Homeland Security: falling apart before its even built.

September 8, 2003 11:08 PM

Homeland Security: falling apart before its even built.The bastard child of Bush's 'small government' ideology and Congress's desperate attempt to secure the nation is unsurprisingly falling apart for lack of support both in funds and from the executive branch. Isn't something worth doing and this important, worth doing well?
posted by skallas (14 comments total)

Yet there's still room for mission-creep.
posted by homunculus at 11:33 PM on September 8, 2003

Quick - what color is the current terror-alert status?
posted by 2sheets at 11:38 PM on September 8, 2003

mint green-speckled mauve?
posted by cinderful at 11:41 PM on September 8, 2003

...the Department of ??? is hobbled by money woes, disorganization, turf battles and unsteady support from the White House

If you saw the sentence above by itself, would you be able to figure out which Department it was referring to? Depressing, isn't it?
posted by milnak at 11:41 PM on September 8, 2003

posted by homunculus at 11:43 PM on September 8, 2003

Deniability is not built overnight, and until that morass is established, no federal agency will begin to function.

Just ask the 9/11 victims' families how well a seasoned culture of buck-passing works.
posted by mischief at 12:46 AM on September 9, 2003

Homunculus: Is that Brent Spiner in the next Star Trek movie?
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:47 AM on September 9, 2003

That's beautiful, homunculus.

If made president, I promise to lower the terror alert level to a gentle mauve for the first year of my presidency... after that, strobe!

In all seriousness though, hasn't enough information about the WTC attack come to light that the need for a whole new department is not only unjustified, but sort of erm.... letting the terrorists win? [I notice people drive a bit more hectic on RED days, etc.]
posted by phylum sinter at 12:48 AM on September 9, 2003

The Department of Homeland security was largely part farce and part fantasy at birth. That it is underfunded and confused should be wholly unsurprising. Further, that it has not been a success and has not vanished away even more money should be celebrated as a benefit for all.
posted by rudyfink at 1:29 AM on September 9, 2003

Isn't something worth doing and this important, worth doing well?

Not when it's named the department of HOMELAND security fer christ's sake.

It needs to be transparently overseen by. . .

Fuck. Who am I kidding? As long as the name exists -- HOMELAND security -- people are going to believe "something is being done".

About what? I'm sure they know that as well too.
posted by crasspastor at 2:17 AM on September 9, 2003

Isn't something worth doing and this important, worth doing well?

Check your assumptions.

No.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:30 AM on September 9, 2003

The administration said 795 people in [the FBI's cybersecurity office] were joining Homeland Security. But that office had only 92 people to begin with

Another clerical error?
posted by ook at 7:40 AM on September 9, 2003

Motherland, Fatherland, Homeland.
posted by jester69 at 8:24 AM on September 9, 2003

>Check your assumptions.

Sure:

1. Once this Homeland thing was signed it will never, ever go away. Its easier to make bureaucracy than to dismantle it in government.

2. Now that we're stuck with it, maybe it can, you know, fight terrorists or something.
posted by skallas at 6:23 AM on September 10, 2003