Political Motivation: Intelligence Czar - Assignment Example

Case problem Intelligence Czar” In dealing with reluctant department heads who refuse to meet with me regarding information sharing on terrorists and terrorist groups, I would work to develop a plan of my own, inform them of the development process being underway and give them a final opportunity to meet and discuss their own concerns or ideas with me. It would be important, in this context, for me to ensure that my schedule is available to meet with them when and if they respond to my summons. By fixing a set response time, I would be forcing them to act in some way and would be placing the motivation to act back on their shoulders rather than continuously waiting for them to get back with me. At the same time, I would be informing those above me in the chain of command of these individuals’ reluctance to allocate appropriate meeting time for the implementation of the country’s new policies with the intention of pressuring their jobs for failure to cooperate. If the problem has been merely a question of scheduling, this deadline impetus would serve to inspire these department heads to make the time necessary to discuss the issues before they are forced to comply with policies and procedures they had no part in developing and no say in how these practices would be implemented in their own departments. It would also serve to remind them that we are motivated to get this process underway as quickly as possible and will not allow one or two individuals to stall the protection of the nation for purely selfish reasoning. On the other hand, if the problem has more to do with political motivation or corruption, this would be brought out by such a deadline-based move and, with open communication between myself and those above me in the chain of command, we would be able to work towards cleaning out the bad eggs and creating an efficient, cooperative system. Because of the time involved in creating this plan, especially considering the additional research that would be necessary for me to develop an appropriate plan to protect the interests of the nation as well as the individual departments and privacy of the nation’s security information without the benefit of knowledge and inside information from the FBI and CIA department heads, I would implement strategies such as mandating certain records be transferred to my office for the express use of developing this plan and requiring lesser officials to answer questions that might arise during the investigation. The outline for this investigation would not be to determine what and when these department heads were conducting business nor would it be about what types of business these people were conducting, but would focus instead on the task at hand, how best to share information among departments regarding terrorists and terrorist groups. Within this scenario, it could even be argued that the investigation into best practices and approaches is, itself, an exercise in getting the departments to open up to better and more complete communication regarding important issues. It is my belief that these investigations alone would draw out some sort of reaction from the department heads themselves, forcing them to contact me for explanatory meetings at which I would have the ability to present my ideas and solicit their opinions and expertise. Although my investigations would begin with a simple explanatory letter informing each individual of my intentions and the reasoning for resorting to such drastic measures, it can also be expected that any subsequent meetings would, at first, be somewhat adversarial, especially if those higher in the chain of command had been exerting any pressure upon these men to comply with the new directives. To overcome this, I would invite each man to suggest alternate ways of gathering the necessary information and developing the required plan of action regarding the sharing of information from the very beginning of the first meeting. While communication among departments is essential, if these department heads still refuse to meet with me, the only information they will receive regarding the progress and nature of this plan would be that something is being put together. If they want more information than that, they would be required to talk with me in person. This would force them to either meekly comply with any plan I dream up, or meet with me to discuss better ways of handling information transfers and be an active part of the process. In addition, the invasion into their offices would force them to question my motives, my direction of investigation and my plan of action, which would further tend to throw them into a meeting with me, which is the ultimate goal. By enumerating some of these ideas into the initial explanatory letter, perhaps we would be able to avoid some of this unpleasantness and suspicion if they would merely agree to a meeting date and time. Reasonable people with reasonable schedules and reasonable sensibilities would understand the complexities involved and, hopefully, would understand the need to work together rather than against one another. My initial plan, without any additional refinements or specificities, would include the development of an informational committee among the branches of intelligence that would hold regular meetings in secure locations. These meetings would have the express purpose of identifying possible terrorists and terrorist groups within and without the United States that might prove a threat to our citizens as well as determining various ways in which this information can best be updated whenever changes in status arise. To be effective, these meetings would need to take place at least once per month and avenues would need to be developed to instantly alert all departments of the movement of supplies or individuals currently labeled as potential threats. In addition, these face to face meetings among individuals of the various different departments would help to foster a sense of community as members of a single entity working cooperatively toward the overall good of the nation rather than the apparent current attitude of these departments working against one another for a similar goal. Monthly meetings would ensure adequate sharing of information and introduction of new challenges while not being overly constraining on the individual