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*SUPPORT OUR COAST GUARD

*BRING AIR SUPPORT FIRST RESPONDERS BACK TO ELLINGTON

*MAINTAIN SECURITY THROUGH INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

The Texas Gulf Coast which includes our district as well as the Houston ship channel area is a prime target for a domestic terrorist attack. It is no exaggeration that the very geography of the region makes it very vulnerable. A critical choke point includes Galveston Bay to Bolivar peninsula that acts as a very lifeline for the millions of petrochemical products leaving the ship channel every day. The Texas Ship Channel is the 2nd busiest port in the U.S.

With BP Amoco in Texas City producing 3% of our daily gas supply, any interruption would be disastrous. Up and down the coast we have important industrial capabilities with businesses such as BASF and Dow Chemical and many others important to our local and national economy. This is not to produce a paranoid response but to prevent ourselves from falling asleep as we did prior to 9/11.

As the world changes, so does technology. It is critical that Congress pass legislation that improves intelligence gathering capabilities, particularly through the Foreign Intelligence Service Act (FISA). Global communication is instant and the action of terrorists can be just as instant. Under current laws our intelligence officials must receive permission from the courts before acting on information from overseas that threatens the U.S. Time may not be a luxury we can afford. To rely on the specifics of a law that was first enacted in 1978 when the World Wide Web or fiber optics were not available, greatly hampers our intelligence community. We must make changes to this law and put it into effect as soon as possible.

The Patriot Act faces continued scrutiny yet must be supported in able to keep America safe. It has been instrumental in our safety so far with domestic surveillance capabilities helping to prevent another 9/11. 26 domestic terrorist attacks have been prevented since 9/11 due to the provisions of the Patriot Act. Rational lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have recognized the importance yet your current Congressman Ron Paul has voted year after year against it. Civil liberties must continue to be protected and aspects of the Patriot Act must be looked at critically to ensure that it is constitutionally sound and does not lead to discrimination.

It is absolutely critical that we fight to protect military bases here in Texas including the naval station at Ingleside and Corpus Christi. I would also ask for an increase in air support from the nearby Ellington Air Base as early responders may become necessary. We must continue to fight for the much needed funding and support of the Coast Guard who serve a multi-faceted and increasingly difficult task along the Texas Gulf region. Ron Paul once again has jeopardized our safety as a coastal community as he voted against the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (HR 3619).