Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Time to re-evaluate Homeland Security

American history is filled with stories about villains and heroes. Good vs. bad. In this case, we are in the 21st century fighting a so-called war on people who are bent on sending others back to the 12th century for some reason.

Prior to 9/11, all federal government agencies had ego problems, as we know, when it came to gathering intelligence. It was called “I got a secret.” This was among FBI, CIA, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and others. Yet their information would end up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

After 9/11, all that became moot when parts of those agencies melded into Homeland Security. It has been a good thing up to a point. Homeland Security has gone into the “I got a secret” mode again by not telling what has happed since 9/11 when it comes to thwarting attacks on the homeland, even years after the attacks have been stopped.

The Patriot Act was created to track bad folks in different ways and enacted in the weeks after 9/11 without real discussion on what it was all about. It was rushed into law by the White House and the attitude at the time was us-vs.-them. So under the name of national security, it was passed at warp speed without proper consideration.

The Senate and House need to form committees to properly re-evaluate both the Homeland Security Department and the Patriot Act. We as a nation must not toss the baby out with the bathwater. To completely shut it down is very wrong.

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