Posted on 02/24/2009 8:35:34 PM PST by Nachum
WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano avoids mention of the terms "terrorism" or "Sept. 11" in remarks prepared for her first congressional testimony since taking office, signaling a sharp change in tone from her predecessors.
Napolitano is the first homeland security secretary to drop the term "terror" and "vulnerability" from remarks prepared for delivery to the House Homeland Security Committee, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.
Tom Ridge, who headed the agency when it was launched in 2003, mentioned terrorism 11 times in his prepared statement at his debut before the oversight committee in 2003. And in 2005 Michael Chertoff, the second secretary, mentioned terrorism seven times, according to an AP analysis of the prepared testimonies.
Napolitano, a former Arizona governor, instead
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Mustn’t upset the regime’s Mohammadan friends.
President Obama's Fifth Week in office
WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano avoids mention of the terms "terrorism" or "Sept. 11" in remarks prepared for her first congressional testimony since taking office, signaling a sharp change in tone from her predecessors.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/24/napolitano-avoids-mentioning-terrorism-remarks-congress/
Vice President Joe Biden's Son and Brother Marketed Hedge Fund Through Stanford Company: The fund was marketed exclusively by companies controlled by Texas financier R. Allen Stanford, who is facing Securities and Exchange Commission accusations of engaging in an $8 billion fraud. The $50 million fund was jointly branded between the Bidens' Paradigm Global Advisors LLC and a Stanford Financial Group entity and was known as the Paradigm Stanford Capital Management Core Alternative Fund
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/24/report-bidens-son-brother-marketed-hedge-fund-stanford-company/
*Thomas Perez, current Labor Secretary for the State of Maryland, and former board director for Casa de Maryland, is Obama's choice to take over as the Head of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). CASA is affiliated with the National Council of La Raza. CASA has also received a two-year grant from George Soros's Open society Institute.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2009/02/perez_in_the_mix_for_immigrati.html
Among the eight members named Friday to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry and the 10 senior policy aides who will assist them in their work, two own American models. Add the Treasury Department's special adviser to the task force and the total jumps to three.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2009/02/members-of-the-presidential-task-force-on-the-auto-industry-prefer-to-drive-imports.html
Obamas Homeless Woman Is Actually Real Estate Investor
New information about Henrietta Hughes has come to light. It appears that the desperate homeless woman owns real estate she shifted into the name of her son to avoid taxes and acquire government aid. Henrietta Hughes also apparently sold real estate at a significant profit in 2005.
http://theliepolitic.com/2009/02/obamas-homeless-woman-is-actually-real-estate-investor/
The United States (Obama) plans to pledge more than $900 million to help rebuild Gaza after Israel's offensive against Hamas and strengthen the Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said on Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1066381.html
In response to the backlash against the bailout for failing home owners, triggered in part by Rick Santelli on CNN's rant on the floor of the Chicago stock exchange, Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan responded publicly; "the Obama administration's efforts to help struggling homeowners will aid "responsible" borrowers, not deadbeats or speculators."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/22/obama.housing/index.html
Obama gives his blessing to Sheik Sharif Ahmed's appointment as President in Somalia. The UIC was viewed as a terrorist organization by the Bush administration, but is viewed as moderate by the new US Obama administration.
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/02/terror-group-leader-takes-control-of.html
President Barack Obama now likes to talk at commissions" and summits after making fun of Sen. John McCain for proposing a commission to look at the economic crisis facing the country. In the "Fiscal Responsibility Summit" at the White House, the President listens "to the best and the brightest on the subject of the budget as well as the larger issues related to the economy".
