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Former 9/11 Commission Gives Bush/Congress a "Report Card"

JustMyPOV

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Sept. 11 Panel: U.S. Remains Unprepared

The commission gave failing grades to the administration for the following areas:

"The five "F"s were for:

Failing to provide a radio system to allow first responders from different agencies communicate with each other during emergencies.

Distributing federal homeland security funding to states on a "pork-barrel" basis instead of risk.

Failing to consolidate names of suspicious airline travelers on a single terror watch screening list.

Hindering congressional oversight by retaining intelligence budget information as classified materials.

Failing to engage in an alliance to develop international standards for the treatment and prosecution of detained terror suspects."

In their defense the congress and current administration did get an A- on their efforts to curb terrorist funding, but that was the highest grade they got. More needs to be done to prepare this country against the terrorists, and all politics aside, we should be pushing our elected representatives toward increasing these grades on the whole, in my opinion.
 
Five F's from 9/11 Commission Report Card

What the HELL is going on here!!!!! This is an outrage - really.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The former members of the bipartisan 9/11 commission gave Congress and the president a report card Monday heavy in B's, C's and D's -- with five F's -- saying the nation was ill-prepared for another terrorist attack.

"Four years after 9/11 it is scandalous that police and firefighters in large cities still cannot communicate reliably in a major crisis," said Thomas Kean, the Republican who was chairman of the commission.

"It is scandalous that airline passengers are still not screened against all names on a terrorist watch list.

"It is scandalous that we still allocate scarce homeland security dollars on the basis of pork barrel spending, not risk."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/05/911.commission/
 
[Moderator mode]

Merged these two together...same topic...

[/Moderator mode]
 
I wonder what grades they would give themselves? Or are they just a bunch of little angels? /sarcasm

Complaining but not acting F
Getting Congress support B
Was used by a middle class woman to get closure for her husband. A+
 
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Do you think this reminds Bush of when he was in college? ;)
 
aps said:
Do you think this reminds Bush of when he was in college? ;)
Come on we all had bad grades some point in our life? ;)
 
stsburns said:
Come on we all had bad grades some point in our life? ;)

Hey, I resemble that remark. lol I just needed to get a jab in regarding Bush. It makes me feel good when I do that. ;)
 
aps said:
Hey, I resemble that remark. lol I just needed to get a jab in regarding Bush. It makes me feel good when I do that. ;)
Well you didn't say "Neo-Con" so its all good!!! :rofl
 
stsburns said:
I wonder what grades they would give themselves? Or are they just a bunch of little angels? /sarcasm

Complaining but not acting F
Getting Congress support B
Was used by a middle class woman to get closure for her husband. A+

What power do they have to pass legislation?

Remember - Bush fought instituting the 9/11 commision from day one!

Clearly the administration DOESN"T CARE about making the homeland safer. They'll stick with the ridiculous - "We're fightin them over there soes we don't hafta fight em over here" argument.

The terrorists will strike American soil again. We need to be ready and unfortunately, we're hardly any closer than we were on 9/11.
 
hipsterdufus said:
What power do they have to pass legislation?

Remember - Bush fought instituting the 9/11 commision from day one!

Clearly the administration DOESN"T CARE about making the homeland safer. They'll stick with the ridiculous - "We're fightin them over there soes we don't hafta fight em over here" argument.

The terrorists will strike American soil again. We need to be ready and unfortunately, we're hardly any closer than we were on 9/11.

hipster, what do you think Cheney will say if we are attacked again on our soil? Remember this?

