A Single American view of 9/11
The attacks of September 11 are full of many amazing and heartbreaking stories of loss, heartbreak and heroism. Frank Culbertson was the Commander of Expedition 3, a three-man crew on board the International Space Station when then attacks occurred....
DetailsCongress Must “Shape Up,” 9/11 Commission member says
Yesterday the 9/11 Commission members got together and talked about their views on what has been learned, and what has been done, since their report was issued several years back. One pointed resonated: Congress needs to reform the way...
DetailsHurricane Irene, Underwhelmed but alive – Is that a problem?
With Hurricane Irene now nothing but some sputtering winds and loosely formed rain showers, we are about to endure the aftermath of whining naysayers and professional complainers. Even as the storm was beginning to pass through North Carolina and...
DetailsEmergency Response and Network Congestion – A Matter of Bandwidth
As the East Coast is cleaning up from the effects of Hurricane Irene, pundits have not been shy in expressing opinions about the use (mostly about the benefits) of social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to get information...
DetailsA Positive Feel after an Earth-Moving Experience
I’m back in my office building after the great DC Shake of 2011. The earthquake that struck Virginia and surrounding areas was a surreal experience, one I’ve never had and one I don’t care to repeat any time soon....
DetailsPost VA, DC Earthquake, After Action Report Required
One of the best descriptions of what it is like to work in Washington, DC, can be summed up with the old canard, “After all is said and done, there will be a lot more said than done.” I...
DetailsCongress Needs to Reexamine its One-sided Approach to Water Security
In response to a recent DHS report citing concerns about the ability of insiders to cause significant damage at water utilities, Sen. Chuck Schumer is set to introduce legislation that would mandate FBI background checks for employees at drinking...
Details9/11 Conspiracy, Clarke Comments Generate Response
My recent post on Richard Clarke has generated a lot of interest in discussion. I was fortunate to get a response from the people behind the controversial interview with Mr. Clarke, including a link to a YouTube video of...
Details9/11 Conspiracy Theories and the End of Richard Clarke
The homeland security and national security community is full of all types of personalities, and there are few personalities as polarizing as Richard Clarke. As a former senior official, he made quite the reputation for himself. Clarke has never...
DetailsOslo Terrorist Attacks: Terrorism with a different face, in a different place
I recently published a piece on the terrorist attacks in Oslo, Norway, which killed 76 people. Similar to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building bombing in Oklahoma in 1995, after the attacks in Oslo, many believed it was the...
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