The High Cost Of Maintaining 'Homeland Security'

‘Homeland Security’ Has Received $791 Billion Since 9/11 -- MSNBC

What is “homeland security?”

Whatever it is, the federal government has spent on a fortune on it. In the aftermath of 9/11 and the beginning of the interminable War on Terror, the Bush administration founded the Department of Homeland Security to act as a central, coordinating office which could respond to the new threats of the modern era. But in addition to the funds pouring into that department, Congress has allocated vast sums for “homeland security” expenditures in other departments, most notably at the Pentagon.

In fact, according to a new investigation from the Nation Institute’s Tomdispatch, $791 billion dollars in federal funding have gone to homeland security, both within and without the department.

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My Comment: Only $791 billion since 9/11?

Why Is U.S. Homeland Security Buying 2,700 MRAPS?

Obama DHS Purchases 2,700 Light-Armored Tanks to Go With Their 1.6 Billion Bullet Stockpile -- Gateway Pundit

This is getting a little creepy.
According to one estimate, since last year the Department of Homeland Security has stockpiled more than 1.6 billion bullets, mainly .40 caliber and 9mm.

DHS also purchased 2,700 Mine Resistant Armor Protected Vehicles (MRAP).

Modern Survival Blog reported:

The Department of Homeland Security (through the U.S. Army Forces Command) recently retrofitted 2,717 of these ‘Mine Resistant Protected’ vehicles for service on the streets of the United States.


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My Comment: I guess someone is expecting trouble.

U.S. Homeland Security Is Now 10 Years Old

Happy 10th Birthday, DHS -- Thad Allen, Foreign Policy

Are we any safer now?

Ten years ago Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security was established to unify our national capabilities in the wake of 9/11. A strong sense of urgency was pushing us to do everything possible to prevent another terrorist attack, and, if that failed, to respond. As the chief of staff of the Coast Guard, I led a team that planned and executed the service's move from the Department of Transportation, where it had been housed for 35 years, to its new berth at DHS.

The entire process moved at bureaucratic light speed. President Bush signed the Homeland Security Act into law on November 25, 2002; the department was officially created two months later, and 22 agencies moved into DHS on March 1, 2003. It was remarkable: in only four months, an entirely new department with nearly 200,000 employees was stood up.

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My Comment: Do I feel safer .... not really. Airport security is better .... but everything else is still the same .... or that is at least that is what I see on the surface. While researching for this post, I came across this interesting post .... Government Unable to Define ‘Homeland Security’.

Indeed.

Homeland Security Warns Of An Imminent 'Cyber 9/11'

On guard: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned that critical infrastructure like water, electricity and gas was very vulnerable to such a strike.

Napolitano Warns Of 'Imminent Threat' Of A 'Cyber 9/11' -- Daily Mail

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned on Thursday that a major cyber attack is a looming threat and could have the same sort of impact as last year's Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out electricity in a large swathe of the Northeast.

Napolitano said a 'cyber 9/11' could happen 'imminently' and that critical infrastructure - including water, electricity and gas - was very vulnerable to such a strike.

'We shouldn't wait until there is a 9/11 in the cyber world. There are things we can and should be doing right now that, if not prevent, would mitigate the extent of damage,' said Napolitano, speaking at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington and referring to the September 11, 2001, attacks.

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My Comment: The Russian news service RT (of all places) is right in stating that this is just a new tactic to push Congress in passing legislation that would allow the government to have greater control over the Internet. Senate Democrats have vowed to push the legislation forward (again) .... but I suspect that they will fail ....again. there is no grassroots support for such legislation .... and if anything .... a great deal of opposition.

Half Of Homeland Security Workers Hate Their Job

Annual U.S. Government Jobs Report Finds Almost Half Of Homeland Security Workers Hate Their Job -- Daily Mail

* As little as 32 per cent are happy in one subsection of the department
* More than 100,000 federal workers have lost jobs in last five years
* Overall level of job satisfaction drops to lowest level since 2003

Millions tune in every week to watch agent Carrie Mathison battle valiantly to protect the US against terrorism in the hit TV show Homeland - but the reality is most federal workers hate their job.

Those are the findings of a recent survey to measure the job satisfaction of millions of American government staff.

And it was the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - set up in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks - which comes out worst with only 52.9 per cent happy with their job.

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My Comment: They can always get another job.

Is U.S. Homeland Security's “Fusion” Intelligence Centers Working?

Homeland Security 'Fusion' Centers Spy On Citizens, Produce 'Shoddy' Work, Report Says -- NBC

The Department of Homeland Security has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a network of 77 so-called “fusion” intelligence centers that have collected personal information on some U.S. citizens — including detailing the “reading habits” of American Muslims — while producing “shoddy” reports and making no contribution to thwarting any terrorist plots, a new Senate report states.

The “ fusion centers,” created under President George W. Bush and expanded under President Barack Obama, consist of special teams of federal , state and local officials collecting and analyzing intelligence on suspicious activities throughout the country. They have been hailed by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as “one of the centerpieces” of the nation’s counterterrorism efforts.

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More News On U.S. Homeland Security's “Fusion” Intelligence Centers

Multibillion-dollar scheme to set up intelligence 'fusion centers' after 9/11 has failed to catch any terrorists, Senate report reveals -- Daily Mail
Senate panel criticizes anti-terror data-sharing centers -- L.A. Times
Inquiry Cites Flaws in Counterterrorism Offices -- New York Times
Report: Intel center network ineffective -- UPI
Senate report slams DHS intelligence program as costly debacle -- FOX News/AP
DHS ‘fusion centers’ portrayed as pools of ineptitude, civil liberties intrusions -- Washington Post
DHS officials blast congressional report -- The Hill
U.S. intel effort named citizens, not terrorists -- USA Today
DHS Counterterror Centers Produce ‘A Bunch of Crap,’ Senate Finds -- Danger Room

Homeland Security Secretary And Person Responsible For Cybersecurity Does Not Use E-Mail

 

Napolitano: I Don't Use E-mail. At All. -- National Journal

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who is a key player in national cybersecurity efforts, said on Friday she doesn't use e-mail. "Don't laugh, but I just don't use e-mail at all," she said during a discussion at a Cybersecurity Summit hosted by National Journal and Government Executive. She didn't explain what communications tools she does use.

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My Comment: So the person who is responsible for the nation's cybersecurity does not use e-mail .... CNN sums it up best.

US Homeland Security Details How Law Enforcement Should Respond To Gunmen

A pocket card handed out to Homeland Security employees in April detailing how they should handle an "active shooter" situation.

Border Patrol Union Blasts Homeland Security Instructions To 'Run Away' And 'Hide' From Gunmen -- FOX News

Border Patrol agents in Arizona are blasting their bosses for telling them, along with all other Department of Homeland Security employees, to run and hide if they encounter an "active shooter."

It's one thing to tell civilian employees to cower under a desk if a gunman starts spraying fire in a confined area, say members of Tucson Local 2544/National Border Patrol Council, but to give armed law enforcement professionals the same advice is downright insulting. The instructions from DHS come in the form of pamphlets and a mandatory computer tutorial.

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My Comment: To me .... these instructions are bizarre .... but here is the kicker .... to many others (including some in Homeland Security) .... these instructions are very reasonable and they make total sense.

National Counterterrorism Center Can Now Keep Information On U.S. Citizens For Up To Five Years

New Counterterrorism Guidelines Permit Data On U.S. Citizens To Be Held Longer -- Washington Post

The Obama administration has approved guidelines that allow counterterrorism officials to lengthen the period of time they retain information about U.S. residents, even if they have no known connection to terrorism.

The changes allow the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the intelligence community’s clearinghouse for terrorism data, to keep information for up to five years. Previously, the center was required to promptly destroy — generally within 180 days — any information about U.S. citizens or residents unless a connection to terrorism was evident.

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Update #1: US Intelligence to keep tabs on Americans with no ties to terror -- FOX News/AP
Update #2: New rules allow US to store personal data longer -- CBS News
Update #3: Suspect Data to Be Kept Longer -- Wall Street Journal

My Comment: If the previous Bush administration did this ... the media/academia/Democrats/pundits/etc .... will be protesting 24/7 (myself included). But now ... with the exception of a few civil liberties groups .... there is not even a whimper of a protest.

Watch Out For The White Terrorist

Big Sis’ Latest Terrorists: More White Americans -- Infowars

New DHS video ignores previous controversy over deliberate racial overtones.



Despite causing controversy last month with a video that portrayed white middle class Americans as the most likely terrorists, the Department of Homeland Security has released yet another PSA that depicts an attempt to bomb a subway station not by Al-Qaeda Muslims, but well-dressed white people.



A new Public Service Announcement entitled ‘The Drop Off – If You See Something, Say Something’ was unveiled by none other than Big Sis herself, Janet Napolitano, on the Homeland Security website today.



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My Comment: At least the videos do not show burka clad women pointing out suspected "white" terrorists.

U.S. Homeland Security To Now Regulate The Sale Of Fertilizer

Homeland Security Plans To Regulate Bomb Fertilizer -- L.A. Times

Those who buy, sell or transfer 25 pounds of ammonium nitrate would have to register with the department. The chemical was used in the Oklahoma City bombing and the one last month in Norway.

