Like someone to blame
The Fly
Let's see...caught the distinguished Senator from North Dakota, Byron Dorgan-D, on C-Span 2 yesterday afternoon addressing his fellow Senators. He informed his colleagues that since 1988, the U.S. has had a law on the books re: foreigners entering our country via airlines. Basically, since 1988, all airlines have been required to furnish U.S. Customs, Immigration, and FBI officials a passenger list of all flights entering our country from abroad. These officials than use that list and cross reference the names in a centralized database which is utilized to look for known or suspected terrorists, criminals etc. These officials can than meet any of these suspected or known terrorists and stop them from entering our country.
Unfortunately, for some reason unbeknownst to me and the fine Senator from North Dakota, not EVERY country was required to submit passenger names to our law enforcement officals for screening. This is where the story gets completely ridiculous. Senator Dorgan mentioned that the U.S. does NOT require flights originating from Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, OR Afghanistan to submit passenger lists to us ahead of time...or even AT ALL!!! He went on to mention that this practice continues today, even after the shocking events of Sept 11th! Since then, he said, over 178,000 individuals have entered this country from those Arab countries without more than a standard security check! In other words, because of a glaring omission in the 1988 law, the individuals on these flights have been just waltzing into our country without any background or security checks!
So, Senator Dorgan and his committee in the Senate proposed changing that law. Basically, it would eliminate this loophole and mandate that flights coming from these countries submit a passenger list to U.S. law enforcement officials within 24 hours of the flight's arrival in the U.S. Therefore, U.S. officials would be able to check the names for possible terrorist threats or related activities. This sounds like a common sense, well thought of idea. One that should have been required YEARS ago, right?
Not so fast! Apparently, according to the honorable Senator from North Dakota, a number of Republican legislators in the House think this is a BAD idea. Why, when considering that Dorgan's amendment re: this topic passed the Senate 100-0? Because the modern day poster children of arrogance, pompousness, and egoism, Tom Delay and Dick Armey, are holding the amendment hostage in the House. Why? Well, the short answer in my opinion is because they are extreme right wing whackos who portray themselves as patriots but are nothing more than self-centered and self-serving idiots. Of course, the REAL reason according to Dorgan is because Delay and Armey don't think this amendment should have originated or been offered in the Senate. Huh? Are you kidding me? Delay and Armey are holding a common sense amendment hostage which would close a loophole in the law and strenghthen our national security because they don't think the Senate should be the ones offering this legislation up? Wow. Simply unbelievable. American lives are at stake here and we have two arrogant egomaniac's holding up an amendment with broad bi-partisan support in the Senate over politics!
Delay and Armey should be tried and convicted for crimes against humanity over this! There attitude on this is pathetic but par for the course for these two political nuts. We need to save lives here and shore up our homeland defense, yet as Senator Dorgan has pointed out, the Republican leaders in the House would rather risk more American lives and let this loophole stand while arguing with the Senate over semantics.
This, my friends, is just ANOTHER example in a long line of arrogant, pompous Republican legislators doing stupid things! In this case, one that is potentially costing more American lives each and every day the loophole in the airline law exists. One cannot possibly defend their actions as legitimate...for their actions are based solely on the size of their enormous egos.
Just ridiculous.
Unfortunately, for some reason unbeknownst to me and the fine Senator from North Dakota, not EVERY country was required to submit passenger names to our law enforcement officals for screening. This is where the story gets completely ridiculous. Senator Dorgan mentioned that the U.S. does NOT require flights originating from Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, OR Afghanistan to submit passenger lists to us ahead of time...or even AT ALL!!! He went on to mention that this practice continues today, even after the shocking events of Sept 11th! Since then, he said, over 178,000 individuals have entered this country from those Arab countries without more than a standard security check! In other words, because of a glaring omission in the 1988 law, the individuals on these flights have been just waltzing into our country without any background or security checks!
So, Senator Dorgan and his committee in the Senate proposed changing that law. Basically, it would eliminate this loophole and mandate that flights coming from these countries submit a passenger list to U.S. law enforcement officials within 24 hours of the flight's arrival in the U.S. Therefore, U.S. officials would be able to check the names for possible terrorist threats or related activities. This sounds like a common sense, well thought of idea. One that should have been required YEARS ago, right?
Not so fast! Apparently, according to the honorable Senator from North Dakota, a number of Republican legislators in the House think this is a BAD idea. Why, when considering that Dorgan's amendment re: this topic passed the Senate 100-0? Because the modern day poster children of arrogance, pompousness, and egoism, Tom Delay and Dick Armey, are holding the amendment hostage in the House. Why? Well, the short answer in my opinion is because they are extreme right wing whackos who portray themselves as patriots but are nothing more than self-centered and self-serving idiots. Of course, the REAL reason according to Dorgan is because Delay and Armey don't think this amendment should have originated or been offered in the Senate. Huh? Are you kidding me? Delay and Armey are holding a common sense amendment hostage which would close a loophole in the law and strenghthen our national security because they don't think the Senate should be the ones offering this legislation up? Wow. Simply unbelievable. American lives are at stake here and we have two arrogant egomaniac's holding up an amendment with broad bi-partisan support in the Senate over politics!
Delay and Armey should be tried and convicted for crimes against humanity over this! There attitude on this is pathetic but par for the course for these two political nuts. We need to save lives here and shore up our homeland defense, yet as Senator Dorgan has pointed out, the Republican leaders in the House would rather risk more American lives and let this loophole stand while arguing with the Senate over semantics.
This, my friends, is just ANOTHER example in a long line of arrogant, pompous Republican legislators doing stupid things! In this case, one that is potentially costing more American lives each and every day the loophole in the airline law exists. One cannot possibly defend their actions as legitimate...for their actions are based solely on the size of their enormous egos.
Just ridiculous.