responsibilities and duties of those individuals who comprise the committee. Hard materials that are not conducive to electronic transfer could also be shared through these meetings, allowing an ease of communication often neglected in today’s high technology atmosphere. Of necessity, I would need to be among the members of this board and it would behoove the heads of the FBI and CIA to also take appropriate seats on this board or at least appoint a trusted high-ranking associate to the committee if they cannot commit to the time and place of meetings. Without full departmental participation, some information is likely to be lost in the exchange or not brought into the discussion at all. With the inherent risks of cyber-spying and less-than-secure electronic information sharing, it would be necessary to develop some sort of communication avenue that would allow these types of information to be distributed throughout the various departments in between meetings without risk of its discovery by hostile entities or unclassified individuals. Toward this end, I would wish to put in place a subcommittee on technology and communication such that safe avenues could be developed for the transfer of this information. It would be important that agents in the field be able to input information into this communication source without necessarily having access to the entire database of information collected. While agents might have limited access to the information contained in such a database, the ability to input as much information as they’ve gathered, regardless of the level of security or clearance required to access it once input, would be paramount to the targeted 100 percent sharing of information. Finally, when new information has been added to the database, it would be necessary for this information to be flagged in such a way as to call attention to it by additional high-security clearance personnel who might be able to link this information with other information that would illuminate a pattern or plan of attack prior to its being carried out. Clearance procedures regarding just who would have the authority to access all of this information would need to be developed as well as ways in which the typical agent in the field can access the information necessary for the adequate completion of their duties. In addition, it would be necessary to determine just what information is necessary for these agents to be able to protect the country from possible terrorist threats. For instance, images of possible terrorists would need to be fully accessible to anyone working in the field as well as last known locations, but it would be more difficult to determine how much, if any, information should be made widely available regarding possible specific threats made to the nation’s security such as hints of attacks and other such information. While it would be best to provide this information to the agents for maximum attention on these issues, it would also be difficult to ensure that this information does not become widely available to either US citizens who are likely to panic or to terrorists in allowing them to learn how much we know of their next move or moves. Case problem 2 – Illegal immigration Despite the fact that I have a legally acquired weapon that I am legally permitted to use, the idea of using it for this purpose is repugnant. I would not agree to accompany anyone as a civilian to enforce the US-Mexican border through the use of such force. Most of the illegal immigrants seeking entry in this fashion are either young people seeking a future for themselves and subsistence for their families or older people desperately seeking some way of providing for their younger members. While I admit that there are some individuals who plan to enter this country with less honorable goals in mind, such as the trafficking of drugs or the commission of other crimes, it is not acceptable to shoot the majority of innocent for the prevention of the few with evil intent. In addition, the idea of taking of another’s life for the simple pursuit of the same ideals I hold dear is hypocritical and barbaric to say the least. If we truly believe in the words of the founding fathers, it is idiotic to kill another human being, denying them their unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With the presence of weapons and an undisciplined, unordered crowd, chances are high that a large number of innocent Mexican citizens could be killed unnecessarily. In a situation such as this, even when force is not expressly intended, things can quickly get out of control with loaded and aimed weapons in hand. Misfired weapons or mistaken identity can lead to several individual Americans being killed on accidental grounds. With fired weapons, the danger then exists that illegal immigrants will take to arming themselves for passage, eventually leading to open warfare along the border regardless of what the two governments are working for. Rather than trying to enter in places where armed vigilantes such as we are likely to be stationed, these potential immigrants and their hired escorts will begin trying to enter the country along less guarded sections of the border, where more innocent American citizens will end up getting killed as a consequence. The situation can quickly escalate from there becoming unmanageable for the governments involved and preventing any kind of peaceful existence anywhere near the border on either side. The number of innocent lives in jeopardy in this situation is unacceptable for the few individuals that might be prevented from entry during our stay and I would not want to encourage others to act in like manner. In that context, it is impossible to justify this form of border enforcement on the part of average citizens. If I were to join you regardless of my feelings on the issue, I believe we should conduct ourselves as reservedly as possible. Stirring up sentiment on our side of the border regarding the attempts by individuals to cross our borders is fruitless in the end for all of the reasons previously mentioned. Enough individuals on the American side will already be incensed by the idea as they must be to incite them to personal action. It will be important that we do not automatically agree with the crowd mentality as it is brewing, but instead remain a voice of reason among the group. Rather than merely subscribing to