The Next Target

Where are the terrorists most likely to strike ("And they WILL strike again" says Dick Cheney.)

DHS keeps a list of potential terror targets by which Homeland Security Grant Money is dished out. So what would interest the terrorists most? Hoover Dam? Sears Tower? Disneyland?

According the New York Times (free login required), the top targets on the list are:

Apple and Pork Festival
Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo
Amish Country Popcorn factory
Mule Day Parade
the Sweetwater Flea Market
“Beach at End of a Street.”
“Nix’s Check Cashing”
“Mall at Sears”
“Ice Cream Parlor”
“Tackle Shop”
“Donut Shop”
“Anti-Cruelty Society”
“Bean Fest”

The National Asset Database, as it is known, is so flawed, the inspector general found, that as of January, Indiana, with 8,591 potential terrorist targets, had 50 percent more listed sites than New York (5,687) and more than twice as many as California (3,212), ranking the state the most target-rich place in the nation.

"We don’t find it embarrassing,” said the department’s deputy press secretary, Jarrod Agen. "The list is a valuable tool."

In May DHS cut money to New York City and Washington by 40 percent, while significantly increasing spending for cities such as Louisville, Ky., and Omaha.