Borders still not secure

[Sheryl]

We all know this, but this article I still found disturbing.

COMES NOW THE revelation that undercover federal agents carrying cesium-137 -- a material used to make small nuclear bombs -- needed only some counterfeit papers to bluff their way past U.S. border guards on at least two occasions.

While upsetting, this should hardly come as news to anyone who has been paying attention. Not to put too fine a point on it, the nation's efforts in tightening homeland security have been dismal. This is one more example that both the Congress and the administration have done a poor job of tightening security.

In a test last year, investigators from the General Accountability Office -- the investigative arm of Congress -- carried small amounts of cesium-137, which is used in industrial gauges. The substance triggered radiation alarms in both Texas and Washington state. Officials said they had enough material to make two small "dirty bombs," but U.S. customs agents permitted the investigators to enter the United States after being tricked with counterfeit documents that said the investigators had the right to carry the material.

The GAO noted that false radiation alarms are common -- sometimes occurring more than 100 times a day -- and that inspectors generally do a good job distinguishing nuisance alarms from actual ones. But the fact remains that in two test cases illegal nuclear material was allowed to pass.

The Bush administration has responded to the GAO report by promising that within 45 days it will give U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents the tools they need to verify such documents in the future. That gives rise to what we think is an obvious question: Why hasn't that been done before now? It is more than four years after 9/11. One would think that detection of forged or counterfeit documents would have been a paramount priority following a terrorist attack on the country. Apparently, that is not the case.

We must agree with Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., when he said during a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee hearing that "There are several gaps in our defense. These issues must be addressed with a sense of urgency."

While it is difficult to know what "urgency" means within the lexicon of the federal government, we would like to see that term applied with a more general meaning. At the very least, border guards should have the capacity to detect counterfeit papers from real ones. This case is a reminder that there is much work left to be done on homeland security. We must improve security and the GAO and other agencies must continually test our readiness.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 221118.htm

[minks]

We're sorry, we are just testing our limits ahahahahaha

Regards, your neighbors to the north

[Sheryl]

:wah: Nerd !!

[minks]

Sheryl wrote: :wah: Nerd !!


you love me

[Sheryl]

uh huh :-4