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Securing the homeland, one liberty at a time
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HomelandStupidity/~3/489231647/
Securing the homeland, one liberty at a time
It's that time again, time for outgoing government bureaucrats to make room
for fresh new faces and to say goodbye. Today, outgoing Homeland Security
secretary Michael Chertoff said goodbye to the country
in a video. http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/structure/gc_1229546768050.shtm
Of
course, the government can't seem to do anything right, and now we can add
making simple videos to that list.
"I'm here at the Freedom Center, one of the many facilities created after the Sept. 11th attacks to protect our country from terrorist threats and to
improve coordination during major disasters and emergencies," Chertoff says
to introduce himself. "In this case, threats to our aviation system."
Formerly known as the Transportation Security Operations Center
http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/inside_tsoc.shtm , it was renamed last
year to the Freedom Center. The operations center is responsible for
virtually all of the Transportation Security Administration's day to day
activities, including preventing infants and Congressmen from boarding
Planes
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/09/17/terrorist-watchlist-ridd...
-errors and responding to other threats to aviation security.
You may as well just watch the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjytPp9rnmE . I'll warn you now, it's
rather poor quality. It's not YouTube's fault; this is how it was received
from DHS. Apparently even Windows Movie Maker is beyond them.
Someone get this man a glass of water!
Chertoff says we are "far better protected
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/09/12/gao-not-much-progress-at...
d-security/ and far better equipped to deal with 21st-century threats"
than before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Of course this says
absolutely nothing about whether the American people are actually any safer,
And it can be argued
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/06/24/no-homeland-security-we-...
Afer-now/ that we are not
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/08/11/how-safe-do-you-want-to-be.
"We've completely overhauled our aviation security system," Chertoff reminds
us, as if we hadn't noticed. "Today, more than 20 layers of security protect
air travelers, from hardened cockpit doors and Federal Air Marshals to 100
percent screening of passengers and bags."
Which of those layers of security actually works? Fake boarding passes
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/10/27/fake-boarding-passes-cle...
Rt-security, guns and bombs
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/10/25/tsa-screeners-fail-most-...
Ts- real ones
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/11/25/tsa-cant-find-real-bombs...
- getting onto planes, rigged internal tests
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/11/19/san-francisco-airport-of...
cheated-on-security-testing/> , and more show that aviation security remains
as fragile as ever. Your kids could probably hijack a plane, if it ever
entered their mind.
And then there's the border
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/05/18/actors-prepare-for-borde...
ty-theater/> . Chertoff boasts about the hundreds of miles of new border
fencing, a few spots of which he welded himself as a publicity stunt, the
new surveillance technology, thousands of new Border Patrol agents, and
Hundreds of thousands deported
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/01/25/mass-deportations-a-drop...
bucket/> . Yet the border remains porous since it's easy enough to go over,
under, through - or most frequently, around - the few spots where fences
exist. And it's easy enough for at least some people to evade thousands of
Border Patrol agents, too.
Not to mention what is bound to happen when illegal immigrants build
sections of the fence
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/12/19/border-fence-company-hir...
al-immigrants/> .
"There's a transformation taking place in border towns and communities that
were once plagued by drug smuggling and overrun with illegal immigrants,"
Chertoff says. The transformation, of course, is that different border towns
and communities are now overrun with illegal immigrants. Sort of.
It seems that over the last year, fewer people have been immigrating to the
U.S. illegally. "This is a direct result of heightened security and
enforcement," according to Chertoff. According to the illegal immigrants,
it's a direct result of the U.S. economy going straight to hell. With so
many people out of work, we need those jobs to go to Americans, right?
"We've cracked down on employers who blatantly violate immigration laws,"
Chertoff says, "while giving businesses better tools, like E-Verify
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/permission-to-work-to-be...
d-from-homeland-security/> , to maintain a legal workforce." After all,
those millions of people in Michigan who need a job are going to travel
halfway across the country to work in a meat packing plant, right? Somehow I
don't think that's going to happen.
Of course, to ensure the workforce is legal, the workforce has to be
Identified. "We've implemented new standards
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/03/01/dhs-issues-real-id-draft...
Ions/> for secure driver's licenses
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/03/22/dhs-real-id-protects-you...
y-we-promise/> across the United States to prevent the use of fraudulent or
Stolen documents," Chertoff says. That's the much-maligned
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/05/09/dhs-youll-take-a-nationa...
-youll-like-it/> REAL ID Act.
