BCT Editorial – 7/18/06

This page was last updated on July 18, 2006.

Homeland hysteria; Editorial; Beaver County Times; July 18, 2006.

As you will read below, the Times published this editorial one day too soon.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“The Bush administration’s penchant for secrecy hit home earlier this month when two longtime cafeteria workers were laid off from Pittsburgh federal buildings after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security inexplicably deemed them ‘unfit.’”

[RWC] Is the Times referring to the national security secrets that keep appearing on the front pages of U.S. newspapers?

“Homeland Security has ignored pleas from the employees and U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle to explain how they failed background checks mandated after 9/11. Other than telling the two women to appeal, federal officials have offered no further information.”

[RWC] There’s no question DHS handled this poorly. If you fail a background check, you should be immediately told why and you should not have to appeal.

According to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article of July 18^th, the problem has been resolved and the women will return to work this week.

“Homeland Security has ignored pleas from … U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle?” According to the P-G article, Rep. Doyle’s “office worked to settle the matter expeditiously.”

“The two employees, each with more than 20 years on their jobs, were baffled by the situation, according to The Associated Press. Both said they had never been arrested or in any kind of trouble.”

[RWC] Remember how the Times claimed Internet sources couldn’t be trusted like sources like the AP? As it turns out, one of the women was arrested for shoplifting in 1997, though she claimed it was a misunderstanding. The other woman’s case was a pure screw-up; DHS ran her background check using the wrong Socialist Security number.

“Law enforcement must maintain a certain amount of secrecy in protecting the home front against terrorism, but the Bush administration has gone overboard with that time and time again.”

[RWC] “Law enforcement must maintain a certain amount of secrecy?” Who does the author think he is kidding? To date, Times editorials have come out supporting every leak of national security secrets we’ve seen for the past few years.

The editorial failed to note Rep. Doyle, himself a Democrat, didn’t attribute the problem to Bush administration policy. Perhaps Mr. Doyle is aware big government bureaucrats screw up regardless of who’s in office.

“In America, every citizen has a right to face an accuser, and the U.S. government owes these two ladies an explanation.”

[RWC] I agree, and they eventually got it.