To the editor:

Here’s hoping that America is sleeping better at night since the formation of the “Homeland Security” Department. I’m one American who isn’t!

Our “compassionate conservatives,” and Pollyanna liberal politicians continue to laud this bill and, at the same time, ignore our nation’s borders. “Homeland security” is nothing more than a regrouping of dated government programs, many of which were ineffectual at best.

Will this bill secure our borders? Not as long as politicians continue to play politics with the INS and place votes ahead of public safety. The Bush administration has acted irresponsibly, with the initiation of such a boondoggle.

The last time bipartisan politicians pushed a bogus bill of this magnitude, it was called NAFTA. However, NAFTA merely played havoc with our economy, not with public safety.

Robert Hinton,

Lawrence