The Administration wants to be seen doing something, but any real counterterrorism must of necessity be kept secret. If we warn people and nothing happens, they may be a little ticked off, but that's better than saying nothing if there's a chance something bad is going to happen. Dozens of agencies are teaming up to prevent and combat terrorism this New Year. Orbiting space satellites listen for signals and take pictures of places like Osama bin Laden's camp. Agencies look for potential turncoats within terrorist groups to get inside information, but this method is rarely successful.
Volunteers are very hard to recruit.
The U.S. coordinates with foreign intelligence agencies on the activities, whereabouts and connections of suspected terrorists. This kind of information sharing is critical in preventing terrorism. Officials check passports and other ID, question passengers and look for anyone or anything suspicious at all 301 ports of entry. Drudgery, but it's effective. Police agencies have stepped up presence in all major cities, in part to keep an eye out for terrorist activity.