The newest Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, issued an executive order to report on the status of state and local intelligence sharing efforts. While it is welcome news that the Secretary recognizes that state and local law enforcement agencies must receive better information within and among all agencies, for doing so increases public safety, it is a concern if she does not recognize that information sharing is a defining principle for effective homeland security among all agencies. To help defend against terrorism and protect the lives of all Americans, all law enforcement organizations must be able to share data and exchange intelligence information across jurisdictional boundaries. In this review, DHS should ask these questions:

• How and why are state and local law enforcement information sharing systems being initiated
• What works and what does not work for these agencies
• How much do they cost
• What are the barriers to participation

Shifting the review away from a total DHS-centric or Federal government-centric viewpoint may reveal some revelations as to how state and local multi-jurisdictional information sharing systems operate both functionally and technically and how they are tied to specific policing functions.

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I live on the edge of what I will call "Frontier Arizona." The Border Patrol has established a "second border" or "secondary frontier" inside the United States.

Should I go south and cross this internal "border, whether if want to eat at my favorite Roman restaurant, go to an art festival, buy hardware or produce, or yes, visit Mexico, no matter, when I return north I will be stopped at this "border."

Sometimes I will just be waved on, sometimes I will back asked many questions, and sometimes the agents might want to search my vehicle. I am "pasty white" so I seem to get questioned less than others. Remember I may not even have left my own country.

The Border Patrol wants to keep these internal border stops, no matter of the opinions of those of us who live here.

I am not really convinced of the value of this internal border! I have grudgingly come to accept these stops and the attitude of the Border Patrol as a cost of living in my border lands.

Border stops on I-95 north and south of both the District of Columbia and New York City might bring some pain and perhaps even understanding to my fellow countrymen.

If we have to have these stops, lets stop southbound traffic too. I can live with the inconvenience, and we might reduce the guns and money headed for Mexico.

The Border Patrol & Department of Homeland Security can put money and effort where their mouth is, and we can reduce our gifts to this toxic ecology!