Congress Weighs Enhanced Security Plan

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers are considering adopting an enhanced security system that would ease the way for members of Congress to get more comprehensive protection at public appearances in their home districts.

Under the bipartisan proposal, the Capitol Police, which is charged with protecting lawmakers, would formalize its relationship with local police and sheriffs’ departments around the United States and jointly develop more standardized plans to deal with varying threat levels for town meetings or other public events, House officials said. Lawmakers could then ask the local police to execute the plans for certain events, a step now taken only on an ad hoc basis.

“The current system is based on reaction to a potential threat,” said Jamie Fleet, the Democratic staff director for the Committee on House Administration, which oversees security matters. “The new system will be more formalized — sitting down and planning a town hall or a ‘Congress in Your Corner’ event, changing the thinking of staff and lawmakers to ‘Am I doing this safely?’ ”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/us/11security.html

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

1. You can close the barn doors

but the chickens are out, and probably reluctant to go back inside.

They'd rather not relinquish their newly rediscovered power through close-in, town hall-type appearances, which have proven to be an effective political medium (for good or ill).

Nor would they like the idea of appearing under guard. Martial airs would just stir that anger pot some more.

[earcandle]

2. What an excuse to buy more security dollars and jack up those Repugs income.

[earcandle]

3. Instead of making hate speech a crime, and cracking down on white supremacists...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. "Instead of making hate speech a crime,..."

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Bill of Rights

[earcandle]

10. People should never have a right to incite violence using speech. That kind of speech needs to be

regulated and only allowed in war zones if at all.  

Dumb fucks to let us slip to the last common denominator of
decency
just to save an illogical hateful form of communication so
that hate mongers can 
get media support and push their wares around town. 

[DesertDiamond]

4. If they don't go to the root of the matter and consider enhanced reduction of hate speech, they're

DAMN FOOLS.

[DesertDiamond]

5. And interesting to note their first and only thought at this time seems to be to protect THEMSELVES.

[No Elephants]

6. In fairness, better security might also protect those who show up to hear and speak with their rep.

[Downwinder]

7. When I was a kid, we would meet the Governor shopping at

the local market.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. Can the House do this?

Don't they now have to establish a connection the Constitution to enact anything? And find the financial offset to cover the cost? They can't just write legislation as a whim, can they?

I'm sure Homeland Security wants a piece of this financial pie.

:hi: