Senator Kerry's Homeland Security Plan

[MurikanDemocrat]

Defending the American Homeland

The most basic responsibility of government is to provide for the common defense. The Bush Administration has provided too little support, too little leadership, and too little vision for the common defense of our homeland. John Kerry has the courage to roll back George Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans so we can invest in homeland security.

John Kerry believes we shouldn’t be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them in Brooklyn. Our first defenders should never come in last in the budget. Firefighters are first up the stairs and John Kerry believes they deserve to be first in line when we decide our spending priorities.

America needs a new strategy for homeland security that asks Americans to do more and takes steps as big as the threats we face. We need to put our faith and trust in the people on the frontlines – and back it up with real resources. We need to make sure first defenders have the gear and support they need, and the benefits and protections they've earned. John Kerry has a six-point plan to ensure that we are safer, stronger and more secure on our own soil.

Plan to Make America Stronger and Safer

A NATIONAL ‘DEFEND AMERICA’ INITIATIVE.
Americans showed on September 11th that they want to contribute to their communities and their country. People waited hours to donate blood or help grieving families. Yet the Bush Administration has asked little of Americans, focusing instead on giving more tax cuts for the wealthy. John Kerry believes winning the war against terrorism will require tapping the best our country has to offer and asking more of Americans. He would start by:

Enlisting the National Guard in Homeland Security. Homeland security should be a central mission of the National Guard. Guard members should be trained to serve as personnel in the event of an attack, helping evacuate or quarantine people, assisting in medical units; and helping communities set up and execute plans.

Expanding Americorps to Make Homeland Security a Core Mission. Since 9/11, applications to Americorps have increased by 50 percent and applications to Teach for America have tripled. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration promised to double Americorps and then stood by as Congressional Republicans cut it in half. John Kerry believes that Americorps should be doubled and its mission expanded to include homeland security. Americorps members could be trained to help in emergency medical response, community planning, and other homeland security activities.

Creating a New Community Defense Service. This service would be comprised of hundreds of thousands of Americans in neighborhoods all over the country. Volunteer Service Captains would receive training and education to assist their communities in the event of an attack Like the Civil Defense Program that existed during World War II, service captains would act as a 21st century Neighborhood Watch. They would be trained to help identify local health professionals and experts in the area, provide information on local evacuation or quarantine plans, and stand ready to be of assistance to first defenders in the hours after an attack -- providing needed manpower to deal with the aftermath.

Calling on the Private Sector to Help Bring Technological Innovations to the War on Terrorism. During World War II, the U.S. government brought together our greatest thinkers, scientists, academics and policymakers through the Manhattan Project to design new tools for warfare. John Kerry believes we need a similar effort to bring the advances of the 21st century to the War on Terrorism. This should include: gathering the nation’s greatest scientists to develop needed vaccines and antidotes to the biological and chemical scourges (similar to the work that is already being done to protect troops on the battlefield from biological and chemical agents); partnering with the technology community to improve detection technologies and developing and implementing new security systems to prevent tampering with goods in transit.

A NEW ‘FIRST DEFENDERS’ INITIATIVE TO ASSURE LOCAL RESPONDERS ARE EQUIPPED AND READY.
Too often law enforcement officers, firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are operating in a vacuum, and in many communities, are understaffed. America would not ask our military to go with inadequate staffing or equipment, and the same should hold true for domestic responders. However, again and again, the Bush Administration has turned the other way when it comes to real money for first responders. John Kerry believes first defenders should be a priority now. The First Defenders Program would do just that by:

Assuring First Defenders Have the Gear To Do Their Jobs Safely and Effectively. Nearly four out of five mayors have reported a funding shortfall for necessary threat detection or emergency preparedness equipment. First defenders often don't have the protective gear or other emergency response equipment to help react in the critical first hours after an attack. The government should immediately fund the backlog of requests for protective gear, assuring that these resources go directly to responders, rather than trickling through the bureaucracy.

Ending the Cop Crunch. Even before 9/11, many cities were having trouble recruiting police officers as fast as they were losing them. President Bush made this problem even worse by cutting the Federal COPs program. As a result, police officers receive fewer resources to double up on duty, doing their normal responsibilities as well as focusing on homeland security. Americans shouldn't have to face rising crime in their communities to fight the war on terrorism. John Kerry believes we should restore funding to COPS to realize its initial mission of 100,000 new police officers.

Hiring and Equipping the Nation’s Firefighters. Today, nearly two-thirds of firehouses are understaffed, making it difficult to deal with traditional fires and medical emergencies as well as terrorism. John Kerry believes we need to create a separate fund – after a hero of September 11th, Father Mychal Judge, the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department who died delivering last rites. The Father Judge Fund would be similar to the COPS program, that goes directly to hire up to 100,000 new firefighters and to provide the equipment necessary to assure firefighters are prepared.

