apparently we don’t need to worry about protecting assets like “major business and finance operations or critical national telecommunications hubs” from terrorists.
we do, however need to protect old macdonald’s petting zoo, the sweetwater flea market, the mule day parade in columbia, tennessee and the amish country popcorn factory.
sorry. no link to the amish country popcorn site. for some strange reason, the amish country popcorn people have no website.
anyway, the new york times has a great article about this today (free registration required). apparently, the government keeps a list of possible terror targets.
a list on which the government bases homeland security funding for each city and state.
a list which has, for example, 8,591 possible terror targets for indiana, 50% more than new york’s 5,687. which is why new york’s homeland security funds were cut by more than 40% this year, while hotbeds of terrorist activity like louisville and omaha saw their funding increase dramatically.
the times article quotes the department’s deputy press secretary jarrod agen thusly: “we don’t find it embarrassing. The list is a valuable tool.”
odd statement, jarrod agen, given that you apparently are a valueless tool.
how in the world does the government get away with turning the defense of our country into a pork-barrel feeding frenzy for “1,305 casinos, 163 water parks, 159 cruise ships, 244 jails, 3,773 malls, 718 mortuaries and 571 nursing homes”?
infuriating.
