Democrats Politicize TSA and Homeland Security

Today all across tv land, the topic of national security has incorporated the woeful braying of Democrats claiming the subject of terrorism has been 'politicized'. How funny is that? After the behavior exhibited by them throughout the previous administration's efforts - successful, I might add - to keep us safe at home, Democrats have absolutely no room for criticism here.

A favorite target is Senator Jim DeMint who has placed a hold on the nomination of Erroll Southers to become the next TSA director. Useful idiots like Rep Bennie Thompson, D-MS, chairman of the House Homeland Security committee, said, "If TSA is to become the kind of nimble, responsive organization the American people deserve in times like this, it will need a Senate-confirmed administrator" on Monday. What Thompson doesn't mention with equal indignation is that President Obama didn't bother to send up Southers' name for the position until September and despite the bandwagon jumping of Senate Majority Leader Reid, Senate committee members only voted the nomination out of committee the middle of last month. If it was so important to those concerned Democrats, wouldn't it have been wiser to take care of this nomination instead of the corrupt wheeling and dealing in back rooms over the so-called health care reform bill?

Also missing from the indignant Democrats is the fact that Senator DeMint placed the hold on the Southers nomination due to the fact that the nominee refuses to acknowledge whether or not he would implement collective bargaining for the TSA screeners and baggage handlers. In a payback to the support sought and given to Barack Obama as a presidential candidate from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). TSA employees are allowed to join that union as well as the National Treasury Employee Union but these unions are not allowed to do any bargaining for the TSA employees. It is a potential addition of 50,000 new members to the union and that is a whole lot of new union dues money. Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano - who thinks the system worked just fine in the lastest bungled terror attack - is reported to be looking into the legal authority to allow such a move.

Note to Democrats: the loyal opposition is just that. By opposing policies and nominations, the minority is doing its job. Democrats were fond of doing all they could to obstruct former President Bush's nominations and policies. That is the political system.

If national homeland security was such an important subject for the majority, why did they allow Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) to reward the firefighters union and supporting a proven failed program by subtracting $4.5 million from aviation security appropriations. The Dodd amendment was put to a Senate vote and approved. This $4.5 million, ironically, was to go specifically "to screening operations and the amount for explosives detection systems", according to Mark Hemingway in Commentary for The Examiner. The firefighters union threw their support to Dodd in Iowa as he campaigned for President last year in the Democratic primary. More union paybacks. Wasn't the Obama administration supposed to end business as usual in Washington, D.C.?

The nomination of Erroll Southers deserves to be stopped until he answers the question - does he intend to implement collective bargaining for TSA employees? Does he want TSA employees to become just another branch of ineffective, dulled performance workers? If the TSA is to remain flexible and responsive, a strongly unionized TSA workforce is the last thing needed. Every decision would have to be approved by union bosses. In an emergency where policy and techniques need to be changed immediately for the safety of the flying public, this would be the most irresponsible of all.

So, stuff the indignant outrage towards Republican obstruction, Democrats. It's the pot calling the kettle black. And, stop with the references to how the country came together after 9/11/01 in politics. It lasted a few days and then the likes of Hillary Clinton were holding up newspaper headlines "What did Bush know and when did he know it?"on the floor of the Senate and dead Ted Kennedy proclaiming our nation mustn't agree to military retaliation. The then loyal opposition was only too eager to encourage claims that the Bush administration had information that was ignored and the attacks could have been stopped. Also, how dare President Bush be in Crawford Texas in August as these alleged smoking gun memos were received.

It's just all a bit much.