Nobody is required by law to have an ID in this country. Unless they want to
do things like open a bank account, or get a job, or travel. It's a
distinction without a difference, since virtually everyone is thereby forced
to carry their papers just to live from day to day, and in most
circumstances, forced to show them on demand. And the requirement to show
Your ID at the airport doesn't even make you any safer
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/08/26/why-do-you-need-an-id/>; .
Chertoff even admitted as much.
Chertoff goes on to mention new regulations on chemical facilities and
transportation of chemicals by rail, as well as deployment of "early-warning
surveillance systems to 30 major metropolitan areas under our BioWatch
program" to warn of a biological attack. In 2005, those sensors went off in
Washington, D.C.
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/10/20/bioterrorist-attack-in-w...
n-dc/> , right in the middle of an anti-war protest. It appears to have been
a malfunction.
"Finally," Chertoff saves the best for last, "we've integrated lessons from
Hurricane Katrina
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/02/23/katrina-we-didnt-learn-a...
thing/> and other disasters to ensure the federal government is fully
prepared to support our state and local partners and the American people
During a major disaster." Chertoff says he's given FEMA more power
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/05/18/does-fema-need-more-powe...; ,
improved emergency communications somewhat, and improved coordination with
other government agencies and the private sector. It remains to be seen what
the results will be, but if you're in an area that has natural disasters, I
wouldn't place my bets on the government being there to save you. Government
Is, after all, the world's largest man-made disaster
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/06/30/government-the-man-made-...
.
Chertoff is clearly proud of what his department has accomplished over the
four years he has been at its head. He's managed to spend countless billions
of dollars creating and growing a bureaucracy the sole purpose of which is
to take Americans' essential liberties and trade them in for a false sense
Of security, all the while maintaining
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/07/01/low-morale-at-tsa-leads-...
Action-attrition/> almost
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/02/01/homeland-security-bottom...
Federal-barrel/> the lowest morale
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/05/03/congress-probes-low-mora...
of any government agency through poor - or nonexistent
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/07/14/homeland-security-manage...
itions-vacant/> - management
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/07/17/attrition-plagues-dhs-se...
agement/> .
To give credit where credit is due, Homeland Security actually has managed
to do some things right. I just can't think of what they are right now.
* * * * * * *
"The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to
live at the expense of everybody else." - Frederic Bastiat
Securing the homeland, one liberty at a time
It's that time again, time for outgoing government bureaucrats to make room
for fresh new faces and to say goodbye. Today, outgoing Homeland Security
secretary Michael Chertoff said goodbye to the country
in a video. http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/structure/gc_1229546768050.shtm
Of
course, the government can't seem to do anything right, and now we can add
making simple videos to that list.
"I'm here at the Freedom Center, one of the many facilities created after the Sept. 11th attacks to protect our country from terrorist threats and to
improve coordination during major disasters and emergencies," Chertoff says
to introduce himself. "In this case, threats to our aviation system."
Formerly known as the Transportation Security Operations Center
http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/inside_tsoc.shtm , it was renamed last
year to the Freedom Center. The operations center is responsible for
virtually all of the Transportation Security Administration's day to day
activities, including preventing infants and Congressmen from boarding
Planes
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/09/17/terrorist-watchlist-ridd...
-errors and responding to other threats to aviation security.
You may as well just watch the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjytPp9rnmE . I'll warn you now, it's
rather poor quality. It's not YouTube's fault; this is how it was received
from DHS. Apparently even Windows Movie Maker is beyond them.
Someone get this man a glass of water!
Chertoff says we are "far better protected
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/09/12/gao-not-much-progress-at...
d-security/ and far better equipped to deal with 21st-century threats"
than before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Of course this says
absolutely nothing about whether the American people are actually any safer,
And it can be argued
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/06/24/no-homeland-security-we-...
Afer-now/ that we are not
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/08/11/how-safe-do-you-want-to-be.
"We've completely overhauled our aviation security system," Chertoff reminds
us, as if we hadn't noticed. "Today, more than 20 layers of security protect
air travelers, from hardened cockpit doors and Federal Air Marshals to 100
percent screening of passengers and bags."
Which of those layers of security actually works? Fake boarding passes
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/10/27/fake-boarding-passes-cle...
Rt-security, guns and bombs
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/10/25/tsa-screeners-fail-most-...
Ts- real ones
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/11/25/tsa-cant-find-real-bombs...
- getting onto planes, rigged internal tests
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/11/19/san-francisco-airport-of...
cheated-on-security-testing/> , and more show that aviation security remains
as fragile as ever. Your kids could probably hijack a plane, if it ever
entered their mind.
