Homeland Insecurity
September 5, 2007
What happened to the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which Democratic leaders promised to make one of their top legislative priorities? What are the most deadly potential terrorist targets no one talks about—and who's lobbying against securing them? What's the one measure that could improve our chances of preventing an attack—without costing a penny? Why are the 2008 presidential candidates—Republicans and Democrats alike—nowhere on this issue? In this seven-part series Mother Jones' senior correspondent James Ridgeway examines how the government has let homeland security languish since September 11, 2001, with dire consequences.
—The Editors
Part One: Why Congress Hasn't Implemented the 9/11 Commission's Suggestions
Six years after 9/11 and three years after the 9/11 Commission, Congress has just started to do what's necessary to protect us from the next terror attack. But have they done enough? And is time running out? Part one of a seven-part series on the lessons of 9/11.
Part Two: Hidden Threat: Liquefied Natural Gas Tankers
An attack on a liquefied natural gas tanker could cause a massive explosion. Is enough being done to protect American ports from this devastating risk? Second in a seven-part series on the lessons of 9/11.
Part Three: Hidden Threat: Chemical Freight Cars
The London and Madrid bombings exposed the vulnerabilities of passenger rail. But what's being done to protect the dangerous chemicals that are transported daily along our railways? Part three in a seven-part series on the lessons of 9/11.
Part Four: Hidden Threat: Port Security
20 million cargo containers pass through U.S. ports every year. But only a small fraction is adequately screened for dirty bombs or other terrorist threats. Part four in a series on the lessons of 9/11.
Part Five: Hidden Threat: The Blame Game
After Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration set out to lessen the federal government's culpability in the wake of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies.
Part Six: Conspiracy Theories: Theory Vs. Fact
Six years after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there's plenty of unanswered questions about why the Bush administration didn't prevent them. But the most popular 9/11 conspiracy theories are full of holes, too.
Part Seven: Hidden Threat: Airport Security
When the government's own undercover investigators can smuggle bomb parts onto a plane, you have to wonder whether all the wands and explosives-sniffing "puffers" are doing any good. The final installment of a seven-part series on the lessons of 9/11.
