The challenge in gauging the success of this young department is that when it finds terrorists and stops their plots, it cannot always publicize the successes. When it experiences failures, however, we all will know.

I often hear constituents wonder how the tax dollars spent in this department help us here at home, far from Washington D.C., New York City, and other major metropolises.

Yet, just in the way the Boy Scouts strive to always Be Prepared, the Department of Homeland Security is playing a very important role in the global war on terror in Missouri. This combination of federal agencies is also a Department of Heartland Security.

The attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. were not confined to those areas alone. Thus, the response drew resources from every congressional district in the nation. Remember, the attacks took place in those two cities, but the airline flights originated elsewhere, and one hijacking ended in a Pennsylvania field. The terrorists attended small flight schools in other states. Federal law enforcement cast a wide net to find bank accounts, terrorists, and their supporters in America following the attacks. And victims of the tragic attacks hailed from across the nation. The losses of family, friends, and loved ones resonated in every state of the union and around the world.

Panic, fear, and sorrow gripped hearts in every congressional district in the nation.

Moving forward, and protecting Americans from another attack of this magnitude required a comprehensive response. There are many factors to consider.

Our airline systems must be integrated with the FAA. We must better account for agricultural supplies and crop dusters, especially those which could be included in the making of fertilizer bombs or aid in the dispersion of chemical or biological agents.

Just because the prospect of a direct attack on one of our small communities in Missouri is small does not mean we should be less prepared compared to densely-populated districts elsewhere in the nation. Our local law enforcement must have better and newer types of equipment to deal with emerging threats of drifting clouds of chemical or radiological attacks and contagious biological compounds. We must also prepare for the possibility that terrorists could utilize our highways, airspace, water resources, or the Mississippi River. And local law enforcement must be able to communicate on an integrated, secure network with state and federal law

enforcement, as well as with police, fire, and rescue units from other localities.

We must be ready to help anywhere in the nation if a large-scale terrorist activity should occur. We must also guard against attacks regardless of where they might happen: in our food supply, our water supply, through the air, or over land.

And we must stop terrorists no matter where they hide in America – it would be foolish to presume that any one congressional district is free from one person who means harm to innocent Americans. After 9-11, it is a mistake we will not make twice.

Even under these doomsday scenarios, however, we must prevent an attack on our nation from becoming an attack on our civil liberties.

Many improvements to homeland security in Southern Missouri are beneath the surface of our everyday activities. Personal privacy must continue to have the same strong protection under the Constitution. We must give the tools of surveillance and investigation to local, state, and federal law enforcement – but only where it is warranted. We must be cautious and judicious, protect against the abuse of power, yet do everything possible to keep Americans safe in the country where we enjoy these greatest freedoms in the world.

Federal tax revenues from working men and women in Southern Missouri are being used to fund the war on terror. It is my job to see that our district’s contribution is spent wisely. The alliance of many federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security has changed the way federal revenues are used in many other arms of government: the Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, State Department, and the Department of Defense.

The war on terror also affects Southern Missouri in one last profound way by calling our men and women in uniform to duty.

We must support the Reservists and members of the National Guard from our district, as well as our fellow Missourians in the nation’s active armed services. We must support them and their families – from equipment needs while our soldiers are deployed overseas to health insurance for their families at home.

But the best kind of homeland security exists in families and between neighbors. In addition to our vigilance, we must stand together with the families of those serving our great nation and those who served before them. No matter how quietly we celebrate the anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security, we should always return to the patriotic pride of our volunteers and our veterans.