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The Winds of War

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November 29, 2010

By Peter Probst
Here is an excerpt from an article to be published in the winter edition of the magazine, “Inside Homeland Security.” I recently returned from Israel where I had been invited to speak at the World Wide Counter-Terrorism Summit. An issue that dominated much of the discussions concerned the threat of a nuclear Iran, and how Israel and the US would likely respond to the challenge. Virtually every Israeli I spoke to was adamant that Iran could not be permitted to go nuclear. There was less certainty as to the degree and nature of support Israel could expect from its friends and allies.

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TSA scanners and pat-downs: How "why" could have made all the difference

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November 24, 2010

By Kate Kennedy
Oh TSA. In the current aviation security environment, that sentiment almost speaks for itself. We’ve got screaming toddlers, screaming more than usual. We’ve got publically humiliated cancer survivors, forced to remove prosthetics in public. We’ve got a passenger stripping to his underwear to prove he is not a threat, only to get arrested anyway. All of this could have been avoided. The national uproar over the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new pat-down procedures and Advanced Imagine Technology (AIT) machines is a perfect example of what happens when you leapfrog over the necessary step of building and launching a strategic communications plan.

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Security versus Privacy (redux) – TSA Scanners and Pat-downs

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November 23, 2010

America is once again going through one of the periodic dust-ups between security and privacy that mark our society as a truly free one. It was barely a year ago when the now infamous “Underwear Bomber” tried to ignite his chemically enhanced boxers to bring down an airliner over Detroit. At that time, nearly all the pundits and the most vocal citizens railed that TSA, DHS, and the President himself had let the American people down, and we had to do better. Now that TSA has done what “The People” called for, they are again vilified. Come on, folks, let’s get real.

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GOP: DREAM act would allow criminal illegals to gain residency

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November 22, 2010

GOP: DREAM act would allow criminal illegals to gain residency – Homeland Security Newswire
President Barack Obama and Democratic legislators push to pass legislation this year that would allow certain illegal immigrants to become legal U.S. residents, but Republicans are pushing back with details about the DREAM Act that have gone largely unnoticed.

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Pistole blinked and other Musings about Protecting your Junk

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November 22, 2010

After what can only be described as an endless barrage of horror stories, TSA Administrator John Pistole has blinked when it comes to the less-than-comfortable pat-downs that the air-traveling public has experienced over the past few weeks. After stating in recent congressional hearings, cable TV interviews and to just about any other available forum that the pat-down procedures were here to stay, Pistole has cried “uncle” and thrown in the towel. As this debate continues to unfold, it plays to the extremes, rather than the real risks and realities that have to be dealt with daily in a dangerous security environment. Pandering to fears about health and privacy certainly makes great politics and great cable news content, but it doesn’t necessarily deal with reality. Our level of respect in the debate seems to be going down hill at a faster rate.

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Reader Survey Results: Your Take on TSA Pat-downs

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November 19, 2010

The results are in from our reader survey. Have a look at what other readers think about TSA pat-downs and Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT). Where do you come down on the issue?

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DHS official: Stuxnet a "game changer"

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November 19, 2010

DHS official: Stuxnet a “game changer” – Homeland Security Newswire
A highly complex computer attack that may have been targeting Iran’s nuclear power plants is posing a serious security threat to critical infrastructure worldwide, according to government and cyber-industry experts testifying Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

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TSA Screening Procedures: Protecting Your Junk

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November 18, 2010

The uproar or apparent uproar of scores or maybe even several hundred travelers, several of whom may have actually visited a TSA checkpoint recently, has refocused media attention on full body scanners. Those worried that TSA really wants to see or feel their junk should take pause. The narcissistic paranoia gripping the country, fueled by cable news, has distracted us from the reasons for the more thorough screening. Finding new, creative ways to deliver opinions helps to cut through the noise and get noticed. Animated bears – or dogs, I can’t tell – seems to be the latest fad. All the kids are doing it. Now for something completely different here is an attempted defense of TSA in animated form. Enjoy.

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'Toughest sheriff' recruits big names for border 'posse'

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November 18, 2010

‘Toughest sheriff’ recruits big names for border ‘posse’ – The Washington Times
“America’s toughest sheriff,” Phoenixs Joe Arpaio, is creating an armed “Immigration Posse” to combat illegal immigration, and Hollywood actors Steven Seagal and Lou Ferrigno, along with Dick Tracy and Wyatt Earp, have signed up.

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A suggestion for how DHS can allay fears about TSA pat-downs

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November 17, 2010

We have all heard that the best leaders in the private sector, as well as those in government, are those who “lead by example.” That thought sticks in my mind as DHS and TSA attempt to defend the use of advanced imaging technologies or, in the alternative, more thorough physical inspections. One way Secretary Napolitano and TSA Administrator Pistole could help allay the public’s fear would be for each of them to go through the enhanced screening process and do it in front of the television cameras for the whole world to see.

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