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Return to Article: Panel slams bureaucracy over 9/11 failures

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  To clearly understand what went wrong on September 11, 2001, our nation was not prepared for any type of attacks, this is of great concern, because of all the funds and practices for events of this nature, our nation was not prepared. The question is since that fateful day, are we prepared now? To answer that question, we are less prepared today, then we have ever been, simply because funds don't make it to those areas, thus it, will leave this nation defenseless once again, if, an attack should occur again. We are in a sad shape for the nation that can defend other nations, but unable to defend this nation.

  Lawrence D. Pierce Posted June 22, 2004 2:41 PM
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  Nobody was truly taken unaware here. Issues that have been ignored in the current discussion are 1) The incidents occurred because dangerous passengers gained access to cockpits. 2) The first hijackings occurred in 1967 and the only country to respond with fortified cockpits was Israel. Result? In the intervening decades that land beset by terrorists has had few air hijackings. Conclusion: Proper preparation might have obviated the need for remedial action such as shooting down a domestic airliner. The perceived difficulty of getting past fortified cockpits and trained cabin crew might have eliminated airplanes as weapons as a viable terror tool. Most recently cabin crew at several major airlines have requested terrorist training and been refused; and the FAA has still failed to mandate either training or fortified cabins.

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 18, 2004 1:38 PM