There's not much point at all arguing with you, is there, Chuckspab?
One minute you're saying that the 'war' ...(which is a coalition, btw, if you remember...so how then does that explain the London bombings?? hmmm....).... is sending terrorists underground, and breaking their will etc. etc.....
...but now you are equating it to home security?
Oh...sorry. So the rest of us aren't aware of terrorism? My mistake.
By your very same logic of "Bush is a genius, because we haven't had an attack in 4 years"....
...one could just as easily argue, "Bush is a dud, since there was a ****ing massive terrorist attack while he was in office."
Quite frankly, both arguments are as silly as each other.
9/11 warnings not heeded
Members of the 9/11 commission, which gave America a plan to minimize the risk of terrorist attacks, are losing patience. And for good reason.
About 17 months after the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States issued its recommendations, the former members graded the nation's progress Monday, giving several failing grades. Now assembled as the private 9/11 Public Discourse Project, the group charges America's leaders are, at best, distracted and, at worst, leaving the door open for more attacks. Of its 41 recommendations, the group, which includes Washington's former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, issued 12 D's and five F's.The most disappointing charge the group leveled was about the U.S. Senate's complacency over the formula of how homeland-security money is allocated. As part of the USA Patriot Act, the House approved a provision that sends such funding to communities most at risk ? an approach opposed by smaller states, which want a larger share.
In fiscal year 2005, Wyoming got $27 per person, while New York got $15. Washington, a border state with international ports, where terrorist Ahmed Ressam was caught, received $7.44 per capita.
The Senate's version would change little.
In remarks Monday, the 9/11 group's chairman, Thomas H. Kean, and vice chair, Lee H. Hamilton, noted the House's more-responsible approach will not become law ? unless six senators in the House-Senate conference committee support it. So far, there are only five.
Both of Washington's senators have supported the risk-based allocation.
Although the 9/11 commission was equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, with five each, members wisely rose above partisanship. They united again Monday to call for better communication within and among agencies, a major failing on 9/11 that clearly was not resolved by the time Hurricane Katrina hit in August.
They urged reform of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and of Congress' oversight of intelligence and homeland-security issues. They reiterated the need to better secure nuclear materials.
Elected leaders' response to the report card has not been so high-minded. With contentious congressional elections less than a year away, President Bush and leaders in the Republican-controlled Congress have been defensive, and Democrats have been accusatory.
Neither response is appropriate. Better that leaders take their licks and heed the commission's warnings before another terrorist attack.
Copyright ? 2005 The Seattle Times Company
Failing Grades From 9/11 Panel
December 7, 2005
The former Sept. 11 Commission's final report makes for some scary reading. It says that after four years, billions of dollars and the revamping of the nation's intelligence system, government has failed to make Americans safe from terrorists.
Of its 41 initial recommendations, the commission gives the effort to secure America more Fs than As.
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That, as commission Chairman Thomas H. Kean so succinctly put it, is unacceptable.
Some of the basic recommendations that have not been met include coordination of fire and police communication lines. In New York on 9/11, police and fire units couldn't talk with one another. Tragic mistakes occurred.
The commission's initial report on what happened the day the World Trade Center and Pentagon were bombed with passenger jets pointed to huge information gaps that hampered rescue efforts and led to loss of lives. Similar communication flaws made rescue efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina more difficult than they needed to be.
What will it take to get Congress to heed Mr. Kean and his fellow commissioners and send help that will allow police and fire to communicate across radio spectrums? Congress should also make sure that states and municipalities put their homeland security grants to good use. Needless to say, the targets most vulnerable to attack, such as New York and Washington, should be subsidized more heavily to defend against terrorism.
Mr. Kean said the commission found that one city had spent its anti-terrorism money to air-condition its garbage trucks. A better system of accountability for the money, however it is allocated, would seem to be in order.
The war on terror may be raging abroad, but the sense of urgency that put the 9/11 Commission in business is not present at home. That must be very frustrating to the commissioners who worked diligently to analyze the events that led to the Sept. 11 disasters and came up with a plan that would lessen the likelihood of a repeat attack.
Congress and the Bush administration owe the commissioners a thank-you in the form of a promise to follow up on their good work.