Reporting from Washington — The Homeland Security Department announced plans Tuesday to regulate the sale of ammonium nitrate, 16 years after the fertilizer was used to make a bomb that killed 168 people at a federal office building in Oklahoma City.

Under the proposed regulations, anyone who buys, sells or transfers 25 pounds of the chemical must apply to register with the department. Ammonium nitrate facilities must also keep records of sales or transfers of the chemical for at least two years after each transaction.

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My Comment: This should have been done years ago. Oh well .... better late than never.

Are White Middle-Class Americans The Most Likely Terrorists?

Who Does Homeland Security Thinks Poses The Greatest Risk? Video Portrays White Middle-Class As The Most Likely Terrorists -- Daily Mail

A video released by the Department of Homeland Security urging people to report anything suspicious has caused outrage by characterizing white middle class Americans as the most likely terrorists.

The promotional video is part of Homeland Security's $10million 'See Something, Say Something' programme as they believe it will help curb random acts of terrorism by individuals.

But the controversial video has angered some Americans due to the fact all the actors who play the would-be terrorists in the video are white, and the people who report them are either black, Asian or Arab.

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My Comment: I thought that elderly white Swedes on walkers were the most likely terrorists.

Emergency Alert System For Cell Phones In New York And Washington DC

Emergency Alert System For Cell Phones Debuting in NY and DC -- FOX News

A new emergency notification system is being announced Tuesday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and federal officials. Anyone carrying an "enabled" mobile device within range of a cell phone tower would be alerted what to do in case of emergency.

"If there’s a terrorist bomb set to off in Times Square, you’d be able to tell everyone in the vicinity to get out of there," explained one official.

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More News On the Establishment Of An Emergency Alert System For Cell Phones

FEMA, FCC launching new alert system early in D.C. and NYC -- Washington Post
New Yorkers Soon To Get Emergency Cell Phone Alerts In What Bloomberg Calls 'Quantum Leap Forward' -- New York Daily News
New emergency system to alert NYC and DC residents by cell phone -- CNN
Obama team to text message info on safety threats -- USA Today
Cellphone alert system announced in NYC -- Seattle PI/AP
FCC to launch disaster alert system for cell phones -- CNET News
Cell Phone Users to Receive Text Alerts About National, Local Emergencies -- PC Mag

My Comment: I can see it now .... an alert is issued on 2 million cell phones in New York City, and in the next minute 2 million users start calling their loved ones and friends. My suggestion .... they better make sure that the system can take the load.

U.S. Homeland Security Color-Coded Terror Alerts To Be Scrapped

U.S. May Scrap Airport Color-Coded Terror Alerts -- Bloomberg

The U.S. Homeland Security Department may abandon its eight-year-old system of assigning colors to terrorist threat levels that has been criticized by U.S. lawmakers and lampooned on “Saturday Night Live.”

The agency, which created the system following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, hasn’t changed the threat color since 2006. The senior administration official who spoke about the prospective change today declined to be identified because the decision isn’t final.

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More News On Homeland Security Scraping Airport Color-Coded Terror Alerts

Color-coded terror alerts may end -- Yahoo News/AP
US may scrap colour-coded terror alerts -- BBC
U.S. Might Drop Color-Coded Terror Alert System -- Global Security Newswire
Scrap coloured terrorism alerts: Homeland Security -- CBC News
Color-coded terror alerts may end -- Macon.com/AP
Should the Color Code Terror Warning System Be Eliminated? -- ABC News

Homeland Security: U.S. Will Always Be Threatened By Terrorists

Photo: DHS

Napolitano: U.S. Will Never Be 'Totally Immune' From Terrorism -- CNN

(CNN) – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Sunday that the United States is “never going to be totally immune from threats” to its national security.

One day after the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Napolitano said in an interview with CNN’s Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" that the country is safer now than it was then, but added, “there is no 100 percent guarantee” that we won’t be attacked again.

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More News On Homeland Security

Napolitano talks homegrown terrorism -- Politico
Homeland chief says US will always face threats -- AP
Napolitano, Chertoff note evolving threats to U.S. -- The Hill
Napolitano Cites Progress in 'Culture of Preparedness' -- HSToday
Napolitano: Threats to US Evolving -- Executive Gov
Napolitano: U.S. Always Will Face Threats -- Washington Times

DHS Deploys Advanced Imaging Technology At 8 U.S. Airports -- GovMonitor
Homeland Security to test iris scanners -- USA Today
Scans will be tested on illegal aliens -- UPI

What Is Happening At Homeland Security?

Napolitano Skipped Christmas Plot Hearing For Think-Tank Meeting UPDATED -- Politico

So... where was Janet Napolitano last Wednesday when she decided to skip a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Christmas bombing plot?