the majority point of view as it is being espoused, we should work to help authorities keep overzealous individuals from crossing the borders of decency when dealing with those encountered attempting to cross the borders between countries. The danger in such situations is to cease viewing these others as human beings and instead as invaders threatening the fabric of society. When individuals are encountered, they should be apprehended with as little violence as necessary, transported humanely to the nearest deportation center and allowed to return to their homes. Because groups such as this are not always willing to allow the authorities the ability to work through the proper channels, if it is deemed these immigrants should be transported back home without due process of American law, thereby preventing any chance for individuals to seek asylum or other legal pursuits once within the borders, it should still be done with a high degree of humane treatment in both modes of transportation and methods by which these individuals are escorted back to their own territory. Detainees should not be debased in any way, shape or form and should always be treated with the same respect for human decency as we would wish for ourselves. In those instances when individuals resist detainment, it should be stressed that no shots should be fired in the direction of an individual unless that individual is directly and immediately threatening the life of another. When individuals have important issues to discuss, such as those who might truly qualify for American assistance, they should be permitted to discuss issues with the proper authorities rather than being given into vigilante hands. Although the show of force might be sufficient to turn back more timid attempts, I am not foolish enough to believe desperate individuals will be turned back to Mexico by mere taunts and glints of metal. Yet firing at others for the simple grasp at a better life is equally unacceptable. It is for this reason that I propose an entirely different focus on working to stem the tide of illegal immigration to the United States. A large degree of this type of immigration is due to the lack of adequate employment and wages within Mexico to support the families living there. Children are often seen to go without food or adequate clothing even as they work on the streets of the cities to try to earn enough money to feed their family for that day rather than attending school. This kind of poverty is difficult to overcome even in more advanced countries such as America and impossible in less economically progressive countries such as Mexico. Although some strides have been taken towards improving the living conditions there, there are still areas in which the only hope for the family is for one of them to obtain employment in the United States and send their wages back home. Many families work and save just for this purpose, constantly struggling to save enough money to send the next family member to America. Thus, one at a time, these people work to secure a better life for themselves and their children, one in which everyone can have something for dinner and no one has to go uneducated or inadequately clothed. If we wish to stem the flood of illegal immigrants entering the United States with a minimum of innocent lives lost, the best way to do it would be to address these issues and provide them with a reason to remain in their own country and a hope for a better life for their children through their own efforts. It is not uncommon for a more advanced country to work to assist less developed countries in several ways, such as providing medicine, food and clothing for the other nation’s masses. By working with the government of Mexico through such agreements as NAFTA, our government has been working to help Mexico build a new economy. Although NAFTA has greatly improved Canada’s economy, it has yet to work in like manner in Mexico. Working to correct this overbalance would further help the economy regain strength. More businesses opening as a result of this improved economy means more jobs for the Mexican citizens. With more adults securing stable employment within these companies, fewer children are required to work for the family and have the time to attend classes. With more children in school, the population as a whole becomes better educated and better able to determine the proper direction to take for increased growth within their own borders. With fewer people finding themselves in an inescapable cycle of poverty, watching fewer children grow up playing among garbage dumps and lacking even the most basic of necessities we consider important for our own children, there would be fewer individuals willing to risk the various threats inherent in attempting to cross the border between the two countries illegally. If they are able to see hope within their own city or town, they are less likely to leave it in search of greener pastures. If there is hope for their children, they are more likely to want to remain with their families and continue to make things better. If we want, as individuals, to work to stem the tide of immigrants coming into our country illegally, I believe we could be more effective as volunteers within the country itself, providing the necessary living accommodations for basic survival for those individuals who have no hope. Again, if we provide them with the tools they need to work toward a better life, they are less likely to flee their families and their homes for a dangerous and hostile unknown. There are numerous organizations, both religious and non-religious, that work to provide adequate housing for those without homes, install water filters for the provision of a clean drinking water supply for these communities and provide training for individuals who wish to secure employment within their own country, but were never afforded the luxury of a decent enough education to hold such employment. Without even leaving home, there are collections for food, medicines and clothing that can be sent into impoverished areas of the country to help individuals gain their feet on the road toward progress. In other words, by providing them with the tools they need to secure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness within Mexico, they are more likely to seek it where their families are rather than chance a hostile community that