Determining Basic National Standards So Every Metropolitan Area is Prepared. There are currently no common standards for what basic capabilities every major metropolitan area should have to respond to chemical, biological, and other catastrophic terrorist attacks. Kerry believes the Department of Homeland Security should work with representatives of federal, state, county and local governments; representative of health providers and first responders, and rank and file members to develop appropriate standards for preparedness in our cities and provide resources so communities can meet these goals.

BRINGING 21ST CENTURY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO THE WAR ON TERROR.
Most firefighters and local police don't have the equipment they need to communicate with each other during an attack. For example, firefighters in the World Trade Center did not have radios that worked indoors. Moreover, many local and state law enforcement agencies don't have access to critical information that would help stop terrorists. In fact, some of the terrorists on 9/11 previously had been pulled over by local law enforcement. John Kerry believes local enforcement agencies must have the information they need to fight terrorism. That includes:

Assuring First-Responders Can Communicate in an Attack. Existing technologies must be made available to firefighters, police officers, and other first responders to communicate in an attack. The nation should also invest in technologies that make this critical communication even easier. We also need to work with the FCC to assure first defenders have access to the best wavelengths so they can communicate in an emergency.

Sharing Information With Appropriate State and Local Officials. Appropriate state and local authorities should immediately get access to the 58 national terrorist lists and intelligence officials should work to simplify these lists. Then, as recommended by the Hart-Rudman Commission, a 24-hour operations center should be established in each state to provide a real time intergovernmental link between local and federal law enforcement. Field-level police would contact this center to determine whether to hold or release suspects based on a check of federal databases.

Cutting Down on False Identification. Four of the five terrorists who crashed an airliner into the Pentagon had false IDs. Attorney General Ashcroft’s solution to address identification challenges has been a wholesale assault on civil liberties. With better technology, we can replace these "big-net" tactics with smarter, more targeted efforts to identify real terrorism suspects. This includes encouraging states to modernize their driver's license and ID systems; strengthening anti-counterfeit safeguards; enabling different state motor vehicle departments to communicate about applicants using false information; and investigating phony identification traffickers.

REFORMING DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE
Many of the examinations of 9/11 have raised serious questions about whether the FBI is the right agency to conduct domestic intelligence collection and analysis given their fundamental mission is to catch and prosecute criminals. The Bush Administration’s proposed terrorist threat integration center, (TTIC) would not be able to do the job, given its dependence on other agencies' analysts, the bureaucratic divide created between people identifying vulnerabilities and individuals charged with eliminating those vulnerabilities, and the numerous people in charge that could complicate efforts to work with the states and local governments on information sharing. John Kerry believes that simplifying the bureaucratic charts makes more sense. America needs an independent intelligence capability that focuses explicitly on domestic intelligence.

A NATIONAL HOMELAND HEALTH INITIATIVE
America’s public health system has risen to important challenges before, conquering typhoid fever, malaria, small pox, polio and other once common diseases. However, it lacks the advances necessary to detect or contain a major outbreak. There are too few medical personnel trained to spot biological attacks, a shortage of sophisticated laboratories to identify the agents and inadequate supplies of drugs and vaccines to counteract the threat. John Kerry believes we must upgrade the public health system by:

Connecting the Nation’s Public Health Systems with a Real Time Detection System. This initiative would apply the benefits of 21st century modern technology to provide real time reporting of disease outbreaks and track and monitor health trends. Most bioterror illnesses initially look like the flu, and health professionals may not realize a trend. A new real time detection system would pool confidential patient data and pharmacy usage across the country to alert public health officials when disease is on the rise.

Assuring Health Care Providers Are Prepared to Detect and Respond to an Attack. Today, most doctors and nurses are not adequately trained to detect many biological weapons and hospitals are not prepared to respond to a mass crisis. This initiative would provide training to health providers and assist hospitals and other providers in developing plans for a surge in patients.

Increasing Research for Diagnostic Tests, Vaccines, and Treatments. When penicilln was discovered, it was found to treat a wide range of illnesses. Later, Cipro treated a wide range of bacterial diseases, including anthrax Terrorist organizations and hostile dictators are trying to create new biological weapons that will kill us fast with designer variations on existing diseases. We need to bring together the best of the public and private sectors to develop broad-spectrum designer antidotes so that our first responders - and our population -- can be protected and treated from the widest possible range of attacks.

DEFENDING OUR SKIES, SEA, AND LAND
Currently, 95% of all non-North American U.S. trade moves by sea, concentrated mostly in a handful of ports. Everyday we import millions of cargo containers, any one of which could contain deadly threats to our people such as a deadly disease secreted in a shipment of foreign fruit – radioactive material hidden in frozen seafood. If an explosive device were loaded in a container and set off in a port, its results could be catastrophic, not just in terms of the immediate loss of human life, but on the impact on global commerce. John Kerry believes improvements must be made, while recognizing that global prosperity and America’s economic power depends on an efficient system. He believes we should:

Improve Port Security. The Maritime Transportation Act of 2002, which primarily focused on the physical security of ports, is essentially an unfunded mandate, receiving only $200-$300 million extra since 9/11. John Kerry believes we need to develop standards for security at loading facilities for containers and assure facilities can meet basic standards. He also believes America should be researching and developing containers that will be technologically transparent – capable of being inspected instantly by detection and identification equipment. Technology could also improve accuracy and timing for transmitting and sharing data about contents, location, and chain of control involving a container shipment.

