Quote from waggie945:
I really do have a problem with Port Security and the fact that the Bush Administration still fails to provide the funding to make sure that our Homeland Security Department under Tom Ridge is able to do its job, properly.
As Trader5287 just pointed out above, a cruise ship full of Americans could be a very easy target . . . Moreover, I still think that our Ports are extremely vulnerable since that is where much of this country's commerce goes on.
Just think that would happen if a large vessel was blown up with explosives down in the Port of Long Beach, shutting down that Port and its cargo container shipping traffic for weeks.
Do you have any idea how much of our county's GDP goes thru that particular Port?
In 2003 alone, the Port of Long Beach's shipping terminals moved the equivalent of nearly 4.7 million container units!
Nearly $90 billion in trade moved through the port in 2002.
If you combine both the Port of Long Beach and that of it's separately operated next-door neighbor - - - the Port of Los Angeles - - - the San Pedro Bay ports would rank as the world's THIRD BUSIEST container cargo ports after only Hong Kong and Singapore.
Sorry Mav, but I really do believe that our Coast Guard needs all of the help it can get and I am sick and tired of hearing about how cheap our country is being when it comes to the lack of funding for our Port and Waterway security.
So, instead of spending $85 billion on the war in Iraq, it would have been nice to be spending a little bit more than $500 million on our Nation's Port Security!
The Ports of Long Beach and LA are quite simply, an accident waiting to happen.
I hear you but I believe 100% that the physical attacks on this country by Al Qaida or any other terrorist groups are over. That's not to say there won't be any more in the future by other groups or other crazy individuals. But I think I have a good idea of what Al Qaida is trying to do this country and the western world. Once you understand what it is that they want and what they believe in, then you will understand that blowing things up serves no real purpose for them.
Sure they could blow up a ship in our port. But you know what else they could do? They could hack into our national airspace and cause havoc with our airwaves. They could wreak havoc on our financial markets. They could spread viruses all over our country that could literally cripple our entire country by shutting down computers in every state, every city, every building. I mean the things they could do our countless.
That is why we have to be aggressive in going after them. We can't just sit here and wait for them to make a move. I personally think any money spent on protecting our borders more then they already are would be a waste. But like I said, I think I am in the minority opinion on this one.
Remember something here, these people have lost 70% to 80% of their organization. They really need to use their resources wisely and efficiently. Trying to blow up a ship in our port would not serve that function.
I would rather spend that 500 million you propose on that on beefing up our intelligence again. Bill Clinton gutted our intelligence agency. We really need to focus our money and time in this area again. That will protect us much more then checking cargo ports. You do realize that a single person could walk into this country with as much as a small container of explosives that could do 10 times the damage that any bomb in a cargo container.
But like I said, I think you are not truly understanding what the purpose is behind their attacks. If you think these are just a bunch of ragheads that ride camels that blow things up in the night and yell hee haw then maybe I could recommend some good books for you to read. I can assure, physical destruction is not what they are seeking. They want to end capitalism. They see it as the biggest threat to their society and values. This is why I always get a big chuckle out of those that can't see the connection between Iraq and Al Qaida. Hell the entire middle east outside of Israel believes this. They would all love to see our way of life crumble. It isn't just one country or one terrorist group or Bin Laden. It's the eastern world against the western world.
But hey, this is just one man's opinion.