Posted on 09/20/2001 6:01:51 PM PDT by MindBender26
He is former Repub Gov of PA. Wounded RVN Vet.<p<More will follow
All of this while the armed forces have been chopped, the CIA castrated, and the FBI totally corrupted. What is next? Will we have a new Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines to do the job of the ones that we have now?
Like they said on the Star Wars movies, "I've got a bad feeling about this..."...JFK
Homeland Defense Agency Legislation Introduced New Role for FEMA!!!
Source: Congress---Published: 20 Mar 2001
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) today introduced legislation that would reorganize the federal government to better prepare for threats against the American homeland.
"We live in the freest and most open society in the world," Thornberry stated. "Yet with this freedom and openness comes an increased vulnerability to attack. This threat has only increased since the end of the Cold War. As the world's only superpower, America has become the number one target of terrorists.
"Numerous reports over the past few years have warned us of this threat. These reports paint a disturbing picture. Over $8.8 billion worth of goods, over 1.3 million people, over 340,000 vehicles, and over 58,000 shipments enter our country each day. Yet only 1 to 2 percent of these packages and vehicles are inspected at the border.
"But it's not just our border security we have to worry about. With the United States growing more and more dependent on computers and high technology, we also have to worry about our Nation's cyber-security. Between 1990 and 1999, for example, there were about 25,000 cyber incidents. Last year alone, the number of incidents skyrocketed to 21,000. Just yesterday, the head of the National Infrastructure Protection Center revealed that there are currently about 1,400 active investigations into cyber-crime.
"This is a clear indication of a real and growing threat to our country. Unfortunately, as these reports also make clear, the U.S. is not prepared to respond to these threats. The purpose of today's bill is to help make us prepared by reorganizing the federal government in a way that makes us better able to prevent and respond to homeland attacks."
The bill is called The National Homeland Security Agency Act. Based on a recent recommendation by the bipartisan Commission on National Security/21st Century, the measure would bring together four federal agencies currently on the front lines of homeland defense - the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Customs Service, and the Border Patrol.
Under this legislation, FEMA would be renamed the National Homeland Security Agency. The new NHSA would continue to be the federal government's principal response agency in times of natural disaster. But under this plan, it would also become the federal government's principal agency for coordination, response and prevention with regard to terrorist attacks and other manmade disasters, and the principal point of contact for state and local governments. In carrying out this mission, the NHSA would be assisted by the Coast Guard, Customs Service, and Border Patrol, which would be transferred to the new homeland security agency as independent entities.
Also transferred to the NHSA under this realignment would be the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office and the Institute of Information Infrastructure Protection, which are currently in the Department of Commerce, and the National Infrastructure Protection Center and the National Domestic Preparedness Office, which are currently part of the Department of Justice/Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"The intent of establishing a new Homeland Security Agency is not to add another layer of fat to our already bloated federal bureaucracy," Thornberry noted. "Rather, the goal is to realign and consolidate a number of key federal agencies in a way that will help the federal government better prevent and respond to homeland threats."
According to Thornberry, the structure of the NHSA would be geared toward these threats and built around three main Directorates:
* The Directorate of Prevention - which will have responsibility for border security;
* The Directorate of Critical Infrastructure Protection - which will have responsibility for infrastructure and cyber-security; and
* The Directorate for Emergency Preparedness and Response - which will be responsible for organizing and coordinating prevention and response activities among the different levels of government.
The bill would also establish an Office of Independent Oversight, whose main responsibility would be to ensure that current federal privacy protection laws are followed, and a National Crisis Action Center which would provide the public with a federal focal point in times of emergency - something, Thornberry noted, is very important.
"As it stands now," Thornberry stated, "more than 40 federal agencies are responsible for homeland security. In the event of a terrorist attack, which agency would be in charge? The answer is, it depends. In some cases, it would be the FBI. In other cases, it would be FEMA. For state and local governments, this uncertainty could lead to confusion. That's the last thing you want. During times of crisis, the public needs a phone number, not a phone book, which is one thing this bill will help provide.
"Beyond that, I think one of the most significant things about this proposal is that it elevates homeland security up the list of national priorities and gives the director of homeland security a seat at the Cabinet table. At the same time, it puts in place a homeland security structure that meets the needs of today and the future rather than yesterday and the past.
