Safer than Before 9/11? Um, Not Really from Debbie Schlussel

By Debbie Schlussel

As I've repeatedly said on this site, we are NOT safer than before 9/11. We are LESS safe.

Here's yet another stellar example of how easy it is for terrorists to impersonate Americans and get the real--not fake--documents to prove it.

Attention, Terrorists:

Using phony documents and the identities of a dead man and a 5-year-old boy, a government investigator obtained U.S. passports in a test of post-9/11 security.

Despite efforts to boost passport security since the 2001 terror attacks, the investigator fooled passport and postal service employees four out of four times, according to a new report.

The ruses are detailed in a report being issued this week by the Government Accountability Office. A draft summary of the findings was obtained by The Associated Press.

In one instance, the investigator used the Social Security number of a man who died in 1965, a fake New York birth certificate and a fake Florida driver's license. He received a passport four days later.

In another attempt, the investigator used a 5-year-old boy's information but identified himself as 53 years old on the passport application. He received that passport seven days later.

In another test, the investigator used fake documents to get a genuine Washington D.C. identification card. He then used the card to apply for a passport and received it the same day.

In a fourth test, the investigator used a fake New York birth certificate and a fake West Virginia driver's license and got the passport eight days later.

REST AT http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2009/03/safer_than_befo.html