Fergie's Tech Blog

DHS Report: New York Has No National Icons, Monuments Worth Protecting

Speechless.

Richard Esposito reports on ABC News' "The Blotter":

New York has no national monuments or icons, according to the Department of Homeland Security form obtained by ABC News. That was a key factor used to determine that New York City should have its anti-terror funds slashed by 40 percent--from $207.5 million in 2005 to $124.4 million in 2006.

The formula did not consider as landmarks or icons: The Empire State Building, The United Nations, The Statue of Liberty and others found on several terror target hit lists. It also left off notable landmarks, such as the New York Public Library, Times Square, City Hall and at least three of the nation's most renowned museums: The Guggenheim, The Metropolitan and The Museum of Natural History.

The form ignored that New York City is the capital of the world financial markets and merely stated the city had four significant bank assets.

More here.

Update:

The Department of Homeland Security open their mouths even further, and stuff their collective feet in there even deeper.

Again, Richard Esposito and Dennis Powell write on ABC News' "The Blotter":

The Department of Homeland Security issued a press release to "set the record straight" on its funding allocations. In it, DHS explained that the Empire State Building was included as a "tall office building" and the Brooklyn Bridge as "a bridge." It said that the Statue of Liberty is not considered in New York City as it is on federal land.

The press release stated that a peer review committee was used to evaluate whether the assessments were fair. What it did not state was why their own access to intelligence analysis would be overridden by a peer review, which is what senior law enforcement officials in New York say occurred.

Link.

posted by Fergie @ 6/01/2006 03:54:00 PM