Letter to the editor

The comments I have read about whether the Office of Homeland Security should be a Cabinet-level department are very interesting. I tend to agree with the one that says the Defense Department is the one agency in charge of defending the homeland.

But I would like everyone to look closer at this issue. A president has the ability to pull the country together based on his style of management and quite frankly, his likability. I don't believe our president was served well by the team he brought to Washington, D.C. I think they wrapped up a good idea but did not give it a lot of thought.

Now we have a capable administrator in former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, the director of the Office of Homeland Security, but anyone who has been in the government business knows that a program without money is nothing.

The American people are a great deal more politically intelligent than they were 50 years ago. Icing on a cake may look good but what does the rest of the cake have in it? Although Ridge reports to the president and meets with the entire Cabinet, he does not have the necessary resources to make things happen.

I believe homeland security could be better served, if it is necessary, with the establishment of the Northern Command, which will debut in October.

Michael White
Retired Senior Master Sergeant, Air Force
Collinsville, Ill.