Inspector General Says Homeland Security Struggling With Port Security

[JABBS]

During the presidential campaign, President Bush told Americans We're safer.

In this case, the conservative noise machine didn't have to work very hard repeating the Bush spin. Reporters in the mainstream media dutifully took notes. The television talking heads ran soundbites. And Americans, told by their leadership that a nuclear attack would be more likely to occur with John Kerry as president, bought the Bush spin line and re-elected George W.

JABBS readers have long suspected that the risk of terrorism has not improved substantially, in spite of the Bush spin. JABBS readers questioned why Republicans in Congress, carrying out the Bush administration's budget plans, killed Democratic-led spending bills for port security, aviation security, rail security, Coast Guard operations and other measures -- and why the mainstream media didn't hold the Republicans' feet to the fire.

So it comes as little surprise that the mainstream media also didn't pick up on testimony given May 17 by Richard Skinner, the acting inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, even though Skinner said that when it comes to port and maritime security, forget the Bush spin line -- we're not all that safe.

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Skinner told the Senate Commerce Committee that the "Coast Guard faces significant barriers, most importantly the deteriorating readiness of its fleet assets." Skinner cited three major barriors to improving the Coast Guard's readiness:

-- No comprehensive performance management system, which "impedes the Coast Guard’s ability to gauge its performance, allocate resources effectively, and target areas for improved performance."

-- A declining number of experienced and trained personnel.

-- Growing demands from Homeland Security, such as added port, waterway and coastal security patrols, which "tax the Coast Guard’s infrastructure including its aging cutter and aircraft fleet. ... Currently, the Coast Guard is experiencing serious cracking in the hulls of the 110 foot cutters and engine power loss on the HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, resulting in operating restrictions."

In other words, while the Bush administration says it wants the Coast Guard to lead the way with maritime security, it isn't giving the guard the necessary tools -- like the money Senate Republicans wouldn't consider last fall.

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Want to read more about this controversy? Check out Journalists Against Bush's B.S., at http://jabbs.blogspot.com/2005/06/inspector-general-says-homeland.html