Competence.
That is the key ingredient to doing any job. Instead of making the public safer and travel efficient, US Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano has opted to coddle the public with fluffy statements and new mind-numbingly dumb travel restrictions that don’t make us any safer.
For a rundown on what new travel restrictions are now in place, watch this video from a JetBlue flight:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGHeFO9iZMY[/youtube]
These new restrictions would have done NOTHING to prevent or stop the Detroit terrorist attack. All they do is waste the time of the American people. If every American wastes just one hour over the next year because of the actions of Napolitano and the TSA, then approximately 300,000,000 American hours would be lost. That is equal to the collective length of 428 lives lived to 80-years-old. In short, Napolitano and the US Government just deprived the American people of more collective life than a successful terrorist attack on a large jetliner.
What Napolitano doesn’t want to admit to the public is that PETN (the explosive involved in the failed attack) cannot be detected by metal detectors and would likely make it on-board a US flight if attempted. Also, a small amount of PETN can cause a lot of damage so it can be easily hidden. The Detroit terrorist attacker had 80g and Richard Reid had 50g of PETN in his failed attack 8 years ago. Here is a video of 4g of PETN:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3NPFbqhqXE[/youtube]
Here is a video of 20g of PETN:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aleeJ9Rg4Hw[/youtube]
I have to agree with Daniel Pipes, the director of the Middle East Forum and Jerusalem Post columnist when he says:
Abdulmutallab’s near-success and Napolitano’s idiotic response tell Americans about the weakness of counter-terrorist efforts so many years after 9/11.
Here is the truth, we aren’t safe, we have never been safe. The world around us is not safe. Driving a car isn’t safe. I am going to be flying in about a week and I am not bothered by that fact at all. I have known the dangers for years and accept them as a risk that the benefit of flying outweighs. The best defense is for the air traveling public to be vigilant about what is going on around them.
The alternative to flying is just not acceptable as there will be great loss of life if we shut-down our society. Medical advancement along with many other technological and economic advances will slow and result in the death of many around the globe (not to mention the loss of quality of life).
What Napolitano should do is help educate the American people that flying isn’t perfectly safe but it is an acceptable risk. She should stop insisting on new regulations that waste the public’s life and don’t make us any safer. Maybe the public wants to be coddled by lies that we are more safe if we do things like not watch live TV on planes. I for one want a government that speaks the truth and helps educate the public, even if it is uncomfortable. A false sense of security is no security at all. It seems that our best defense so far has been alert citizens and somewhat incompetent attackers.
In short, Napolitano should be fired for:
President Barack Obama looks over as US Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano speaks.
David Schmidt is the Director of HucksArmy and reachable at david.schmidt@evercor.com, or on Facebook and Twitter
December 28th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
FIRE, FIRE FIRE FIRE napolitano, NOW!
December 28th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Napolitano is a political hack. She only got the DHS job because she threw her support behind Obama in the primaries, which is ironic since Obama lost AZ to Clinton anyways. Napolitano should be axed and someone who actually knows what they are talking about should be given DHS.
December 28th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Fire this stuip woman now before someone gets killed.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
They are bound and determined to make our quality of life as miserable as they can. Initially, she said that the system worked. I guess that means our system is to have Dutch men jump over our seats and take out bombers. The woman is a real piece of work.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
She should be fired, but I think your 428 collective lives argument is just completely ridiculous, David.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Of course she should be fired, unfortunately the GOP happily plays along with the political appointment for favor game while we are in charge so neither party’s leadership has any credibility in attacking the problem.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I am a citizen of the United States and I have a friend that is from
Paris, France here on a student visa to finish his degree. Noureddine
Feddane has been here since 2005. His visa is valid until March of
2010, his passport is valid until 2014, and his I-20 is current. He is
not what people call an ‘illegal immigrant.’ In 2008, he fell in love
and married a U.S. citizen that just happens to be addicted to
prescription medications. Noureddine knew nothing about this. But he
was arrested due to her mistakes.
He was placed in detention and scheduled for deportation. My friend
has been in detention center in Pompano Beach Florida for 5 months
now. This couple has lost all there savings on lawyers, she lost her
job, and they are in the process of losing their home. All this was
caused because ICE has the wrong person in jail.
I have written many letters to Janet Napolitano, Senator Bill Nelson,
Representative Ginny Brown-Waite and even President Obama. But no one
will listen. What is illegal in this case is the way DHS is treating
this guy, who is 51 and has never had a traffic violation. While in
detention center, they have abused him, denied him food and proper
medical treatment. Noureddine is diabetic and they will not give him
the proper food or medical attention. The phone system is very poor
and hardly works. I suspect that they plan it that way so the
detainees cannot contact their lawyers and family. I fear he will be
next on the long list of persons that have died while in detention.
