It shouldn't be this easy
By Steve Benen Thursday Jul 12, 2007 1:15pmIt should never be this easy to obtain a licence for nuclear materials -- through a P.O. Box.
Undercover Congressional investigators set up a bogus company and obtained a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in March that would have allowed them to buy the radioactive materials needed for a so-called dirty bomb.
The undercover operation involved an application from a fake construction company, supposedly based in West Virginia, that the investigators had incorporated even though it had no offices, Internet site or employees. Its only asset was a postal box.
As Jill put it, "Yes, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will send you a license for nuclear material -- to a postal box. No confirmation or background check necessary. Aren't you glad that six years after 9/11, George W. Bush is on the case?"
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MUSHROOOOM!!
Well, at least you can't get a gun that easy. ;)
Sure, it should be.
Otherwise, death and destruction would be harder to cause. The nihilists that run the world wouldn't that, now would they?
So let me get the story straight . . . Al Kida is getting ready to attack us again . . . . our southern border is wide open and they can get nuclear material via mail order. We've spent a trillion dollars on the "War on Terror" and all we got was some spiffy defibrulators for a high school basketball gym in South Carolina.
Stupidity operating under the cloak of national security?
ummm, mr. chertoff, why didn't your gut say something about this?
AJ Fan @ 4:
Stupidity? Where have you been? -- record profits!!! -- Seen Cheney's portfolio lately?
Homer Simpson nearly got some over the internet, when he was signing up to be an Episcopal priest, and conduct gay marriages.
Liberal AND Proud @ 1:
Hallucinogenic?
someone should give Chertgut some MOTILIUM!!! AMIRITE????????!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA
ysbaddaden @ 8:
I hope so.
For further evidence that Bush et al have been on the case:
The AP reports today that Al-Qaeda leaders "are in greater command" and have "restored [their] operating capabilities to a level unseen since the months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks."
I think you meant to say, "nuk-u-ler materels."
On MSNBC
Rice to Iraq policy critics: Give us a chance
Secretary of state pleads for time a day after House votes to pull out by '08
"Allll we are saaaayingggg...is give drunk a chanccccce".
Let's all keep in mind that it's happening under Bush's watch. 9/11 and the next attack.... Bush.
But somehow they'll find a scapegoat to blame.... Clinton perhaps?
more fun from Bush's cowboy capitalism economy
I wonder if Bush has already given away his authorization to someone in order to launch our nuclear missiles? Knowing Bush, all one needs to do is find Bush's price. Meet that, and Bush will probably give you his authority to launch our nuclear missiles. He might even give you his landline to do it with. When you have people like Bush in office, you couldn't ask for a better enemy.
[Deleted. Hey. If you have to go through the trouble you've gone through to get back on, you can pretty much figure YOU'VE BEEN BANNED Same goes for your sock puppets, too-Sitemonitor]
shit-for-brains and cheney are setting us up for that "MUSHROOM CLOUD" they talked about. there is no "national security" in this country since 9/11 because of these bastards in the whitehouse. we need to impeach the true "enemy combattants", bush/cheney/rove/rice, who reside in the executive branch of OUR government.
bush/cheney will cause another national threat/emergency before the 2008 elections and declare martial law so these fascists dictators,bush/cheney, can continue their destruction of the United States and the Constitution . FUCK BUSH AND CHENEY
When a majority of a country's populace falls for Nazi-esque crap like "national security" and "national interests" this crap is bound to happen.
The Falcon of the Adirondacks @ 17:
We MUST allow the free market to determine the fate of our country.
[Edited quote-Sitemonitor]
Liberal AND Proud @ 13:
Yeah, right! Who in his or her sound judgement would ever give yet another chance to an administration that has proven to be wholly and grossly incompetent? Oh, wait, the Faithful Base...
Well the infamous 'they' may have a hard time getting a bottle of water thru airport security, but evidently that ain't the only or even the preferred way to make mischief nowadays... The U.S. Postal service may still be happy to deliever their 'particular mail needs' as long as they have a P.O. and all the paperwork is neatly filled out...Crossed t's, dotted i's etc. I'm feeling safer already.. Gee thanks George and Dick... Your excellent trainwreck continues...unabated.
Oh did someone think I was going to or should give the postmaster General a ration because of this???? Nope... All the shit of the last six years flows down from the top....And we all know who sits on top of this debacle...........I don't even know or care about the details of this particular shit sandwich at this point in the festivities. It's all about the same to me more or less now.............And I think the same solution will go al long way in fixing a hell of a lot of it.....But Nancy doesn't seem to care.... not on the table......Fine whatever. So we all crash and burn together..... Aint a cratoring nation and culture just about the most fun thing anyone has ever been a party too?? Yea right....JD
You know what's more insane than this story?
