George Pataki on Homeland Security Republican NY Governor

Women in any military role as long as they can do the job

PATAKI: I completely disagree with Rick. This is America. And we've made enormous progress. And I don't care if you're a man or a woman. I care if you're good and capable of doing the job. If you can do the job--don't lower standards, don't lower the criteria--but if a woman is capable of doing these jobs, there is no reason why we should deny a patriot who wants to serve and help defend our country that right.

SANTORUM: That's exactly what I said.

PATAKI: You said you would reverse the policy.

SANTORUM: If they can do the job, I will allow them to do so. But if they cannot, I would reverse the policy.

PATAKI: In Iraq, the Peshmerga, the Kurds-many of their top fighters are women. This is the 21st century. We want to give women the opportunity to do whatever they are capable of achieving in this country

We must unite to keep America safe from radical Islam

Inciting terrorism is not constitutional free speech

We entered Iraq as liberators & became occupiers by staying

Far more to help our military & help our veterans

GRAHAM: This budget, if it is paid for, will put $40 billion dollars back in the defense department at a time we need it. The problems with the V.A. are real.

PATAKI: I think it was a bad deal, but I would have voted for it for a very simple reason. Barack Obama is the first president in American history to hold our military hostage. He knew that we needed funding for overseas contingency operations, $40 billion dollars that would go to support our troops. And, he was prepared, and had vetoed it, unless this deal went through. I have two sons, they both served overseas. One in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan, and I understand that we have got to do far more to help our military, help our veterans, and help protect our security. This is a bad deal, but to protect our military, I would have signed it.

Preaching jihad is not protected speech, even in mosques

PATAKI: Religious liberty doesn't include encouraging a fellow American to engage in violent jihad and kill an American here. That is not protected free speech. That is not protected religious belief. That is like shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, and that is illegal, and I would do everything in our power not just to go after those who are here who we know who are here, before they can radicalize other Americans to carry out attacks, and it's not just the ones they've arrested. We have to shut down their internet capability. We have to shut down, whether or not they're in prisons preaching or in mosques preaching. No radical Islam that is allowed to engage in encouraging violence against Americans, that is not protected speech. We have got to destroy their training camps and recruiting centers.

Freeze government hiring except military & defense

PATAKI: I defeated Mario Cuomo. In the first day in office, my first executive order, I revoked every one of the executive orders that he had enacted over the prior 12 years. I would do that to Barack Obama's executive orders. But I'd sign a second one, as I did in New York, as well, having a hard hiring freeze on adding new employees except for the military or defense-related positions. I'd sign that executive order. I will do that in Washington.

A strong America is a safe America: strengthen our military

In the face of an increasingly dangerous world this is not the time to weaken America's military, it's time to strengthen our military. Not so that we can use it, but so that we don't HAVE to use it. A strong America is a safe America.

Ronald Reagan proved that peace through strength is more than a slogan. Peace through strength is a policy that works. Weakness, equivocation and false promises lead only to chaos, brutality and war. The world is a better place when America is strong, an

Reauthorize the Patriot Act, including collecting phone data

We must win the War on Terror to keep America safe

Deal with terrorism as a joint federal-state responsibility.

• Handling Information Needs.
  Many of the operational, programmatic, and funding activities associated with terrorism consequence management preparedness are classified because of national security. Thus, the sharing of critical information is hampered. State governments must be viewed as strong partners in the US’ national security efforts, particularly as related to terrorism.
• Managing Consequences.
  Managing the short- and long-term consequences of terrorism is among the responsibilities of state and local government supplemented by the resources of the federal government, coordinated by FEMA.
• Supporting Public-Private Cooperation.
  Terrorism preparedness efforts should be inclusive of key private sector entities such as defining the appropriate roles and responsibilities for public and private health and medical communities.
• Clarifying the Role of the National Guard.
  The role of the National Guard in terrorism response activities is to support federal, state, and local response agencies with equipment, facilities, and personnel. Any assignment of responsibility should enhance the nation’s terrorism consequence management capability and provide for the contingency of the National Guard being called to assist active and reserve components in dealing with a major military conflict.
• Federal Responsibility
  Governors recognize the need to coordinate programs among federal agencies to address domestic terrorism and appreciate the efforts of the National Domestic Preparedness Office. However, they encourage greater clarification of the currently fragmented structure of federal responsibilities and support increased cooperation among federal agencies to better enable states to plan for domestic terrorism responses. Governors urge appropriate funding, maximum coordination of program components, and coordinated service delivery within states and localities.

Include states in anti-terrorism planning.

The Issue

NGA’s Position