One minute you're saying that the 'war' ...(which is a coalition, btw, if you remember...so how then does that explain the London bombings?? hmmm....).... is sending terrorists underground, and breaking their will etc. etc.....
...but now you are equating it to home security?
Oh...sorry. So the rest of us aren't aware of terrorism? My mistake.
By your very same logic of "Bush is a genius, because we haven't had an attack in 4 years"....
...one could just as easily argue, "Bush is a dud, since there was a ****ing massive terrorist attack while he was in office."
Quite frankly, both arguments are as silly as each other.
9/11 warnings not heeded
Members of the 9/11 commission, which gave America a plan to minimize the risk of terrorist attacks, are losing patience. And for good reason.
About 17 months after the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States issued its recommendations, the former members graded the nation's progress Monday, giving several failing grades. Now assembled as the private 9/11 Public Discourse Project, the group charges America's leaders are, at best, distracted and, at worst, leaving the door open for more attacks. Of its 41 recommendations, the group, which includes Washington's former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, issued 12 D's and five F's.The most disappointing charge the group leveled was about the U.S. Senate's complacency over the formula of how homeland-security money is allocated. As part of the USA Patriot Act, the House approved a provision that sends such funding to communities most at risk ? an approach opposed by smaller states, which want a larger share.
In fiscal year 2005, Wyoming got $27 per person, while New York got $15. Washington, a border state with international ports, where terrorist Ahmed Ressam was caught, received $7.44 per capita.
The Senate's version would change little.
In remarks Monday, the 9/11 group's chairman, Thomas H. Kean, and vice chair, Lee H. Hamilton, noted the House's more-responsible approach will not become law ? unless six senators in the House-Senate conference committee support it. So far, there are only five.
Both of Washington's senators have supported the risk-based allocation.
Although the 9/11 commission was equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, with five each, members wisely rose above partisanship. They united again Monday to call for better communication within and among agencies, a major failing on 9/11 that clearly was not resolved by the time Hurricane Katrina hit in August.
They urged reform of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and of Congress' oversight of intelligence and homeland-security issues. They reiterated the need to better secure nuclear materials.
Elected leaders' response to the report card has not been so high-minded. With contentious congressional elections less than a year away, President Bush and leaders in the Republican-controlled Congress have been defensive, and Democrats have been accusatory.
Neither response is appropriate. Better that leaders take their licks and heed the commission's warnings before another terrorist attack.
Copyright ? 2005 The Seattle Times Company
Failing Grades From 9/11 Panel
December 7, 2005
The former Sept. 11 Commission's final report makes for some scary reading. It says that after four years, billions of dollars and the revamping of the nation's intelligence system, government has failed to make Americans safe from terrorists.
Of its 41 initial recommendations, the commission gives the effort to secure America more Fs than As.
ADVERTISEMENT
That, as commission Chairman Thomas H. Kean so succinctly put it, is unacceptable.
Some of the basic recommendations that have not been met include coordination of fire and police communication lines. In New York on 9/11, police and fire units couldn't talk with one another. Tragic mistakes occurred.
The commission's initial report on what happened the day the World Trade Center and Pentagon were bombed with passenger jets pointed to huge information gaps that hampered rescue efforts and led to loss of lives. Similar communication flaws made rescue efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina more difficult than they needed to be.
What will it take to get Congress to heed Mr. Kean and his fellow commissioners and send help that will allow police and fire to communicate across radio spectrums? Congress should also make sure that states and municipalities put their homeland security grants to good use. Needless to say, the targets most vulnerable to attack, such as New York and Washington, should be subsidized more heavily to defend against terrorism.
Mr. Kean said the commission found that one city had spent its anti-terrorism money to air-condition its garbage trucks. A better system of accountability for the money, however it is allocated, would seem to be in order.
The war on terror may be raging abroad, but the sense of urgency that put the 9/11 Commission in business is not present at home. That must be very frustrating to the commissioners who worked diligently to analyze the events that led to the Sept. 11 disasters and came up with a plan that would lessen the likelihood of a repeat attack.
Congress and the Bush administration owe the commissioners a thank-you in the form of a promise to follow up on their good work.
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