Secure Bridges and Tunnels. Only five major bridges and one tunnel link Ontario to Michigan and New York, and account for 70% of all the trade between the U.S. and Canada. To improve security on this important commerce, John Kerry believes we should accelerate the timetable for the action plans agreed to in the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico “smart border” accords. America should also work with Canada to implement adequate security measures for cross-border bridges and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.

Protect Private Infrastructure. At least 3/4 of the country's major infrastructure is in private hands. However, if even one large facility is hit, with a biological agent or an explosive that releases toxic fumes, thousands – even millions -- could die. The economy could also take a huge hit, as emergency measures were taken to figure out how to prevent a repeat and shut down whole industries for weeks or even months. The Bush Administration says we should leave it to big business to make these security improvements themselves, even though they are unlikely to make real changes. Others might want to mandate protective measures with an expensive one-size-fits-all Federal solution. John Kerry believes should work to develop modest, minimal safety standards for certain kinds of industry and infrastructure, look at requiring private terrorism insurance, and helping owners find economical ways to improved security.

John Kerry: A Homeland Security Plan to Keep America Safe

Under the Bush Administration, cops are being taken off the street to pay for more tax cuts for billionaires and critical homeland security needs have been unmet. John Kerry will take the fight right to terrorists everywhere. He will also keep us safer at home by investing in our first defenders, securing our vulnerable infrastructure, and improving our domestic intelligence.

FIGHTING THE WAR ON TERROR: John Kerry has a comprehensive approach to fighting the global war on terrorism that will identify, disrupt, and eliminate terrorist networks.

Kerry will use direct military force when necessary to capture and destroy terrorist group and their leaders.
He will also increase the size of the Army by 40,000 active duty troops on a temporary basis.
Kerry will improve international intelligence and law enforcement and cut off the flow of terrorist funds.
In order to control the spread of weapons of mass destruction, Kerry will appoint a high-level Presidential envoy to buy up and destroy stockpiles of loose WMD materials.
Kerry will build bridges to the Arab and Islamic world by supporting and assisting human rights groups, independent media, and labor unions dedicated to building a democratic culture.

ENOUGH FIRST DEFENDERS TO DO THE JOB: Police officers are stretched more than ever at a time when they are being asked to perform more duties and today, nearly two-thirds of firehouses are understaffed, making it difficult to deal with traditional fires and medical emergencies as well as terrorism. Many police officers and firefighters are also reservists who are being called up to service.

Kerry will restore funding for the COPS program. The Bush 2005 budget proposal includes only $97 million for COPS (less than one-tenth of full funding), which is less than: Bush has in the bank for his campaign and less than Halliburton overruns in the Mideast (Iraq and Kuwait) ($124 million).

Hiring and Equipping the Nation's Firefighters. John Kerry has proposed the Father Mychal Judge Fund - named after the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department who died delivering last rites on September 11th - to hire up to 100,000 new firefighters and provide the equipment necessary to assure firefighters are prepared.

Creating a Homeland Security Corps. John Kerry strongly supports more homeland security training and resources for existing law enforcement officers. His proposed Homeland Security Corps that would give local communities resources to hire 5,000 additional law enforcement officials who are trained in Homeland Security to help coordinate efforts in their communities.

Fighting to Protect Overtime Pay for First Responders. John Kerry believes that first responders who are required to work extra duty should be fairly compensated. George Bush has proposed regulations that would eliminate overtime "rights" for many first responders. John Kerry opposes these regulations and he will repeal them as President if they become law.

ASSURING FIRST RESPONDERS HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO DO THEIR JOBS SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY. First responders often do not have the protective gear, interoperable communications equipment, or other emergency response equipment to help react in the critical first hours after an attack.

Funding for the Emergency Preparedness Equipment Backlog. The government should immediately fund the backlog of requests for protective gear, assuring that these resources go directly to first responders rather than trickling through the bureaucracy, and provide them with the communications equipment necessary to respond to an attack in a coordinated manner.

Creating an Orange Alert Fund. When the security threat level is raised, communities have to spend additional resources such as paying police overtime and funding additional security measures. Taken together, it costs several million dollars a day to raise the threat level. John Kerry has proposed to create an "Orange Alert Fund" to reimburse communities for some of the additional costs incurred by responding to a higher threat level.

