The US homeland security has taken third place to the economy, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nevertheless, it should be the main priority to both candidates in the upcoming election. Some people tend to forget with time. Al Qaeda is not part of that group of people. They tend to rely on the passage of time to shock and awe their enemies.
It is imperative to understand that Al Qaeda was the main target after 9/11. However, the war in Iraq and now the war in Afghanistan have taken the focus away from Al Qaeda. This fact is very dangerous. Osama Bin Laden on the loose provides strategic and economic advantages to Al Qaeda that should not be overlooked. Thus, Barack Obama proposes the following plans to protect the homeland:
- Protect Chemical Plants by introducing legislation that will require chemical facilities to enhance security, including improving barriers, containment, mitigation, safety training, and, where possible, using safe technology, such as less toxic chemicals
- Keep track of Spent Nuclear Fuel by implementing legislation that establishes guidelines for tracking, controlling and accounting for spent fuel at nuclear power plants.
- Evacuate Special Needs Population in Emergencies by requiring states mandatory planning for such evacuations (Low income families, the elderly, the homeless, and disabled Americans).
- Reunite Families after Emergencies by creating a centralized, federal database to allow individuals displaced by an emergency to call one phone number or go to one website and post their location and condition.
- Keep Our Drinking Water Safe by funding and upgrading the water’s monitoring and security efforts.
- Protect the Public from Radioactive Releases by requiring nuclear plants to inform state and local officials if there is an unintentional leak of a radioactive substance.
Furthermore, Obama also wants to allocate funds based on risk, improve support for first responders, improve interoperable communication systems, protect critical infrastructure, improve airline security, monitor our ports, safeguard public transportation, improve border security, improve intelligence capacity while protecting civil liberties, revise the patriot act, strengthen warrant-less wiretap approval process and restore Habeas Corpus.
Important Obama’s Quote:
“We are here to do the work that ensures no other family members have to lose a loved one to a terrorist who turns a plane into a missile, a terrorist who straps a bomb around her waist and climbs aboard a bus, a terrorist who figures out how to set off a dirty bomb in one of our cities. This is why we are here: to make our country safer and make sure the nearly 3,000 who were taken from us did not die in vain; that their legacy will be a more safe and secure Nation.”
