Questions for Congressman Shays and the Subcommittee

I went to the web site for the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations
and there is nothing on the schedule about the Cruise hearings. When will private citizens be provided with a way to comment or submit evidence. It seems that MSNBC or the sub-committee should make it easier for average joe's to have their voices heard. They are also welcome to use my website or email address. The comments could be submitted to the sub-committee for consideration.

Don't we have air marshals who fly on international flights? Couldn't we have sea marshals that ride on cruise ships and have authority negotiated with the cruise companies to investigate safety and security incidents? They could be funded by fees paid by the cruise companies.

Alabama's governor has called for a nationwide travel boycott of Aruba because of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. However, at least 16 people have gone overboard or missing from cruise ships since 2000, according to research by
The Business Journal. Maybe we should be boycotting the cruise lines, especially Carnival who has had the most incidents.

I talked to a producer for "A Current Affair," and was told that there has been well over one hundred incidents of sexual assault on cruise ships and there have been no prosecutions. This is a travesty. All safety and security incidents must be tracked and the cruise companies held accountable.

The closest thing to a database is the list of health, safety, and security incidents maintained by Ross Klein at cruisejunkie.com.

After making several phone calls trying to get information about the hearings scheduled by the subcommittee, I was finally referred to Nicholas Palarino at 202-225-2548. I asked how comments could be submitted. He said indivduals could fax a statement to the subcommittee at 202-225-2382 and he would make it a part of the record.