And then there's the border
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/05/18/actors-prepare-for-borde...
ty-theater/> . Chertoff boasts about the hundreds of miles of new border
fencing, a few spots of which he welded himself as a publicity stunt, the
new surveillance technology, thousands of new Border Patrol agents, and
Hundreds of thousands deported
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/01/25/mass-deportations-a-drop...
bucket/> . Yet the border remains porous since it's easy enough to go over,
under, through - or most frequently, around - the few spots where fences
exist. And it's easy enough for at least some people to evade thousands of
Border Patrol agents, too.
Not to mention what is bound to happen when illegal immigrants build
sections of the fence
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/12/19/border-fence-company-hir...
al-immigrants/> .
"There's a transformation taking place in border towns and communities that
were once plagued by drug smuggling and overrun with illegal immigrants,"
Chertoff says. The transformation, of course, is that different border towns
and communities are now overrun with illegal immigrants. Sort of.
It seems that over the last year, fewer people have been immigrating to the
U.S. illegally. "This is a direct result of heightened security and
enforcement," according to Chertoff. According to the illegal immigrants,
it's a direct result of the U.S. economy going straight to hell. With so
many people out of work, we need those jobs to go to Americans, right?
"We've cracked down on employers who blatantly violate immigration laws,"
Chertoff says, "while giving businesses better tools, like E-Verify
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/permission-to-work-to-be...
d-from-homeland-security/> , to maintain a legal workforce." After all,
those millions of people in Michigan who need a job are going to travel
halfway across the country to work in a meat packing plant, right? Somehow I
don't think that's going to happen.
Of course, to ensure the workforce is legal, the workforce has to be
Identified. "We've implemented new standards
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/03/01/dhs-issues-real-id-draft...
Ions/> for secure driver's licenses
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/03/22/dhs-real-id-protects-you...
y-we-promise/> across the United States to prevent the use of fraudulent or
Stolen documents," Chertoff says. That's the much-maligned
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/05/09/dhs-youll-take-a-nationa...
-youll-like-it/> REAL ID Act.
Nobody is required by law to have an ID in this country. Unless they want to
do things like open a bank account, or get a job, or travel. It's a
distinction without a difference, since virtually everyone is thereby forced
to carry their papers just to live from day to day, and in most
circumstances, forced to show them on demand. And the requirement to show
Your ID at the airport doesn't even make you any safer
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/08/26/why-do-you-need-an-id/>; .
Chertoff even admitted as much.
Chertoff goes on to mention new regulations on chemical facilities and
transportation of chemicals by rail, as well as deployment of "early-warning
surveillance systems to 30 major metropolitan areas under our BioWatch
program" to warn of a biological attack. In 2005, those sensors went off in
Washington, D.C.
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2005/10/20/bioterrorist-attack-in-w...
n-dc/> , right in the middle of an anti-war protest. It appears to have been
a malfunction.
"Finally," Chertoff saves the best for last, "we've integrated lessons from
Hurricane Katrina
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/02/23/katrina-we-didnt-learn-a...
thing/> and other disasters to ensure the federal government is fully
prepared to support our state and local partners and the American people
During a major disaster." Chertoff says he's given FEMA more power
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/05/18/does-fema-need-more-powe...; ,
improved emergency communications somewhat, and improved coordination with
other government agencies and the private sector. It remains to be seen what
the results will be, but if you're in an area that has natural disasters, I
wouldn't place my bets on the government being there to save you. Government
Is, after all, the world's largest man-made disaster
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/06/30/government-the-man-made-...
.
Chertoff is clearly proud of what his department has accomplished over the
four years he has been at its head. He's managed to spend countless billions
of dollars creating and growing a bureaucracy the sole purpose of which is
to take Americans' essential liberties and trade them in for a false sense
Of security, all the while maintaining
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/07/01/low-morale-at-tsa-leads-...
Action-attrition/> almost
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/02/01/homeland-security-bottom...
Federal-barrel/> the lowest morale
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/05/03/congress-probes-low-mora...
of any government agency through poor - or nonexistent
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/07/14/homeland-security-manage...
itions-vacant/> - management
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/07/17/attrition-plagues-dhs-se...
agement/> .
To give credit where credit is due, Homeland Security actually has managed
to do some things right. I just can't think of what they are right now.
* * * * * * *
"The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to
live at the expense of everybody else." - Frederic Bastiat
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