Posted on 11/17/2002 10:24:47 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Top U.S. national security advisers are discussing the creation of a domestic intelligence organization that would take over the FBI's responsibility for counter-terrorism spying and analysis, government officials and intelligence experts told The Washington Post in a report published Saturday. The paper said that there was "high-level debate" on the idea, reflecting "widespread concern that the FBI had been unable to transform itself from a law enforcement agency into an intelligence-gathering unit able to detect and thwart terrorist plans in the United States."
It said that FBI Director Robert S. Mueller was opposed to the creation of a new agency, although the new body wouldn't replace the bureau but would have "the primary role in gathering and analyzing intelligence about Americans and foreign nationals in the United States." Mueller has said he believes that the bureau is capable of doing the job.
The newspaper said that top national security officials discussed the proposal for about two hours on Monday in a meeting chaired by National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Among those attending were White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; CIA Director George Tenet; U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Mueller.
An unidentified administration spokesman told the Post that no conclusions had been reached in the meeting and that a new agency was just one option under consideration. The newspaper said that further meetings on the subject are planned.
According to the Post, the White House wants to get a Department of Homeland Security launched first.
The Homeland Security legislation will create a new Cabinet-level department merging 170,000 employees and 22 federal agencies. The latest version of the bill was approved by the House of Representatives 299-121 on Wednesday night.
The bill to create that department moved closer to congressional approval on Friday, when the Senate voted 65-29 to limit debate on it.
Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said the bill will come to a vote on Monday.
Copyright 2002 by United Press International.
Upside: Professional people doing an important job for protecting our shores. The enemy is already here and must be found and neutralized.
Downside The potential for abuse by the next Clinton-type to be elected is truly frightening. It's easy for the unscrupulous (or the merely arrogant) to redefine enemies to be anyone they don't like.
We need an internal security agency. We don't need a Stasi.
True, but this is probably an overstatement of the situation.
If that was done, then maybe the FBI could handle the rest. As it is, we are sacrificing our liberty and privacy jsut do the FedGov can keep on being incompetent at existing security functions, especially border control.
From the ATF website:
Mission
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is a law enforcement organization within the United States Department of the Treasury with unique responsibilities dedicated to reducing violent crime, collecting revenue, and protecting the public.
ATF enforces the federal laws and regulations relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives and arson by working directly and in cooperation with others to:
Suppress and prevent crime and violence through enforcement, regulation, and community outreach.
Ensure fair and proper revenue collection. Provide fair and effective industry regulation.
Support and assist federal, state, local, and international law enforcement.
Provide innovative training programs in support of criminal and regulatory enforcement functions.
I can't even find a mission statement for the FBI on their web site. The best they have is under "About Us":
The FBI is a field-oriented organization in which FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ) in Washington, D.C., provides program direction and support services to 56 field offices, approximately 400 satellite offices known as resident agencies, four specialized field installations, and more than 40 foreign liaison posts. The foreign liaison offices, each of which is headed by a Legal Attache or Legal Liaison Officer, work abroad with American and local authorities on criminal matters within FBI jurisdiction.
From the Border Patrol Site:
The United States Border Patrol is the mobile uniformed law enforcement arm of the INS. It was officially established on May 28, 1924 by an act of Congress passed in response to increasing illegal immigration. As mandated by this Act, the small border guard in what was then the Bureau of Immigration was reorganized into the Border Patrol. The initial force of 450 officers was given the responsibility of combating illegal entries and the growing business of alien smuggling.
While the Border Patrol has changed dramatically since its inception over 75 years ago, its primary mission remains unchanged: to detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States. Together with other INS officers, the Border Patrol helps maintain borders that work – facilitating the flow of legal immigration and goods while preventing the illegal trafficking of people and contraband.
The Border Patrol is specifically responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian international land borders and 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the island of Puerto Rico. Agents work around the clock on assignments, in all types of terrain and weather conditions. Agents also work in many isolated communities throughout the United States.
From part of the Coast Guard's mission:
The Coast Guard's homeland security role includes:
Protect ports, the flow of commerce, and the marine transportation system from terrorism.
Maintain maritime border security against illegal drugs, illegal aliens, firearms, and weapons of mass destruction.
Ensure that we can rapidly deploy and resupply our military assets, both by keeping Coast Guard units at a high state of readiness, and by keeping marine transportation open for the transit assets and personnel from other branches of the armed forces.
Protect against illegal fishing and indiscriminate destruction of living marine resources, prevention and response to oil and hazardous material spills--both accidental and intentional.
Coordinate efforts and intelligence with federal, state, and local agencies.
So, ok, maybe its ok to have a new org to fight domestic terrorism (removing it from the FBI's unstated mission), but it seems like some of the old orgs need to live up to their jobs wrt illegal aliens as well. And I must admit, the ATF certainly seems mostly redundant (if the FBI's mission was posted it would be easier to support this).
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