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090223/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_economy
Obama Upholds Detainee Policy In Afghanistan:
The Obama administration told a federal judge military detainees in Afghanistan have no legal right to challenge their imprisonment there, embracing a key argument of former President Bushs legal team
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/washington/22bagram.html?hp
Obama appoints "The Vacuum Cleaner" to be the new US ambassador in London. Obama has been embroiled in a cronyism row after reports that he intends to make Louis Susman, one of his biggest fundraisers, the new US ambassador in London.
http://www.freerepublic.com/%5Ehttp://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/
Obama's administration attended four full days of negotiation at the "Durbin II" conference. During that time his people sat and passively watched the following: the failure to adopt a proposal to act against Holocaust denial, a new proposal to single out Israel, which will now be included in the draft without brackets, broad objections to anything having to do with sexual orientation, vigorous refusal by many states to back down on references to "Islamophobia" (the general allegation of a racist Western plot to discriminate against all Muslims), and numerous attacks on free speech.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/22/obama-israel-holocaust-durban-opinions-contributors_united_nations.html
Obama will propose a massive business tax on greenhouse gases in his FY 2010 federal budget to be presented this week.
The massive tax increase and power grab was buried at the end on article on Obama's forthcoming budget proposal in The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/us/politics/22budget.html?_r=1&ref=business
(entire list may be viewed at my profile)
So DHS is "evolving" by focusing on natural disaster relief more than the defense of our nation? God help us.
She wants to avoid anything “unpleasant” like terrorists, illegals, etc.
On the radio, one time, J.D. Hayworth said, “It’ll be nice to enter the Gov.’s office and not have to smell Aqua Velva.”
Unfortunately, now that she’s Sec’y of Homeland Sec. I feel no safer than when she was Gov.
Something had to go so she could make room for "puppies", "kittens", "butterflies" and "rainbows"...
Part of Obamas make nice policy toward the ROP. The Israelis have been trying this for decades, doesnt work.
Dialoging with animals doesnt work, never will.
Yeah right, instead she inserted “girl scout” and “thin wafer mints” wherever a controversial word should have been.
If there is no terrorism, why do we need the Department of Homeland Security?
The fundamental problem we have with so terribly many of Obama's appointments is that they engage in magical thinking. Whether that's from brain damage caused by too much drink, or childhood daliance with halucinogenic drugs I don't know, but they've definitely got it.
That Arizona desert has dozens of dangerous mushrooms and cacti ~ one does wonder about those mid-night rides into the wilderness.
Do these people not think that what is on “24” next week, is NOT possible....???
True enough "Jack Bauer" is fictional, but all of us remember 9/11 ~ I hope we remember.
It is possible Democrats DO NOT remember. Look at their VP, Joe Biden, he's had unsuccessful brain surgery three times!
Napolitano is an idiot. I’m glad that she is finally gone from Arizona. You should see the mess that the Republicans “inherited” from her regime.
Amen.
Because Democrats don’t believe in terrorism. Just ‘disaffected yutes’.
Which is why if there is to be any justice in this world, when the ‘disaffected yutes’ strike the US again, it better be in a place like Chicago.
STAR TRIBUNE.com: "FBI CHIEF: SUICIDE BOMBER INDOCTRINATED IN MINNESOTA Shirwa Ahmed, the first known suicide bomber with U.S. citizenship, apparently indoctrinated in Minnesota, FBI Director Robert Mueller said" (Last update: February 24, 2009, 11:49 am) (Read More...)
JIHAD WATCH.org (DAILY TIMES.com.pk): "TALIBAN TO BEGIN WAGING JIHAD 'IN AN ORGANIZED MANNER'" (SNIPPET: "Pamphlets call for holy war against Obama, Zardari, Karzai") (February 24, 2009) (Read More...)
FOX NEWS.com (AP): Cairo - "AT LEAST 21 HURT, 1 KILLED AFTER DEADLY BLAST IN CAIRO BAZAAR" (SNIPPET: "Initial reports said a pair of grenades were thrown, but a government statement said the attack involved a homemade bomb placed under a bench in the main plaza.") (February 22, 2009) (Read More...)
ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS.com: "NEW U.S. INTEL CHIEF: SUPPORT OF ISRAEL NOT A U.S. INTEREST" by David Lev (SNIPPET: "A flurry of reports over the weekend said that the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, considered a sharp critic of Israel, is to be named to a top intelligence post in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama.") (February 22, 2009, 1:26 am) (Read More...)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch No. 2254: "Egyptian Cleric Zaghloul Al-Naggar: The Arab World Is Ruled By the Scum of the Earth and the Garbage of All Nations; I Am 'Absolutely' Calling to Wage Jihad Against the Jews, Who Are Devils in Human Form" (February 20, 2009) (Read More...)
