The Boston Globe has an article today about how "House and Senate Republican leaders stripped $4.5 billion in funds for mass transit security from homeland security legislation, then forced a quick vote on the streamlined bill last month." Among other things Republicans removed funding for: emergency response drills, tunnel evacuation system improvements, transit security research grants, more canine patrols, and subway tunnel protection systems.
Remember all that crap about we're fighting them over there so that we don't fight them over here? "The bombings in Spain, Britain, and India alone should have been sufficient to convince Republicans in Congress that 'US rails are dangerously vulnerable,' said Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT)" I guess fighting them over at our allies doesn't count, umm, wait maybe..."
I suppose you could make an argument that state and local funding should be used for this but I think that's quickly discredited. First we have Amtrak a nation-wide rail system. Then you realize that many transit systems do cross state lines since people commute across the state borders. Then if you think about it, al Qaeda is taking the US, not NY or VA and especially not WY where a lot of security funding is going.
Maybe this is another attempt by the Bush administration to destroy Amtrak.
Between this and securing the ports, and other things, which is the party of security?
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