A Public/Public Partnership – Addressing Water Sector Security
Following the recent attention given to the water sector’s vulnerability to cyber intrusion, there’s been a lot of talk about what went wrong, whose fault it was and why changes need to be made in the sector. However, the...
DetailsMr. “Ordinary” – An Unassuming Medal of Honor Hero
With cameras rolling, lights blaring and an intent audience before me, I took to the stage at FEMA’s National Recovery and Resiliency Exercise Conference last Wednesday, ready to rock that crowd. That is until an ordinary-looking 23-year-old guy named...
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...
DetailsFrontier Airlines – Making a Hard Turn in the Right Direction
Last week, I wrote a blog post, The Final ‘Frontier’ in Corporate Shame, which focused on Frontier Airlines’ lack of sensitivity concerning the accommodation of first-responders during times of national crisis. To their credit, Frontier Airlines has since recognized...
DetailsThe Final ‘Frontier’ in Corporate Shame
As a Life Flight helicopter pilot residing just outside of Joplin, Missouri; my father-in-law knew he would be needed to help airlift critically wounded victims of the recent tornado to nearby medical facilities. What he didn’t know is that...
DetailsFlip-flops Against Chemical Security – Really GreenPeace?
At a time when “compromise” and “civility” are the new black, GreenPeace wasted little time showing off its true colors last Friday when the group’s legislative director, Rick Hind, decided to protest during a House Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing...
DetailsRound and Round We Go: Congressional Rhetoric Without Action
To express their discontent, “the people” tossed out many of the old congressional leaders in the hopes of something new. Two weeks into the New Year, I’d say they haven’t exactly found the change they were looking for –...
DetailsAmerican Leadership: Lessons Borne of Cholera
Despite the recent politicalization regarding the notion of American Exceptionalism, I continue to believe that ours is a nation of promise. We are more than a superpower; we are the superpower. And yet, despite our dominance, capability and resources,...
DetailsAttention Incoming Members of Congress: Raise Funding for Water Infrastructure
If you’re popping corks about America’s recommitment to Republican values, you can put away your champagne glasses. This week’s election results are less about Republican values, programs and policies than they are about a growing state of frustration on...
DetailsPolitics vs. Security – A Tale of Two Committees
Two Senate committees, three chemical security bills and one issue to rule them all – the role of so-called Inherently Safer Technologies (ISTs) in America's approach to safeguarding communities from acts of terrorism. With DHS' Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism...
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