Dept. Of Homeland Security Is A Joke

“Once again, the priorities of this department show the shallowness of the rhetoric spewed out by this administration. In this case, it's the work of that useless baboon, Tom Ridge. My apologies to the rest of the baboon population. The supreme rent-a-cop has announced a cut in next year's anti-terror funds. New York City will receive 64 million dollars in funding from Washington, equal to about 1/3 of last year's subsidy. The residents of Wyoming will be granted $38.61 per person and the inhabitants of the hardest hit place in the U.S. by terrorists will be given $5.47 per person. Matter of fact, all the major cities that are potential terror targets were cut significantly. Just last week, Ridge traveled to West Virginia to award $25 million to that state's first responders, with similar grants going to low risk, rural areas of the country. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said, "Al Qaida couldn't even find some of these places on a map if they were looking."

NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was left waiting for hours by the House Select Committee on Homeland Security without his pleas being heard. His point was that the City of New York has the know how to be effective in the fight against terror, but that we are being stretched thin here and we need the funding. The bastards wouldn't give him the time of day! Rep. Anthony Weiner derided the expansion of HS grants to low risk cities. He singled out Minn/St. Paul. But, I think he said it best when he said of Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, " I think the last terrorist that had it in for him was the Iron Sheik", referring to his old wrestling nemesis.

I would really like to know if the NYC ever got the full amount Bush promised when he came here after 9/11. I do know one thing. This administration won't even cough up the $5 million needed to protect the Statue of Liberty. With that turn-down, the city has resorted to trying to get the funds through private donations. The Folgers company has graciously donated $1 million towards the effort. I guess it's time to put the brakes on the rant here. Just more of the never ending reasons why I wouldn't give you a plug nickel to see this bunch ass wipes back in power for the next four years...”

“Unfortunately, a new terrorist attack will greatly assist Mr Bush in his re-election campaign. His numbers were at a similar (50%) level before the Trade Center attack. They don't want NYPD to have the funds to stop another attack. Politics at work.”

“But at the same time I imagine, and I have no facts or firsthand knowledge, but I just assume that most West Virginia police units, even those in Charleston, look like 18th century units when compared to the NYPD. So maybe some of the funding allocations have to do with making ALL locations in the US somewhat properly equipped, or at least get them close to adequately equipped.”

“See? These types of moves make sense in the firght against terrorism, but are cheap-listed. Still, we have 87 freakin BILLION dollars going to Iraq to rebuild there.

Is anyone in charge?”

“Exactly the point, Phaed! The 87 bill is only a down payment. But, we can't spare 5 million to protect a place that millions visit every year. Want a good place for a disaster. How about an island with a sh_tload of tourists on it?”

“That is valid. But, I think the meat of the issue is the numbers, not the idea of ignoring anyone. I think prioritizing is what is needed here. And like Phaed says, look at the numbers that are going to Iraq. Why the hell can't the U.S. take care of its own, for one damn time?”

“I agree wholeheartedly with that Tree. If we can spend 87 billion on the third world, we should be able to allocate a little more of the pie to the highest risk places in the world.”

“A government agency that does run smooth as silk? Say it ain't so!!!”

“That's true, Nig. But, in the interest of fairness to my argument, you can't use that to justify these numbers. I see this as a serious inequity. I mean, after all, you have our president telling us that the fight against tererorism is pretty much our number one priority in our lives right now. You have his assistant (Stratdewd) telling me that WW III has started. I mean, terrorism IS serious biz! I am not doubting that. That makes the appeals made by Ray Kelly all that much more important!”

“Like I said: Is anyone in charge?

In creating the department of homeland security, the bush admin was given wide lattitude. You would think that they could come up with a plan for something that worked, wouldn't you?”

“Perhaps the cut in next years funds are because what was needed in the way of equipment etc in NYC was purchased this year and now it is someone elses turn to get an upgrade.

Gotta wonder about Wyoming though, not even a border state. Maybe Al Quaeda has been recruiting Grizzlies or wolves at Yellowstone.”