JIHAD WATCH.org (MIRROR.co.uk): "UK: JIHADIST MURDERER PLOTS POISON TERROR STRIKE FROM PRISON CELL" (SNIPPET: "Bourgass, 33, is already serving life for murdering a police officer.") (February 18, 2009) (Read More...)
ISRAEL NEWS AGENCY.com: Jerusalem - "FACEBOOK GROUP CREATED FOR REMOVING ENGLAND MP LORD AHMED FROM UK PARLIAMENT" by Joel Leyden (SNIPPET: "Any person, however ennobled, who threatens to bring a horde of 10,000 Muslims upon Parliament in order to stifle debate and bully it into submission is no 'moderate'. By threatening this, Lord Ahmed has shown himself to be one of the very extremists he purports to eschew, committed to the same ideology as those who seek to impose Shari'a law upon the UK and subjugate the kuffar to the will of Allah.") (February 16, 2009) (Read More...)
TERRORISM-INFO.org.il - INTELLIGENCE AND TERRORISM INFORMATION CENTER (IICC): "During Operation Cast Lead, improvised grenades probably manufactured by Hamas were found inside drug bottles. The drugs were transported to the Gaza Strip from the Ramallah region within the humanitarian aid. Legally, it undermines the protection afforded to medical supplies and humanitarian relief under the laws of armed conflict.") (February 16, 2009) (Read More...)
THE STAR.com: "WAL-MART's GLOW-IN-THE-DARK MYSTERY Retail giant can't account for 15,800 of its exit signs that contain a potentially dangerous radioactive gas" (SNIPPET: "Last month Wal-Mart disclosed that about 15,800 of its exit signs -- a stunning 20 per cent of its total inventory -- are lost, missing, or otherwise unaccounted for at 4,500 facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico.") (February 15, 2009) (Read More...)
COPENHAGEN POST.dk: "TERRORIST THREAT MAY COME FROM WITHIN" (SNIPPET: "A US report has concluded that Muslim residents in Europe who train as terrorists in Pakistan are the most likely agents of terror for the continent. Al-Qaeda is preparing for a new attack in Europe and Denmark is at the top of its list, according to the head of US National Intelligence, Dennis C. Blair.") (February 13, 2009) (Read More...)
DNI.gov - Testimonies: "ANNUAL THREAT ASSESSMENT OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FOR THE SENATE SELECT COMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE Dennis C. Blair Director of National Intelligence UNCLASSIFIED STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD" (February 12, 2009) (pdf) (Read More...)
DALLAS NEWS.com: Dallas - "DRUG CARTEL RUMORS KEEP N. TEXAS AUTHORITIES ON ALERT" (SNIPPET: "The Gulf Cartel in Mexico has now been deemed the biggest terroristic threat in the United States, including in North Texas.") (February 13, 2009, 03:07 am CST) (Read More...)
ABC NEWS.com - The Blotter: "KIDNAPPING CAPITAL OF THE U.S.A." (SNIPPET: "In what officials caution is now a dangerous and even deadly crime wave, Phoenix, Arizona has become the kidnapping capital of America, with more incidents than any other city in the world outside of Mexico City and over 370 cases last year alone.") (February 11, 2009) (Read More...)
MSNBC.msn.com (AP): Washington - "US SENATE CONFIRMS EX-CLINTON AIDE AS CIA DIRECTOR" (SNIPPET: "Panetta's nomination sailed through the chamber by a voice vote. The former Democratic congressman from California has no direct intelligence-gathering or analysis experience.") (Updated February 12, 2009, 5:34 pm PT) (Read More...)
COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "INTEL COMMITTEE CHAIR: U.S. DRONES 'FLOWN OUT OF A PAKISTANI BASE'" by James Gordon Meek (SNIPPET: "The Senate Intelligence Committee's new chairman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), raised a few eyebrows on Thursday during a hearing by bringing up the diplomatically sensitive matter of Pakistan's cooperation with U.S. missile strikes on its soil.") (February 13, 2009, 06:29 pm) (Read More...)
FreeRepublic.com - Discussion Forum (AP via YAHOO News): Washington - "69 COMPUTERS MISSING FROM NUCLEAR WEAPONS LAB" (SNIPPET: "The Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory in New Mexico is missing 69 computers, including at least a dozen that were stolen last year, a lab spokesman said.") (February 11, 2009) (Read More...)
FAA.gov - Press Release: Washington, D.C. - "FAA NOTIFIES EMPLOYEES OF PERSONAL IDENTITY BREACH" (SNIPPET: "Two of the 48 files on the breached computer server contained personal information about more than 45,000 FAA employees and retirees who were on the FAA's rolls as of the first week of February 2006.") (February 9, 2009) (Read More...)
English.VietnamNet.vn: "STATUE OF PRESIDENT HO INAUGURATED IN MEXICO" (SNIPPET: "Mexico City's Governor Marcelo Ebrard said that victories of the Vietnamese people in the past not only helped change Vietnam, but also the situation of the mankind. Like Vietnam, Mexico gained victories in struggles against French and US invaders.") (January 18, 2009, 10:37 GMT+7) (Read More...)
SUNDAY MERCURY.net: "BIRMINGHAM IS HOME TO AL QAIDA LINKED TERROR SUSPECTS" by Ben Goldby (SNIPPET: "Abd'rabbah Ghuma, 51, Abdulbaqi Mohammed Khaled, 51, and Mohammed Benhammedi, 42, also appear on a United Nation's list of Al Qaida and Taliban associates.") (February 8, 2009) (Read More...)
YNET NEWS.com: "ISRAELIS RECEIVE THREATENING EMAIL FROM HAMAS" by Erez Ronen (SNIPPET: "This is not the first time Hamas or people on its behalf use electronic means in order to threaten Israelis.") (February 7, 2009, 8:51 pm) (Read More...)
TOWNHALL.com: "WOULD YOU TURN YOUR CHEEK TO A TERRORIST?" by David R. Stokes (SNIPPET: "At a time when this country needs to be vigilant and focused on a very real enemy -- one determined to end our way of life as we know it -- Mr. Obama has blurred the issue. He is moving us away from a war mindset to something more surgical and limited. This should be no surprise to observant Americans. After all, he didn't really have much to say on the issue during his campaign. To minimize or marginalize danger is to ignore it. And to ignore danger is how to quickly become blind and vulnerable.") (February 8, 2009) (Read More...)
DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "BIDEN CALLS FOR ALLIED COOPERATION TO MEET MUTUAL CHALLENGES" (SNIPPET: "Iran has acted in ways that are not conducive to peace in the region or to the prosperity of its people. Its illicit nuclear program is but one manifestation," he said.") (February 7, 2009) (Read More...)
NEWS.com.au - HERALD SUN: "VICTORIA'S BUSHFIRE ARSONISTS HUNTED BY POLICE" (SNIPPET: "Anyone with any information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000") (Updated February 12, 2009, 9:22 pm) (Read More...)
NEWS.com.au (Australia): "BRUSHFIRES IN VICTORIA KILL 50, DEATH TOLL WILL RISE" (SNIPPET: "640 houses have been destroyed. While firebugs are being blamed for several blazes ravaging Victoria, the Country Fire Authority has confirmed that several fires are being deliberately relit by arsonists.") (February 8, 2009, 3:35 pm) (Read More...)
JIHAD WATCH.org (CNN, February 5, 2009): Washington - "YEMEN ON HIGH ALERT FOR JIHADIST ATTACK" (SNIPPET: "Over the last several weeks a growing number of al Qaeda operatives have entered Yemen from Saudi Arabia and have established a renewed network that potentially threatens U.S. and Saudi targets in the region, both U.S. and Yemeni officials have told CNN.") (February 6, 2009) (Read More...)