In Des Moines, Cheney went beyond previous restraints to suggest that the country would be more vulnerable to attack under Kerry. "It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on November 2nd, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice then the danger is that we'll get hit again," the vice president said, "that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mind-set, if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts and that we are not really at war."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2917-2004Sep7.html
 
stsburns said:
I wonder what grades they would give themselves? Or are they just a bunch of little angels? /sarcasm

Complaining but not acting F
Getting Congress support B
Was used by a middle class woman to get closure for her husband. A+

In the defense of Democrats, they haven't had an opportunity to act since the 9/11 commission gave their first report (with a republican held house, senate and white house), so their only option is to complain.
 
stsburns said:
I wonder what grades they would give themselves? Or are they just a bunch of little angels? /sarcasm

Complaining but not acting F
Getting Congress support B
Was used by a middle class woman to get closure for her husband. A+

They did exactly what they were commissioned to do. They investigated the lead up to 9/11 to determine what went wrong and compiled a list of recommendations for the prevention of future attacks on our soil, as well as how we could have been better prepared to deal with an attack. It was up to the Republican-led Congress to pick up the ball and run with it, but instead, they fumbled it, and as a result we're not much better prepared now than we were prior to 9/11/01.

This isn't to say that Congress has done nothing, but there is still a great deal left to be done, and it would seem not a hell of a lot of motivation among our elected leaders to do it. For all the talk we heard about following the commission's recommendations and making America safer, it amounted to just that... Talk.
 
hipsterdufus said:
What power do they have to pass legislation?

Remember - Bush fought instituting the 9/11 commision from day one!

Clearly the administration DOESN"T CARE about making the homeland safer. They'll stick with the ridiculous - "We're fightin them over there soes we don't hafta fight em over here" argument.

The terrorists will strike American soil again. We need to be ready and unfortunately, we're hardly any closer than we were on 9/11.

Welcome to the reality of the government hipsterdufus. Politcans are crooks and could care less about human life (seriously, they have very little regard for human life and little respect for human life). They could care less about the nation or the people of the nation. It is one of the reasons why I am against big government. Because government by nature is criminal and oppressive and the bigger it is, the more problems you have and the more tyranny you have. My faith is in the common people to rule themselves.
 
JustMyPOV said:
They did exactly what they were commissioned to do. They investigated the lead up to 9/11 to determine what went wrong and compiled a list of recommendations for the prevention of future attacks on our soil, as well as how we could have been better prepared to deal with an attack. It was up to the Republican-led Congress to pick up the ball and run with it, but instead, they fumbled it, and as a result we're not much better prepared now than we were prior to 9/11/01.

This isn't to say that Congress has done nothing, but there is still a great deal left to be done, and it would seem not a hell of a lot of motivation among our elected leaders to do it. For all the talk we heard about following the commission's recommendations and making America safer, it amounted to just that... Talk.

Agreed - I'ts the same kind of "All hat - no cattle" talk we heard about the rebuilding of the hurricane Katrina flood zones. Has anyone seen the current footage? It's still a total mess.

I don't accept the argument that when the government does such a poor job of something - say Homeland Security - that it follows that some entity besides the Government should do it.

My answer is fix the damn government. WE, my friends, are the government.
It functions FOR us.
 
They were used as a tool for some middle aged womans husbands death. If you ever here her speak, you will know her motivation for listening to plane recorders, and watching 3D models? :doh

All acts of nobalism are nothing but propaganda!
 
stsburns said:
I wonder what grades they would give themselves? Or are they just a bunch of little angels? /sarcasm

Complaining but not acting F
Getting Congress support B
Was used by a middle class woman to get closure for her husband. A+
They are acting by bringing these issues up. Their job is to tell the Bush admin. what needs to be done, not do it for him.
 
scottyz said:
They are acting by bringing these issues up. Their job is to tell the Bush admin. what needs to be done, not do it for him.
But they are sentors, they can do both?
 
stsburns said:
But they are sentors, they can do both?
uh....there are only 10 of them. Do you think they alone can make all the changes required?? President Bush certainly didn't give them those powers.
Their job is to recommend changes and Bush is theoretically supposed to make those recommended changes a reality, it's not their fault Bush doesn't give a crap.
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002, is chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. The Commission is also mandated to provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.

http://www.9-11commission.gov/
 
aps said:
Do you think this reminds Bush of when he was in college? ;)
I think he's pretty numb to receiving bad grades, which is why he feels right at home in the white house these days.

hipsterdufus said:
What power do they have to pass legislation?

