Updates to stories previously covered at Homeland Stupidity include a successful national security whistleblower, a whistleblower in trouble, and — Look! A terrorist!

National security whistleblower Michael De Kort went on YouTube last summer to expose deficiencies in the Deepwater program last September with his “preposterous and unbelievable” allegations about the Coast Guard’s $24 billion program to modernize its fleet. Now everyone realizes the program is in serious trouble, with eight refurbished patrol boats pulled out of service due to structural integrity problems, a variety of other technical problems plaguing the program, and lack of effective contract management. Unfortunately, some in Congress think the problem can be solved by throwing more money at it.

Christopher Soghoian, who blew the whistle on a serious airport security problem which had been ignored for years by creating a Web site which generated fake boarding passes, is still under investigation by the Transportation Security Administration for allegedly violating federal airport regulations and faces “civil penalties of not more than $11,000 per violation,” according to the threatening letter the TSA sent him as a Christmas present. They have plenty of time to go after whistleblowers, but no time for improving airport security, it seems.

One way to be secure in the event of a terrorist attack is to take out insurance. But since 9/11, terrorism insurance has been rather hard to come by, so the federal government stepped in to prop up the industry, but the program will expire next year. An analysis of the current state of terrorism insurance cries that there’s no way the insurance industry can survive another terrorist attack. But it misses the root of the problem: that the government is being quiet about the actual risk of a terrorist attack. Instead of asking the government for risk information it could use to issue catastrophic event coverage with confidence, which has been the whole point behind insurance since some guys in a coffee house called Lloyd’s in London came up with the idea several centuries ago, the industry apparently wants the government to bail it out should a rare and catastrophic event ever happen again.

Finally, someone who apparently wants to remain anonymous nominated Homeland Stupidity for an award in the 2006 Weblog Awards, and Homeland Stupidity was selected as a finalist in the Best Centrist Blog category. Though you can vote once every day through December 15, the turnout has been disappointing, and we’re far behind in the polls. If everyone who receives this post through RSS or e-mail voted even once, we would be in the lead. So if you haven’t already, and even if you have, please show your support and vote for Homeland Stupidity now and every day through Friday.