I knew a guy who worked for a drinking water utility. Not long after DHS was created, I noticed that huge concrete barriers had been placed end to end completely around the inside of the perimeter fence of the water works. My friend told me it was a DHS grant and was mandated that the blocks be put in place to prevent terrorists from driving a vehicle through the fence and poisoning the water. He said they were doing the same at every other water utility as far as he knew. At some point in the years after, they decided that those barriers created more problems than they cured, and then they got the OK to get rid of them. So, any construction company that wanted to haul them away could come and take them.
I'm such a cynic anymore with anything related to this .gov
my initial reaction to the mall of America threat by Al-shabab was how convenient this threat comes out while DHS is trying to get funding. They're already in our airports and roadways with VIPR teams and now they want go full nazi in retail establishments. Shut em down!
i also found it a bit amusing that so many pro 2A team republicans were screaming on the news and interwebz about getting DHS funded when this same group thinks if you're a gun owner and have a small food store and have spoken out about the government you could be a domestic terrorist. Yeah, that's most pro 2A republicans. DHS thinks you have the potential to be a terrorist and you want to fund them?
And who is the number one threat according to the DHS and DOJ? "Right wing extremist" or sovereign citizens. Two ways to look at that. On the one hand, is the DHS so tone deaf that they don't recognize the threat ISIS is to our nation? On the other hand they're not stupid and realize that the threat of ISIS is more about keeping the general public scared so they feel they need the .gov to protect them.
bottom line for me, I'd prefer the whole DHS to be eliminated and replaced with nothing.
Ever watch House of Cards? It's pretty good at illustrating what a sham these sorts of discussions are.
It's all politics. Dems are blocking the bill, but saying Republicans are, world keeps on spinnin'
And the clean DHS bill vote passes 257-167. Hastert rule violation
Boehner must go.
Any reports on Hoosier representative votes?
Rep. Todd Young
As Congress has debated Homeland Security funding the past few weeks, it’s become apparent that we’ve let two very distinct issues become too entwined.
On the issue of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, I have repeatedly said that he lacks the authority to act unilaterally—a point he made himself on 22 separate occasions, and many Democrats have made. Every time the House had an opportunity to block or defund those actions, I voted to do so. I’m encouraged that the courts are currently halting those actions as illegal.
Funding for Homeland Security, however, is a different issue. Senate Democrats have filibustered our attempt to simultaneously fund DHS and block their authority to enforce the President’s actions. In doing so, they’ve made it clear that they are willing to let partisan politics get in the way of substantive policy debate. I am not willing to do the same—especially not at the risk of shutting down the agency charged with keeping Americans safe.
I spent ten years of my life in the military because I thought our country was worth serving and defending. I still feel the same as a U.S. Representative. That’s why today, I voted to keep our citizens safe by keeping Homeland Security funded, rather than voting to make a political point about a distinctly different issue.
Agreed. He is a coward. The Republican leadership has once again betrayed the grassroots people who worked so hard give them the majority in both houses of Congress.
We are Americans. We have guns. We ARE homeland security.