What Happened to the Issues, Like Homeland Defense?

[Cary]

I read an interesting article in "Foreign Affairs" this morning: "The Neglected Home Front" by Stephen E. Flynn.

We are so busy fending of the lies of the Republican Swift Vets For Smearing Kerry, that these critical issues get shunted off to the side.

Bush's and the national security communities reluctance to adapt to the shifting nature of terrorist threats is disturbing and foolish. For 2005 the Pentagon invests $7.6 billion to improve security at military bases, the Department of Homeland Security gets just $2.6 billion even though the CIA concludes that the greatest threat of WMD is against the U.S. itself, by sea.

We're spending more every 3 days to finance the war in Iraq than we have spent in 3 years to prop up security at our 361 commercial seaports.

Our densly populated areas, with critical infrastructure, is a far more likely target than uniformed military personnel. Police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians will probably have to fend for themselves during the first 12 to 24 hours after an attack, yet U.S. fire departments have only about half of the number of radios needed to equip firefighters on a shift. They have breathing apparatus for only about a third. Police do not have protective gear that might be needed after a WMD attack. Most EMTs lack tools to identify chemical or biological agents.

The Bush administration has made prevention of the spread of WMDs overseas into a top priority, but has slashed funds to dispose of commercially held radioactive materials like cesium-137, cobalt-60, and americum. These could easily be fashioned into a dirty bomb. A release of lethal pathogens could be far more deadly than a dirty bomb but there is no federal program to oversee the handling of these potentially deadly materials.

In fact lapses in control of access to dangerous materials in labs has been well-documented since Sept. 11, with nothing having been done to rectify this potential problem.

Amazingly, Bush has declared that safeguarding the most tempting targets for terrorists, the nation's infrastructure, is not a federal responsibility. Again it is a nice soundbite to put faith in the private market to provide safeguards, but that faith has not been borne out. A Council of Competitiveness survey revealted that 92% of executives do not believe that terrorists would target their companies, and only 53% indicated that they have increased security spending. Corporate reluctance to invest in security has only grown.

So, let's go invest in Star Wars?

[iconoclastic cat]

1. I agree completely.

This whole campaign is just irritating as can be. However, I think everyone involved knows why issues aren't being discussed by the Bush camp: because they have nothing to discuss. I do wish, however, that Kerry would turn his boat into the oncoming fire of the important issues, instead of counterattacking on the Swift B.S. problem.

Although, maybe he is talking issues, and I'm just not hearing or reading it. I have learned never to presuppose the limits of my own ignorance.

[emulatorloo]

2. He is talking about the issues, TV isn't showing it.

EOM

[Cary]

3. Whether he is or not, I am talking issues.

I have to think Kerry knows what he's doing. Going negative against the negative is a tried and true strategy.

Kerry then controls the agenda and he can get the policy stuff in there.