IMPROVING INFORMATION TO FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE PUBLIC: Kerry will improve communications between federal and local authorities when the terror alert level is raised. Kerry will also ensure that every metropolitan area is prepared to respond to terrorist attacks by developing basic national standards and by creating a strategic regional alert network for smaller municipalities. Sometimes national officials have more targeted information about where a threat exists. When intelligence exists that there is a terrorist threat in certain locations, Kerry will work to ensure that it is shared with local law enforcement and the threat level should be raised in those locations accordingly.

IMPROVING PORT SECURITY: With 95 percent of all non-North American U.S. trade moving by sea, John Kerry believes we can't afford not to take action on port security. He will invest in a system of container security that will track containers and determine whether they contain radioactive or dangerous chemicals. Kerry will also develop security standards for ports and ensure that there are more customs inspectors and better technology to physically search cargo.

Bush is Failing on Homeland Security

FIRST RESPONDERS

Ninety Percent of Cities Have Not Received Funding. "A study last fall by the U.S. Conference of Mayors showed 90 percent of cities had not received their share of $1.5 billion allocated by the nation's largest homeland security funding program. Moreover, an informal poll in 43 states recently showed that a third of counties nationwide still have not seen any federal funding for first responders, said Larry Naake, executive director of the National Association of Counties."

A 2003 Report by the Council on Foreign Relations Found Wide Ranging Inadequacies in Homeland Security Preparedness. Among the reports findings were:

"Fire departments across the country have only enough radios to equip half the firefighters on a shift, and breathing apparatuses for only one-third."
"Only 10 percent of fire departments in the United States have the personnel and equipment to respond to a building collapse."
"Public health laboratories in most states still lack basic equipment and expertise to adequately respond to a chemical or biological attack, and 75 percent of state labs report being overwhelmed by too many testing requests."
"Most cities do not have the necessary equipment to determine what kind of hazardous materials emergency responders may be facing."
"Police departments in cities across the country do not have the protective gear to safely secure a site following an attack using weapons of mass destruction (WMD)."
"Many police departments lack adequate detection and personal protective equipment and training for responding to chemical, biological, or radiological incidents."
Survey Shows that Cities' Top Protective Needs not Being Met to Mayors' Satisfaction. A 2002 US Conference of Mayors/Cities United for Science Progress survey of 122 mayors from across the country found that mayors were less than 20 percent satisfied that their cities had adequate protective gear to respond to chemical or biological attacks, even though the same survey showed that the two greatest homeland defense concerns of mayors were the threats of a chemical or biological attack.

PORT SECURITY

Of All Cities With Eligible Ports, Only 42% Have Received Grants to Help With Port Security. Fifty eight percent of all US cities with ports eligible to receive port security grants reported to the US Conference of Mayors that they had not received funding under the program. Seven million cargo containers arrive in US ports each year, but as little as 2 percent of those are screened. The US has 361 commercial ports.

CIA: US More Likely to Face WMD in a Port than on a Missile. The Boston Globe reported, "The Central Intelligence Agency recently concluded that the United States is more likely to be attacked with a weapon of mass destruction smuggled into the country aboard a ship than one delivered by a ballistic missile, according to an intelligence official who has seen the classified report."

AIR TRAVEL SECURITY

Eleven Percent of US Airport Screeners are Being Laid Off at Nation's Airports. The Bush administration announced earlier this year that 6,000 airport screeners, 11 percent of the nation's screening force, would be laid off. A Transportation Safety Administration spokesperson claimed that the cuts would not affect overall security, but may add to the wait time for passengers. Paul Hudson, director of the aviation security advocacy group, the Aviation Consumer Action Project, disagreed with TSA's analysis, stating, "These labor cutbacks - unless they're coupled with some other measures to compensate to improve the system further - they will result in an overall reduction in security."

Republicans Think TSA "Over Hired" Screeners. The Associated Press reported that the security screener cutbacks were announced to satisfy Republican critics in Congress who were of the opinion that TSA "grew too large too fast." US Rep. Harold Rogers, the chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on the Appropriations Committee, explained, "TSA threw money at the employee and screening deadlines in a shotgun fashion and over-hired," and stated in response to the layoffs, "I am pleased TSA is finally starting to make progress."

TSA Has Not Finished Background Checks on Half of its Screener Force. The Transportation Safety Administration admitted in June 2003 that it still had not completed background checks on 22,000 airport screeners, nearly half of its screener force. In addition, TSA has had to place "scores" of federal air marshal's on leave due to discrepancies in the checks. The president of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance, Captain Bob Lambert, criticized the TSA, saying, "It raises concerns about the entire TSA vetting process."

CHEMICAL PLANT SECURITY

GAO: Security Oversight of Chemical Facilities Sorely Lacking. A Government Accounting Office report released in March 2003 noted that even though US chemical facilities were "attractive targets for terrorists," the ability of any facility to respond to an attack was "unknown." GAO found that the chemical industry was not required by law to assess vulnerabilities or take action to secure their facilities, and that "the federal government has not comprehensively assessed the chemical industry's vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks." GAO also found that because "no agency monitors or documents the extent to which chemical facilities have implemented security measures… federal, state, and local entities lack comprehensive information on" vulnerabilities.

