July 12, 2006

I'm really feeling secure now, boys

Is there a single damned thing these people can do right?

The National Asset Database, as it is known, is so flawed, the inspector general found, that as of January, Indiana, with 8,591 potential terrorist targets, had 50 percent more listed sites than New York (5,687) and more than twice as many as California (3,212), ranking the state the most target-rich place in the nation.

Included in those terrorist targets are: Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn factory, the Mule Day Parade, the Sweetwater Flea Market and an unspecified "Beach at End of a Street."

Yessiree Bob, we got ourselves some real smart people in the government in Washington DC.

I'm beginning to think there really is a devious Republican plot to shrink the government, although not by cutting spending. Nope, the way they plan to do it is to govern so badly that the rest of us lose faith that government can ever do anything right again.

Posted by Linkmeister at July 12, 2006 12:01 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I kind of wonder, being from there, how many Michigan got. It is, after all, really close to Indiana. I doubt it's that many. And while I think there is little likelyhood of MI being a target, it would be soemwhat more tempting a target than Indiana.

But the thought that there are any places more likely to be hit by terrosists, than NYC or Washington DC is preposterous. Parts of California are at least in the same ballpark as the aforementioned but even there you just don't have targets that so perfectly blend practical damage to this country and cultural impact.

I would daresay that other parts of the country should have anti-terror funds, because they might be targeted, but no one is suggesting that everything go to those two places. But this list is absolutely absurd - beyond stupid. Beyond criminal even.

Posted by: DuWayne at July 12, 2006 02:35 PM

Michigan is ranked 15th, with 1,467 potential targets (there's a chart at the link).

I think LA/Long Beach is either the second or third largest port in the country, so hitting that would have a huge impact.

Posted by: Linkmeister at July 12, 2006 03:05 PM

Hey, remember "Government isn't the solution. Government is the problem".

They're trying to prove it ...

Posted by: lightning at July 12, 2006 05:33 PM

They can stop trying. In their hands, they've succeeded.

Posted by: Linkmeister at July 12, 2006 05:50 PM

It's a cute story for the echo-chamber, but the NAD does not drive Homeland Security prioritization decisions.

The database was assembled from the submissions of state and local decisions, and apparently a decision was made to not vet it. Rather, it is to be used as one of many inputs into a complex decision-making process.

Partisanship aside, it seems prudent for any Administration to listen to and record the concerns of other governmental entities.

Posted by: pixelshim at July 13, 2006 02:21 AM