Well, you could yell so everyone in the world can hear

That you can't lock the front door and you're going to bed now....

Is this ass covering because they know something is about to happen? Are they really trying to remove all protection? Or are they truly worried about it?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq and the demands of the four-year-old war are causing concern at the Pentagon that the conflict could hamper the military's response to domestic crises.

The head of the National Guard said Wednesday his troops lack the necessary equipment and that will hurt their ability to respond to natural or manmade disasters at home.

"I am not as comfortable as some others seem to be in accepting the low readiness levels here at home," Lt. Gen. Steven Blum said. "It creates a problem. It will cost us time and time will translate into lives."

Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. Northern Command, also said there may be "specific equipment shortfalls that, in the longer term, could have an impact on our ability to respond."

[snip]

And we are also sending troops in without the right equipment:

Army officials also say it will be a struggle to get all the equipment they need for the buildup. Some troops, they said, may not have all their equipment as they train for the mission, but would have it as they cross into Iraq from Kuwait.

Equipment and training are main concerns for the troops at home, particularly for National Guard units that have scrambled to get equipment. Units have resorted to swapping equipment among the states to ensure that trucks, helicopters and communications equipment are where they are needed most.

Noting the Guard was short on equipment before the war began, Andrew Feickert, national defense specialist with the Congressional Research Service, said deployed units then had to leave much equipment in Iraq.

"Units that have returned are trying to replace and repair their equipment," Feickert said.