"In short, it's a bill that will help strengthen our security at home. At a time when we're debating how to transform our military and reorganize our national defenses, it's an issue we can't ignore and shouldn't wait to address."
General Charles Boyd, the Executive Director of the Commission on National Security/21st Century, agreed with Thornberry and commended him for introducing the bill. "The U.S. is threatened, in an unprecedented way, by rogue states, and by terrorists increasingly armed with weapons of mass destruction," Gen. Boyd stated. "This is the security issue of the early 21st Century, and there is a growing awareness that our country has no strategy or coherent organization with which to deal with this very real threat. The Hart-Rudman Commission is extremely pleased that Congressman Thornberry has stepped forward with proposed legislation to begin the task of securing our national homeland."
Thornberry serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Budget Committee and is a leading congressional proponent of transforming our military so it is better prepared for future threats. He was the prime House author of legislation that established the Rumsfeld Space Commission and sponsored legislation two years ago that resulted in a Defense Science Board study which called for military transformation and an increased focus on space security.
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I wonder if GW had a heads-up on this bill?
Wasichu
Let me quibble with your analogy: most libertarians vote for a major party candidate because they know that the libertarian has no chance and they are voting for the lesser of two evils. So election returns would tend to underreport the number of libertarians. Also, I tend to think that many people who don't identify themselves as libertarians, actually are libertarian if you go down a list of issues and ask their position. But I'm guessing that this type of discourse is of no real use because you sound like one of those people who think that libertarians are all drug addicts who want drugs legalized so that they can get their drugs at lower prices (apologies in advance if that is an incorrect assumption).
Sword
Go back to sleep. We'll wake you and let you know if the courts strike this down as being unconstitutional. If they don't, then I suppose the only way open for you to prove your irrational point will be to take up arms against your own country and force it to fight on two fronts.
Are you willing to do that? Some of you might very well be. If so, you are budding terrorists in your right.
I couldn't have said it better.
You should be ashamed of yourself. What a horrible thing to write.
Some of you actually sound like Marxists...JFK
Have any of you ever heard of a cabinet level position or new government agency that didn't grow into a major problem? The rule of thumb is to eliminate government agencies or cabinet level positions.
I know these people are people you support. The next administration will be some dim-wit Democrats that will appoint someone like a Clinton appointee to this position to replace Ridge.
Get it?
When I first heard the words "Homeland Safety" my first impression was "Sudatenland Rescue." I've got a bad feeling about this. This guy's whole mission in life is to develop new programs to make us safe. I can't put my finger on it, but I smell deminishing rights and totalitarian state. If not this guy, then the next will solidify my concerns. I don't like it.
The rest of Bush's speach was well delivered and headed in the right direction from my viewpoint.
The libertarian "quiz" is a ridiculous exercize meant to boost their pathetic low numbers, such as: Do you believe that the Constitution is good? Yes?!! Then you must be a libertarian!!!
Why don't you ask "many people": Do you believe that pre-emptive strikes against terrorist groups and the nations that support them are justified to defend against further loss of American life, as is allowed by the Constitution? Those who answer "no" must be libertarians.
But I'm guessing that this type of discourse is of no real use because you sound like one of those ...
Read: If you don't agree with the narrow libertarian point of view, then your right to free speech is unimportant.
Will National ID Cards be under the ægis of the Department of Homeland Defence (Defense?)? the FBI? Social Security? Medicare? Treasury? or Interior?
Leni
They call themselves conservatives, but they secretly wish to wear the boot that stamps on your face forever.
What makes you so certain that this will not become just another "incompetent and internicene-warfare security agency"? We have heard umpteen million times about just this sort of "Re-inventing Government" (remember that one?) garbage and that is all that it is, garbage. If the incomptetent and internicene-warfare agencies had any redeeming value they wouldnt need yet another one.
This is like moving just because your house got messy and you (not you specifically) were too [insert excuse here] to clean it up.
As far as having faith in Bush, I have eminent faith in his ability to take care of this problem overseas, but domestically this new cabinet postition is just more of the same top-heavy beaureau-nonsense...JFK
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