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Congress and Politics

Biometric Exit System Unnecessary and Unviable

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September 1, 2011

Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton have been two of the nation’s most outstanding public servants, and the report of the 9/11 Commission was an extraordinary document. The two chairmen should be commended for their steady efforts, including the release yesterday of a 10th Anniversary Report Card under the auspices of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Preparedness Group. But among the group’s list of nine major unfinished recommendations, there is one that deserves to remain unfinished – the construction of a biometric exit system – and for good and sensible reasons.

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ATF chief, Arizona prosecutor resign amid gun inquiries

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August 30, 2011

ATF chief, Arizona prosecutor resign amid gun inquiries – USATODAY.com The acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Arizona’s top federal prosecutor resigned Tuesday in the midst of congressional and Justice Department inquiries into a controversial gun trafficking investigation that allowed hundreds of firearms to fall into the hands of […]

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Category 5 coverage for a Category 1 storm–crying wolf is dangerous

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August 29, 2011

Category 5 coverage for a Category 1 storm–crying wolf is dangerous | Crisisblogger Is there any doubt that the overwhelming inclination of major media outlets in today’s hyper-competitive environment is to put ratings above responsibility? Survival is at stake. The problem is that as the coverage of Irene makes clear, lives are also at stake. […]

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Congress Needs to Reexamine its One-sided Approach to Water Security

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August 24, 2011

In response to a recent DHS report citing concerns about the ability of insiders to cause significant damage at water utilities, Sen. Chuck Schumer is set to introduce legislation that would mandate FBI background checks for employees at drinking water and wastewater plants. While I understand Senator Schumer’s logic, Congress would be wise to hit the “pause” button before introducing new regulatory mandates so it can reexamine our current national approach to addressing water security.

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Congress Heal Thyself – An Inch-Stone Approach

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August 15, 2011

If we can’t “fix” the problem of overlapping congressional jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, can we make congressional oversight work more efficiently? That question has been rattling around in my mind over the past few weeks, especially as we look back at the events of the decade since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In an environment where “working cooperatively” seems to be a political liability, I wonder if another approach to the problem of unnecessary and wasteful congressional oversight of DHS might be worth exploring. If we can’t get rid of the overlaps, can we at least force the “turf warriors” to sit at the same table?

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Air Cargo Security Requirements – Impact on the Supply Chain

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August 12, 2011

Air Cargo Security Requirements – Impact on the Supply Chain | American Airlines Cargo Business Insights A hot topic at the Air Cargo Europe Conference in Munich, Germany last month was discussed by industry leaders, representing various aspects of the Supply Chain, in a panel session titled “Security Requirements – Their Impact on the Supply […]

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National EMP Awareness Day: The Threat that Can’t Be Ignored

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August 10, 2011

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack – produced by a nuclear weapon detonated at a high altitude or by a geomagnetic storm – has the potential to decimate America’s electrical and technological infrastructure. The Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack found that an EMP is a threat to our society and military. Yet, despite broad consensus, Congress has yet to act in a substantive manner. For the most part, U.S. government agencies have not taken planning for their response to an EMP attack out of the theoretical stages.

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ICE Responds to 9/11 Commission Report Recommendations

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August 9, 2011

“FEMA will not save you,” said Michael Brown, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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Defining Resilience for America's Critical Infrastructure

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July 29, 2011

Despite near-continuous pronouncements on the topic of resilience, the Administration decided not to define resilience in its latest Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-8: National Preparedness. It is precisely the difficulty of nationally defining resilience that should compel the government to do so. Deciding not to define resilience and its application to the Nation’s infrastructure condemns America to continuous validation of Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.”

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Former DHS Press Chief Defends Respose to Gulf Oil Spill

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July 22, 2011

Sean Smith: Ink Spill: Inside the Battle to Shape the News Coverage of Last Year’s Oil Gusher One year ago on Friday, the runaway oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was capped, ending one of the longest-running and most popular reality news shows in American history. At the time I was the Assistant Secretary […]

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