Is Homeland Security ?The Last Comic Standing??

The Department of Homeland Security (?DHS?), the brainchild of this current administration, has an operating budget for 2006 of $40.6 billion. After three years and more than $100 billion, have we really reached the point were we can sleep better at night with the knowledge that our ?Leaders? are doing everything possible to protect us against those terrorists attacks.

According to the Government Accountability Office (?GAO?), nothing has changed since the inception of the DHS in 2003. During their most recent test of nine US border crossings: California, Texas, Arizona, Michigan, New York, Idaho and Washington, the GAO investigators were able to penetrate all nine border crossings using fake ID's and phony names.

Terrorists or criminals can "pass freely into the United States ... with little or no chance of being detected," the GAO concludes in testimony given to the Senate Finance Committee. The investigators used readily available computers and software to create these counterfeit driver's licenses and documents. None of the Customs and Border Protection agents "ever questioned the authenticity of the counterfeit documents." The GAO also said similar tests in 2003 produced similar results.

According to the DHS, it has trained border agents to spot fake documents and the agents intercepted more than 75,000 last year, but the job is complicated by the huge variety of legitimate documents. More than 8,000 are used to enter the country, including easy-to-forge licenses and birth certificates.

So let me make sure I understand this: three years, $100 billion, the complete erosion of our Civil Liberties, invasion of our privacy during phone calls, surveillance on our bank accounts and arresting citizens and denying them legal counsel, but yet the test results are the same as 2003. Am I missing something here or is the DHS the biggest joke ever played on the American public.

Why is it that whenever we get near to a budget or increased funding hearing for the DHS at the Senate Finance Committee we seem to suddenly be bombarded with new terrorists threats or new information about a pending attack? Do they really think we are all that stupid or is it that they just have so little respect for us, they just don't care!

So what did we get for our money and loss of Civil Liberties? Michael Chertoff, the Homeland Security Secretary, applauded increased funding and changes to the Department of Homeland Security?s organization during a ceremony at the White House in October last year where President Bush signed the FY 2006 Homeland Security Appropriations Act. He outlined an integrated Preparedness Directorate to enhance coordination and deployment of preparedness assets and training at a cost of $4 billion.

What were they doing for the last three years? Secretary Chertoff, earlier this year, outlined a new six-point agenda which included the following: the creation of an Office of Intelligence and Analysis to be led by a Chief Intelligence Officer by separating and elevating the Information Analysis component of IAIP. Wow this sounds important. He also wants to establish an Operations Office, which will include the Homeland Security Operations Center. Then there's the Office of Policy and the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs.

I am now sure there must be a department within DHS that has an operating title of Formation of Stupid Titles for Departments to Increase Funding.

Have an opinion or a question you would like me to answer, then write me!

Your? Money Matters By Carl Hampton From the Author of ?From Credit Despair To Credit Millionaire? http://www.CarlHampton.com http://www.fcdtcm.com

Home Security - Protection For The Whole Family

These days, one of the most worrying things in people's life is security. With the increase in population of the cities, everybody tries to get protection any way they can. That makes more and more people look for home security systems. You can find an enormous variety of private security machines. Modern technology helps to keep people safe in their homes, avoiding thieves and other types of crime.

Alarms are the widest used device in homes with security systems. They consist of a system of sensors connected to a control unit that, in turn, is connected to a means of announcing the alarm, to hopefully get a response. There are a lot of different types of alarms. You can find safety alarms, intrusion alarms and fire alarms. Some are dedicated to only one mission, others can be and multi-function alarms, that are simultaneously intrusion, fire and safety.

Sophistication ranges from small and compact alarms to complicated and colored displayed ones.

Fire detectors are quite simple. You can find three types of them. The ones that react to high temperatures and fast temperature rise, the ones that react to the light spectrum of flames and the ones that react to smoke or chemical products.

The burglar (intrusion) detectors can be of two different classes: point detectors and area detectors. With point detectors you must pick a specific point where intrusion should be indicated. Area detectors indicate intrusion of a protected area, and usually use ultrasonic technology for that.

Safety sensors are more complicated and sophisticated, because they are supposed to react to a lot of different danger situations at the same time, such as: gates and valves open or closed, low oxygen concentrations, excessively high or low temperatures and excessive carbon monoxide (or other toxic gas) concentrations.

With modern electronic devices, alarm responses are no longer human. Depending on the time, the zone triggered and the number and sequence of zones, the system can call the ambulance, can call the police, the fire department, or the property manager. That is a huge advance in home security. The biggest problem with alarms and cameras was that they always needed a human response in order to be useful, but with this new technology, house owners can be more relaxed because the system is capable of calling for help if he is not able to.

Cameras are also a widely used mechanism in home security. Nowadays you find them all around public and private properties. In homes, people usually put them at the entrance of the house and install a monitor inside to see who is outside knocking on the door or trying to get in.

All these electronic devices are quite expensive. The technology used in these systems is quite sophisticated and complex. But it is also possible to find not so sophisticated and expensive alarms and cameras, so if you don't have a lot of money to spend on home security and want to keep your house safe from intrusions and other dangers, don't think twice.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Home Security

Home Security Systems Provide a Safe Environment for Family Members

There were 4 million household burglaries in the United States, nearly 500,000 resulted in bodily injury, and 20,000 resulted in homicides, frightening statistics. Additional statistics reveal that a home without a security system is three times as likely to be burglarized as compared to one which is equipped with a security system. These facts make it obvious that a home security system will reduce your chances of intrusion, and can protect your life and property. It is therefore necessary to conduct an extensive home security review, to determine the appropriate systems necessary to secure the safety of yourself, and home.

Several points should be kept in mind while conducting a home security review. Security needs should be a first consideration. While it may be obvious that you should be the best judge of security requirements, a security expert has the experience to evaluate your home for vulnerabilities that are not obvious to a layperson. After a full examination of your home, a security specialist will be able to make note of all soft spots, and suggest the kind of equipment necessary to strengthen these soft spots.

The next consideration is security monitoring. Security monitoring can be a sophisticated central monitoring service, or a simple home security system, cost and needs are the determining factors. The central monitoring services are ideal because they ensure that appropriate measures are taken whenever an intrusion is detected. A monitoring team that works from a central station verifies every suspicious activity the moment it receives an alert. While an ideal deterrent, this type of monitoring is relatively expensive, and subject to the experience and professionalism of the company. You must find out if the central monitoring station is certified by Underwriters Laboratory; that it has a power back up system that can run for 10 to 15 hours; that it is run by trained staff; that it alerts local authorities within seconds of receiving a security alert.

Less costly is a simple home security system consisting of a control panel, a couple of magnetic switches, a motion sensor or two, and an alarm device. This can be hard wired or wireless. The more advanced systems feature a video camera that can be monitored by family members. The biggest advantage of this system is that it scares away potential intruders. This may happen when an intruder sees a yard sign, a decal sign or any of the installed sensors or video cameras. There is a one-time installation charge, with no recurring expenses.

While there are no guarantees, any home security system could scare away potential intruders. Any type of prevention will go along way to reduce the likelihood of a break in, or home assault by a stranger. Remember, the main objective of any home security system is to provide a safe environment for family members, and to limit the loss of property.

Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Best Home Security Companies. Visit http://home-security-usa.com/ for more information.