Chemical Plant Attack Could Endanger More Than a Million Americans. The GAO reported that 123 chemical plants are located in urban areas where a toxic release could endanger over a million people in a "worst case" scenario. Another 600 facilities could endanger between 100,000 and one million people in the even of a release, and 2,300 facilities could harm up to 100,000 people. GAO also noted concern over the theft of chemicals from a facility, "which could be used to create a weapon…"

Bush Administration Succumbed to Industry Pressure in Overseeing Plant Security. The GAO found that the EPA would not use its regulatory power to police the chemical industry due to "concerns… significant litigation risk." The Richmond Times Dispatch reported on the EPA's concerns noting, "The Environmental Protection Agency recently tried to impose stricter security standards on chemical manufacturers, but it backed down after the industry balked."

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES (COPS)

Bush Consistently Cut Program to Put More Cops on Street. Since 2001, Bush has slashed funding for the COPS program, which was designed to put more police on the streets and had added 114,000 to the force. Bush first two budgets he cut the program in half, then for FY04 Bush slashed funding by 85 percent - nearly $1 billion - from the COPS program budget, devoting just $158 million to the program. His latest budget, for FY05, nearly eliminates the program, cutting its budget by 80%. http://www.usdoj.gov/cops/more/pdf/e12990066_f.pdf; New York Times, 4/9/01>

Plans to Assure America is Prepared for Increased Terrorism Threat

Calls for More Information and Resources for Local Law Enforcement
John Kerry's plan to help assure America is prepared to deal with any increased threat of terrorism occurring in the United States. After Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge raised the threat level to Orange yesterday, Kerry pointed out that many communities, individuals and especially first responders do not have the information or resources they need to respond to this alert.

“When the threat of terrorism is increasing I’ll do more than simply issue an Orange Alert. As President, I’ll make sure that towns and cities don’t have to bear all the burden of increasing security – a price tag that can weigh in at several million dollars a day. I will create an ‘Orange Alert Fund’ that pays for police overtime and other security enhancements,” said John Kerry. “When Americans turn on the news and are told to be ‘vigilant,’ we must make sure they know that means. A Kerry Administration will launch a Citizen Preparedness Initiative that empowers Americans with the right information and the right responses to terrorist threats.”

Because of cutbacks from state budget deficits and the Bush Administration’s slashing of the COPs program, police officers are stretched more than ever at a time when they are being asked to perform more duties. Kerry pledged more homeland security training and resources for existing law enforcement officers.

“Budget cuts have also left our first responders stretched far too thin. Threats like these demand that we have more cops on the beat, and more who are trained how to respond to homeland security needs. I’ll fight for more resources for today’s cops and we’ll start a Homeland Security Corps that provides cities and towns with the resources to hire 5,000 more law enforcement officials who are trained to provide homeland security,” said Kerry.

Kerry’s five-step plan to assure America is prepared:

(1) Orange Alert Fund

When the security threat is raised, communities have to spend additional resources such as paying police overtime and funding additional security measures. Taken together, it costs several million dollars a day to raise the threat level. Many of these communities are already strapped for cash in the Bush economy, and these additional costs lead to cuts in other areas, such as health care and education. That is why John Kerry will propose to create an “Orange Alert Fund” to reimburse communities for some of the additional costs incurred by responding to a higher threat level.

(2) Citizen Preparedness Initiative

When Americans learn there is a higher threat level, they do not always know how to prepare or how best to protect themselves and their families. A Kerry Administration would launch a national citizen preparedness effort to educate and empower Americans with information and appropriate responses to various kinds of terrorist threats. All levels of government would be involved in empowering communities and individuals with the information they need to put an effective strategy in place. There would also be more effective local alert systems to notify the public in the event of a threat or attack. John Kerry’s National Service Initiative includes a new Community Defense Service, which would put in place hundreds of thousands of service captains to assure our communities are ready to respond to a crisis, complimenting but not supplanting the work done by police, fire fighters, and other first defenders.

(3) More Targeted Alert System

Sometimes national officials have more targeted information about where a threat exists. When threats are localized, all law enforcement should be informed. However, we should apply our alert system in a sensible and localized manner. When intelligence exists that there is a terrorist threat in certain locations, it should be shared with local law enforcement and the threat level should be raised in those locations accordingly.

(4) Improve Airport Security

While some progress has been made in improving airline security, much work remains to be done. Twenty two percent of air cargo is carried on passenger planes each year, yet less than five percent is screened. John Kerry will ensure that air cargo on passenger planes is screened. We also need to move quickly to employ advanced security checkpoints at our airports that are capable of detecting explosives to ensure that they are not smuggled on aircrafts. Though technology to detect such explosives exists, the Bush Administration/TSA has been slow to ensure that it is used in our airports.

