Ridge to Resign
 

Tom Ridge (aka Meatloaf) is going to resign today. Who will replace him? Does it signal anything about the direction of the DHS?

I'm holding off on the champagne until I am sure his replacement is not the eternally-incompetent Admiral James Loy or Norman "Nimrod" Mineta...

Homeland Security Chief Ridge resigns

"A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. In an e-mail to senior Homeland Security officials Ridge says he's been privileged to work with employees who are dedicated to making the country "better and more secure."

Which country is he talking about?? :confused:

^ Good riddance to bad trash. :)

Sadly, I doubt that anything changes. :(

But I'd love to be proven wrong. :)

Unless it means even more Orange Alerts and an even more severe case of Homeland Gestapo Syndrome.* :(

*http://www.dailybreeze.com/columnist...t/1111062.html

We can only hope the change will be towards more effective security and intelligence, and not the dog and pony show that we have.

Spiff -- You must be in heaven right now. Ridge, and Aschroft are going going gone. (Yeah I know, loy is still there)

As for a replacement. There are many qualified people out there to run the DHS. My initial guess is that it might be Rudi Giuliani. A no nonsense leader, who is admired by a large portion of the population, and for the most part isn't too far right.

Love the "Wasn't me!" expression on Ridge in this article.

Ridge was just the visible face of a much deeper and entrenched problem - the bureacracy that has been created by HomeSec.

No matter who is "running" the place, that bureacracy will do it's best to keep itself in existence, so I don't expect much changes in the silliness the Department and it's agents have been foisting upon us.

Hmmm...there is a Cabinet-level job open.

Of course, whoever takes it will be wasting a lot of taxpayer money and running a program to harass millions of his fellow Americans as they attempt to fly for business or vacation purposes.

Would my conscience be able to take being responsible for all of that simply to get a Cabinet officer's salary, the perks that come with the job, and the probability that it will lead to a very high-paying job in private industry in a few years?

Could I bring myself to screw my fellow Americans and FlyerTalkers just for my own personal financial benefit?

Hell yes! Where do I apply?

But does this mean the job will go to Asa?

Please, No ASA!

Please contact everyone on Capitol Hill and tell them why you don’t want Asa Hutchinson for Director of Homeland Security!!

1)The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 or call Comments: 202-456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456-1414. You can also fax: 202-456-2461 or e-mail [email protected]

2) Contact Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border & Transportation Security and tell him to REFUSE THE OFFER! Call at 202-282-8355 or e-mail him at [email protected].

3) Contact your Congressman! Clickhere, and simply find your Congressman and let them know that you dont want Asa as the Director of Homeland Security.

Ridge quits; rumors begin
 

Desert News Article

"Many questions await Ridge's successor, including:


Whether to change the five-color alert system designed to help guide government response to terrorist threats.
Critics contend that the system is too vague and geographically broad to be of much help to law enforcement or the public. A high "orange" alert last year, accompanied by a government recommendation that people buy duct tape for their windows, drew particular ridicule from comedians and cartoonists.

Many of the nation's 429 commercial airports are considering a return to private security screeners because of management problems with the department's Transportation Security Administration. The TSA also had to scrap an ambitious passenger identification system because of privacy concerns and is working on a more modest replacement."