Living in a land of Homeland Security make believe is not going to make us more safe.
Pilothouse photo here.
Engine room photo here.
Reaching for an honest understanding of public policy Re: The Fake War on Terror.
There is no point in having gunboats escort ferries if terrorists are free to put their boat on a trailer and drive it onto the ferry.
One of our local TV stations recently informed us about Homeland Security gunboats on Puget Sound.
This hard-hitting interview was an opportunity to answer most FAQs.
Serious subject matter- covered like an elementary school field trip down to the fire station- except- students might come up with some intelligent or interesting questions at the fire station.
What questions went unasked?
1) How does the gunboat protect the ferry if a bad guy is already onboard? The Washington State Patrol uses dogs to check vehicles at some ferry terminals on some days. Walk-on passengers are not checked at any terminal- at any time.
2) “Terrorists” (If they really are out to get us) can communicate just like teenagers- they can wait in line and ride the ferry just like anyone else. What would stop terrorists from riding the ferry and alerting each other if they see a US Coast Guard escort or Washington State Patrol dogs sniffing cars prior to loading?
3) If a terrorist wanted to get their boat dangerously close to a ferry- they could just put it on a trailer and drive it on- what would prevent this?
4) What stops terror strikes on the days US Coast Guard gunboats are not providing escorts on any given route or Washington State Patrol dogs are not on duty at any given terminal?
Conveniently- no hostages, bewildered passengers or suicide bombers in the staged ferry boat rescue at 0:45
Washington State Ferries propaganda video-
Washington State ferry passengers are advised via PA system to not leave backpacks or packages unattended during ferry crossings.
Meanwhile- on the car deck- cars, trucks, vans, commercial vehicles, etc. are left unattended during ferry crossings.
The Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon was blown up way back in 1983. Today, we are supposed to make believe that big money spent on Homeland Security shows will keep us safe– if the boogeyman really is out there.
We are told that public fishing access will not exist on the new and improved Hood Canal Bridge. Joe six-pack and the kids paid into the system by purchasing fishing licenses for years and now the welcome mat has been taken up because…why? Could it be security?
If loss of fishing access is linked to post 911 security, should we see US Coast Guard gun boats doing laps around the bridge to keep things safe?
None of this is about sneaky stuff, secret, undercover operations, etc. It is all right out there for the public to see, good guys and bad guys alike. The Puget Sound area includes a cluster of military bases. Every branch of the US Armed Forces has a presence here. Possibly large numbers of retired military people live here, yet, no-one ever seems to question what they see.
Local TV news channels hire neutered father figures to read the news. No sense of curiosity- no investigative reporting- to try and make sense of any of this.
The sight of gun boats escorting passenger ferries is a thought provoking experience for me- they appear ready to take on pirate boats, though terrorists prefer the surprise attack, not naval duels.
Investigative journalists don’t seem to notice.
Our dumbed-down Homeland Security messages assume that terrorists are bumbling fools. This might make us feel better, but does it make us more safe?
SWAT team trains for handling terrorism on a ferry
Just the ticket for the day “Terrorists” abandon the sneak attack (Oklahoma City, 911, USS Cole, US Marine barracks Beirut, etc.) and go with a good old fashioned shoot-out between the good guys and the bad guys.
It will be easy to spot an attempted strike. Expect the bad guys to be sloppy- the packages they send will look like they were put together by drunken 3rd graders, or Wile E Coyote.
If the wars overseas are important enough for our guys to be getting arms and legs blown off, why do federal agents at US ports of entry only attempt to stop 30% of terrorists crossing through them:
The goal for federal agents at US ports of entry is to stop 30% of terrorists and other illegal traffic.
30%
GAO official at a recent public forum describing the 30% goal- video (00:39)
Another source
Another source
Hey VFW, Hey American Legion, Hey Joint Chiefs of Staff- what do you think about 30%?