HOLD THE BOLOGNA: Focus on what matters
May 1, 2005 12:00 PM, LARRY ANDERSON, EDITOR
Does it FALL WITHIN THE PURVIEW of the Department of Homeland Security to protect us all from the dangers of questionable cold cuts?
That would seem to be the case after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on the U.S.-Mexican border made the news recently when they intercepted more than 800 pounds of bologna that was en route … where, to a suspicious deli that is a front for a terrorist cell? Or was there a scheme to feed it (after not being properly refrigerated) to lunchtime diners at a downtown financial district, thus creating a mysterious illness reminiscent of a chemical (nitrite) attack?
The news report offers several details on the confiscation … The bologna was hidden under the clothes in a man's suitcase … There were 80 large rolls of the smoked meat — totaling 845 pounds. CNN reports: “The USDA has approved a few Mexican processing plants to export bologna to the United States. However, this particular product contained no indication of its origin.”
The episode serves to emphasize the variety of activities that go on at our border crossings — concerns beyond keeping out illegal immigrants or verifying the identity of those who pass.
So-called Homeland security issues are just a part of the duties of Customs and Border agents — just as they are only part of the duties of first responders, law enforcement officers, and most of the others involved in our ongoing Homeland security efforts.
Which brings to mind the question of focus. How well are we focusing on the important work of Homeland security? How often is it getting pushed aside because of other duties?
We all have our own 800 pounds of bologna to deal with every day. A key to our effectiveness is how well we address the bologna controversies without losing sight of the other pressing — and dangerous — issues at hand.
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