National monuments undefended, Sonar dispute deepens

National monuments undefended

The police force responsible for protecting national icons such as the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument is failing at its mission, a federal watchdog said this week. A report by Earl Devaney, inspector general of the Interior Department, which oversees the U.S. Park Police, lists several incidents of lax security at national monuments. In one case, a large suitcase was left unattended at the Washington Monument for several

minutes.

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Sonar dispute deepens

A federal judge this week ordered the Navy to comply with a law limiting

the use of sonar, extending a bitter dispute between environmentalists

and the Bush administration. Citing national security, President Bush last

month signed an order exempting the Navy from a federal law banning sonar in waters off Southern California. But Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that the White House was not justified in ignoring the law; the administration plans to appeal. Environmental groups say that sonar damages the brains and hearing of whales.