JIHAD WATCH.org (TELEGRAPH.co.uk): "CIA: "The British Pakistani community is recognised as probably al-Qaeda's best mechanism for launching an attack against North America"" (SNIPPET: "American spy chiefs have told the President that the CIA has launched a vast spying operation in the UK to prevent a repeat of the 9/11 attacks being launched from Britain. They believe that a British-born Pakistani extremist entering the US under the visa waiver programme is the most likely source of another terrorist spectacular on American soil.") (February 7, 2009) (Read More...)
YNET NEWS.com (REUTERS): "PAKISTANI COURT DECLARES NUCLEAR SCIENTIST FREE" (SNIPPET: "Khan, lionised by many Pakistanis as the father of the country's atomic bomb, was pardoned but placed under house arrest in 2004 by the then president, Pervez Musharraf, soon after he made a televised confession to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya.") (Published February 6, 2009, 11:34) (Read More...)
DAILY STAR.co.uk: "'We will kill MPs in their own homes'" (SNIPPET: "The plot was found on a password-protected internet message board on a site which has carried an interview with Osama bin Laden's No 2 Ayman al Zawahiri, 57. A user named Paganslayer asks what the mood is for another round of deadly attacks on the continent. There follows a warped discussion about the 7/7 London bombings, which killed 52 innocent people.") (February 5, 2009) (Read More...)
FOX NEWS.com: Seoul, South Korea - "NORTH KOREA TO 'TEST MISSILE CAPABLE OF STRIKING U.S.'" (SNIPPET: "The sinister object has been identified as a Taepodong-2, an intercontinental missile with a range of more than 4000 miles, capable of crossing the Pacific and striking targets in Hawaii or Alaska.") (February 2, 2009) (Read More...)
FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS.org: "THE SECOND GREATEST THREAT TO AMERICA" by Lee Ellis (SNIPPET: "Decapitation has also become a favorite tactic of warring drug gangs that have contended for control over smuggling routes.") (February 2, 2009) (Read More...)
LONG WAR JOURNAL.org - blog: "SAUDI ARABIA'S MOST-WANTED" by Thomas Joscelyn (SNIPPET: "But, the unclassified files created by the U.S. government at Guantanamo contain dozens of details concerning the al Qaeda network operating inside Iran. The Long War Journal reviewed the files and identified more than 50 current and former Guantanamo detainees who had some association with Iran. Most of these transited al Qaeda's facilitation points in eastern Iran. In addition to Tehran, the eastern Iranian cities of Mashhad, Zahedan and Tayyebat were regularly identified as al Qaeda transit points in the unclassified Guantanamo files.") (February 4, 2009, 7:00 am)
YNET NEWS.com (REUTERS): "SAUDI ISSUES WANTED LIST OF 83 MILITANTS OVERSEAS" (SNIPPET: "Saudi television read the names and showed photographs of the wanted men, all Saudis except for two Yemenis, who it said had "adopted the straying ideology", a reference to al-Qaeda. The announcement followed a move last month by al-Qaeda's wing in neighbouring Yemen to name two Saudis released from the US military prison camp in Guantanamo as commanders.") (Published February 2, 2009, 23:36) (Read More...)
NYPOST.com: "OBAMA: SURE, GITMO DETAINEES COULD ATTACK US" (SNIPPET: ""Can we guarantee that they're not going to try to participate in another attack? No," Obama said in an NBC interview that aired today. "But what I can guarantee is that if we don't uphold our Constitution and our values, that over time that will make us less safe. And that will be a recruitment tool for organizations like al-Qaeda."") (Posted February 2, 2009) (Read More...)
She is the intellectual sister of Blanko of Louisiana.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/testimony/testimony_1235577134817.shtm
Testimony of Secretary Janet Napolitano before the House Committee on Homeland Security on DHS, The Path Forward
Release Date: February 25, 2009
Cannon House Office Building
(Remarks as Prepared)
Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King, and members of the Committee: I am pleased to appear before the Committee for the first time as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and I thank you for this opportunity to discuss how DHS will work in the future to keep Americans safe.
