September 11 - Five Years Later

September 11 - Five Years Later

On September 11, 2001, our nation was viciously attacked by terrorists with no regard for human life. We lost 3,000 of our fellow Americans in terrible tragedies in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The horror and sadness of that day were seared into our minds forever, along with the memories of our fallen countrymen and women.

Immediately following the attacks, America came together as one nation with one purpose - protecting our country from those who would do us harm. Political party affiliation, geography, ideology, and other sources of division no longer seemed so important. Instead, we were united by what we have in common as Americans.

Michigan responded with generosity and resolve. Volunteers from all across our state headed east to help in the recovery. Countless Michiganians gave generously through their churches and schools, while charities organized through the Internet, and firefighters passed the boot at red lights in solidarity with their fallen colleagues. Our Arab-American community offered critical language skills to the FBI and other assistance.

After that terrible day, America responded by drawing upon the best of the American spirit.

I wish that I could report to you today that this initial unity among our people had led to swift and strong improvements in security by our government. Some progress has been made, such as hardening airplane cockpits and federalizing aviation security. Yet, five years later, there are still glaring gaps in our homeland security system that need to be closed.

Although we can always debate the best approaches for fighting terrorism - and such debates are part of what makes America great - there are certain areas in which the government has not made us as safe as we should be:

* One of the biggest problems in the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero in New York City - as emphasized by the 9/11 Commission's report - was that first responders could not communicate with each other. Five years later, however, they still cannot. This issue is particularly important in border states such as Michigan, in which local, state and federal first responders need to communicate not only amongst themselves but also with their counterparts in Canada or Mexico.

* There are 24 chemical facilities in Michigan that, if attacked by terrorists, could release hazardous chemicals that could affect more than 50,000 people living nearby, and there are more than 15,000 facilities nationwide that handle hazardous chemicals. Five years after 9/11, however, there are still no federal laws addressing the threat of terrorism at chemical plants.

* Every year, 11 million shipping containers enter our ports, yet five years after 9/11 just 5.4 percent of those containers are inspected physically or with an x-ray. Even though the screening technology is readily available, only 60 percent of cargo is screened for radiation, which still leaves more than four million containers per year that could contain the materials for making a radioactive "dirty" bomb.

* Our Northern Border with Canada is 4,000 miles long and has many vulnerable points at which a terrorist could enter the United States. Yet, today it is guarded by one-tenth as many agents as patrol the Southern Border, which is only half as long.

* The disastrous federal response to Hurricane Katrina tragically revealed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are not prepared to respond adequately to a national disaster.

These known weaknesses pose an unnecessary danger to the American people. We may not be able to know what is happening in every cave in every country around the world, but we should know what is in every cargo shipment entering our ports. We have the technology, the resources, and the know-how to solve all of these problems, if we can also summon the national will.

The terrorists tried to break our American spirit on September 11, 2001, and they failed miserably. As we remember and honor those we lost that day, we should also recapture the sense of shared purpose of that time and redouble our resolve and our efforts to close these gaping holes in our security. Let us finish together now the work that we set out to do then to be as safe and secure as we should be.

http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=262601