People actually believe things are going to change when/if the 2008 election is over.
Now THAT'S delusional.
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega @ 21:
The American People did...in 2004. LOLOL!
# 24 -- ouch! Please, don't remind me: I'm still recovering from the 2004 election results...
Zio-Sheep @ 6:
Yes . . . I do see your point . . .
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega @ 25:
Just have a beer with the Pretzelnit...you'll feel better.
Surf the web. Read some of his more memorable quotes. Go shopping. ENJOY LIFE!
LOLOL
Liberal AND Proud @ 20:
[Edited quote-Sitemonitor]
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that some orders already came from some terrorist group or nation well before this came to light. I can just see the order now after some extremist group obtained their license. It might look something like this and Bush the nitwit would be sure to approve it:
From: Allah's Deconstruction Company Inc.
We have just received our license and we are very greatful as this will help our, uh, business. We have placed an order for some nuclear materials but unfortunately we are very busy right now so we can not be in person to accept delivery. If possible, please leave our order at cave entrance 23 in the Tora Bora caves, Afghanistan. We will pick it up when able. Thank you again and we will be seeing you real soon!
Sincerely,
Tim Osman, CEO
Allah's Deconstruction Company Inc.
Real homeland security work is dull, tedious, and doesn't have big kickbacks from the military industrial complex. Talking about tightening up interstate commerce doesn't play well to John Q Amerakin. If you were to really do a good job someone might notice that police work seems to work allot better than military conflicts and then where would the U.S. economy be?
You mean thats all Sadaam Hussein had to do instead of going to Africa and getting Valerie Plame and her husband in all this trouble.
Liberal AND Proud @ 27:
Only if the Pretzelnit had pretzels with his beer.
This is right out of the camp movie Batman & Robin, the Adam West one -- down to the po box. If my mind could only boggle more.
Lets all meet in Washington DC is ten minutes . . . . behind the Lincoln Memorial
You mean to tell me that this country can control pot better than nukes?
hadenuf @ 35:
Oh, yeah, lest we forget: the War on Drugs, another shining example of a successful right-wing policy initiative.
In short: sounds like it'd be easier to secure a nuclear license in the U.S. than healthcare.
We're safe because we're fighting the terrorists there in Iraq. As long as they don't come here, they won't be able to buy a license. Now if you excuse me, my while I sip some of this delicious Kool Aid and enjoy my own reality. Alright ! Cavuto is on!
Targa @ 14:
Bill or Hill?
...should be the #1 story in the news!
I feel a whole lot safer now! Heckuva job, Bushmeister! You suck balls.
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega @ 11:
Busholini contradicted this in his "sermon" yesterday.
Hadenuf @ 35:
Controlling pot better than nuc-u-lar material???... Ehh, not really... Though I grant the propaganda would have you believe otherwise... Of course what is never mentioned about the war on drugs and especially some war on pot is that the whole thing is a phony charade to begin with.....Waste of fucking taxpayer money especially where pot is concerned...........JD
OK, take down your smoke alarm and change the battery.
Now read the fine print.
Oh, my what do we have here.....
Americum 241
I don't think we can lay this snafu on Bush.
NRC does not report to the President. It is an independent agency run by a 5 person Commission, no more than 3 of whom can be from the same political party. It is supervised as much or more by Congress as by the President.
Problems at NRC include staff traditionally giving much more importance to regulation of nuclear power reactors than to regulation of nuclear material, and especially little attention to regulation of the kind of material involved in the sting, since much of that responsibility was delegated to individual states. NRC also became much more responsive to indusstry wishes after the Republicans took control of Congress and threatened to halve the NRC budget if the NRC didn't obey the industry it regulates.
Of course, Bush did appoint the current NRC Chairman, a position that has somewhat more power than the other Commissioners. Bush also did not reappoint Commissioner Merrifield (a Republican, I believe) whose term expired earlier this year, leaving a vacancy.
Michael @ 31:
No, that is not what this means. Sadaam was supposedly intent on acquiring the kind of nuclear material from which he could build a fission bomb, not a radioactive "dirty bomb." The latter uses conventional explosives for the explosion; it is not an atomic bomb. Americium is a fissile material, but has inherent radioactive properties (e.g., high heat output) that may make it unsuitable for use in a fission bomb.
Joe O. @ 16:
I wonder if he uses his children's names as his top secret password.
Careful - that's national security secrets you're sharing there. Cheney might need that front company to set his dirty bomb off just before the Dems sweep the White House in '08.
Remember - Rudy sez- Dems win, we get bombed!
[Deleted. Get your own blog and approach it from your way. Thanks-Sitemonitor]
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