The head of the Department of Homeland Security, the esteemed Ms Janet Incompetano (not mine, but I like it), last week told us that during the Christmas day terrorist attack on flight 253, the system worked. The following day, after being roundly criticized, she told us that she meant that the response after the attack worked. While I would like to give her the benefit of the doubt, I suspect instead this is simply one more instance where administration officials state only what the White House tells them to, even when said official is made to look like a complete ass.

Had the Secretary instead told the complete and actual truth, her statement would have been similar to this.

After 9/11/01 you people allowed we politicians to spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to prevent another terrorist attack against our country. Being politicians, we created one more huge, expensive layer of federal employees (and we called it The Department of Homeland Security - doesn't the name alone make you feel safer?) and espoused that it would make our citizens feel safer (which doesn't even resemble actual safety). Moving forward, we will try to improve our systems, further train our employees and try harder to make you feel safer. Of course, this will make boarding planes even more intrusive than it is now, and take hours longer. Oh, and we will need even more hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars."

From a politician's point of view, the system did work. They continue to receive contributions, free trips and vacations from those upon whom they spend taxpayer dollars. They continue to enact new laws and regulations with which the vast majority of Americans disagree, as long as the politicians themselves benefit from them and even more importantly, increase their control.

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