they know much of America can be for the same. Case 3 – Military questioning After being ordered to extract information by any means possible and realizing the gravity if the situation, I would take time to gather my thoughts as the prisoner was being brought even if it’s for just a couple of minutes contemplating what will most certainly be the most crucial, agonizing decisions of my life. In order to quickly obtain pertinent information from an enemy combatant, tactics that have been used in the past range from loud sounds to burning, force-feeding with human feces to shock treatment, even raping individuals with electric batons. Prior to taking part in such inhumane, torturous acts, of course, I would simply try to reason with the man and then tell him of the impending trials that await if necessary. I would do everything I could to impart to him the idea that these tactics would and could be legally used to try to extract the information I was requesting. As further incentive, I would also promise him anything including money, political assylum and media status as a hero in a new country. Assuming this was not effective, I would inform him that any property he owned would be seized, leaving his family homeless and starving in the streets. If this was not effective, I would pull back and try to ascertain how close or far he is from opening up with the answers to the questions I have put to him. If it seemed like he was conflicted about his knowledge, I would continue to press for answers, perhaps utilzing another soldier in a typical good cop, bad cap routine. I would come on strong with threats then allow a fellow soldier to play on his empathy. This other soldier would be instructed to explain that we are not aginst him or his religion and that what we really wanted to do is just help, that we are laying our life on the line for him and his countrymen, or at the very least, that was our intention. I would then reappear as the bad cop to instill in him the fact that time was short and that I will have the answers one way or the other. Again, I would ascertain his willingness to cooperate as opposed to how much time remained to properly determine what course of action was needed at the time. It would be my intention to get as much information from him as quickly as I can with the ultimate objective being to protect as many innocents as I possibly could. However, if he is unwilling to help me in this area, the first innocents I would allow to be harmed would be those most closely associated with my prisoner. If he were still staunchly against talking about what he knows, I would begin with louder and more visual threats. Prior to this phase of questioning, I would have ordered that the man’s friends and family members be brought to the prison as a security measure. Once there, it would be possible to use their influnces on him. In another room, I would ask each of them whether they were against terrorism and as the resulting murder of innocent people to further the prisoner’s cause. If anyone was willing to speak with him, I would let them have a chance to try to coax the information we needed out of him. In front of all those assembled, I would then begin to outline the consequences of continued silence. If I still received no answers, I would imprison those family members and friends that had been assembled. With hundreds or maybe thousands of innocent lives at stake, I would be forced to get deadly and horribly serious. Without his willing cooperation or even his reluctant cooperation in the face of protecting those he loves, I now have to justify the regretable acts I’ll be forced to perform in order to get the information needed. I must make the decision to sacrifice his wife, family and friends for mine. This is an enormous responsibilty, but one that must be done without further contemplation or hesitation if the information needed is to be collected on time. I must torture the innocent to keep harm from the same, just because this man’s philosophy, religion and ethnicity happens to differ from ours. Yet the acts I am forced to do would be done to one of ours in similar circumstances. The fate of many depends on me, but this is something I never would have considered in my wildest nightmares. At this point, I would probably plead with him to tell me what I want to know because these are decisions and actions I don’t want to take part in, but in the end, I would have to convince him that despite my reluctance, I would do whatever is necessary to protect the Americans at home. If he still is resigned to this to silence, I have to convince myself that is his choice and begin to do what I believe is the only thing that can be done. I would then threaten his life saying he would be killed and that his family would have no means of support. Being an American soldier stationed in the Middle East, I would, still attempting non-lethal methods, try humiliation of the highest order for what is most likely a Muslim man (given his convictions and refusal to speak regardless of the threats to his loved ones) by using prostitutes or the like to torment him. Prisoners who had never seen an "unveiled" woman before would be forced to watch as the hookers touched their own naked bodies in sensual ways. Another common persuasion tactic used is to have a girl smear menstrual blood across the face in an act of humiliation. Again, I would plead with him to talk and go further into the descriptions of what is in store for his loved ones being careful to explain that his silence is the cause. He can stop their misery at any time by simply telling us the information we need to know. We have no time for more subtle methods such as sleep deprivation or other psychological types of inducements, so if none of these described non-violent methods worked, I would have to demonstrate how serious I was by having his family members beat with him tied up in the room and forced to watch, his eyes sewn open if necessary. Light torture of the close relation witnessed by the combatant with progressively more painful methods would ensue. If an answer was not forthcoming, then one by one, torturing them until near death. During this time of ‘lighter’ torture, the prisoner would be given no drinks, no food and would not be allowed to go to the bathroom. Other forms of non-lethal abuse performed upon his family members would include the freezing