At its core, I believe DHS has a straightforward mission: to protect the American people from threats both foreign and domestic, both natural and manmade to do all that we can to prevent threats from materializing, respond to them if they do, and recover with resiliency. Government does nothing more fundamental than protecting its citizens. But the execution of this mission can be very complex.
In a little more than a month as Secretary, I have found a Department facing a number of challenges, many of which have been documented by the Committee. But I have also found a Department filled with committed public servants. DHS faces the challenges of a young Department, but this youth is also an advantage in undertaking the changes needed to best achieve the DHS mission. My message to you today is that I am confident that DHS with the support and participation of Congress can make those changes, meet those challenges, and move down the path forward to build a more secure Nation.
Action Directives
Improving a Department as large and new as DHS requires a broad look at the current state of its programs. As you know, the DHS portfolio is extremely diverse. During my short term as Secretary, DHS has helped respond to ice storms in the Midwest, rescued ice fishermen on Lake Erie, helped secure the Super Bowl, and even assisted in capturing pirates off the coast of Somalia all since January 21.
In undertaking the leadership of the Department, I am setting priorities that will be important to me as Secretary. We need to hold people accountable, uphold professionalism across DHS, and act wisely with taxpayer money. We have to dedicate ourselves to doing what works, and frequently reassess the Department to make sure that we are responding to threats as best as possible and making the kind of progress that Americans expect and deserve. I promise to lead the Department in a way that focuses intently on achieving results that make Americans safer. To me, the process of producing results begins with a prompt assessment of the state of DHSs programs.
We are performing that kind of review right now. In the several weeks after I took office as Secretary, I issued a series of action directives to assess the current functions of the Department and help target areas for improvement. As part of this process, the different components of DHS are reporting on their current operations and detailing ways that we could improve programs in the future.
The Committee and I have similar views of the Nation’s homeland security needs. I have reviewed the Committee’s eight platform points*, and the action directives I issued address all of those areas. I agree with the need to prioritize each of the areas the Committee listed, and I see the action directives as the start of a process by which the work of DHS and the Committee will improve them.
The action directives required DHS components to report back to me in a short timeframe, and I want to update the Committee on the status of the directives:
Efficiency Review Last week, I issued an action directive calling for an Efficiency Review across DHS. In a young Department that combines many processes previously scattered across the federal government, this review will be critical to improving the governance, functionality and accountability of DHS. Components will provide information on actions they are taking to reduce costs, increase transparency, streamline processes, eliminate duplication, and improve customer service.
State and Local Intelligence Sharing and Integration I issued two action directives concerned with the Departments partnerships and intelligence-sharing activities with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. As a result of the directives, the Department is considering a possible future assessment of all intelligence-sharing efforts within DHS with an eye toward reducing duplication. DHS is also considering ways to improve intelligence sharing by involving state and local partners during the formulation of intelligence-sharing policies and programs. The Department is looking to improve the coordination of activities involving state and local partners across DHS. I issued a separate action directive on FEMA integration with state and local governments; FEMA presented feedback based on 75 recommendations emerging from the candid assessments of state and local homeland security and emergency management officials.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita I issued an action directive regarding the Departments continued efforts in recovery from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. As a result, FEMA will establish and field a senior-level team to identify issues related to and review, assess, and identify efficiencies that will improve Hurricane Katrina and Rita recovery efforts. FEMA will work to clarify and enhance the governments role as a more active and engaged facilitator of long-term community recovery working across agencies, and will move quickly to provide arbitration as an additional dispute resolution mechanism, as per the direction of Congress.
