Assignment Description

Equality in the War on Terror

You are a senior security specialist with the Department of Homeland Security assigned to DHS Headquarters. You are responsible for developing and preparing DHS-wide policies and standards for a DHS Industrial Security Program. You are also responsible for developing and presenting informational briefings. You are a subject-matter expert on all matters related to industrial security.

You have been asked to attend a conference on policy issues, and have been invited to participate in a round-table discussion with other security professionals to discuss the issue of the due-process approach versus the public-order approach to counterterrorism.

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400-600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Answer the following questions:

1. Do you consider yourself more of a public-order advocate or a due-process advocate, in general?

What is more important to you, personally: protecting individual rights or making society safer? Why did you not choose the opposite position?

2. What are the positive aspects of your chosen position for purposes of counterterrorism?

3. What are the negative aspects, if any, of your chosen position for purposes of counterterrorism?

4. For this question, you are to assume that your superiors have adopted the position opposite your chosen position. For example, if you answered above that you were a due-process advocate, your superiors have adopted the public-order position. As such, you are to answer this question from the perspective of your superiors: What is the most important concern when developing policies for combating terrorism?

Responses to Other Students: Respond to at least 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 100-word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:

• What did you learn from your classmate's posting?

• What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?

• What clarification do you need regarding the posting?

• What differences or similarities do you see between your posting and other classmates' postings?