(5) Homeland Security Corps

Because of cutbacks from state budget deficits and the Bush Administration’s slashing of the COPs program, police officers are stretched more than ever at a time when they are being asked to perform more duties. John Kerry strongly supports more homeland security training and resources for existing law enforcement officers. He is also proposing a new Homeland Security Corps that would give local communities resources to hire 5,000 additional law enforcement officials who are trained in Homeland Security to help coordinate and implement efforts in their communities.

Plan to Restore American Security in Honor of Pearl Harbor Day

Highlights Plans to Enhance Intelligence, Improve Port Security

Roosevelt and Bush: Different Responses to Attacks 0n America. On December 7, 1941, America was shocked by the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. And we paid a terrible price, with 2,388 brave Americans killed in an attack that we had not adequately anticipated. President Roosevelt responded immediately: Within days he issued an Executive Order mandating a full inquiry into what had gone wrong in order to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. There were numerous subsequent governmental inquiries into the attack to protect our security for the future.

On September 11, 2001, America was again struck by a surprise attack from a hidden enemy, and again we paid a terrible price. This time, however, the President's response was very different. Where President Roosevelt sought answers, President Bush has sought to avoid blame, repeatedly stonewalling the 9/11 Commission and Congressional efforts to understand the intelligence mistakes that led up to September 11th. In fact, the Bush Administration has not even completed the National Intelligence Review mandated at the beginning of the Administration. Nor has the Bush Administration taken the necessary steps to improve homeland security by making our ports safer.

As part of his broad plan to improve security, John Kerry would improve intelligence, improve port security, and treat those who served fairly.

Priorities

1) Improve Intelligence Capabilities
John Kerry understands that intelligence information is the key to disrupting and dismantling terrorist organizations and that we need to improve our intelligence capabilities, both domestically and internationally, in order to win the war on global terrorism. Kerry believes that in order to improve security and ensure we have learned lessons from 9/11, the Bush Administration must immediately cooperate fully with the 9/11 Commission and Congressional Intelligence Committee investigations. These investigations are an effort to fix a problem, not place blame, and speedy completion of these independent reviews is essential to enhancing our national security.
Fixing the coordination and information flow problems in the intelligence and law enforcement communities. For example, we do not need multiple watch lists, but we do need to ensure that relevant agencies have access to critical intelligence in a timely fashion.
Reforming domestic intelligence capabilities by immediately making the Director of the CIA the Director of National Intelligence, with real control of national intelligence personnel and budgets. John Kerry will also complete the National Intelligence Review immediately.
Increase the number of linguists in critical languages in our intelligence agencies, and work with key foreign intelligence services to improve human intelligence collection abroad.

2) Improve Port Security
John Kerry outlined steps he would take to improve port security as part of his comprehensive plan to improve homeland security. Currently, 95 percent of all non-North American U.S. trade moves by sea, concentrated mostly in a handful of ports. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has not adequately funded the law to improve the physical security of ports. John Kerry believes we need to make improvements in port security without hindering the efficiency of our port system. Kerry will improve port security by:

Developing standards for security at ports and other loading facilities for containers and assure facilities can meet basic standards.
Improving security in commerce by accelerating the timetable for the action plans agreed to in the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico "smart border" accords.
Implementing security measures for cross-border bridges.
Pursuing modest safety standards for privately held infrastructure and will help owners find economical ways to pay for increased security.

Container Security. Containers are the primary vehicle for international cargo commerce, but current there is no global system for tracking and security. Despite the very real threat of entry of weapons of mass destruction in any one of the millions of containers which come into this country every year, the Bush Administration has been very slow to respond to this threat. Affordable, existing technology could allow sensors to be placed on containers which could track their position, signal when and where they were entered, and whether they contained radioactive or dangerous chemicals. As President, John Kerry will move immediately to protect American ports and commerce by funding and instituting such a system.

3) Ensure Fairness for Veterans, Service Members and Military Families
John Kerry has outlined a comprehensive plan to ensure that veterans, service members, and military families are treated fairly. Today Kerry announced a new proposal to keep soldiers fighting in Iraq safe.
Ensure That Troops Don't Have To Pay For Their Own Body Armor. One-fourth of the 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq are still waiting for the latest body armor. The Department of Defense says it will be the end of January 2004 before all the troops have been outfitted. In the meantime, stories abound of family members and friends paying hundreds of dollars for the updated armor themselves and shipping it to Iraq.

John Kerry announced that he will introduce legislation on Tuesday requiring the Department of Defense to reimburse family members who paid money out of their own pockets to provide the personal body armor that the government failed to deliver. Let families send pictures and care packages to their loved ones serving our country. John Kerry will ensure that Department of Defense provides the body-armor and other equipment needed to keep our troops safe.