then heating their bobies in fairly rapid succession and choking them just until the point of asphixiation, all while the enemy witnessed. While one was being tortured, other members of the friend or family group would also watch while being incarcerated in different situations. Other forms of non-lethal torture would be used such as whipping, first his friends, then wife, then children. All the time saying all I need is a little conversation to make it all end. We would take a break while he was allowed to look at each of his loved ones in near-death states. The screams, blood, agony and wails of his children would have to bring the answers. His death would not help, it would simply be a death sentence to a multitude of my loved ones. If all of this did not work, then we would need to beat the relative to the point where they are almost unconscious. They would be in excruciating pain. Each relation or friend of the combatant would go through this one at a time until he talked. The last step would be, of course, dealing more directly with the prisoner. That next step would begin with tying the relation to a pole while heating a iron rod on an electric burner until the rod turned red. All the while trying to extract the information without actually using the rod. If no answers were forthcoming, pressing the rod against the legs in over a dozen places while repeating the same request. The victim would cry out loudly at every touch and lose control of their bowel functions. As in the previous gruesome step, each friend child and finally the wife of the combatant would be summarily tortured, some, at this point, probably to death. With carnage all about me driven to insanity by the brutality I have caused, I turn to the prisoner himself. He has allowed all of his loved ones to be tortured beyond human comprehension. He is willing to allow not only his family to die a horrible death but many legions of others who would wish him or his loved ones no harm. I’m crazed and angry, at him, myself, just angry period. We have little time remaining to save all these Americans but this one person stands in the way and I’m charged with breaking him. Maybe his own pain will have a more of a profound impact on him. If it does, he is even more dispicable than what I think of him now. I have decided that he will be tortured until his death which will coincide with when it is truly too late for his answers. The process begins much the same as he witnessed before but to other people. At least he will know what they were going through and what he could have stopped. At this point, I want the answers but if he squeals quickly upon being slowly mutilated, I have unmercilesly tortured innocents for the sake of a heartless, souless, coward. As time draws near, I ask other soldiers for methods of truth exteraction. I will always ask myself what else could I have done, what other courses of action could have been taken. About this time, the prisoner is brought to the prison for interrogation. I order him strapped to a chair, ask him for what I want and if he doesn’t answer, I give him an injection of Sodium Pentathol, truth serum. He tells me what I want to know, America is saved and his family will not suffer today as I will not suffer the remainder of my life knowing what I had done in the name of war. Case problem 4 – self-defined Scenario – You’re an average American citizen who works in a high-rise building in a major metropolitan area and you are concerned about homeland security following September 11. What can you do within your community and within your workplace to help ensure the greatest degree of safety or preparedness? As a citizen concerned about homeland security and the safety of my family, I would learn as much as I could about measures being taken in my individual community and greater metropolitan area that I might be able to take part in as well as measures being taken in other communities that might be beneficial to my own. For instance, there are several communities that have instituted a Citizens Corps group that exist to support the area’s police enforcement, fire management, emergency medical services and community public health efforts in a variety of ways either through citizens police, volunteer fire and fire support organizations and other emergency training. The idea behind these types of programs are for individual citizens to have the training and experience necessary to assist police, fire and other emergency personnel in times of emergency for the greatest number of survivors and most efficient and expedient handling of any given situation. As a member of one of these organizations, I would have access to all of this training and be able to take on additional training to then begin to train other citizens in my neighborhood on what to do in a variety of emergency situations. With a number of people trained in these areas, whether we are attacked with chemical, biological or physical threats, my neighbors and I would know how to respond to the danger, how the authorities are likely to respond to the danger and how to behave accordingly for the greatest possible survival chances. If a program such as this were not available in my area, I would seek for ways in which I could be of service in getting one started. Research would prove that there are a number of grant programs and other governmental incentives in place to help me and my community initiate such a program. Because of the tremendous benefit afforded to the city and its emergency personnel, in most cases, these types of efforts are encouraged by city officials and other city workers to such an extent that I would not be alone in my pursuit and could probably expect assistance from officials and other city leaders. Other concerned citizens, hearing of my efforts to begin such a program, would be willing to come out and volunteer as well, only having needed a direction to head in order to volunteer. To obtain the necessary training, I would seek out the closest available city with this type of program in place and request their guidance and for permission to attend classes and training sessions held for their volunteers. In working to get this type of program in place, I would be certain to advertise what I was doing as much as I could to the general population, not only to solicit additional support and volunteers, but to help the average citizen who