Is government trying to kill us?

It is possible that the Department of Homeland Security (whose very name acknowledges the imperial nature of the modern United States), cobbled together with little rhyme, reason or coordination in an effort to appear to be "doing something" in the wake of 9/11, is the absolute worst agency in the federal government -- not that there aren't plenty of candidates.

Here's the latest evidence. The GAO, which does all kinds of good, insightful reports, almost all of which are subsequently ignored, has determined that DHS relied on a flawed and rushed study to make the decision to locate a $700-million infectious disease facility in Kansas, right in the middle of "tornado alley." Because of the dangers involved in the possibility of accidental release of highly toxic infectious agents, such research has previously been conducted only on a remote island.

Of course the decision was politically driven. Republican Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, and Democratic then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (now safeguarder of the nation's health, lol) lobbied aggressively for it.