Securing Our Ports and Preventing Terrorists from Obtaining WMD's
Remarks by John Kerry

December 17, 2003

Portsmouth, New Hampshire


As Prepared for Delivery:

One hundred years ago today – at this very hour – two brothers from Ohio stood on a lonely hill at the Outer Banks of North Carolina and changed the world. The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane changed the world for ever and for the better. We are able to understand and learn about, first-hand, distant corners of the globe. We are able to unlock the doors to commerce with other nations and get our people and products to places we never otherwise could never reach. And at this holiday time, millions of families pass through our airports as they travel to visit relatives that are distant in miles but close at heart.

But none of us who lived through the past few years need to be reminded of the terrorists on September 11th who used Orville and Wilbur Wright’s invention to inflict so much terror and destruction.

Here, in this Port that is a symbol of so much hope to people in New Hampshire, we’d do well to remember that lesson. America’s ports are sources of jobs and our window on the world. We receive products from Europe, Africa, Asia and beyond. And our products are sent out to eager buyers around the world.

But in this dangerous world, we don’t know what that cargo really contains. And we can’t afford to continue being in the dark. We screen millions of shoes in airports everyday, but less than four percent of the 21,000 enormous shipping containers that arrive in America’s ports every day. Any one of them could have a biological, chemical, or nuclear weapon inside. We need to invest in and employ new technologies to screen the containers, ships, trains, and trucks that come into this country.

This week, Americans are busy doing their holiday shopping, but with the capture of Saddam Hussein, America’s security isn’t far from our minds.

Saddam Hussein’s capture is a great tribute to the skill and bravery of the U.S. Armed Forces. This nation stands united with a single message for our troops: Job well done.

But September 11th showed us that danger isn’t only found in distant deserts, but – in this age – it is unfortunately confronted here at home. And that’s why we need a President who will do much more to make America’s homeland secure.

Two years ago, President Bush went to New York and stood at Ground Zero and gave firefighters his commitment. I wish the President would go back now and ask first defenders whether the commitment has been kept. Let me state it plainly: We shouldn’t be opening firehouses in Iraq while closing them in America.

When it comes to protecting America from terrorism, this Administration is big on bluster and short on action.

We need an Administration with less double-talk and more working double-time to guard Americans from danger.

But this Administration has given us a dangerous Preparedness Gap. A recent bipartisan panel led by former New Hampshire Republican Senator Warren Rudman reported how much more America needs to do to close the Preparedness Gap. Fire departments only have enough radios for half their firefighters and almost two-thirds of firehouses are short-staffed – with more firefighters and police officers being laid off. President Bush says we can’t afford to fund homeland security. I say we can’t afford not to. The Bush Administration is tinkering while the clock on homeland security is ticking.

The most basic responsibility of government is to provide for the common defense. But this Administration has provided too little support, provided too little leadership, and provided too little vision for the common defense of our homeland. Any American anywhere in our country may pay a price for this failure. But here at our Ports – here in New Hampshire and across the country – the danger is even greater.

So we need to make our Ports more secure. With 95 percent of all our trade from outside this continent coming to us by sea, the question isn’t if we can afford to take action on port security. The question is if we can afford not to. After September 11th, Governor Shaheen appointed a high-level commission on preparedness and security. That commission showed there was a need for action. But this Administration hasn’t done nearly enough to help New Hampshire follow through.

Even though there is a very real threat of nuclear and biological weapons in any one of the millions of containers which come into this country every year, there is no global system for tracking and security. We have affordable, existing technology that could allow sensors to be placed on containers which could track their position, signal when and where they were entered, and detect whether they contain radioactive or dangerous chemicals. As President, I would move immediately to protect American ports and the Americans who live near them by putting such a system in place.

Along with providing new technology for screening in our ports, we need to have more well-trained Customs Inspectors on the job checking the containers as they come through. We need to secure our borders and the bridges that cross them. And we need to work with state and local governments to develop security standards for ports and increase the security of the 85 percent of American infrastructure that is held in private hands.

As we work to discover weapons that reach our shore, we need to do much more to stop them from getting here in the first place. We need a President who will lead this country in reducing the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. For less than 1 percent of what we spend on defense annually, we could all but eliminate the risk of a nuclear weapon or the materials to make one being stolen and used against a target in the United States.

As President, I will tackle this issue head-on by removing potential bomb making entirely from the world’s most vulnerable sites within four years. We will work with other countries to track down and secure existing nuclear weapons and stop the development of chemical and biological arsenals. And we will start a global effort to remove weapons-usable materials from the more than 100 insecure civilian plants around the world that still use this kind of material. And I will appoint a top-level coordinator whose job is to make sure this gets done.

This Port, here at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, welcomes hundreds of vessels a year. Vessels that bring with them opportunity for our workers and our young people. But our openness also makes ports like this one an opportunity for those who would do harm to our country and those who live here. We don’t need to close ourselves off from the world, but we do need to open a new era of national security. With a President who will marshal our technology, our diplomacy, our values, and our strength in a concerted effort to make America safe. This President hasn’t done that. I will. I ask for your support and together we can make America and New Hampshire stronger and more secure.

