Letters to the Editor
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More on Airport Security
Inspired by Mr. Smith's previous critiques of U.S. airport security practices and his call for action, I set up an online petition at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/FreeSky/petition.html
When 100 people besides me had signed it, I wrote letters to both of my Senators (CA) referring to the petition and asking them to do something relevant. I have heard back from one as of today, Senator Boxer.
Pasted below is my letter and Senator Boxer's vaguely relevant response.
If you signed the petition, I encourage you to write to your elected and appointed Federal representatives and ask them to act!
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From: scott palamar
Sent: Thu 10/19/2006 2:05 PM
Subject: RESTORE LIBERTY AT US AIRPORTS!
Dear Senator Boxer:
The last time I wrote to you was during the lead-up to Bush's declaration of war against Iraq. At that time, I pleaded against supporting what even beforehand was plainly going to be a huge mistake. However, both you and Senator Feinstein succumbed to pseudo-patriotic paranoia, and supported the Administration.
Now, beside the unbearable consequences that have been realized after the invasion, we continue to contend with an invasive and oppressive Homeland Security policy.
I am writing to you this time specifically about the pointless, counter-productive measures in force at our nation's airports. I believe this type of hysterical response is effectively what the perpetrators of terror wanted to achieve.
The American people, by and large, put great faith in their elected and appointed leaders. They exercise extreme patience in waiting for promises to be delivered. In recent times it has become increasingly apparent that we have been misled, if not outright deceived, on matters of all magnitude.
Democrats may think they are enjoying the benefits of the backlash against Republican deceptions and incompetence, but in truth the American people have lost a great deal of faith in all politicians. Now is a good time to restore that faith. This will not be achieved by cautious half-way measures or strategies designed simply to get elected or re-elected. No, now is the time for real truth to be spoken and corresponding actions to be taken.
May I suggest you start by acknowledging that many of our security practices are "theatre" that do little other than mire us in lost productivity and send a signal of failure to the world. I established a relevant online petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/FreeSky/petition.html, and one hundred other concerned people have signed it with me. You can be assured that this number represents but an infinitesimally small percentage of voters who agree with its basic premise. RESTORE LIBERTY AT US AIRPORTS!
Sincerely,
Scott Palamar
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From: senator@boxer.senate.gov
Sent: Wed 10/25/2006 4:30 PM
Subject: Responding to your message
Dear Mr. palamar:
Thank you for contacting me to share your views regarding the state of our nation's homeland security. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your views, and I share your concerns.
The discovery of the terror plot to blow up passenger airlines traveling between London and the United States confirms my belief that we must be far more vigilant in guarding against another attack.
It is time to stop scaring the American people and start protecting them. Although more than five years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks, our nation is still not as secure as we should be. There is no excuse.
To cite one example, cargo on passenger planes is still not screened. The 9/11 Commission recommended that all passenger planes that carry cargo should have at least one hardened container, yet Congress has failed to act on this warning. I plan to introduce legislation to ensure that this recommendation is implemented, and I hope that President Bush and Congress will pledge their support.
I believe that we also must examine the level of security at our nation's rail systems. We have had three fatal attacks in Madrid , London , and Mumbai. Despite these deadly warnings, Congress continues to underfund rail security. According to the American Public Transportation Association, we have $6 billion in transit security needs across the country. Last year, Congress appropriated only $150 million for transit and rail security. I call on the Bush Administration to support greatly increased transit funding.
Similarly, port security remains dangerously underfunded, with only five percent of cargo arriving in U.S. ports undergoing inspection. Since the 9/11 attacks, only $816 million has been spent for port security despite Coast Guard estimates that $7.3 billion is needed over the next ten years. We must work to close this dangerous security gap.
We averted tragedy with the foiling of the London terrorist plot. However, we must take warning and ensure that we do everything within our power to prevent additional attacks. That is why I recently wrote to Senators Ted Stevens and Daniel Inouye, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, requesting that the Committee hold hearings on the status of our nation's homeland security - with particular focus on the 9/11 Commission recommendations and transportation security.
On August 17, 2006, I wrote to President Bush to express my disapproval of his failure to make homeland security his highest priority. I am at a loss to explain why the President has not made closing the gaps in our nation's homeland security defenses a top priority and why there has not been a commitment by the majority in Congress to enact strong legislation on these critical homeland security issues. Protecting the American people cannot be done on the cheap. Protecting America will mean investing in new technologies and personnel - not giving tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.
Thank you again for taking time to share your views. Please be assured that I will continue to work for the passage of legislation that aims to correct the homeland security shortfalls currently threatening our nation.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov