ABSTRACT
As the American presidential race gathered momentum and vitriol in September 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced National Preparedness Month. In a “national address” on September 9, two days before the third anniversary of the event now known colloquially as 9/11, and hard on the heels of a combative Republican National Convention in New York City, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge noted that each of the hundreds of planned activities for the month would contribute to the “mission and the mandate of an entire nation … a philosophy of shared responsibility, shared leadership, and shared accountability.” 1
