Homeland insecurity: causes and implications

¶ … Advice, Not Color Codes

John Stossel, commentator for ABC news shows, is well-known for his TV segments titled "Give Me a Break!" In these short segments, he talks about instances he perceives as government waste.

On March 15 of this year, he talked about the new government agency, the "Office of Homeland Security." This office was created shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. We knew we had been incapable of protecting ourselves on September 11. Since we protected our federal buildings with ground barriers after the Oklahoma City bombings, our enemies simply commandeered passenger jets and used them as flying guided missiles.

Since we have had extra security in our airports since the late sixties, when hijackings to Cuba and other countries became common, we were aghast. We didn't know how to protect ourselves. We needed a governmental agency to look at these issues and take the needed steps so we could protect ourselves.

However, it hasn't worked. In the last week our airport security was challenged with tests. Selected individuals attempted to smuggle guns, knives, and other forbidden items past airport security. They were able to get knives past the security 70% of the time, and guns went through without being detected 30% of the time. All the terrorists would have to do to attempt a repeat of September 11 is increase the number of attempts and play the numbers.

The Office of Homeland Security wants to tell us when to worry. They have invented a series of colors. At "red alert," all airlines would be grounded. Orange is a high level of alert, but apparently planes could still fly. Depending on the color level, we could turn on our TV's and radios and be advised to "do things." Is green the "no worries" level? At green level, do we send all the airport security staff home for the day? Since September 11, many would argue that we will never have a green day, and perhaps we never should have.

The reader gets the feeling that these five colors are supposed to be sort of like our tornado warning system. People who live in tornado-prone areas know about these. "Tornado watch" means exactly that -- conditions are ripe for tornado formation; pay attention to the weather around you. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted in your area, either by trained spotter or by radar. People who live in these areas have already evaluated their homes and know where to put their families for greatest safety should the tornado hits their home. They know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. In other words, the warnings hold real meaning, and the simple words "tornado warning" communicate a course of action.