“It's Cheney's home state.”

“Manuka, the amount of money needed here is astronomical, in almost any terms. That is true. But, this is, and will always be, a major hub of this country, financially, technologically and otherwise. To put the impetus either on the state or city level to come up with the funds to protect it is ludicrous. The city has already put up over a billion dollars. And let's not forget that, per capita, NYC gets back the least in federal funds when compared to how much money goes from here to Washington.”

“With the kind of dollars we're talking here, it ain't no joke.

We're all paying for the misadventures of this administration...and so are our children's children.”

“Did anyone catch Tom Tancredo (R-CO) on Lou Dobbs last night? He's sponsoring a bill to increase border security and is getting No Support from either party (surprise).

For One example, they were talking about the problems associated with disease-bearing horses and cattle crossing the border. Maybe the cattle association or whatever will raise hell and the feds will do something about THAT.


A country with no border security can't really be defined as a country, IMO.”

“Hey Tilt, a quick Friday Toll, * * this is just in fun * *

" A country with no border security can't really be defined as a country, IMO
Tilt
10:06:26 AM
11/21/03"

Does that make the role model of a country the former East Germany.
Now they had border security, but still ceased to exist as a country.”

“Perhaps they were a bit extreme. But definitely had border security.”

“Treebeard, I suggest that you call the Mayor and tell him that the $3.2 million spent on the gay high school could be used to pay for security. After all bombs don't discriminate based on sexual orientation.”

“Personally, I don't think that the Dept. of Homeland Security, or a lot of other things this administration has done are one damn bit funny...scarey as Hell, maybe, but definitely not funny.”

“That may be so, Savage. But, based on that line of thinking, we will have to sit down and prioritize every single expense the state, federal, and local governments make and weed out every last bit of pork in every last budget. Realistic? I think not...”

“Thanks for posting.

I remember growing up in the 50/60's amd”

“Libs complain about everything. They complain Homeland Security was too big, now they complain if they make cuts. They complain Bush should've known the thoughts of every person before 9/11 and hence stopped it (it was an intelligence blunder), but now they try and create a policy that allows for more tracking of people, and the liberals still complain. Liberals are complainers and blamers. By the way, as for Wyoming getting more, uhhh, per capita anti-terror dollars than New York, ummm... you could hire one guard to stand duty on the sidewalk outside the capitol building in Helena and have a higher per capital $$ than sending the entire National Guard to New York. What a crazy biased twist on the facts! Do you think we're stooooopid?

---------------------
People Per Sq. Mile
WY: 5.09
NY: 401.9

Total Population
WY: 493,782
NY: 18,976.457

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census
-----------------

And saying terrorist attacks will benefit Bush is like saying having our soldiers killed will benefit Democrats. What a way to think.”

“that should read, I remember growing up in the 50/60's when the sirens went off we had to hide under our desks when at school or stay inside our homes when we were there. Once I was home alone when the sirens went off, I sat on the stairs half-way between the door and my bedroom. It was SCARY!”

“Hey Buck. First of all, we are trying to have intelligent debate here. If you insist on talking down to us, we will have your pee pee whacked. So, back up a little. As for your use of UpUrs' trademark picture, one can only wonder about you.

Now, talk about convoluted facts? Do you honestly think comparing the risks of terrorist threats in Helena compares with what the potential is for a place like NY? Maybe you think attacking prairies and buttes is high on Al qaida's list? And as for your accusations about 'liberal whining', I based my post on facts and figures that seem to gel with the efforts of some members of Congress. Sorry if you don't want to hear it. But, if the shoe fits...”

“Uh, gee, Buck, I wasn't aware this was a partisan issue (registered Republican here). But, go ahead, flame on...”

“BTW, Buck. I never complained that the Homeland Security department was too big. I feel it's as big of a bureaucracy as it claims to have alleviated...”

“"Does that make the role model of a country the former East Germany." (?)

