Public+Policy+-+Homeland+Defense


 * Homeland Defense**

In the United States there are problems with answers that need to addressed. The way these issues are addressed are generally by Public Policies. Homeland Defense has been one of the major debated issues of the United States especially since the September 11 event in 2001. President Bush had just been reinaugerated into office and had support of the people when he decided to go over seas to Iraq. Soon after the war started, the media and many people of the United States who had supported the war no longer backed President Bush. This shift was caused by the way President Bush dealt with the issues associated with the war, and the bills he had passed. One of the first pieces of legislation passed after September 11th by the Bush administration was the Patriot Act. This act was widely support by both Democrats and Republicans at the time. The Patriot Act loosened laws of government agencies when searching telephone lines, email, or official records that might be needed in an investigation concerning someone thought to be a terrorist. This also enhanced the concern of law enforcers when dealing with and detaining immigrants who were thought to be connected with terrorist groups or acts. Other issues this act dealt with were issues concerning the department of treasury when dealing with foreign entities, and this act not only covered foreign terrorist but also domestic terrorist. One of the issues that was brought up against this act was that it could be infringing upon civil liberties. There were many provisions added to the act before it was to become law, but the majority of the provisions were taken off before its actual enforcement. The bill was signed into law in March 3, 2006. In 2002 Bush created the cabinet level department of Homeland Security to help reform the national government to be able to respond to future attacks in a better way. This was considered by many the biggest reorganization of the federal government since the Department of Defense formed in 1947. This department encompassed many other offices and was said to assume the duties of Homeland Security that was spread across 100 or so offices. After the September 11th attacks, airport security changed and tightened as part of homeland defense. Airplanes are a major part to the United States infrastructure and at the time was not secure enough to handle terrorist attack. To help prevent future attacks, you are not allowed to carry on anything that could be used as a weapon including knifes, hockey sticks, tools such as screw drivers or hammers, even fake guns and transformer toys. The restrictions have lessened a little and allow you to carry nail clippers on and nail files. Along with the regulation of things that could be used as weapons, you aren’t allowed to take any liquid on board more then 3 oz. Even after the September 11th attacks in 2003, a 20 year old man carried on a box cutter, matches, bleach hid in sunscreen bottles and modeling clay that looked like mini explosives through a check point in North Carolina where he then carried the items onto a Southwest Airlines plane and left the items in one of the bathrooms. He then repeated this action in the Baltimore- Washington International Airport. After all was said and done, the man sent a letter to the FBI telling them of what he had done. This incident brought attention to the poor security in the airports which called for the reform we see today in airport security. After the United States invaded Iraq, there were issues concerning unlawful combatants. In 2006 a supreme court case //Hamdon vs. Rumsfield,// President Bush’s tribunals, that were created to deal with people suspected of affiliation with terrorist attacks and with terrorist in Afghanistan after September 11th, were challenged. Salim Ahem Hamdan, a Taliban fighter captured and held at Guantanamo, was going to trial by a special military tribunal. These tribunals were outside civil court systems and military court systems. The courts decided that these tribunals did not comply with Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Convention and that they were not valid because of this. The Supreme Court did say that the president could order those he thought unlawful combatants to be tried in military tribunals so long as the tribunals were considered valid by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Convention. In response to this, President Bush asked Congress to authorize the special tribunals under the same rules and regulations that were decided invalid by the Supreme Court. His request was granted and the tribunals continued. Today, President Obama’s stand on homeland security is slightly different than what former President Bush set up. Obama is not happy with some of the things the Patriot Act set up and is opposed to the “warrantless wiretaps” (www.scribd.com) the Patriot Act allows. He also wants to restore habeas corpus to prevent detaining some without due process so that the government is not infringing upon their civil liberties, like Salim Ahem Hamdam argued. During his election, Obama also stated he wanted to focus on the US infrastructure and the security of our transportation hubs to contribute to homeland defense. During his campaign, Obama also made threats of invading Pakistan to deal with Islamic extremist if Pakistan couldn’t handle them. President Obama claims that the war in Iraq has left the US more unsafe than the September 11th attack and that the focus would be shifted to the threats coming from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Obama believes that those would be the steps necessary to battle terrorism. Most recently concerning Homeland Defense, there was a suspected missile launch from North Korea that would have come into close proximity of Hawaii. They claimed it was just a test launch, but Obama does not want any missiles coming from any country our way especially from a hostile country. He said in a conference that US would be prepared to respond. Obama has also showed his interest in reducing the US nuclear weapons hoping to be an example to the rest of the world. Homeland Defense has been an issue since the United States was created. Today it seems that the US is under more threats, but hopefully our new president can come up with new policies regarding the issue and better Homeland defense.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**Unlawful**_**combatant** www.tsa.gov/travelers/.../permitted-prohibited-items.shtm online.wsj.com/article/SB124562763599235725.html [|CNN.com - Bush signs Homeland Security bill - Nov. 26, 2002] www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/...**obama**/index.html www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/.../AR2007080101233.html [|Bush administration homeland security - SourceWatch] http://www.scribd.com/doc/4107132/Barack-Obama-on-Homeland-Security