We're failing at "homeland security."

[Mariner]

From today's New York Times.... Mariner.


December 6, 2005
9/11 Panel Issues Poor Grades for Handling of Terror

By PHILIP SHENON
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 - The members of the Sept. 11 commission gave dismal grades to the Bush administration and Congress on Monday in measuring the government's recent efforts to prevent terrorist attacks on American soil, concluding that the government deserved many more F's and D's than A's.

The commissioners awarded the grades in a privately financed "report card" that found that four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the nation remained alarmingly vulnerable to terrorist strikes, including attacks with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

"While the terrorists are learning and adopting, our government is still moving at a crawl," said Thomas H. Kean, the commission's chairman and a former Republican governor of New Jersey. "Many obvious steps that the American people assume have been completed have not been. Our leadership is distracted."

The new report by the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, a private group established by the commission's five Republicans and five Democrats when the panel formally went out of business last year, graded the government's response to the 41 recommendations made in the commission's final report 17 months ago.

There were 17 F's or D's - including an F to Congress for its failure to allocate the domestic antiterrorism budget on the basis of risk and a D for the government's effort to track down and secure nuclear material that could be used by terrorists. There was only one A - and it was an A minus - awarded for the government's efforts to stem the financing of terrorist networks.

 

[dilloduck]

From today's New York Times.... Mariner.


December 6, 2005
9/11 Panel Issues Poor Grades for Handling of Terror

By PHILIP SHENON
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 - The members of the Sept. 11 commission gave dismal grades to the Bush administration and Congress on Monday in measuring the government's recent efforts to prevent terrorist attacks on American soil, concluding that the government deserved many more F's and D's than A's.

The commissioners awarded the grades in a privately financed "report card" that found that four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the nation remained alarmingly vulnerable to terrorist strikes, including attacks with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

"While the terrorists are learning and adopting, our government is still moving at a crawl," said Thomas H. Kean, the commission's chairman and a former Republican governor of New Jersey. "Many obvious steps that the American people assume have been completed have not been. Our leadership is distracted."

The new report by the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, a private group established by the commission's five Republicans and five Democrats when the panel formally went out of business last year, graded the government's response to the 41 recommendations made in the commission's final report 17 months ago.

There were 17 F's or D's - including an F to Congress for its failure to allocate the domestic antiterrorism budget on the basis of risk and a D for the government's effort to track down and secure nuclear material that could be used by terrorists. There was only one A - and it was an A minus - awarded for the government's efforts to stem the financing of terrorist networks.

Why should we care? After we withdraw all our troops from Iraq the Islamo-fascist movement will cease and we will be in no danger.

 

[LuvRPgrl]

I have to certainly aree we are failing at homeland security. Its quite evident by the sheer massive number of terrorist attacks we have had on our soil since 9/11

 

[Mariner]

a Republican gives the administration and Congress 15 D and F grades on various areas of homeland security improvements, and a message board filled with conservatives has scarcely a comment? Editorial pages around the country picked this story up and hammered it. Personally, I think we're sitting ducks for another attack. Maybe we haven't had one because bin Laden perfectly achieved his aim, igniting Christian/Muslim global conflict and reducing moderate Muslims' regard for the U.S. If things start going the other way, here we are, sitting ducks, handing out money to well-connected inland Senators' home states while leaving NYC exposed. If NY was attacked by a dirty bomb on a container ship tomorrow, Congress and Bush would have no defense for their spending priorities, none.

Mariner.

 

[LuvRPgrl]

a Republican gives the administration and Congress 15 D and F grades on various areas of homeland security improvements, and a message board filled with conservatives has scarcely a comment? Editorial pages around the country picked this story up and hammered it. Personally, I think we're sitting ducks for another attack. Maybe we haven't had one because bin Laden perfectly achieved his aim, igniting Christian/Muslim global conflict and reducing moderate Muslims' regard for the U.S. If things start going the other way, here we are, sitting ducks, handing out money to well-connected inland Senators' home states while leaving NYC exposed. If NY was attacked by a dirty bomb on a container ship tomorrow, Congress and Bush would have no defense for their spending priorities, none.

Mariner.

You think OBL has passed up opportunities to launch a sucessful terrorist attack on US soil??

hahahhahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahahha

Damit man, now I have to clean up this coffee all over my keyboard

 

[BATMAN]

If things start going the other way, here we are, sitting ducks, handing out money to well-connected inland Senators' home states while leaving NYC exposed.

NYC has remained on high alert as far as security since 9/11 regardless of what the alert level is. I think some effort is being taken on NYC's part to reduce the exposure.

