schuster/hall story: rise of militia groups and a nervous, weakened secret service.

[RepublicanElephant]

this secret service weakness must be dealt with NOW!

firearms training not up-to-date.
metal detectors use cut back.

this is the worst possible time for this!

[polichick]

1. There was an NPR interview last year with one of the Secret Service men...

...who covered JFK. This guy waited until he was an old man to report that some of his fellow SS men talked about not protecting JFK because of his policies regarding the poor and blacks.

I hope this attitude doesn't still exist.

[Politicalboi]

5. I hope not too

But I'm sure it does. People can be bought too.

[AspenRose]

6. I saw something a while back about racist emails being circulated at

Secret Service offices.

http://www.slate.com/id/2191202/entry/0

Yep, that makes me feel a whole ton of better. :-(

[polichick]

7. Wow, that is horrible! nt

[ShadowLiberal]

23. Shouldn't they check that these people will be loyal to the person they're told to protect?

Seriously, the secret service has other tasks besides protecting presidents and other people, shouldn't they make sure that they don't put rapid conservatives on a group to protect an ultra liberal president, and visa versa? Just send the people who have differing views on other tasks the secret service does.

[vaberella]

2. Can you find the post for the Shuster segment? n/t

[City Lights]

3. Time to cut Cheney loose.

He made a fortune off the government. Let him buy his own protection.

[Cha]

11. Really..we need all our best concentration on

the President we have now and he will have a long and healthy life.

[PretzelWarrior]

15. yes. this is BULLSHIT! Someone give us a credible status report

where do we find this information? How can we get a solid understanding they are FUCKING DOING THEIR JOB???

I get it. A black guy is just lucky to be president. Security protection on par with previous generations is asking a bit much.

[Sub Atomic]

22. Don't forget Bush's drunken sluts.

They're getting extended SS protection as well.

:pissed:

[DrToast]

24. Let Haliburton pay for it

He made them enough money.

[704wipes]

25. yes, let him hire some Bwater thugs with all his criminal

million$.

We should also pass a law that he has to move back to Wyoming with no internet connections to McLean.

[BlooInBloo]

4. And it's under Lieberman's control. Sigh.

[oberliner]

12. What does that mean?

Can you explain what you are talking about?

[BlooInBloo]

13. Lieberman is the chair of the Homeland Security committee.

[oberliner]

14. Janet Napolitano is the Homeland Security cabinet secretary

The Secret Service is under the auspices of the US Dept of Homeland Security not the Senate (or House) committee.

[BlooInBloo]

18. Remind me again where the money comes from?

Thanks.

[oberliner]

21. You said that the Secret Service was "under Lieberman's control"

I think that it is as much under Janet Napolitano's control or Bennie Thompson's control or Mark Sullivan's control.

Not sure that it is logical to single out Lieberman in making the claim you did.

[rvablue]

16. I think the Secret Service is part of the Treasury Department. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

17. Then you think wrong.

[Ocracoker16]

19. It used to be, before Bush created DHS

[RepublicanElephant]

8. can't find a link for the show, but here's the guy they interviewed:

Obama in Physical Danger from Crazy Rightwingers

"Since Mr. Obama took office, the rate of threats against the President has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service,” reports the Telegraph of London.

Obama is facing more than 30 death threats a day, the paper said. And the Secret Service doesn’t have the resources to handle them all.

“We have half the agents we need,” one Secret Service member told Kessler.

Fueling the threats is a resurgent rightwing movement.

The Southern Poverty Law Center just released a study that says the militia movement is growing rapidly.

“All it lacks is a spark,” one ATF agent told the center, adding: “It’s only a matter of time before you see threats and violence."

http://www.progressive.org/wx081209.html

[Cali_Democrat]

9. very frustrating

:banghead:

[Ocracoker16]

20. I worried that the SS might be falling down on the job

It is just very hard to find accurate information about whether the SS is not providing adequate protection. It is interesting that this guy wrote this book about the Secret Service. I did look Ronald Kessler up. He currently writes for Newsmax.com which is a conservative site. He has already proclaimed Obama to be a failure. I don't mean to say that this means that his book about the SS can't possible be true. I offer this additional info and invite you to draw your own conclusions.

[704wipes]

26. oh so Kessler is trumpeting this to egg someone on

is the way it then appears to me/

[Cha]

10. This is bad news...they need the best and the brightest

with everything going for them..all the latest equipment!!