Debbie Schlussel: Unhappy Birthday, Homeland Security
Yesterday, America's biggest boondoggle with an equally enormous deceptive name, the Department of Homeland Security, celebrated its five-year anniversary. Other than President Bush--its creator--and incompetents like Michael "Serpenthead" Chertoff and Julie "The ICE Princess" Myers and John "George Costanza" Torres, do you hear anyone celebrating?
Like my friend, Sirius Patriot Channel 144 host Mike Church said, "I only wish the President announced he was shutting it down."
President Bush marked the "occasion" by warning Americans not to become complacent about terrorism. Has he said that to his mirror, lately (or to the idiots he has running DHS)? Hello . . . ? (Oh, and by the way, it's still "NOO-KLEE-ER," not "nook-yuh-ler.")
Sadly, instead of looking into waste, extreme mismanagement, PC law enforcement policies, the mass exodus of good agents, and the promotion of unethical/lawbreaking individuals to positions of leadership, Congress is barking about Homeland Security's lack of minorities in leadership.
In response to that, I say look at the white men--Michael Chertoff--and the "minorities"--Julie Myers and John P. Torres--who've been appointed. All equally disgusting in their incompetence, lack of law enforcement experience, and dishonesty. Picking someone with a vagina or whose last name might indicate some sort of ingestion of tortillas and chicken mole at some point in life, hasn't seemed to be the panacea. It's been the problem, in the cases of Myers and Torres.
It's not a matter of minorities, it's a matter of picking competents--regardless of internal plumbing and ethnic background--with actual law enforcement experience in the areas they "oversee." Still I did find this exchange amusing:
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff apparently forgot the adage "When you're in a hole, stop digging."On Wednesday, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee were reviewing a report that said Chertoff's department lags behind others in hiring women and minorities to senior positions.
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) asked all the Chertoff aides sitting behind him at the hearing to stand up. Men in ties and jackets, all of whom appeared to be Caucasian, stood up. Without comment, Scott moved on to ask Chertoff about another issue.
But Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.) returned to the diversity question. "You brought 10 staff people with you," he said, "all white males. . . . But I hope you've got more diversity in your staff than is reflected here. Please reassure me that is the case."
"I think that is definitely the case," Chertoff said.
"Okay," Watt said, and appeared to begin moving to another question.
But Chertoff continued: "I wouldn't assume that the ethnic background of everybody behind me is self-evident."
Watt replied: "I wouldn't assume the ethnic background of everybody behind you is self-evident, but I think I know an African American when I see one. . . . If anyone wants to stand up and volunteer and tell me they are an African American, I hope they will do that right now."
No one stood. Some in the audience began laughing.
"If anybody is a female that's sitting back there and wants to stand up and volunteer to tell me that," Watt continued, "I hope they will do that right now. And I want the record to show clearly that nobody stood up to volunteer in either one of those categories.
"So if you want to make that point and be cute about it," Watt said, "let me be explicit about it. . . . If we are going to do law enforcement in this country . . . we need to understand that there is an element of diversity in our country that is not represented here."
Don't worry. The next time, Chertoff will bring lackeys Myers and Torres--and some new agent they can find in a hijab--along as extras for this "Match of the Anti-Titans [Congress and DHS]". Whatta joke!
Posted by Debbie on March 7, 2008 01:55 PM to Debbie Schlussel