CHENEY VS REALITY: Safety & Security

Cheney thinks he never met Edwards! What a moron!

REALITY: There is more that we could do to improve security in the homeland

Bush Has Allowed Airline Security Gaps To Persist, Threatening Our Safety.Under Bush’s management, TSA has failed to develop a comprehensive strategy to identify security weaknesses at commercial airports despite spending $10.7 Billion on aviation security measures. Less than 5% of air cargo is ever screened for explosives, baggage screeners continue to use, error-prone approaches, and there’s a shortage of qualified screeners. DHS Inspector General, Clark Kent Ervin admitted that the TSA screeners and privately contracted workers perform “about the same, which is to say, equally poorly.” An internal DHS investigation revealed that “[u]ndercover investigators were able to sneak explosives and weapons past security screeners at 15 airports.” What’s more, Air Marshals fly on less than 5% of flights while Bush sought to scale back funding. [National Journal, 6/09/04; The Hill, 4/30/03; House Select Committee on Homeland Security; Dallas Morning News 9/9/04; Telegraph, 7/23/04; Union Leader, 4/23/04; AP, 6/01/04; USA Today 9/23/04]

America still Vulnerable Because Terrorist Watch Lists Are Not Fully Accessible Or Integrated. According to news accounts, the terrorist aviation list only includes those who pose a danger to aviation. The federal ‘No-fly’ list still includes only suspected terrorists ‘who pose threats to civil aviation’ – not all suspected terrorists. “It’s just plain wrong,” said 9/11 Commissioner Slade Gorton. “The potential consequences are that terrorists can still get on aircraft in the United States.” On 9/11, only a dozen names were on the ‘No-fly’ list. Now there are about 3,500 names, only a fraction of more than 300,000 on the government’s main list of terror suspects.’ Those people could be couriers, operatives, or suicide bombers. “It doesn’t matter. You have to keep them all off [the list]” said terrorism expert Roger Cressey. [MSNBC, ‘No-fly’ list still lacking, 9/23/04 – citing Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General. “DHS Challenges in Consolidating Terrorist Watch List Information.” OIG-04-31. August 2004; MSNBC, ‘No-fly’ list still lacking, 9/23/04]

KERRY PLAN: John Kerry Will Step Up Aviation Security By Improving Screening of Cargo and Passengers for Explosives. In our airports, we’ll install the equipment to check passengers for explosives and to screen cargo just like we screen baggage. Instead of the current “Known Shipper” program, which screens a tiny fraction of the cargo on passenger planes, the Kerry-Edwards plan will significantly improve the screening of cargo carried on passenger planes. Instead of the current system, which essentially allows for spot checks of the highest-risk cargo, the new system will enable the screening of cargo like we screen bags. Their plan will provide for the development of the technology needed to make such screening feasible, as well as the personnel hiring needed to achieve it. The plan will also undertake additional security improvements that experts have called for, such as tightening background checks for employees of carriers.