From the Left Coast lunacy files, the Los Angeles Times reports today that the city of Portland is withdrawing its cops from the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force:

This city is expected today to become the first in the nation to pull out of an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, following a series of disagreements between Portland leaders and federal investigators.

Mayor Tom Potter and several city commissioners, frustrated by the FBI’s refusal to grant them full access to classified information, say the withdrawal will signal Portland’s commitment to the protection of individual civil rights.

The proposal to pull out is expected to pass the City Council 4-1. If the Bush administration had guts, it would withdraw all federal homeland security funds from the city immediately. After 9/11, the city refused to cooperate with federal efforts to conduct voluntary interviews of of local Muslims in order to uncover terrorist plots. Portland is also a sanctuary city for illegal aliens. This despite several signs that al Qaeda and pro-Islamists have infiltrated the area.

One of the key recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, repeated endlessly, was the need for improved coordination and information-sharing at all levels of government. Portland has undermined those initiatives at every turn–obstructing investigations and interfering with immigration enforcement.

If Portland’s leaders don’t want to help defend America, then let Portland defend itself.