All cargo entering the US on ships would have to undergo thorough screening at foreign ports under new legislation agreed by key congressional committees - a move attacked on Wednesday by the shipping industry as a recipe for chaos.
The Senate and House homeland security committees reached a deal late Tuesday on implementing recommendations made by the 9/11 commission established to investigate the 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.
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James Carafano, a homeland security expert at the Heritage Foundation, agreed, saying the requirement was "political theatre" that would antagonise US allies.
But Democrats painted the legislation as a victory. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker, called it a bill "to make the American people safer."
It's a sad day for the country when a Heritage Foundation policy dude has more on the ball than the nominal opposition and would-be successors to Bush the Lesser's freak show. But, his dismissal is if anything restrained. This scheme is completely unworkable. The US receives millions of containers per year. Pelosi cannot be taken seriously when she calls it a bill "to make the American people safer." There is no earthly way to accomplish all those new inspections. It's hard to see this anything but yet another fatuous, useless attempt to steal the Republican share of the stupid and paranoid vote. She'd have a better chance of being taken seriously if she attempted a Vanilla Ice imitation on the House floor. That, at least, would have some entertainment value, however tragic.
Comments (3)
i'm on the record some where
advocating toal container search
but sate side and by the navy
until further notice
my container czar demi moore
as seen in
"you can't handle my truth ...at least
not like that "
goal super slow the trade flow till we catch up job wise
model in mind: japan
motto SOE
security of essence
Posted by op | July 27, 2007 11:35 AM
Posted on July 27, 2007 11:35
I like this ulterior motive! Wal Mart can't "just-in-time" its made-in-Asian-slave-factory crap so easily.
Alas, though, bringing all the manufacturing back to the United States needed to support our consumer lifestyle would so ecologically destroy our communities. It's "better" to leave the polluting and raping and pillaging overseas, where corporate-friendly authoritarian governments (China!) can keep the populace sufficiently cowed.
Posted by Brian | July 27, 2007 2:20 PM
Posted on July 27, 2007 14:20
Prosperity through a passive aggressive trade policy might be a good idea. This brain in a vat cyborged to an angry weasel economy isn't doing too well.
Posted by Scruggs | July 27, 2007 5:52 PM
Posted on July 27, 2007 17:52