every station has an interruption.

Mom had an interesting take on nuclear war - she was happier living closer to the prime targets because she didn't want to be a survivor. She saw it as a kinder way to die, being vaporized. As I get older, I find myself agreeing. Mom was smart.

Hawaians are more worried about volcanic ash/smog than missiles from enemies.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

In order to shoot missile to. Hawaii, missile has to fly. over Northeast area in Japan. But there was no splash in nearby western sea. So, I went back to sleep, but this story was all over in every news channel. How much Hawaii paid for this fake system? All I noticed was Japanese type spelled officials' names. I think Japan will not purchase this kind of system. Must be busy formulating cancellation notice.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

For every person that thought "OMG what do I do" during the false alarm please head over to ready.gov and start making your family plan now. Let's capitalize on Hawaiis bone headed mistake and get ready for the next flood/earthquake/hurricane etc.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The employee chose the wrong menu option actually. At least according to the story based on the press release from the HI Gov’s office.

Unfortunately, it makes no sense what so ever that triggering an alert is that easy (too many failsafes in place), or why it took so long to catch said error and send out correction. Law enforcement and many others must have known less than a minute after the original alert.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/14/hawaii-missile-alert-how-one-employee-pushed-the-wrong-button-and-caused-a-wave-of-panic/?utm_term=.9719df0fe966

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I suppose I'd rather have someone accidentally send a missile warning than someone accidentally not send a missile warning...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Da-kine good luck nobody suffered a heart attack !

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thunderbird2

Yes. And also that Trump is a dangerous incompetant.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Imagine if the man-child hadn't been, and had been watching TV and caught news of a missile alert (in Hawaii) before it was revealed to be false.

Fox and Friends would not be reporting anything that wasn't (relatively) old news to the US Military. As soon as the accidental warning was issued, the Military was on it like flies on 'you know what'. It was the military that sent out emails to all media outlets within minutes of the accidental alert to state that there was no missile threat to Hawaii. If a missile was launched from Korea it would be detected by satellites, its projected speed and trajectory calculated, an assessment would be made, then, and only then, would the military apprise the civilian authorities of the situation. It took Hawaii officials quite a while to figure out how to get the word out but the military knew there was no threat and if the military knew, Trump knew. And it's the military who will do any nuke launching if it comes to that.

We are living in terror because a madman is president. It will only get worse.

To paraphrase Rick James, TDS is a hell of a drug.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

papigiulio - Maybe the error was a good thing. Now it will give "some" people some food for thought and plan on how to handle a real threat.

I agree. Hawaiian officials had been testing their system as best they could under the existing circumstances,  but this accident/mistake was a true test of their system. And the system proved that there were items that needed work/correction. Unfortunate, but I believe it's better that an actual complete test of the system was finally conducted.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I see that the usual suspects are blaming Trump for an accident committed by someone in Hawaii. I guess their immediate kneejerk reaction means their training is kicking in? There was NO actual missile launch. The Hawaiian alert system employees NEVER received notification of an actual missile launch. No one had ordered that a missile-launch warning should be issued. Hawaiian officials are addressing any problems they have with their system(s). As a result of this accident, Hawaii will be better prepared in the future.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I see that the usual suspects are blaming Trump for an accident committed by someone in Hawaii.

I have read all the comments in this thread. Literally not one blamed Trump for this incident. So it seems that ‘the usual suspects’ must be off site. Not sure why you would bring up people who aren’t even here.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

In any case, on another Trump-and-the-like front, Arpaio is saying that this launch is due to the same people who "made a false birth certificate for Obama".

Well......

A serious event happens in Hawaii that scared a lot of Americans, and what does Trump do? He's on the golf course when it happens, and writes a Tweet soon after that does NOT even mention Hawaii, but includes the line "The Mainstream Media is crazed that We won the election!"

Oh, stop! James Foley was getting his head sliced off and where was your president at the time? Playing golf. This was a false alarm, no one died, just a bunch of keystone cop Liberals that don’t have a clue of anything, this was a the State level, not the national level, so whoever screwed up, let them take care of it, but I doubt the libs will do anything, that’s just how they roll.

Is this not a clear and indisputable example that Trump is NUTS?

Looking at the economy, I would say a thunderous Hell No!

It's a year after the election, he's the President, there's a false nuclear attack warning in Hawaii, and THIS is what he has to say? My God, what is going to happen if there actually is a nuclear attack, or another 9/11

What should he say? You’re fired! God, if there were only possible.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

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