Homeland Insecurity

It was a game of “catch me if you can” with the U.S. Border Patrol—and the guards couldn’t win. Just over a year ago, a man traveled by car along a stretch of Canadian road so close to the U.S. he could cross the border by hopping a roadside ditch. He stopped at what looked like an unmonitored area, left the car, and crossed over carrying simulated radioactive material in a red duffel bag. He walked several hundred feet into the U.S., returned to the Canadian side and waited 15 minutes for a response from law enforcement. None came.  [Business Week]

Emergency responders face deep aid cuts

The Bush administration intends to slash counterterrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue departments across the country by more than half next year, according to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department has given $23 billion to states and local communities to fight terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks, but one document says the administration is not convinced that the money has been well spent and thinks the nation’s highest-risk cities have largely satisfied their security needs. (Yahoo News/AP)