Ho Hum

The Lie

"I can understand people's consternation because the first thing they heard was that a foreign company would be in charge of our port security when in fact, the Coast Guard and Customs are in charge of our port security."

The Truth

A government review of security at American seaports shows lapses by private port operators, shipping lines or truck drivers could allow terrorists to smuggle weapons of mass destruction into the United States:

• Safety problems were not limited to overseas ports. A warehouse in Maine was graded less secure than any in Pakistan, Turkey or Brazil.
• No records were kept of "cursory" inspections in Guatemala for containers filled with Starbucks Corp. coffee beans shipped to the West Coast.
• Truck drivers in Brazil were permitted to take cargo containers home overnight and park along public streets.
• Containers could be opened aboard some ships during weekslong voyages to America.
• Some governments will not help tighten security because they view terrorism as an American problem.

There's more. Read it if you want to be sick.