Hillary: More Security Pork

We weren't sure whether Hillary had abandoned her quest to turn the Department of Homeland Security into an arm of the Hubbardsville Fire Department. Well, she's still going strong. In a letter to congressional leaders she sent out today, she cited 9/11 in her fight to preserve the Homeland Security program that issues grants to local fire companies, which, as we reported in December, kind of undermines her, and New York City's, argument that Homeland Security money should be distributed based on risk. (Not to mention that the local agencies use the money to buy pickup trucks and anti-drug gear.) Her press release helpfully links to a website that tallies hundreds of recent grants. Here's a random sampling: -$28,350 to Scoresby Hose Hook & Ladder Company No.1 in Ellenville, for "Wellness and Fitness Programs," inter alia. -$73,267.00 to the East Randolph Fire Company for equipment. -$132,864.00 to the Aurelius Fire District in Auburn for equipment and to "modify facilities." "These resources have enabled fire departments to obtain updated firefighting equipment and improve firefighter training - two activities that are crucial towards ensuring that firefighters carry out their expanded responsibilities in this post-9/11 world," she wrote in the letter to Senate leaders.