Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector- http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=art icle&sid=771&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&POSTNUKESID=75b1eb951a6815821231643 8c97fe99d Homeland Insecurity Bush's rigid ideology and lack of leadership threatens homeland security. by Gerald S. RellickThe Department of Homeland Security had a strange beginning. The formation of a centralized counterterrorism agency was formally proposed in the Senate by Joe Lieberman in October 2001, one month after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Lieberman had been a longtime advocate of intelligence reform, and the terrorist attacks reinforced for him and others the shortcomings of the country's counterterrorism efforts. Structural and cultural flaws within the different agencies had long been a matter of concern. For example, the CIA is forbidden by law from engaging in domestic intelligence; and the FBI, which has traditionally focused on criminal investigations, had developed little expertise in domestic counterterrorism, an activity that requires coordination with foreign intelligence sources. The formation of the Department of Homeland Security was strongly opposed by President Bush and also by its current director, Tom Ridge. Bush's opposition to the agency persisted for eight months until June 2002 when the administration, under pressure from Democrats and Republicans, relented and put forth its own plan, which turned out to be only slightly different from the Lieberman plan. In the summer of 2003, the Progressive Policy Institute issued a report evaluating the Bush administration's homeland preparedness. Titled America at Risk: A Homeland Security Report Card, it evaluated seven major categories and 28 subcategories of the Department's homeland security policy. Its conclusions were disheartening. Although George Bush was unenthusiastic about the agency itself, it was fair to expect the president to live up to his pledge to make homeland security his number one priority. The report concluded, however: The Bush administration has been oddly lethargic in fortifying our defenses at home. Instead of leading the charge to revamp our domestic security agencies, for example, it consistently dragged its feet and brought up the rear. Instead of sparing no expense to make Americans safer, it cut taxes and begrudged our police, firefighters and other front-line defenders the resources they need to secure the home front. Instead of setting strategic priorities for homeland security, it advised Americans to stock up on duct tape and set up a color-coded alert system that has only spread alarm and confusion. The Progressive Policy Institute's Homeland Security Report Card for the Bush Administration in seven major categories, along with a final, overall grade (with possible letter grades from A to F), is as follows: 1. Improving Intelligence Gathering and Analysis: D 2. Improving Security at the State and Local Level: D- 3. Controlling the National Borders: D 4. Protecting Critical Facilities: D+ 5. Protecting Against Bioterror Attacks: C 6. Defending Civil Liberties and Privacy: C- 7. Managing the Improvement of Homeland Security: D+ OVERALL GRADE: D What comes across most strikingly in this report is that the administration' s failures in handling homeland security are not due simply to bad management--although there is plenty of that to go around in Tom Ridge and his staff. More significantly, the Bush team is faced with systemic problems that have deep ideological roots. The report states, "Bush and his advisers find themselves ideologically constrained in fighting terror at home." These constraints turn out to be part of the same set of ideological fixations that have misdirected Bush in other policy areas--the war in Iraq, tax-cuts that favor the rich, a loosening of environmental standards, and a restriction on stem cell research. Two examples are illustrative. First, the Bush administration's strict adherence to the twin conservative principles of reducing the size of government and slashing taxes has left many critical programs and areas seriously underfunded. The corollary to reducing government is to devolve federal functions to the state and local levels. But national security is the clear constitutional responsibility of the federal government, and the states, already badly cash-strapped and unable to run deficits like the federal government, are being asked unfairly to carry the burden of homeland security. Second, the administration's antigovernment stance has led it to reject comprehensive overhauls of the personal identification system and to oppose instituting a student visa tracking system as part of its obligation to "Control the National Borders." As one example of underfunding technology that is deemed critical to homeland security, consider the story reported recently by none other than Walter Cronkite. It captures well the Bush administration's shortcomings on homeland security: Coast Guard Foundering as Funds Run Dry. The Coast Guard is seeking to put in place new technology that would help keep track of ships heading for American ports. Transponders, similar to those used in commercial aircraft, placed on the ships would identify them and their cargoes en route. This would keep the Coast Guard constantly advised of ship locations and movements and allow time to intercept any suspect vessels. The Coast Guard's job even before 9/11 was daunting enough, with responsibility for security of 360 ports and 95,000 miles of navigable waterways and the monitoring of about 20,000 oceangoing vessels. The cost of installing this new system in only a dozen of the nation's busiest ports is estimated to be from $60 to $120 million. But Congress, forced into belt-tightening due in large part to the Iraq war and the Bush tax cuts, has only appropriated $40 million. Consider what a small cost this is in light of Bush's $1.65 trillion tax cut. But the story doesn't end there. In 1998 the Federal Communications Commission sold a portion of radio frequency bandwidth to a company, MariTEL, for $6.8 million. The Coast Guard says that it now needs at least a portion of that frequency for its new transponder system. But MariTEL, seeing an easy profit in a time of national need, has informed the Coast Guard that it can purchase back that key slice of frequency for a mere $20 million. But the Coast Guard doesn't have the money. As Cronkite writes, "Now you might think such a problem would be settled easily with a little good will and a touch of patriotism. But that's not the way the world works today." The issue now is being reviewed by the FCC, which could revoke the sale. But in the meantime, to add insult to injury, MariTEL is suing the Coast Guard for, as Cronkite puts it, "telling everyone we're crooks." Cronkite is right; the world works differently than it once did. Can anyone imagine in a time of real presidential leadership--that of FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan--a private company having the nerve, the disrespect, to sue the Coast Guard--for punitive damages no less--in a time of national emergency? Only in BushWorld. In the final analysis, George Bush's failure to deal adequately with homeland security reflects the same narrow ideological rigidity, the complete disregard for the opinions of others outside his ideological caste, the same sheer arrogance, which has characterized George Bush from the beginning. The Bush administration is all about "staying on message" and "staying the course," no matter what. It's about politics as policy and not about responsible governance. There is always the sharp and unglancing eye on the narrow and shaky constituency that holds George Bush's political life together--corporate America with its ethics of greed, and the religious right, which has no valid ethics to speak of, but is rather a mishmash of misguided and twisted beliefs about how the world works. History teaches that incompetence begets incompetence. If America is fortunate enough to deter or intercept a terror attack, it will be because of the vigilance, determination and skill of the men and women on the front lines--patrolling the streets, airports, and waterfronts--and not from anything that comes out of Washington's ugly stew, and most certainly not from the Bush White House. Gerald S. Rellick, Ph.D., worked in the military space sector of the aerospace industry. He now teaches in the California Community College system. You can email Gerald at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Posted Thursday, June 10, 2004 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70 http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -__ ___ _ ___ __ ___ _ _ _ __ /-_|-0-\-V-/-\|-|-__|-|-|-/-_| \_-\--_/\-/|-\\-|-_||-V-V-\_-\ |__/_|--//-|_|\_|___|\_A_/|__/ SPY NEWS is OSINT newsletter and discussion list associated to Mario's Cyberspace Station - The Global Intelligence News Portal http://mprofaca.cro.net ######## CAUTION! ######### Since you are receiving and reading documents, news stories, comments and opinions not only from so called (or self-proclaimed) "reliable sources", but also a lot of possible misinformation collected by Spy News moderator and subscribers and posted to Spy News for OSINT purposes - it should be a serious reason (particularly to journalists and web publishers) to think twice before using it for their story writing, further publishing or forwarding throughout Cyberspace. To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE: This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Spy News is making it available without profit to SPY NEWS eGroup members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------------------------------- SPY NEWS home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spynews Mario Profaca http://mprofaca.cro.net/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spynews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceâ??not soap-boxingâ??please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'â??with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâ??is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
--- End Message ---
