Discuss greening Homeland Security in the Terrorism forum in Café Utne's: cafe.utne.com

On October 8, 2001, President George W. Bush created the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) to protect the United States "from terrorist threats or attacks."

We believe that the OHS doesn't go far enough. In the interest of achieving a secure and peaceful nation, we are proposing that the OHS consider adopting the following provisions:

1. Create an ombudsman to oversee the OHS's operations. Assign the position to a trusted political leader like Senator Russ Feingold, a Democrat from Wisconsin and the only U.S. senator to vote against the OHS.

2. Shut down nuclear power plants.

3. Phase out all industries that use and stockpile toxic compounds-refineries, plastics plants, chemical plants.

4. Stop shipping toxic chemicals by rail, road, ship, and air.

5. Stop fluoridating drinking water. (Fluorosilicic acid, the major fluoridation ingredient, is a corrosive, toxic industrial waste product. Carried by trucks, it can be easily hijacked and used to poison entire communities.)

6. Close airports permanently. (Replace polluting jets with high-speed rail. A train will never be hijacked and flown into a skyscraper.)

7. Ban chemical fertilizer. (Ammonia nitrate fertilizer was used to make the bomb that destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City.)

8. Ban chemically dependent agriculture. (Promoting small, family-owned organic farms would eliminate crop dusters as a terrorist tool.)