Tom Curry has this story in the September 12th issue of The Container:

“Thirteen Years After 9/11, A New Attempt To Screen 100 Percent 0f Cargo Containers”

“In 2001″, Tom begins, “to avert the danger of a terrorist attack on an American port, Congress required that all containers coming to the United States be scanned by non-intrusive inspection and radiation detection equipment before being loaded onto U.S.-bound ships in foreign ports.

“It set July 1, 2012 as the deadline for achieving this goal. But the Department of Homeland Security has delayed that deadline and, according to Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., ‘We only scan 3 percent of incoming cargo.’

“And the Government Accountability Office has identified serious problems and wasted spending on various cargo screening initiatives launched by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“This week, on the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Hahn, whose district includes the Port of Los Angeles, proposed another try at reaching 100 percent scanning.

“‘The technology exists today to implement efficient scanning that does not disrupt or slow the flow of commerce,’ Hahn said as she introduced a bill that would test the implementation of 100 percent scanning technology at two U.S. ports. ‘My bill would help demonstrate that scanning technology is effective and then we can move towards its widespread implementation so that 100 percent of shipping containers passing through all U.S. ports can be determined to be safe.’

“Hahn spokesman Michael Levin said Hahn ‘is not endorsing any specific company or technology and her legislation does not give a preference to any specific technology’ but leaves it to the Secretary of Homeland Security to select the equipment.

“Levin said Hahn has received briefings by companies that produce technology. An example is the Multi-Mode Passive Detective System made by Decision Sciences.

“Hahn’s legislation authorizes up to $ 30 million to carry out the pilot program.

“In a report last year, the Congressional Research Service said CBP had identified three obstacles to implementing 100 percent scanning of U.S.-bound cargo containers at foreign ports.

• Lack of foreign buy-in: ‘Some foreign governments and business groups do not support 100% scanning.’
• Logistical problems, such as high volume ports with complex port architectures.
• Cost. According to a 2012 Congressional Budget Office estimate, 100% scanning at foreign ports would cost $ 16.8 billion a year.” —

[$ 16.8 billion a year? Heck, that’s nothing. The Department of Defense spends more than that every week!]

What isn’t clear about this hoax – or scam – or whatever, is just who will be paying that $ 16.8 billion every year? Will it be the “foreign buy-in” that foreign governments and business groups oppose? Or is it the annual $ 16.8 billion cost that is being questioned by the Congressional Budget Office? If we’re ever told that overseas entities have agreed to eat the $ 16.8 billion cost of 100% scanning, you can bet your bottom dollar that the U.S. will be slipping them the full amount under the table – using taxpayer dollars, of course.

One more question. Could it be that the Department of Homeland Security is deliberately stonewalling “100% scanning” efforts because the successful application of such systems would drastically diminish the role and the importance of the DHS?

A hoax, a scam, a joke – call it anything you want. None of our elected, or appointed, elite want anything to do with fail-safe 100% scanning. We’ve contacted Mrs. Hahn and almost everyone else in Washington and described in detail our patented shipboard and container terminal scanning system. We could have removed the threat of “terrorism” at least ten years ago – if, indeed, such a threat exists – but we’ve received exactly zero responses.

Forget about it. Without “terrorists” and imagined WMDs hidden away in those containers, Americans would have nothing to fear, and weapons manufacturers would be out of business.

For the past ten years we’ve been urging those in charge to view our patented container terminal and shipboard storage and retrieval systems. Our container terminal schematic on this website shows how every container is scanned just prior to being stored in its preprogrammed slot, and on July 29, 2014, we were awarded US Patent No: 8,793,012. This patented shipboard system shows how every container is scanned while the vessel is still underway. The entire scanning operation would take less than a week and would be completed long before the ship reaches U.S. territorial waters.

We’re not talking 3% here, we’re talking 100%. We’re talking about removing any and every threat from foreign “terrorists” – real or imagined – and doing away with the “fear” forced upon us.

Ms. Hahn’s spokesman said that Hahn “is not endorsing any specific company or technology and her legislation does not give a preference to any specific technology” but leaves it to the Secretary of Homeland Security to select the equipment. If you believe that, I’ll give you this bridge I have for sale. Read between the lines. She said “the technology exists … that would test the implementation … at two U.S. ports,” – and her spokesman affirmed that Ms. Hahn would “leave it to the Secretary of Homeland Security to select the equipment.”

But by mentioning the Detective System made by Decision Sciences, and the $ 30 million to carry out the pilot program, aren’t they tipping us off that a deal has already been worked out?

Let’s see how this plays out. Let’s see which equipment, if any, is selected by the DHS Secretary.