does not wish to volunteer at least be prepared within their own homes for the types of emergencies that might arise as a result of terroristic or accidental threats to the general area. In addition, I could volunteer to be a member of state guard units, neighborhood watch programs and other beneficial organizations that typically respond to national and regional disasters. In everyday life, it would be important for me to develop my observational skills, especially when working in a large, high-rise building in a downtown area. By paying attention to little things, I might be able to prevent an attack on a building that might cause considerable harm to a large proportion of the business population and economy of the city. By remaining vigilant and being willing to report on suspicious seeming activities carried out by individuals within my normal sphere of activity, I might be able to prevent disaster. Typical recommendations on what to watch for provided by government entities such as the Department of Homeland Security recommend paying attention to anyone showing an unusual interest in utilities, government buildings, historic buildings and other types of city infrastructure. Suspicions would be aroused around anyone who is asking detailed questions about security, taking intimate photographs of structures, videotaping these edifices, drawing diagrams or making notes. Of course, it is important to take things into context as well and not call law enforcement officials over a student artist making a study of a particular form of architecture. Other things I could watch for would be abandoned packages in public places, strangers suddenly loitering around the neighborhood or making frequent drive-bys, people trying to peek into the windows of an apparently empty home and other such obvious signs that things are generally not right. In terms of making sure the building I worked in was safe, if I were in a position to make recommendations regarding safety procedures at the building or talk with the person who was, I would want to check on several things. There isn’t much defense a building can put forward to protect from such attacks as America saw on September 11, 2001, but knowing the risks involved, there are certain steps building managers can now take to ensure the greatest number of people are able to evacuate the building in case of future emergency. Planning for evacuation measures should include the organization of the evacuation plan, the development of the policy, a description of how hazard detection and reporting is to be conducted, the coordination of movement through the building, how communication will be handled and inspection and evaluation of all parts related to detection, reporting, communication and evacuation movement plans. Evacuation routes should be diagrammed for every floor and evacuation teams should be in place on each floor as well. Employees working within the building should undergo periodic drills to ensure that evacuation plans are in place, the flow of evacuation is sufficient to allow the egress of all workers within an appropriate length of time and procedures are understood by all. Depending on how often employee turnover occurs, these drills should be conducted monthly or quarterly or more often to ensure everyone in the building is familiar with how to get out and where the safe areas are once outside. Of course, evacuation isn’t going to be effective if the threat comes in the form of biological or chemical warfare. In this case, it is important that building maintenance prevent all unauthorized access to the building’s air intakes and exhaust systems and ensure that all access to HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) equipment is secured as well. Even plans of the building’s ventilation system can prove disastrous in the wrong hands as once this information is provided, terrorists can use it to maximize casualties within the building. As with dealing with evacuation situations, it is important to have an emergency response team in place at all times during which the building is occupied and to practice different emergency procedures for the different scenarios that might present themselves. For instance, if the threat is in the form of an outside chemical agent, it is most beneficial to turn off all ventilation systems and close all windows until the danger has passed. On the other hand, if the threat is in the form of an internal biological nature, it is best to evacuate the building at once. To help in these situations, it is best if the building staff knows how to quickly access and manipulate the HVAC systems so that someone is always on hand that knows what to do. In addition, upgrading any air filters and sealing any gaps within the ventilation system can further help to protect workers whether from internal or external threats. High-risk locations such as the mail room and receiving areas might require the use of separate exhaust systems to help protect workers in less accessible areas of the building while sealing cracks and leaks around doors and windows further ensures the building’s inviolate nature in the face of attack. Just as in outside evacuation plans, it is necessary to establish which areas are considered safe areas whether the emergency is of an external or internal nature. A great deal of the success or failure of these plans will be in the early and accurate detection of the dangers that are present as well as the source of these dangers. If possible, I would encourage the building managers to put in place a system that would allow 100 percent pressurization of outside air to the stairwell areas of the building in which I worked to allow the greatest number of workers to reach outside safety in the event of an interior air threat. Of course, all of these steps are only steps I can take to ensure those around me are given the greatest possible chances for escape from harm during times of accidental or intentional threats, but, short of becoming a member of the government itself, these are the steps I would be limited to within the community and existing workplace. However, by ensuring that my neighbors and co-workers are also aware of the threats, dangers and methods of reducing or preventing them, I am ensuring that the world around me is more aware, more prepared and more able to deal with anything that might come along. Read More