Presidential Alert Allows for Government to Send out Emergency Messages

[Lathlaer]

Gosh, this is such an inconsequential thing to get worked up over I have no words. 

 

So they will send a notification, big deal. Most people will just glance at it and put their phones away, delete the message and move on with their lifes. 

 

And here bunch of people on a tech forum are arguing against it as if it were some kind of next level of oppression they are experiencing.

 

It's funny because in the thread about Linux you are discussing how the SJW are blowing things out of proportions and here you are, whining that you can't turn off a message you might never get in your life.

 

I mean, thing is barely a Tech News as it is but this discussion should soon attract an attention of a mod because it's so political it's freaking unbelievable.

[handymanshandle]

Seems like it'd be pretty useful, though NOAA is able to push mobile alerts for weather crisis. I guess for other events that the NOAA doesn't cover can be relayed through this via FEMA as a presidential alert. Also if those making political statements could shut up, that'd be greatly appreciated.

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

Seems like it'd be pretty useful, though NOAA is able to push mobile alerts for weather crisis. I guess for other events that the NOAA doesn't cover can be relayed through this via FEMA as a presidential alert. Also if those making political statements could shut up, that'd be greatly appreciated.

Agreed - it does seem incredibly useful.

 

I think some people are getting too caught up in the name of the alert system. FEMA and other organizations will no doubt have the authority to use the system in case of emergencies, without needing the president to personally sign off on the message.

 

Think large scale ecological disasters, chemical spills, train derailment (which can be all of the above), terrorist attacks (biological/chemical, etc), accidental large scale disasters (dam collapsing, power plant explosion, etc).

 

 

There are just so many good uses of a system like this.

[ARikozuM]

Can we stop talking about weather alerts? Several states already have this in place. Presidential alerts will likely be limited to alerts of national importance.

[handymanshandle]

1 minute ago, dalekphalm said:

Agreed - it does seem incredibly useful.

 

I think some people are getting too caught up in the name of the alert system. FEMA and other organizations will no doubt have the authority to use the system in case of emergencies, without needing the president to personally sign off on the message.

 

Think large scale ecological disasters, chemical spills, train derailment (which can be all of the above), terrorist attacks (biological/chemical, etc), accidental large scale disasters (dam collapsing, power plant explosion, etc).

 

 

There are just so many good uses of a system like this.

Exactly but people here are mindbogglingly annoying when it comes to anything related to the President because they don't like him or what he's doing. This aint the place to do it, if I can't get away with putting my political opinions out there. Neither should anyone else but it seems to be the case.

[dalekphalm]

Just now, pinksnowbirdie said:

Exactly but people here are mindbogglingly annoying when it comes to anything related to the President because they don't like him or what he's doing. This aint the place to do it, if I can't get away with putting my political opinions out there. Neither should anyone else but it seems to be the case.

Yeah the best thing to do is just report anyone who starts putting in their political opinions, and don't reply to that part of their post. If that was the entirety of their post, then just ignore it completely.

 

But yes, this system sounds great. Canada also introduced a national emergency system recently - though some older devices are not compatible.

[Rune]

Don't see how this is a big deal. If my city is getting nuked I'd rather find out about it as soon as possible even if it means getting 3 messages from different places.

[Lathlaer]

Ultimately this isn't whether the system is badly needed - nothing like that is badly needed if you think about it. They can use local governments, radio, TV etc. the information flow might be a bit slower perhaps but not that much slower.

 

The question is whether getting a phone notification for a nationwide event is considered such nuisance that people are so strongly against it - for me it isn't. 

 

I don't watch TV in the traditional sense (only movies and streaming services), I'm not listening to the radio and obviously I'm not always on my computer. 

 

If, say, my country was invaded somehow, I'd like to know about it immediately and not rely on people around me in a typical movie style fashion yelling "turn on the TV/Radio!". 

 

IDK if my country has it but if it had, I'd had nothing against it.

 

I really wish I had so few issues in my life that this notification was really big deal for me.

[asus killer]

6 minutes ago, Rune said:

Don't see how this is a big deal. If my city is getting nuked I'd rather find out about it as soon as possible even if it means getting 3 messages from different places.

if your city is getting nuked i think a message is not going to help much 

 

But seriously this should be a job of one entity, preferably one that manages crisis, 3 entities doing it only increases the potential for mistakes like the one in Hawai. And it's hard to see this as any presidents job.

[Shreyas1]

2 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

this is good unless someone accidentally presses the "INCOMING NUCLEAR MISSILE TAKE COVER" button

What is taking cover even going to do against a nuke. 

[HarryNyquist]

1 minute ago, Shreyas1 said:

What is taking cover even going to do against a nuke. 

Indiana Jones survived a nuke in a fridge, so you never know.

</s>

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, HarryNyquist said:

Indiana Jones survived a nuke in a fridge, so you never know.

</s>

How he managed to survive the impact of being thrown though is the really miracle 

[Drak3]

Just now, HarryNyquist said:

Indiana Jones survived a nuke in a fridge, so you never know.

</s>

Well yeah, but that was a 50's era fridge.

[Daegun]

The backlash against this seems a little ridiculous.

 

I'm actually surprised that if we've had this system for so long now, it's never been tested before. If something major happens to the country, I'd like to know about it. I don't get to watch TV or listen to the radio all day long so this would certainly reach me faster than anything else. 

[Whiskers]

Important reminder for everyone: discussing politics is against the Community Standards. Any more political discussion and this thread will be locked.

 

I understand this topic is inherently political to a large degree, but there is room for discussion which doesn't lead to a war of words between users of varying political beliefs. Keep it civil and respectful please or the thread will be locked and warnings will be sent out.

[Donut417]

Saw this on facebook though of this thread. 

 

 

[MandoPanda]

On 9/19/2018 at 1:40 AM, DrMacintosh said:

being thrown though is the really miracle

I cringe every time.

[Ryujin2003]

I think this is pretty funny. It definitely highlights the differences in which our citizens consume media. How many people watch TV or listen to a radio as compared to constantly holdinga phone in their hand?

 

And if there was a state of emergency, it's better to get a single text from some national alert center before the lines are locked with everyone making panicked phonecalls.

 

Funny to think about how technology had changed the consumption of media though.