Bonnie Alba
The U.S. government vs. Americans - - disconnection on national security
By Bonnie Alba
"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government. Whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights." Thomas Jefferson
No one was prepared for the news centering on the Dubai World ports acquisition. What has emerged from this spectacle is the disconnect between "we the people" and our federal government. Usually there is propaganda leading up to some change in the way government does business, to some concept we might object to or resist. In this case, no forewarning, it jumped on stage and hammed the limelight for weeks.
Most of us out here in the heartland reacted immediately, not out of fear as some were prone to claim, but out of sane reasoning at how our government could allow an Arab-owned company to run our ports in the middle of a war against Islamic terrorists. Not difficult to understand.
The end result: The most e-mail and calls expressing rage ever received by Congress — doesn't our government know we're at war? At the same time, we the people were not well-informed. Pres. Bush did not immediately address this issue, did not at once stand up and say UAE is our ally — it was days before we heard even these short words.
The 21st century world is small. Our Big Government has entered the global economy while many of us are still stuck in national patriotism and adherence to the U.S. Constitution. The Government appears to be seeking the 21st century global "New World Order" as Pres. Bush, Sr. described it back in 1991. It's about economics and money. It's about greed and power. It's about nations striving for a share of the world's economic pie. It's about dollars-euros and oil. Note: Watch what happens when Iran requests euros instead of dollars for their oil.
We can't rely on Congress for wisdom either. It's a congressional election year. They have very little time to climb back on the wagon and align their lips to their party platforms. The Democrats are still struggling with what their core beliefs are. The Republicans are finagling how to overcome the fact that Pres. Bush is a Republican in name only and many of them also have forsaken Republican Party principles.
The Dubai spectacle opened the peoples' eyes to one more aspect of national security. The fact is that most citizens were focused (that ole media influence) on airport security and our open borders. Sea ports didn't enter our minds as a weakness in our security. Note that this issue of porous ports was never publicly addressed by Homeland Security either. Where are the dozens of news articles addressing the security of our Atlantic and Pacific ports? Is ignorance bliss?
While we are fighting in Iraq, another middle east nation has raised its head. Iran has decided to challenge the world in development of nukes (which some claim they already have). When the Security Council meets after the Big Five hold their own little meeting in Vienna, Austria on March 20th, hopefully the consensus will be for sanctions against Iran.
The Myth. If we didn't realize this before, we now know that our 'government' and Homeland Security cannot keep us SAFE. In the name of National Security much has been proffered about safety and protection of the American people. We are not safe nor are we protected.
The dangers will not go away. Not that we should spend our days cowering. But the people spoke up when government appeared to be headed in an unhealthy direction. It was our responsibility to do so. Many articles are in the news about the lack of port security. There are stories about the "mob ties" to the pier unions. There are stories about Dubai at the Miami port, China at Long Beach and Singapore at Oakland.
We are not safe. We are not secure. Our military forces are based in 130 countries around the world while our homeland stands wide open. Pres. Bush is so hellbent on raising a democracy in Iraq, he is ignoring the fact that we are more vulnerable as a nation now than ever before in our history.
We must regain our American Spirit, one of defending ourselves in our own communities. We need to redevelop local civil defense plans. Maybe we should adapt Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt's recommendation for the coming deadly bird flu: "Americans should start storing canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds." Really — that was what he said! We Americans know better — add peanut butter, water and toilet paper too!
© Bonnie Alba
"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government. Whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights." Thomas Jefferson
No one was prepared for the news centering on the Dubai World ports acquisition. What has emerged from this spectacle is the disconnect between "we the people" and our federal government. Usually there is propaganda leading up to some change in the way government does business, to some concept we might object to or resist. In this case, no forewarning, it jumped on stage and hammed the limelight for weeks.
Most of us out here in the heartland reacted immediately, not out of fear as some were prone to claim, but out of sane reasoning at how our government could allow an Arab-owned company to run our ports in the middle of a war against Islamic terrorists. Not difficult to understand.
The end result: The most e-mail and calls expressing rage ever received by Congress — doesn't our government know we're at war? At the same time, we the people were not well-informed. Pres. Bush did not immediately address this issue, did not at once stand up and say UAE is our ally — it was days before we heard even these short words.
The 21st century world is small. Our Big Government has entered the global economy while many of us are still stuck in national patriotism and adherence to the U.S. Constitution. The Government appears to be seeking the 21st century global "New World Order" as Pres. Bush, Sr. described it back in 1991. It's about economics and money. It's about greed and power. It's about nations striving for a share of the world's economic pie. It's about dollars-euros and oil. Note: Watch what happens when Iran requests euros instead of dollars for their oil.
We can't rely on Congress for wisdom either. It's a congressional election year. They have very little time to climb back on the wagon and align their lips to their party platforms. The Democrats are still struggling with what their core beliefs are. The Republicans are finagling how to overcome the fact that Pres. Bush is a Republican in name only and many of them also have forsaken Republican Party principles.
The Dubai spectacle opened the peoples' eyes to one more aspect of national security. The fact is that most citizens were focused (that ole media influence) on airport security and our open borders. Sea ports didn't enter our minds as a weakness in our security. Note that this issue of porous ports was never publicly addressed by Homeland Security either. Where are the dozens of news articles addressing the security of our Atlantic and Pacific ports? Is ignorance bliss?
While we are fighting in Iraq, another middle east nation has raised its head. Iran has decided to challenge the world in development of nukes (which some claim they already have). When the Security Council meets after the Big Five hold their own little meeting in Vienna, Austria on March 20th, hopefully the consensus will be for sanctions against Iran.
The Myth. If we didn't realize this before, we now know that our 'government' and Homeland Security cannot keep us SAFE. In the name of National Security much has been proffered about safety and protection of the American people. We are not safe nor are we protected.
The dangers will not go away. Not that we should spend our days cowering. But the people spoke up when government appeared to be headed in an unhealthy direction. It was our responsibility to do so. Many articles are in the news about the lack of port security. There are stories about the "mob ties" to the pier unions. There are stories about Dubai at the Miami port, China at Long Beach and Singapore at Oakland.
We are not safe. We are not secure. Our military forces are based in 130 countries around the world while our homeland stands wide open. Pres. Bush is so hellbent on raising a democracy in Iraq, he is ignoring the fact that we are more vulnerable as a nation now than ever before in our history.
We must regain our American Spirit, one of defending ourselves in our own communities. We need to redevelop local civil defense plans. Maybe we should adapt Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt's recommendation for the coming deadly bird flu: "Americans should start storing canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds." Really — that was what he said! We Americans know better — add peanut butter, water and toilet paper too!
© Bonnie Alba
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