Posted on 06/10/2002 11:54:31 AM PDT by PhiKapMom
DEPARTMENT WILL IMPROVE AGENCIES' COOPERATION
President Bush's proposal for a Department of Homeland Security with its own Cabinet secretary may be, as critics claim, timed to counter the impact of the congressional investigations into the failure of our nation's intelligence agencies to share information that could have provided warnings of the Sept. 11 attack.
Nevertheless, and despite the turf battles that will undoubtedly ensue, the idea is a good one and the plan should be pursued.
The agency the president is proposing would include the Coast Guard, Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service and Border Patrol in its border and transportation security division. The Federal Emergency Management Agency would be part of its emergency preparedness and response unit. The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, now part of the Energy Department, would be part of the new agency's chemical biological and nuclear countermeasures division. The Secret Service would be part of the new department, which also would include an information analysis and infrastructure protection unit -- a central place for assessing and coordinating intelligence gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies that gather such information.
Putting these agencies under one umbrella in the Department of Homeland Security seems much more logical that the present system, which entrusts the Treasury Department with protecting our president and house Customs, the Coast Guard and the Border Patrol in three different agencies when they ought to be able to work together with a minimum of red tape.
We have been impressed with the way state and local law enforcement personnel have been working together in recent years, sharing information to catch criminals who commit crimes in more than one jurisdiction or to eliminate suspects. When Oklahoma City police arrested a man who looked like a possible suspect for the Juli Busken murder this February, a shared saliva sample quickly provided DNA evidence ruling him out as a suspect, saving police time and taxpayer dollars. This kind of cooperation should be a model for the FBI and the CIA. At the federal level "unified commands" between the various branches of the service have already been implemented and deemed a success.
This proposal will have to go through congress, and no doubt some changes will be made during that process. The main idea, combining a group of agencies that need to work together into one department under one Cabinet secretary, is one whose time has come.
Now debate on here all you want because this editorial was put up by a Bush supporter (me) who supports this Homeland Security since none of the naysayers seemed to be able to put up a Thread about Homeland Security to debate. Instead they preferred to debate on a thread after being asked not to countless times. That activism thread was only put up to give out phone numbers to call their Congressman and Senators to voice their support or let them know how they felt.
Now debate away!
LOL..... It's the the the the... well I don't know......
You may want to call your debating buds and have at it now....
Cannot believe they couldn't put up a thread themselves -- personally I would be embarrassed to have me, a Bush supporter, put up this thread after they couldn't read/heed what I had to say on the other one! But then, I figured it was easier than their continual whining that was going on about I wouldn't allow them to debate -- now they can debate to their hearts content on this thread!
Let the debates begin..... Over in this corner with three minutes.... well they can moderate their on actions..
They have less than 2% of the votes and want to negate our votes, our fund raising and our president to place their Klassless Klowns into power.
They can't win elections the old fashioned way nor raise money the old fashioned way, so they want to negate our votes to seize power via attempts to electronically lynching our president and whatever he and his team do to protect us.
How do those, who worked for President Bush, donated money to him and voted for him feel about those who would negate your work, your funds and your vote to put their Klassless Klowns into power.
I for one, say to them, forget it and win some elections the old fashioned way not by trying to negate my vote via Electronic Lynching of my President! It will not work in this country!
Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!
Molon Labe !!
Thought I would crack up recently while reading a keyes is wonderful thread when he (keyes) said you have to change the hearts and minds of people on abortion. Right out of the President Bush playbook and yet he (Bush) was trashed by the 1-2%ers for saying that but when keyes said it, it was wonderful! And they wonder why we don't give their comments any weight!
I don't feel like contributing today. ~~~ Wait until you see "Unable to locate server"
I don't have money. ~~~ Help with the fundraiser. Bump the threads, ping your FRiends.
There's plenty of time to donate. ~~~ Bill collectors don't see it that way.
I don't know where to contribute. ~~~ Credit card, mail: FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794 , Paypal: JimRob@psnw.com
I've got too many other things to do first. ~~~ Don't we all?
I can't contribute much, what's five dollars. ~~~ If everyone contributed one dollar a month, we'd never have a fundraiser again.
The dog ate my credit card. ~~~ Shoot the dog.
Just let me finish freeping. ~~~ BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Don't wait until it's too late. Do it today. Do it now! Before they bring out the cheerleaders! Free Republic is funded solely by us. It's up to us to keep it running. Do your part, contribute if you can. Bump the fundraising threads. Help keep this place alive!
Well just trying to follow instructions..... .. LOL
Has the debate started yet? Ping me when it does, okay?
A thread that may have some info for the debate .......
To all the Bush bashers of the President and his supporters:
If you haven't donated to FR, do so now! If you are going to continue to use this forum to bash the President and his supporters, it is the least you can do!
The Homeland Security Department would be the first new Cabinet agency since the Veterans Affairs Department was created in 1989. Administration officials said it would eventually have its own building. Bush wants to combine workers from eight departments into his creation, from the Agriculture Department agents who check fruit at the border to scientists working in Energy Department laboratories.
The proposal, which Bush wants passed in time for the department to open Jan. 1, with the director confirmed by the Senate, answers persistent calls from Congress for more oversight of this new focus of the government. It also is intended to help remedy bureaucratic overlapping that was hampering the protection of 350 official ports of entry.
The administration said the department would add no employees or expenses to the government, but would take over 169,000 employees and $37.4 billion from existing agencies. It would have four divisions, responsible for controlling borders and keeping out terrorists and explosives; working with state and local authorities to prepare for emergencies; developing technologies to detect chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and to treat those who are exposed; and analyzing intelligence and law enforcement information.
The FBI and CIA are to keep their current functions, but the department would have an "intelligence and threat analysis" unit to combine intelligence from those agencies and others to assess threats, take preventive action and issue public warnings. White House officials described the unit as "a customer" of the FBI and CIA, which have been historically reluctant to share information with each other, let alone a third entity.
"This new department will review intelligence and law enforcement information from all agencies of government and produce a single daily picture of threats against our homeland," Bush said. "Analysts will be responsible for imagining the worst and planing to counter it."
Administration officials said the department would allow officials assessing threats to talk directly to counterparts who are responsible for the security of nuclear, chemical and wastewater treatment plans, and other critical parts of the nation's infrastructure.
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