Border Security, Immigration, Employment Verification, and Enforcement I issued a number of directives related to border security and immigration. Among the directives, I requested an assessment of past border security assistance by National Guard and Department of Defense assets. I issued a directive to measure employer compliance and participation with the Departments E-Verify program and ways that DHS has worked both to reduce false negatives in order to protect the rights of Americans and to strengthen the system against identity fraud. I issued directives to assess the status of the Departments worksite enforcement programs, fugitive alien operations, immigration detention facilities, removal programs, and the 287(g) program. I asked for an assessment of the situation of widows and widowers of U.S. citizens who had petitioned for the alien spouses immigration, but whose petitions were not adjudicated before the citizen spouses death. I issued a directive to assess Department programs to combat border violence and drug smuggling, and as a result, DHS is considering ways to better engage partners and increase the effectiveness of these programs. I also issued a directive that assessed our northern border strategy. Through that directive, DHS is considering cases where, because of climate and geography, some specialized technology may need to be developed or modified in order to protect the northern border while mitigating unnecessary impacts on our extensive trade with Canada.
Transportation Security In an effort to assess security across all forms of transportation, I directed the review of transportation security in the surface, maritime and aviation sectors. The review identified a number of areas where risks to transportation security could be reduced. Resources such as explosives detection systems and transit, rail, and port security personnel contained in the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will enable the Department to accelerate the mitigation of risk in these areas.
Critical Infrastructure Protection I issued an action directive to assess the status of the Departments efforts to shield the Nations critical infrastructure from attacks. The response contained several steps DHS would take to inspect the security of chemical plants and efforts DHS would participate in to limit the availability of dangerous materials. I issued a separate directive for an assessment of DHSs critical role in cybersecurity.
Healthcare Surge Capacity I issued an action directive that evaluated DHSs role in building capacity for a healthcare surge the increase in people who might need medical attention after an incident including DHSs supporting role in coordinating response to such an incident, and how the Departments preparedness and public communications efforts could better facilitate existing healthcare surge capacities. This directive will help us move forward on a critical element of our Nations response capability.
Planning and Risk Management I issued an action directive asking for a report on DHSs lead role in the interagency effort to develop Federal operational plans for prevention, protection, response, and recovery activities for the National Planning Scenarios. The report will also discuss how DHS will work with law enforcement partners inside and outside the federal government in an integrated planning effort. I issued a separate directive to assess DHSs uses of risk analysis. As a result, several steps were identified that will assure DHS provides risk-analysis information to a full range of decision-makers, and assure that the Departments strategies are risk-based.
In addition to the action directives, I have also begun the process of reaching out to new Cabinet officers. I have already met with several of my fellow Cabinet officials about areas where our Departments will cooperate and coordinate. We in the Cabinet work in one administration, and we address problems together. In particular, I am conducting this kind of outreach vis-à-vis the Departments important role in the intelligence community. We are one of several agencies that work together to identify security threats, and the ability to cooperate and coordinate across departmental lines is paramount.
Priorities
The action directives process will help determine many of DHSs particular priorities as we look to move forward. But there are a few broad areas I can easily identify where DHS should focus in order to better protect Americans.
State and Local Partnerships
First among these areas is the Departments relationship with state and local governments. State and local law enforcement agencies are the forces on the ground that represent, inhabit, and patrol Americas communities the communities that DHS protects. We need strong relationships with our state and local partners, and I am committed to building them.
Partnerships with state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies affect DHSs ability to identify threats and bolster preparedness before an incident; they also affect our ability to work with first responders and assist a communitys recovery after an incident. The information we gather, the funding we grant, and the training and assistance we provide are all more valuable in securing our Nation if DHSs relationships with the involved state and local agencies are strong.
Information sharing between DHS and state and local governments is particularly critical to our security. Over time, this topic has proven easy to talk about and difficult to act upon but we must move forward on it if we are to strengthen our state and local partnerships. The fusion of information between the federal, state and local levels is what makes the intelligence-gathering process critically valuable to preventing threats from materializing. Information sharing is also what makes response efforts effective. The creation of a seamless network we can use to share this information among these levels of government is a critical part of improving our partnerships.
Already in my time as Secretary, I have traveled to four different states and met with state, local and community leaders in each of them about how DHS will continue to work with them. The range of topics we met about disaster response, community assistance, the development of new technological capabilities for DHS, and preparedness speaks to the extent to which DHS must partner with state and local governments to work effectively on any front.