My answer would be, I Certainly Hope Not. One minor point... The East Germans were trying to keep people IN, as I recall. I suppose if Mexico or Canada tried to keep its citizens IN, one might draw some strange parallel....

How about.... US travel restrictions to Cuba? <G>


"Now they had border security, but still ceased to exist as a country."

hmmm. It seems like border security isn't the Only necessary factor in defining a nation... just One factor, IMO.

I wonder if the Bush Plan for the US is similar to the plan for Iraq. We cannot seem to enforce border security in either situation, so we'll let the Bad Guys in... then try to catch them later(?).

The question has been asked more than once re: the folks crossing the southwestern deserts in the dead of night... what if there was something quite a bit nastier than pot in those backpacks?”

“Ha ha! Okay, Treebeard, Mr. "Nice to everyone", you call me for "talking down" because you're trying to have an "intelligent" debate? You must be kidding, right? Here's your own words, how do they taste? Or are YOU excluded from your own parameters of "intelligent" debate style?

: "In this case, it's the work of that useless baboon, Tom Ridge. My apologies to the rest of the baboon population." - Treebeard

: "The bastards wouldn't give him the time of day!" - Treebeard

: " Just more of the never ending reasons why I wouldn't give you a plug nickel to see this bunch ass wipes back in power for the next four years..." - Treebeard

Treebeard, since you think the above statements from you are so nice and sweet and not down-talking and are very intelligent, and yet you say I'm down-talking when I never used any such language myself, you must be liberal. That's the only explanation I can come up with for your reasoning here! Either that or you were joking and poking fun at yourself and I missed it. If so, my apologies.”

“Helena is the capital of Montana.”

“: ""Uh, gee, Buck, I wasn't aware this was a partisan issue (registered Republican here). But, go ahead, flame on..."
Father Goose
11:05:22 AM
11/21/03

Father Goose? I'm not the one who brought up the partisan thing? And in fact, I was MOCKING the partisan thing? Why call me on it? Flame on? Huh? Oh well. Gotta love this place!”

“Hi Roam Around! Since Wyoming and Montana have such few people, they decided to combine capitols. They don't care much for government there anyway! :^D”

“Ok, I guess that's true enough.

I think most eastern cities, (large towns) have more people than the whole state of Montana.

City Hall in Greensboro, NC is bigger than the capital building in Helena.”

“Also, Roam Around, Helena is the CAPITOL of Montana, not the CAPITAL. Ain't this fun? Ha ha! :^D”

“picky, picky, picky.

haha”

“Buck, yes. I wrote that myself. No cut and paste. Yes, it is my feelings. And yes, I deliberately tried to make it a bit scathing. If you consider it less than intelligent, well, that's a subjective thing. My purpose was to draw out differences of opinion. And it did. You came on, I see. I also, at the same time, backed my opinions up with facts. The reason I separate what I said from that is this. Look at that picture you posted. Not only had that been overused on this site by a useless troll to the point where no one could ever want to look at it again, but it doesn't even serve any purpose but point fingers and call names (exactly what you came on and accused me of at the same time). So, Buck. Please realize that I would like to hear from you. I want to go back and forth like that. But, you came on with just a 'you are a whiner and don't know what the hell you are talking about' kind of answer and that, to me, is a closed statement and doesn't open s__t up for debate...”

“The question has been asked more than once re: the folks crossing the southwestern deserts in the dead of night... what if there was something quite a bit nastier than pot in those backpacks?"
Tilt
11:08:33 AM
11/21/03

Tilt makes an excellent point here. Living in So Cal, the border is a massive problem. Illegal immigrants of many origins pour through our border every day, at frightening rates. This may not get the national attention that it deserves, but it is well covered on the conservative airwaves in SD. And then to add to it, SB60 gives these potential terrorists a CDL. Tom Ridge/homeland security is a friggin joke to even conservatives in SD.”

“There are more people in one downtown office building in NYC than there are in the entire state of Wyoming. To even mention that there is more "per capita spending" in WY than NY is a complete joke! If one member of Al Qaeda drives THRU Wyoming on I-80, at that point in time the place would be infested with Al Qaeda members compared to NY. It doesn't take much to skew those numbers. Gotta love how numbers are skewed for ridiculous claims.”

