What is it exactly that the Conservative’s want to conserve?

Your article is very weak and rather naive. Do you really expect politicians or bureaucrats to be able to effectively test these systems or even understand them?
Do some research and thinking on your own man. The talking head from the Natural Resources Defense Council brilliantly displays his ignorance on the subject when he compares it to manufacturing an IED. Good grief man, if this is the best you can do get a different job!

I believe that there are many concerns with this systems. Unfortunately the inspection is slow and therefore impractical for the task at hand. Who conducts the test really is not an issue, the issue is measured performance and reliability. A $2 billion investment should definitely yield a good measure of both. Next, there is more concern that an attack will occur via small boat(s) like the Destroyer Cole. We need to seal our off-shore borders, and that is going to take partipation of the American Citizen as 'observers.' There is just too much shoreline and too many opportunities for attack - crowded beaches, on-water entertainment, shore side office buildings and condos. 102 people made it on shore in a boat without detecton - could have been a flock of suicide bombers. Think about it.

The Dept of Homeland Security is just an expensive joke. Much of their time and effort are spent harassing air travelers in and out of the US while our Southern border with Mexico remains wide open. It is just another useless government dept now with a lobby to work for more of our tax revenue.

Yes, we have a real terrorist problem and we are at risk of a nuclear terror attack but Homeland Security is like trying to defend America with the Post Office, utterly incompetent.

Since the Feds have failed in this regard, maybe the states and major cities should take over this job with private agencies. Cities like New York, DC and others are at reak risk here.

The only thing I can think of is for our Government to hire more inspecters to serch for nukes and open every container and barrel to check inside. There is no better way to do it than man himself. It would probably cost an arm and a leg to do it this way but think what it will cost us in life and property if even one nuke sliped though and those bad guys hit the trigger. If that happened I would suggest that our Government send 1 or 2 hundred nukes to the Arab states and blow them off the map! Can you think of a better way to handle this? If so, let's hear it. Al

Dear Ross and Team: This story to detect nuclear products...is this going to help us in the long duration of war..I know we have to take steps but what about our men over there...Most people are not seeing the longterm, the stance to protect our infrastructure with personne who can stand and be very diligent to aid this nation...How are Americans and others trying to come to the table of every community...tell us more of what each state is doing to hire and bring forth people for employment for federal jobs...we need people for this proetection...Apachecheynne

Brian Ross, I haven't seen an idiot like you. You call yourself as "Investigative Journalist", don't you? Instead of reporting loopholes in US's security, for a change why don't you report, for once where Bin Laden and Jawahiri is? From where they are releasing those video and audio messages to AQ's terrorists? Can you do that? Do you have that much guts, courage and intelligence to investigate that and report that? Reporting loopholes in US's security is not a big deal, any tom-dick-harry who claim to be an "Investigative Journalist" can do that. Try reporting about AQ's terrorists and Hesbollah terrorists, then you will understand what "Investigative Journalism" is. Do you have what it takes to go into the remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and "investigate" how these AQ terroirts operate there? How the local tribes are helping them and more importantly how, Pakistani army and Pakistan's Intelligence Service ISI is helping them? Do you have what it takes to find out how ISI is protecting senior AQ and Talibaan leaders? Try doing that for a change and then you can claim that you are an "Investigative Journalist". Can you do that?

They (the $tatus quo) has been telling us for decades that nuclear technology is clean and safe. Therefore... we have nothing to worry about if al Qaeda gets their hands on some nukes. Right?

Guy Fox, that post is just incredibly silly, man....

Nukes do not have to be smuggled INTO the country. Detonation in s small plane,cargo container,or on ship off shore near a port, or city would be simple, secure and highly effective. With all our heigthened security tons of drugs still get in. and then there are the nukes the USSR claims to have planted in the US during the "Cold" war...Sorry stil not ready to give up freedom for security. Not Scared Yet.

I am not surprised by the waste of money, politicians don't think the money they are putting in their pockets is wasted. Like republicans, they consider the trickle down effect, they steal it, spend it and the economy thrives. What really gets me is their total lack of concern of the citizens of this country. We as a nation need to put our petty differences aside and let the politicians who run this country find out who really runs this country, the people!

I thought the people spoke in 2006...

"Do you really expect politicians or bureaucrats to be able to effectively test these systems or even understand them?"

Do you know what the GAO is?