At the moment the homeland security secretary might have been testifying about the biggest security breach on her watch -- before the major House committee tasked with investigating the matter, she was in her office consulting with members of an unspecified think-tank, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Dems on the committee are still seething over what they view as a snub.

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More News On Homeland Security

Homeland Security Budget Proposed at $56.3B -- Global Security Newswire
Aviation Security Up, Border Security Down in DHS Fiscal 2011 Budget Proposal -- HS Today
Obama officials present a strategic redefining of Homeland Security's mission -- Washington Post
Budget Analysis By Issue: Homeland Security -- NPR

Homeland Security's NOC Unable To Do Job: Inspector General

Homeland Security’s National Operations Center ‘Unable’ to Do Its Job, Inspector General Finds -- CNS News

(CNSNews.com) – The Homeland Security Department’s National Operations Center (NOC) is “unable” to do its job of ensuring coordination among the 22 federal agencies that make up the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and focuses too much on disaster management rather than terrorism prevention, according to its own inspector general.

The National Operations Center, in fact, functions largely in name only, and current operations apparently have diminished its ability to respond to terrorist threats.

These assessments are presented in a redacted report from the DHS Office of Inspector General released in November and entitled “Information Sharing at the National Operations Center.”

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My Comment: This is a big story .... especially in the wake of the failed Christmas bombing on flight 253. So why am I only reading it in CNS?

What Is Homeland Security Thinking?

U.S. Will 'Find And Fix' System's Vulnerabilities -- Janet Napolitano, USA Today

Friday's attempted terrorist attack against Northwest Flight 253 near Detroit is a powerful illustration that terrorists will go to great lengths to try to defeat the security measures that have been put in place since September 11, 2001.

While we took swift action immediately following last week's incident at airports around the country and throughout the world, our defenses should never have allowed this individual to board a plane bound for the United States. The administration is determined to find and fix the vulnerabilities in our systems that allowed this breach to happen.

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More News On Homeland Security

Obama on Napolitano: Official: POTUS has full confidence -- Politico
US will 'find and fix' vital security gaps: Napolitano -- AFP
Homeland chief Napolitano says airline security system failed -- USA Today
Napolitano Reverses Course, Says Air Security Did NOT Work -- Wall Street Journal
Fingerpointing Begins in Aftermath of Failed Terror Attack -- FOX News
Who Should Be Held Responsible for Security Failures in the Christmas Day Bomb Attempt? -- ABC News
Burton calls for Napolitano's scalp -- The Politico
National Post editorial board: Napolitano must go -- National Post
You're Doing a Heck of a Job, Janet -- Richard Grenell, Huffington Post
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is not fit for position, recent events prove -- Michael Daly, New York Daily News
Protect us from Homeland Security? -- Ballard J. Powell, Chicago Tribune

We Have Found The Enemy, And It Is Us

Intelligence Improperly Collected on U.S. Citizens -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — In February, a Department of Homeland Security intelligence official wrote a “threat assessment” for the police in Wisconsin about a demonstration involving local pro- and anti-abortion rights groups.

That report soon drew internal criticism because the groups “posed no threat to homeland security,” according to a department memorandum released on Wednesday in connection with a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The agency destroyed all its copies of the report and gave the author remedial training.

That was just one of several cases in the last several years in which the department’s intelligence office improperly collected information about American citizens or lawful United States residents, the documents show.

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My Comment: Unfortunately, by applying these strict controls and guidelines, murderers like Major Hasan will probably slip through the cracks. I believe that to prevent future Hasans and/or terror groups from being successful, some compromise will need to be reached. But with political correctness being the more important objective with this administration and Congress, coupled with anti-terrorism policies now following a more conventional law enforcement approach .... intelligence that may prove vital will probably be ignored and/or prohibited.

Is The White House Deliberately Appointing "Devout" Muslims To Sensitive Homeland Security Posts?

Obama ‘Reaches Out’ by Naming ‘Devout’ Muslims to Security Posts -- Arutz Sheva

U.S. President Barack Obama continues to “reach out to Muslims” by appointing them to key security posts amid charges he wrongly ignored internal Muslim terror. One recent appointee was harshly criticized for appearing on a British-based television station whose host is a member of a radical Muslim group.

His “reaching out Muslims” speech in Cairo last June has been followed by action, the latest being this past week's swearing-in of a Muslim rights advocate to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, shortly after the Fort Hood massacre. HSAC members are involved in expertise on national security.

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My Comment: President Obama can appoint anyone that he wants. What irks me is that there should be accountability for one's appointment, and the best way to do that is for the media to report and/or expose the type of people who are being appointed. Why must I read about this particular news story in an Israeli publication when it should be front page on every American newspaper .... especially after the Fort Hood massacre.

Media bias you say .... duh.