“God. Buck's getting more and more banal. The ignore feature is creeping up the list of options.”

“If the threat there is next to non existant, then why do they funnel that percentage of the money there. Your statement also implies that a terrorist act in a small place here in the northeast could take on much more devastating consequences than in Wyoming...”

“Treebeard, I backed up my points with stats from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, did I not? You said you were deliberately scathing, but also used facts. I used facts and I was scathing too. You didn't like the photo, so what, I didn't like your personal politcal scathing that brought nothing to the table either. If you don't like similar responses to your own scathing biased tactics, don't use them yourself. If you had just tried to use facts, I would have responded in like kind, and just stated the facts. I won't fall for the liberal "I can do this but you can't because it's icky if used against me". Keep it clean or expect dirt back at you. That's all I gotta say. Either way, I respect you and your views even in disagreement.”

“And I respect yours, too. Scathe away! I'm a big boy. That picture just reminds me of the ass-wipe troll, that's all. He really overused it. But, that was before you came on.

But, on the subject of facts, I think you and I are having differences on interpreting those stats. I feel you are not taking risk threats into account and just relying on the numbers alone...”

“However, if you are going to start a thread with a certain tone (e.g., "useless baboon" and damming the Bush administration), you will get certain reactions. Just my observance in reading this thread...”

“I just did a cursory search on Tom Tancredo and he seems to be drawing quite a bit of fire... except from the public:

Targeting Tancredo”

“OK, to make a point of another kind (no, I didn't read all this stuff).

First, I must say "LOL" to the "Iron Sheik" comment. But, let me also say, things are not always as they seem. In the small MN town where I live, we hear about grants received by both the veterans/emergency response dept. and the health dept. for terrorism purposes.

At first I scoffed. But things are not always what they seem. So to make a point, lets think about this. The town where I live is 35 miles south of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Yes, THAT world-famous clinic with its patients from around the world.

Many, many people in my town work at that clinic. In fact, Mayo subsidizes its own buses to run from this area, taking all its workers to Rochester.

Mayo Clinic a terrorist target?? Who knows? Two things I'm thinking: 1) The clinic does have famous people around from all over the world; and 2) It does have its share of Middle Eastern sheiks that visit. With the larger Arabian-type population coming and going, might it be easier for a terrorist to access what might be perceived as the dipwad, f'in heartland of America, which is probably not ready for an attack of whatever type?

Possibly. While I agree huge cities would seem to make logical terrorist targets, there ARE other cities and venues that might make sense. So spread those dollars around....

The one county grant was for setting up a plan for selected health workers to get smallpox shots. Seems to make sense....”

“: "God. Buck's getting more and more banal. The ignore feature is creeping up the list of options."
Phaedrus
11:21:38 AM
11/21/03

I love it! Liberals, the "champions" of diverse thought and accepting of all opinions, unless, uhhh, they conflict with their own! Ha ha! Phaedrus, I'll always respect your views even in disagreement. Ignore if you wish, I won't know the difference. Unless, of course, you get me a Phaedrus Deskcam and I can see which posts you are or aren't reading! :^D”

“You make sense, Lizs. The Minn/St. Paul reference was that of Rep. Anthony Weiner. I stated, on my own, that the inequities were rampant in the budget concerning most major and middle size cities in the U.S. I think more of my outrage comes from the philosophy of sparing no expense in a place like Iraq as opposed to taking care of biz here at home...”

“Buck you live in CA?


nough said”

“And SG, you are right. I asked for the reactions I got. But, like I said, I'm a big boy and willing to stand up to try and back what I say...”

“As for terrorists and high populations, if I remember correctly (and I could be wrong), those terrorists who hijacked the jets were trained in smalltown areas, and others were inquiring about crop dusters and chemicals from very rural areas. Maybe I was watching Fox News and not CNN though, so I could be way off base here. :^D”