Tuesday, July 31, 2007


Jul. 31, 2007 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
Congress deserves credit for finally getting its act together to pass homeland security improvements, and now the bill looks ready to be signed by President Bush. Long after the 9/11 Commission produced a series of recommendations to improve security conditions and help prevent future terrorism, legislators have finally taken action.

The bill, approved last week, requires tighter screening of air and sea cargo, and shifts more federal anti-terrorism grants to high-risk areas such as New York and Washington. This is a gain for Connecticut, as our proximity to New York City, with its well-documented status atop terrorist wish lists, puts thousands of local residents at risk

The bill requires radiation screening, within five years, of 100 percent of U.S.-bound maritime cargo before loading at foreign ports. Similarly, it requires screening of all cargo carried on passenger aircraft within three years.

The nation continues to owe a debt to a dedicated group of people who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, including a number of Connecticut residents. Their dogged pursuits of Congress and the administration led to the formation of a 9/11 Commission in the first place, and now to the passage of most of its recommendations.

They took too long to pass, and will take even longer to implement, but these are important measures. Nothing can provide immunity from terrorism, and people who wish us harm will continue to plot to get around whatever obstacles we put up, but our leaders owe it to us to take action where possible. These measures are a good step in that direction.

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