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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under increasing
fire in the past week from critics, some within the government itself,
who say the bureau is wasteful, unresponsive, and failing in the job it
was created to do: keep America
safe.
A
series of articles from the Washington Post detail many of the
criticisms leveled at the DHS recently, from inefficient contracting to
lax border control and what many groups believe is wrongheaded
allocation of resources to the states. Click here to find
out more from the Post's investigative reporting about DHS, and read
comments on the report from Clark Kent Ervin, former Department of
Homeland Security Inspector General.
The
Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued two reports critical of
the DHS for not adequately inspecting cargo and containers headed for
the United States
from foreign seaports, according to Government Accountability Office
findings released Wednesday. The federally-financed watchdog group's
investigation into DHS's efforts to secure cargo and containers found
that it is inspecting less than 1 percent of containers overseas and
17.5 percent of high-risk cargo. Also, the department has certified
importers for expedited inspections without a thorough validation of
their supply chain security. Read a summary of the two reports, on Cargo and Container
security and a third report, claiming that DHS has not fulfilled its
responsibilities related to Cybersecurity
and protecting vital information infrastructure from attack.
In
an attempt to reform Homeland Security, lawmakers have recently
introduced two bills intended to allocate more resources to areas
considered most at risk for a terrorist attack and to provide
"faster and better funding for first responders." The Senate
bill, S.1013,
has been reported out of the Homeland Security Committee, and H.R.1544
has passed the House of Representatives and been referred to the
Senate. Please click on the bills for more information. Both
resolutions enjoy bipartisan support and should become law soon. Keep
informed on new developments about Homeland Security on our website.
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Official
identification of remains from Ground Zero has come to a halt, but the
final remains of many victims of the attacks have never been
identified. Our friends at WTC Families for Proper Burial, New York
Chapter, are supporting a bill (S3039 and A6814) mandating that remains
would be removed from the Fresh Kills landfill and "placed in a
respectful and dignified memorial/cemetery to be determined by the
Governors of NY and NJ." Please read their letter
on this important issue. Residents of New York State
should contact their local Representative or Senator using this form to
make their feelings known. Addresses are available for the NYS Assembly and Senate.
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In considering the
comparisons being made between 9/11 and Pearl Harbor,
John Michelotti was struck by a troubling fact: he, like many others,
knew nothing about the individual victims of that attack. As a result, he
strongly felt that the victims of 9/11 should not be remembered simply as
numbers, but as individuals. That belief, along with the idea that these
individuals should somehow be tied to a symbol of America,
led to the creation of the Flag of Honor and Flag of Heroes. Since then,
these flags have traveled the world over, serving as a symbol of freedom
and an enduring tribute to the victims of 9/11. We thank John, and all
those involved in the creation of the flags, for their hard work and
dedication in creating this powerful memorial. For more information,
please visit the Flag of Honor
website.
If you would like to purchase a poster or flag, please click here.
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May
26, 2005
Two government programs aimed at preventing terrorists from using cargo
shipping to smuggle weapons of mass destruction into the USA are so
badly run that they may be putting the nation at greater risk of
attack, government investigators said Wednesday... More
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May
25, 2005
More
than $800 million of Sept. 11 redevelopment money will be scattered
among cultural, transportation and park projects designed to foster
vibrant neighborhoods in lower Manhattan... More
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May 24, 2005
The long political battle over the USA Patriot Act
will enter a new phase this week as the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence debates whether to approve a bill that not only would
renew the anti-terrorism law, but also would give the FBI
significant new powers... More
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May 23, 2005
The House has increased the Homeland Security
Department's fiscal 2006 budget to combat cyber crimes... More
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May 23, 2005
The race to tighten the nation's borders began
just after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Authorities
learned that hijackers had lived illegally in the country,
renting apartments, taking flying lessons and moving around
freely... More
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May 21, 2005
The F.B.I. would gain broad authority to track
the mail of people in terror investigations under a Bush
administration proposal, officials said Friday, but the
Postal Service is already raising privacy concerns about the
plan... More
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PEN-T will unveil the
first of its 34 foot high, stainless steel Twin Tower memorials. This
permanent memorial contains the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of
9/11, beautifully engraved in its pentagon shaped granite base. A
luncheon will follow the ceremony…more
When: June
1, 2005 at 12:00pm
Where: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Contact:
George Ecker at (920) 439-1853 or by email at eckerprof@new.rr.com.
We try to keep the most
up-to-date information on memorials and foundations available on our
website. If you would like to have information on your event, memorial,
or foundation listed, please click here.
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