Priorities

A National 'Defend America' Initiative
Americans showed on September 11th that they want to contribute to their communities and their country. Yet the Bush Administration has asked little of Americans, focusing instead on giving more tax cuts for the wealthy. John Kerry believes winning the war against terrorism will require tapping the best our country has to offer and asking more of Americans. He would start by making homeland security a central mission of the National Guard as well as AmeriCorps. John Kerry’s plan will also include a New Community Defense Service to provide volunteer manpower in the event of an attack. Kerry will call on the private sector to help bring technological innovations to the war on terrorism.

A New 'First Defenders' Initiative to Assure Local Responders are Equipped and Ready
America should not ask our domestic responders to go with inadequate staffing or equipment. However, again and again, the Bush Administration has looked the other way when it comes to real money for first responders. John Kerry believes first defenders should be a priority now. Kerry’s First Defenders Program will do just that – by assuring first defenders have the gear to do their jobs safely and effectively. John Kerry has proposed creating a new fund for fire fighters – named after a September 11th hero, Father Mychal Judge, the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department who died delivering last rites. The Father Judge Fund would be similar to the COPS program and will hire up to 100,000 new firefighters and to provide the equipment necessary to assure firefighters are prepared. Kerry also believes we must restore funding to COPS to realize its initial mission of 100,000 new police officers. This initiative would also develop appropriate standards for preparedness in our cities and provide resources so communities can meet these goals.

Bringing Information Technology to the War on Terror
Most firefighters and local police don't have the equipment they need to communicate with each other during an attack. John Kerry believes local enforcement agencies must have the information they need to fight terrorism. That includes assuring first responders can communicate in an attack, which should also include the ability to share information with appropriate state and local officials. Attorney General Ashcroft’s solution to address identification challenges has been a wholesale assault on civil liberties. With better technology, we can replace these "big-net" tactics with more targeted efforts to identify real terrorism suspects.

Reforming Domestic Intelligence
Many of the examinations of 9/11 have raised serious questions about whether the FBI is the right agency to conduct domestic intelligence collection and analysis. Kerry believes that the Bush Administration’s proposed Terrorist Threat Integration Center, (TTIC) will not be able to do the job, given its dependence on other agencies' analysts, the bureaucratic divide created between people identifying vulnerabilities and individuals charged with eliminating those vulnerabilities, and the number of people in charge which could complicate efforts to work with the state and local governments on information sharing. John Kerry believes that simplifying the bureaucratic charts makes more sense. America needs an independent intelligence capability that focuses explicitly on domestic intelligence.

A National Homeland Health Initiative
America’s public health system has risen to important challenges before, but it lacks the advances necessary to detect or contain a major outbreak. John Kerry believes we must connect the nation’s public health systems with a real time detection system to pool patient data across the country. This initiative would also provide training in developing plans for a surge in patients. We also need to increase research – and bring together the best of the public and private sectors to develop broad-spectrum designer antidotes so that our first responders and our population can be protected and treated from the widest possible range of attacks.

Defending Our Skies, Sea and Land
Currently, 95% of all non-North American U.S. trade moves by sea, concentrated mostly in a handful of ports. John Kerry believes improvements in port security must be made, while recognizing that global prosperity and America’s economic power depends on an efficient system. Kerry’s plan would develop standards for security at ports and other loading facilities for containers and assure facilities can meet basic standards. To improve security in commerce, John Kerry believes we should accelerate the timetable for the action plans agreed to in the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico “smart border” accords as well as implement security measures for cross-border bridges. Finally John Kerry will pursue modest safety standards for privately held infrastructure and will help owners find economical ways to pay for increased security.

http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/homeland/

[Jim Sagle]

1. W wouldn't be able to read this, much less implement it.

[TheStateChief]

2. LOL

I was thinking the same thing - although I do hope Kerry can condense this down to a 30 second commercial (as it stands now it would be a 1 hour infomercial - then again, maybe that's not such a bad idea).

[MadHound]

3. Oh yay

It is the kinder, gentler big brother. While I believe in the notion of defense of America, using such tragedy to instigate an ongoing spate of police state tactics is flat out wrong. Instead of installing such draconian measures, why doesn't he invest the time and money that is needed to improve the US's standing amongst those who could do us harm. Rather than threatening Iran, why not try helping them. Instead of sabler rattling at the N. Koreans, understand their plight and help them. Instead of leaving the Palestinians to the tender mercies of Sharon and Israel, get actively involved in drafting and implementing a real, fair peace plan that both sides can live with.

But simply throwing more money into domestic feel good programs will only give you a bloated, intrusive home security force that continues to erode our civil liberties and intrude on our private lives.

[sangh0]

4. This plan is going to kill Bush*;s image

as a leader

[MurikanDemocrat]

5. It would because he hasn't done shit for homeland security.

He didn't want this department to begin with and when he did relent he has refused to fund it. If we get hit big again we are fucked!

[Name removed]

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