Until you go to one of these detention centers and see with your own
eyes, you will not believe what America is doing. I was shocked, on my
first visit and after almost 6 months of seeing what happens and how
they have to live, I am still in shock. It is all about the money
. My friend has never
cost America anything until they locked him up. He is in a private
prison owned by a company called GEO
based near Miami, Florida. They are paid very well by our tax dollars,
but the treatment is unbelievable. I wonder how many politicians have
stock in this company. They are doing quite well even in a bad
economy.
Six months ago I had no idea that we treated immigrants in this way,
especially when they are here legally and have done nothing wrong. I
knew nothing about ICE and how they operate illegally
. I was under
the impression that DHS was here only to protect us from terrorists.
And I had no idea of the millions of our tax dollars were being wasted
to imprison people that could be out of detention and have their
family support them until a decision is made in immigration court. I
do not understand why we have to pay our hard earned tax dollars to
house and feed persons that are not dangerous.
When they have to lock up a man who has done nothing wrong, make him
spend thousands in fees, ICE is giving way too much importance to
themselves. How can we turn such educated people away simply to boost
the ego of ICE officers and add another number to the Janet Napolitano
deportation list, so that the Obama Administration can look like it is
doing its job of ‘cracking down on criminals?’
Something has to change soon. I feel it is my duty as an American to
let as many people as possible know the truth. I visit the detention
center every Saturday and spend the rest of the week writing letters.
This Christmas, let’s do something worthwhile. Let’s go back to
protecting the country rather than making up stories to justify the
expansion of a national security complex. Let’s end businesses
profiting from immigrant detention and restore our image as a nation
of immigrants.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Two terror attacks on US soil in two months (Ft Hood & this). Napolitano must go!
December 28th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
To Ms. Napolitano, the Tea Partier are the terrorists, not the chap who killed at Ft. Hood.
December 28th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
To be fair, Napolitano’s predecessor was just as ineffective at actual anti-terrorism measures. TSA has been nothing but security theater for a decade. The only thing that would prevent a 9/11 today is that passengers wouldn’t allow their plan to be hijacked without a fight.
Have any of the monstrously expensive “anti-terrorist” measures implemented in the last several years proven capable of preventing terrorism?
December 28th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
David, we haNappy fails. But so does the entire Obama admin.
December 28th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Romney would be a litle tough on terrorists for some of you, but I like his thinking! Safety first!
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/09/15/wiretap_mosques_romney_suggests/
December 29th, 2009 at 1:35 am
Saw an interesting YouTube on the only truly safe airline … El Al. Logic would say that the way to come closer to ensuring our safety would be to implement its policies. Did I mention that most who fly El Al are through security checks in about 3 minutes. Of course, that would require our implementing **shudder** ethnic profiling. I guess it doesn’t make any sense to spend a few more minutes asking questions of a Nigerian Muslim on his way from Amsterdam to Detroit. Let’s spend equally as much time going through Aunt Tilly’s dirty underwear on her way back from her once in a lifetime European vacation.
Just insane.
December 29th, 2009 at 11:40 am
These regulations are such a waste of time. Just another example of the terrorists beating us at our own game.
they understand that we know are less free than we were before the attack. every attack is met by more stupid burdens and regulations on our freedoms.
look, lets just accept al queada for what it is. a group bent on hurting us. fact is we hurt more of ourselves than they do of us, so just live with that risk and forget about it.
December 29th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Heckuvajob, Napolitano
The DHS secretary will likely survive her “the system worked” flub. The real damage, Reihan Salam says, is to Democrats’ 2010 chances now that the GOP has a new opening for white voters.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-29/heckuvajob-napolitano/full/
December 29th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Janet Napolitano needs to go. And Obama, can you please have it done by
January 12 because I am putting my daughter on a flight to Australia and
her family would appreciate her reaching her destination in one piece.
Clearly JN, like Obama, has no interest in the safety of Americans. We need some hope and change now, with the 2010 election.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Obama Cites ‘Systemic Failure’ in U.S. Security
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/us/politics/30obama.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print
December 29th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
King: Obama’s ‘Iron Curtain’
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjAzYzdkNGY1NGZkOTU1MjM0MDdhMzJiMDUxOTRlYmY=
December 29th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Wow… that’s pretty powerful stuff.