Remember - Bush fought instituting the 9/11 commision from day one!

Clearly the administration DOESN"T CARE about making the homeland safer. They'll stick with the ridiculous - "We're fightin them over there soes we don't hafta fight em over here" argument.

The terrorists will strike American soil again. We need to be ready and unfortunately, we're hardly any closer than we were on 9/11.
You're dead dead dead wrong, The administration cares about nothing more than 9/11 because without 9/11 Kerry would be in office today, we would not be in Iraq and we would deffinetley not be a joke of the world.
 
scottyz said:
uh....there are only 10 of them. Do you think they alone can make all the changes required?? President Bush certainly didn't give them those powers.
Their job is to recommend changes and Bush is theoretically supposed to make those recommended changes a reality, it's not their fault Bush doesn't give a crap.
Kanye West attack? Senators can debate to push certain agenda's. Some do them on TV, some do them on the hill! Ever watched C-Span?


http://www.9-11commission.gov/[/QUOTE]
Yes, I know they are just recomending the government to do things, yet they are the government?
 
jfuh said:
I think he's pretty numb to receiving bad grades, which is why he feels right at home in the white house these days.


You're dead dead dead wrong, The administration cares about nothing more than 9/11 because without 9/11 Kerry would be in office today, we would not be in Iraq and we would deffinetley not be a joke of the world.
Cough, cough Media!!!!!!!!!!!!Joke.....USA........IT WAS THE Media!!!!!!
 
stsburns said:
Kanye West attack? Senators can debate to push certain agenda's. Some do them on TV, some do them on the hill! Ever watched C-Span?


http://www.9-11commission.gov/
Yes, I know they are just recomending the government to do things, yet they are the government?[/QUOTE]
If Bush gave a crap he might have followed their recommendations by now?

They are pushing the agenda(making America safer) that they were put in charge to push, is that bad? How do you expect these 10 to make all the changes themselves, start a coup?
 
I love Calvin Trillin!

A Transcript
Calvin Trillin


PHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE 9/11 COMMISSION AND THE WHITE HOUSE CONCERNING THE COMMISSION'S BLISTERING REPORT CARD ON HOW WELL ITS RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED

Commission:
So firemen can talk to cops,
You must provide a frequency.
The fact that this has not been done
Is government delinquency.

White House:
Iraq is coming right along.
We're confident we'll win this war.
The way to honor lads we've lost
Is stick it out (and lose some more).

Commission:
Disaster funds are handed out
By pork, not risk, and, by the way,
The loose nukes that so worried us
Are getting looser every day.

White House:
Our troops are making progress now,
And trained Iraqis have increased.
We win the battles that we fight.
We've taken some towns twice at least.

Commission:
Still, air freight cargo goes unchecked,
And information goes unshared.
We told you then, we tell you now:
The USA is unprepared!

White House:
Saddam--that evil, awful man
-- Is captured, living in a cell.
Democracy will spread from there.
The Middle East will soon be swell.

Commission:
We have to say, upon reflection,
There's something wrong with this connection.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051226/trillin
 
scottyz said:
Yes, I know they are just recomending the government to do things, yet they are the government
If Bush gave a crap he might have followed their recommendations by now?

They are pushing the agenda(making America safer) that they were put in charge to push, is that bad? How do you expect these 10 to make all the changes themselves, start a coup?
Stop making this a Bush thing. Congress and the Senate are quite capable of creating laws, and so is Bush. But the fact of the matter is THEY DID NOTHING! I rephrase it, they did hardly anything!
 
stsburns said:
Stop making this a Bush thing. Congress and the Senate are quite capable of creating laws, and so is Bush. But the fact of the matter is THEY DID NOTHING! I rephrase it, they did hardly anything!
Bush did nothing either. Bush is supposed to be the President who is tough on terror and if Congress isn't going to take action, he should.
 
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