When considering the action directives and the Committees eight-point platform, it is also clear that many critical priorities from transit security to border security to infrastructure protection can only be achieved with strong state and local partnerships. Building these partnerships will be an ongoing priority throughout my time as Secretary.
Science and Technology
Second, DHS should build on its science and technology portfolio. Better science helps us understand emerging threats and how to identify, counter and mitigate them. Better technology can expand our capabilities and free our agents to spend their time where it is most valuable, while at the same time protecting the interests of private citizens by minimizing law enforcements impact on lawful activities. Technology can also aid us in consequence management, so that we are better prepared to respond to any type of disaster.
It is difficult to think of an area of DHS operation where a greater use of cutting-edge technology would not improve capabilities. Our border security efforts, port screening, transportation security, customs processes, immigration programs, and preparedness and interoperability efforts could all benefit from a strong push to develop new technologies and implement them in the field.
A good example of better technology leading to greater capability is going live this week in San Diego. The port of entry at San Ysidro, the largest land port in the Nation, is now equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) infrastructure including software, hardware, and vicinity technology that allows Customs and Border Protection Officers to identify travelers faster than ever. The technology expedites the travel of law-abiding border crossers and allows agents to focus on where they are most needed. The high-tech RFID system works in tandem with RFID-enabled documents such as passport cards, Customs and Border Protections trusted traveler programs, and enhanced drivers licenses. An RFID tag embedded in these documents transmits a unique number to a secure CBP database as the traveler approaches the border, allowing agents to identify the crosser quickly. The high-tech system expands law enforcement capabilities while improving the process for Americans.
Of course, amid the implementation of new technology, we will continue to be diligent in honoring the rights of Americans and addressing concerns raised about privacy. To this end, last week I appointed an experienced new Chief Privacy Officer for the Department, who will bolster a Privacy Office already recognized as a leader in the federal government. Homeland security and privacy need not be exclusive, and the Department will look to include privacy in everything we do.
Technologies such as the RFID system at San Ysidro are examples of the potential of science and technology to make a great impact across DHS. Especially as DHS works to stay ahead of developing threats, the forward-thinking application of new technologies will be critical to enhancing the protection of our country. That is a broad-reaching priority I plan to pursue, and I look forward to working with the Committee on this effort.
Unifying DHS
To achieve its mission more effectively, DHS must not just operate better as one Department it must identify as one Department, where many different people contribute in diverse ways to one paramount goal: securing our Nation. I am committed to building a unified DHS that is better able to achieve its mission.
The unification of the Department is an issue deeply related to DHSs operational capacity. It is important that we develop an identity for DHS that is centered on the Departments mission and that we build a one-DHS culture among the different components of the Department. We also must uphold the morale of DHS workers, an effort that a unified Department identity would support. Employees across the many DHS components perform difficult work that, day in and day out, upholds the security of our Nation. DHS employees should be proud of the public service they perform, and we should help them in their work by building a strong Department to support them. Low morale can lessen the ability of an organization to achieve its goals something that we cannot let happen in homeland security.
The Department headquarters building will support our unification efforts, and I am grateful for the funds for the St. Elizabeths headquarters included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But ultimately, our Department is not a building; it is the people in the Department who will determine its success.
Achieving the goal of a unified Department will take time, but I am dedicated to making progress on this goal, and I look forward to working with the Committee on furthering it.
Conclusion
Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King, and members of the Committee thank you again for inviting me to testify. I am honored to serve in my new role as Secretary. I am eager to become even further immersed in the work of protecting our country. And I look forward to a long, productive relationship with the Committee as we work together to improve homeland security in our Nation. I am happy now to answer any questions you have.
* The Committees platform items:
Improving the governance, functionality, and accountability of the Department of Homeland Security;
enhancing security for all modes of transportation;
strengthening our Nation: response, resilience, and recovery;
shielding the Nations critical infrastructure from attacks;
securing the homeland and preserving privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties;
connecting the dots: intelligence, information sharing, and interoperability;
implementing common-sense border and port security; and
inspiring minds and developing technology the future of homeland security.
This page was last reviewed/modified on February 25, 2009.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.