 

[Max Power]

I have to certainly aree we are failing at homeland security. Its quite evident by the sheer massive number of terrorist attacks we have had on our soil since 9/11

Homer: "Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol must be working like a charm."
Lisa: "That's specious reasoning, Dad."
Homer: "Thank you, dear."
Lisa: "By your logic I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away."
Homer: "Oh, how does it work?"
Lisa: "It doesn't work."
Homer: "Uh-huh."
Lisa: "It's just a stupid rock."
Homer: "Uh-huh."
Lisa: "But I don't see any tigers around, do you?"
Homer: "Lisa, I want to buy your rock."

 

[dilloduck]

a Republican gives the administration and Congress 15 D and F grades on various areas of homeland security improvements, and a message board filled with conservatives has scarcely a comment? Editorial pages around the country picked this story up and hammered it. Personally, I think we're sitting ducks for another attack. Maybe we haven't had one because bin Laden perfectly achieved his aim, igniting Christian/Muslim global conflict and reducing moderate Muslims' regard for the U.S. If things start going the other way, here we are, sitting ducks, handing out money to well-connected inland Senators' home states while leaving NYC exposed. If NY was attacked by a dirty bomb on a container ship tomorrow, Congress and Bush would have no defense for their spending priorities, none.

Mariner.

Everyone I know predicts that another attack is inevitable. I suppose you intend to be the first one gloating and saying " I told you so". You may have a valid point about the way priority is meted out for homeland security but is the obvious answer is spend more money on it?

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Is this the same 9/11 commission which ignored all information regarding "able danger"?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165414,00.html




WASHINGTON — The federal commission that probed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was told twice about "Able Danger," a military intelligence unit that had identified Mohamed Atta and other hijackers a year before the attacks, a congressman close to the investigation said Wednesday.

Rep. Curt Weldon (search), R-Pa., a champion of integrated intelligence-sharing among U.S. agencies, wrote to the former chairman and vice-chairman of the Sept. 11 commission late Wednesday, telling them that their staff had received two briefings on the military intelligence unit — once in October 2003 and again in July 2004.

Weldon said he was upset by suggestions earlier Wednesday by 9/11 panel members that it had been not been given critical information on Able Danger's capabilities and findings.

"The impetus for this letter is my extreme disappointment in the recent, and false, claim of the 9/11 commission staff that the commission was never given access to any information on Able Danger," Weldon wrote to former Chairman Gov. Thomas Kean (search) and Vice-Chairman Rep. Lee Hamilton (search). "The 9/11 commission staff received not one but two briefings on Able Danger from former team members, yet did not pursue the matter.

"The commission's refusal to investigate Able Danger after being notified of its existence, and its recent efforts to feign ignorance of the project while blaming others for supposedly withholding information on it, brings shame on the commissioners, and is evocative of the worst tendencies in the federal government that the commission worked to expose," Weldon added

 

[Gunny]

a Republican gives the administration and Congress 15 D and F grades on various areas of homeland security improvements, and a message board filled with conservatives has scarcely a comment? Editorial pages around the country picked this story up and hammered it. Personally, I think we're sitting ducks for another attack. Maybe we haven't had one because bin Laden perfectly achieved his aim, igniting Christian/Muslim global conflict and reducing moderate Muslims' regard for the U.S. If things start going the other way, here we are, sitting ducks, handing out money to well-connected inland Senators' home states while leaving NYC exposed. If NY was attacked by a dirty bomb on a container ship tomorrow, Congress and Bush would have no defense for their spending priorities, none.

Mariner.

The textbook example of libs wanting to have their cake and eat it too. You continually demand Bush "do something" while simultaneously maintaining that ANYTHING that may inconvenience you is "Big Brother-ism."

Shit or get off the pot. As long as we live in free society and have open borders, we will be vulnerable to attack.

So, do you want your freedoms, or do you want Daddy to protect you?

 

[Psychoblues]

The textbook example of libs wanting to have their cake and eat it too. You continually demand Bush "do something" while simultaneously maintaining that ANYTHING that may inconvenience you is "Big Brother-ism."

Shit or get off the pot. As long as we live in free society and have open borders, we will be vulnerable to attack.

So, do you want your freedoms, or do you want Daddy to protect you?

I agree, you are shitting but you ain't getting off the pot, gunnyl. Maybe some of the rest of us could enjoy and get some relief with a short time on that pot. I won't even go into your quote about having cake and eating it too, at least at this time.

Psychoblues