Straphangers outraged by Chertoff remarks

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/nyc-ride0715,0,4185332.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines

New York City straphangers are outraged by comments made by Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, who said federal funding for subway and bus safety should take a back seat to airline security.

Chertoff said a bomb in a subway car "may kill 30 people" compared with an airplane, which "has the capacity to kill 3,000 people," he told the Associated Press.

(snip)

"Whether it's 30 or 3,000, it's still lives," said Dianne Pond, a supervisor for the Green Bus Lines in Kew Gardens. "These are ordinary people that go to work every day. Why should they take their lives in their hands?"

Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, said Chertoff understated the risks posed by mass transit.

"He obviously doesn't ride the train," Russianoff said of Chertoff. "It's staggering what damage an explosion might do at Grand Central or Penn Station ... the real risks are in transit. It just couldn't be clearer than day."

Wealthy folks fly First Class.
And now you know...the rest of the story.

because his audience sure needs to hear it.

My God this man is sick!

:puke:

Hypothesis: The GOP thinks cities and urban centers are expendable
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1931548&mesg_id=1931548

Let's look at some facts and policies:

1) Homeland Security money is being allocated evenly among the 50 states without regard for population size, population density, or risk of terrorist attack.

2) The GOP just nixed extra money to secure subways and urban transport.

3) By closing Otis Air Force Base, the GOP leaves New England with only two fighter planes to protect the entire region. Even our Republican (mis)Governor Romney calls it "impractical" and "potentially dangerous." Two Fighter planes aren't enough to "protect marriage," let alone defend New England against terrorism!

4) Forget "Red State" and "Blue State" for a moment, and think instead in terms of "Urban" and "Rural." See the article below, "The Urban Archipelago," for a detailed discussion.

More:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1931548&mesg_id=1931548

If SF or LA were hit they would do the bare minimum of what they had to do under federal law. Their attitude would just be that it's a bunch of them "libruls" getting what they deserve.

Screw the security of the United States.

The whole stupid re-structured agency is just another way to pick the pockets of the populous blue states for the benefit of the greedy grabbing-the-bucks-but-don't-call-it-welfare red states.

And Dept. of Homeland Security is the Mother of All Pork Barrells!

Now you're more closer to the truth!

Actually, it's a boondogle for:

#1 Bunkerboy's re-election.
#2 Repuke re-election chances.
#3 Repuke voting districts cash cow.

--George Dubya Bush, during the debates with Kerry, when Kerry proposed filling in the obvious, glaring gaps in US port security.

...Since when does Li'l Dubbie give a damn about the wild spending of other people's money?

Translation: "They's jus' Little Peoples. They're honored ta die for their Emperor."

With reaction from Sen. Schumer

http://federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=78&sid=278928

Simultaneous rush hour attacks on the subway systems up and down the east coast could kill more people than we lost on 9/11.

diffusing into red areas?

One way to do that would be to hit the NYC subways, which many New Yorkers obviously take to get to work. If the subways are knocked out, they won't be able to get to work and create the wealth that affects the entire world.

I can't believe Chertoff, a New Yorker himself, would say something like this. Then again, he works for *, so I shouldn't expect too much.

The blue cities and states will just keep all that excess tax money they're sending to Washington to support the welfare queen red states and use it for homestate defense.

corporations versus public transportation.

the subway every day in NYC. his analysis is completely flawed... the numbers say that the greatest likelyhood of injury by ANY cause is always going to be related to the mode of transportation MOST OFTEN USED.

Jesus, where do they get these freakazoids? they think they can say anything!

Just like Frist is leading the conservatives in the Senate to vote against mass transit security.

Frist's top aide said the Senate would restore the $50M, then Frist joins his fellow conservatives in voting against restoring the money.

they are trying to dismantle Amtrak. Amtrak is national, but the majority of its ridership comes from the Northeast corridor. Again, it's punishment for the large BLUE metro areas.

Ms. Pond they need to install security checkpoints and metal detectors at every subway station and bus terminal...

If it doesn't affect us, or wealthy people like us, then it's not of any importance.

They'll stop off at Boston Market and pick up dinner, then hurry home to watch "Survivor" and forget all about Jherkov Chertoff by the time Letterman reads his "Top Ten reasons Lindsay Lohan's boobs don't shrink along with the rest of her" list

They can't blame their local Representatives, or Schumer or Clinton, for voting the wrong way. It's not like they're going to boycott, either.

Best bet: Continue voting Democrat in the 2008 presidential election, and then hopefully a Democratic president will bring in a DHS secretary who can address some of these problems (hopefully without having another 9/11 to deal with ...)

Well, then, what are we doing here...They can't write letters and Emails like I do?

Yeah, sure, it's probably useless, but short of taking up a pitchfork and a torch and marching on DC or trying to elect representatives that actually CARE about the little people and not just the "Corporate People", what ELSE can you do?

The fact is we still aren't protecting our ports, cities, mass transit, chemical and nuclear plants, bridges, water supply and other public utilities, etc. The cost to do it is beyond what we can afford. Everything in this country was built to be free and open

I believe the GAO placed the cost at $6B. The Dems last fall asked for $3B. The Byrd amendment asked for $1.4B.

It's not an impossible task -- but when the budget is so far out of whack, it's hard to justify not spending a little bit more for something so vital.

Plus, let's face facts, spending money on mass transit security, port security, chemical and nuclear plant security, border patrol, etc., creates jobs.

It's a win-win.

stations, the tracks, it boggles my mind. All someone needs to do is mess up a tie or rail at night on a major rail line and it could kill several hundred people. I can't figure out how to protect the actual infrastructure of the rail tracks. Also, who in this country will put up with inspections of bags, taking shoes off, emptying pockets, as they do now for airline travel when you get on a bus at any old bus stop of which there are thousands in any major city. Do you have a person inspecting passengers at every bus stop in every city 24 hours a day.

Much of the cost would go to the same things we have in aviation security: baggage and people screeners, extra police and bomb-sniffing dogs, video cameras, guards on trains, etc.

The assumption is that a terrorist wouldn't go through the trouble of messing up a railroad tie, but instead try to suicide bomb a bus, subway or train, or terminal.

To agree with Chertoff, it's a matter of "probabilities." Unfortunately, he doesn't consider mass transit traffic a "probable" source of terrorist activity, even after Madrid and London.

Why they haven't gine after big shopping centers, high schools, etc., or water supply yet is beyond me. It's SO easy. WHat security is there to stop anyone from walking into a shopping center.

'war on terrorism' ....

“In the past four years, the federal government has spent about $9 per flying passenger, but only 1 cent per transit passenger,” Rep. Robert Menendez of New Jersey said in delivering his Democratic Party’s weekly radio address. “While the money we spend on aviation security is absolutely necessary, we cannot afford to forsake public transportation security.”

areas that don't, so it izz with terrerist attacks. You burn, ah stand on yer ashes. You diye, ah reap the profits: ah leave yeh open to attack, then me and mah frends party ecawnamically and cul'trully.