posted on March 10, 2005 09:01:28 AM new
If you're on the FBI's terror watch list, there are a lot of things you can't do: You can't work at an airport, you're not supposed to be able to fly on a plane, you can't get on a cruise ship to the Bahamas— but apparently you can go out and buy yourself a gun.
A new report from the independent General Accounting Office in Washington found that terrorists, or those suspected of being involved in terrorism, are buying guns just as easily as everybody else. The director of the FBI came out today and confirmed that.
In just nine months last year, 47 suspected terrorists legally purchased firearms and according to Director Robert Mueller, there's nothing the FBI can do about it. Under the nation's gun laws, unless you are a terrorist who also happens to be a convicted felon, a domestic violence offender, an illegal immigrant, or mentally deficient, the FBI can't stop you from purchasing a personal firearm. Are we saying that our love for guns outweighs our fear of potential terrorists?
To make things worse, after they've purchased their weapons, the federal government legally had to destroy the background checks within 24 hours. Congress passed that law last year so that the feds wouldn't be able to use gun-buying records for law enforcement purposes.
This is insane.
I know all about the Second Amendment. I wrote a law review article about it and I know there are serious problems with the terror watch list. There have been numerous cases of mistaken identity. The Department of Homeland Security even admitted in October it's doing a pretty shabby job of coordinating the list. But if the list is going to mean anything, it should at least prevent people whose names are on it from buying weapons. If there's a mix-up because the watch list is faulty, that can be cleared up with some additional investigation. The airlines do it every day.
Congress should act now to make sure terrorists can't use this nation's lax laws to create private arsenals to use against our own citizens.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- Bush will fix Social Security just like he has fixed Osama Bin Laden and Iraq. Bush can't be trusted to run this country and you want to trust him with your retirement?
posted on March 10, 2005 09:02:44 AM new
WASHINGTON - A group of airline pilots gave the U.S. government failing grades on Thursday in several areas of aviation security including the screening of employees and cargo, and defending planes from shoulder-fired missiles.
The Coalition of Airline Pilots Association released its Aviation Security Report Card that showed aviation security gets average to failing grades in over a dozen subject areas.
The trade group gave failing “F” grades to the government in five areas -- screening of employees, screening of cargo, high-tech credentialing of crew members, self-defense training for crew and the plan for countering shoulder-fired missiles.
The group gave good grades to the government on improved bag screening and on reinforcing cockpit doors on commercial airplanes.
Jon Safley, president of CAPA, said filling some of the “gaping holes” in aviation security will require major changes in the way the airlines and airports do business, and in the way the government manages airline security.
“The technology exists, or could be updated, to address many of these security problems,” said Safley, whose group represents about 22,000 pilots from American Airlines (AMR.N), United Parcel Service (UPS.N), Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) and AirTran Airways (AAI.N).
“But neither the airlines, the airports nor government officials have given these issues the priority they deserve.”
Studying anti-missile technology
CAPA said that while screening of airline passengers and their bags had improved since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airline attacks, screening of ramp employees and cargo has not improved.
“We should have one level of security to protect the American people,” Safley said. “If we’re screening passengers, we certainly need to screen employees who have access to aircraft and baggage. And not screening cargo on all-cargo carriers invites disaster.”
The Department of Homeland Security is studying how it might be able to adapt anti-missile technology, which is common on military aircraft, for use on U.S. commercial airliners to thwart shoulder-fired rocket attacks by al-Qaida or others.
Concern over the possibility that attackers might use shoulder-fired weapons to down a plane grew after a missile nearly hit an Israeli airliner leaving Kenya in 2002. Cash-strapped airlines are skeptical of the plan for anti-missile systems due to high costs and liability.
CAPA also gave low grades to the government on security of airports, saying that the Transportation Security Administration did not properly or consistently oversee the security.
It also said there was poor sharing of information on potential threats to aircraft, and said airlines did not share the crucial information with their captains.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- Bush will fix Social Security just like he has fixed Osama Bin Laden and Iraq. Bush can't be trusted to run this country and you want to trust him with your retirement?
posted on March 10, 2005 11:21:57 AM new
The NRA is already speaking up for the terror-list suspects on this one. Thank god somebody is willing to look after their rights.
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Dick Cheney: "I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11..."
