Back                                                         The Port Security Bill

The last day before the Congress convened for their break before the mid-term elections of 2006 they took up and passed the Port Security Bill of 2006. I watched in amazement as the bill was debated. The Republicans met the night before, behind closed doors, to draft the final bill. No Democrat was allowed to be there or to add any amendments and in fact didn't see the bill till shortly before it was brought to the floor.

The bill which should have been passed long before, passed in time for the Republicans to use it as proof that they were strong of security. The bill was also woefully short on teeth and contained a rider on internet gaming. The first thing I noticed was that it put in place a system to inspect cargo containers for radioactive material. This was done on the ship after the ship pulled into the harbor. People once a ship is in harbor in Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or any other major city, wouldn't you say it was a little to late. A nuclear bomb going off in one of those harbors would wipe out most of the city with out being on land.

The Democrats wanted to add an amendment for transportation security saying the cargo containers would be shipped across the country by rail or on trucks and were put down my the republicans who said it was a port security bill and they could work on other transportation safety bills later. (Later? When? the 9/11 commission recommended that a couple of years ago.) The Democrats made me laugh (This isn't a laughing matter but it was funny.) when they asked if transportation safety had nothing to do with the bill, how did internet gaming have anything to do with it? People I can't seem to figure out that one myself. Can You?

We have to do better. I would like to know why the Republicans are so sure they have all the right answers that they won't listen to any suggestions from anyone but their own party. We need all the intelligence we can get to win this war on terrorism. Maybe, Just maybe we would be better off with the Democrats in charge and allowing honest debate.   Al

10/24/06:  The Trentonian, (A local right wing Newspaper in Trenton, N.J.) just ran an editorial. Like Fox News it also tries to distort the facts to make the Democrats look bad. This time, like many times before, I caught it. This time they were trying to help defeat Bob Menendez but saying that although he was pushing for the bill, he and the democrats stripped a section of the bill barring port security clearance to dock workers with felony convictions. I watched the floor debate.

As I said the bill was drafted the night before it was debated on the floor, by only Republicans and behind closed doors. No amendments were allowed so the Democrats could have in no way stripped and provisions from the bill. It was totally a Republican Bill. Give the Trentonian a F for honesty.    Al