Slingshot has devised an alternative to the Department of Homeland Security’s security alert system. The current system — with alerts ranging from green, to blue, to yellow, to orange, to red — is intended to frighten the public into embracing the preemptive military strikes, occupation of foreign lands, and dismantling of civil liberties necessary to enlarge the world’s vastest empire. For example, right before a major non-violent anti-war protest in New York, the DHS increased the threat level, and as a result New York City police were able to win a court case permitting them to prohibit marching at protests. Now that’s convenient — because of terrorism, the US government can prevent people from protesting wars that are going to cause more terrorism. It’s a complete logical circle, and it’s all out of our hands.
Slingshot’s proposed alert system (each day’s alert level will be posted on our website and indicated by a colored flag hanging from the window of our office) is intended to provide a more unbiased assessment of the threat and risk. In the Slingshot’s alert system, each threat level indicates the risk to our freedom and bodily integrity arising from the police, the federal government, the US armed forces, and the environmental collapse associated with an capitalist / industrial system.
Fear has been the Bush administration’s main tactic for pushing through its wars and crackdown on freedom at home. We hope to move away from fear and towards empowerment, action and resistance.
| Threat Level | Specific Risk and Actions Possible |
| Aqua | Low risk of government crackdown and US military empire. Millions in the streets raid and disarm US military bases and prevent all normal functioning of capitalist economy. Local communities smash environmentally hazardous operations. Neighborhoods organize cooperatives, autonomous structures and councils. Central police apparatus has to have a bake sale to buy gas for their single moped. |
| Lemon | Guarded risk of empire. US military functional but hampered as international community revokes all base and over-flight rights. Domestic resistance disrupts arms industry, environmental threats and propaganda machine. Flourishing independent media and popular movement. |
| Lime | Elevated risk of empire. Opposition is marginalized and isolated from ordinary life of the public. Corporations control media which ignores or manipulates incidences of dissent. Profit considered more important than people. Daily life spews greenhouse gases threatening mass extinction of species. |
| Khaki | High risk of empire. Police regularly fire “less than lethal” ammunition at non-violent crowds. All activist communications and meetings monitored. Travel restrictions imposed against anyone critical of regime. All library books reported to central government data base. Military invades multiple “rogue states” around the world. |
| Vermilion | Extreme risk of empire. FBI openly resurrects COINTELPRO tactics to sow divisions within resistance movements. Opposition groups start killing each other instead of focusing on resisting the government and capitalism. Last redwood cut. |
| Violet | Empire with no apologies. United States dissolves United Nations and converts UN building in New York to luxury hotel. Operation “French, German, Russian, British, Japanese Freedom” begins. All domestic dissent is considered terrorism and suspects are shipped to a prison colony which occupies the entire Cuban island. |
| Royal | Monarchy. Bush officially changes name to “big brother.” Chips implanted in all world subjects to relay location and activities to central computerized data base. |
| Navy | We are fucked. US military invades San Francisco Bay Area to prevent terrorism. Population assumes disguises and tries to bike to Canada to seek marriage of convenience with (hopefully) sympathetic ex-lovers. |