All Hands On Deck

The recent move by the House of Representatives to limit the Urban Area Security Initiative to only 10 cities has obviously caused concern for the 54 other UASI cities.  These cities will be clamoring to make the case that they too are at risk from the threat of terrorism.  While there are many past examples of terrorist acts or attempted acts across the country, from Oklahoma City to Seattle, one not need to look far to find a solid basis for this concern.

Let’s look at some recent news for example.

NationalTerrorAlert.com is one of many sources that I use to stay on top of terrorism related news.  (NationalTerrorAlert.com is a private homeland security blog and not affiliated with any government agency.)  I get an e-mail daily with relevant news summaries and links to source news stories.  Today was no exception and the headlines explain my point well:

• NYPD releases video of bust of suspected terrorist plotting attacks on NYC synagogues
• FBI no-show in NYC terror probe raises questions
• FBI investigating intruder at Oregon dam
• Florida Imams arrested for aiding Pakistan Taliban

From this one example we see that terrorism is still an issue in New York City but also in Oregon and South Florida.

South Florida has seen its share of the terrorism threat yet it may soon be off the list of Urban Areas receiving funding under the UASI program (if House members have their way). More…