The Myth of Homeland Security

Marcus Ranum

ISBN 10: 0471458791 / ISBN 13: 9780471458791

Published by Wiley, 2003

About this Item

'In this book, Marcus Ranum explains what's wrong with today's homeland security policy and why it might - or might not - be fixable. The Myth of Homeland Security exposes the bad ideas that have already been implemented in the government's efforts to develop new procedures for airline security, to stop terrorists from hacking into secret databases, and to communicate with the public about threats. He presents ideas for change, but argues that homeland security will always be a matter of degree, and not an absolute.'--BOOK JACKET. 240 pages.

Seller Inventory # 1280547

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Myth of Homeland Security
• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0471458791
• ISBN 13: 9780471458791
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Weight: 600 grams
• Seller catalogs:
  • General

About this title

Synopsis

"As I write this, I'm sitting in a restaurant in a major U.S. airport, eating my breakfast with a plastic knife and fork. I worked up quite an appetite getting here two hours early and shuffling in the block-long lines until I got to the security checkpoint where I could take off my shoes, remove my belt, and put my carry-on luggage through the screening system .

"What's going on? It's homeland security. Welcome to the new age of knee-jerk security at any price. Well, I've paid, and you've paid, and we'll all keep paying-but is it going to help? Have we embarked on a massive multibillion-dollar boondoggle that's going to do nothing more than make us feel more secure? Are we paying nosebleed prices for "feel-good" measures? .

"This book was painful to write. By nature, I am a problem solver. Professionally I have made my career out of solving complex problems efficiently by trying to find the right place to push hard and make a difference. Researching the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, CIA, INS, the PATRIOT Act, and so forth, one falls into a rabbit's hole of interdependent lameness and dysfunction. I came face to face with the realization that there are gigantic bureaucracies that exist primarily for the sole purpose of prolonging their existence, that the very structure of bureaucracy rewards inefficiency and encourages territorialism and turf warfare."

About the Author

MARCUS J. RANUM is an outspoken security expert whose clients include government agencies, FORTUNE 500 companies, national governments, federal agencies, and technology firms. He has held senior scientist positions at several technology companies and is a much sought after speaker for his work as a catalyst for change in the scientific community.