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November 2004                                                                            Volume 7 - Number 2

Perspectives...

Thoughts on Terrorism and Homeland Security

Ron Fite

The attacks of September 11^th 2001 ended the American public’s illusion that it was untouchable. Until then, bombings, highjackings, kidnappings, and any of the other forms of violence that terrorists employ only happened overseas. It had never happened on U.S. soil, nor could it. People were shocked not only at the effects of those attacks, but also at the fact that it happened within America. Like the ostrich with its head in the sand, oblivious to events throughout the rest of the world, many in the American public believed it would never happen. Now that they realize that terrorism can strike here, people want absolutely perfect security so that there will never be another attack within America’s borders. People want to go back to the way things were, when America didn’t have to worry about the terrorist threat level, when we didn’t have to take off our shoes at airport security to screen for bombs, when we could go about our daily lives and not deal with the fact that there are people in the world who hate us and will strike at our homes to kill us. Faced with limited assets and an urgent need to improve, we must be smart about the way America implements its security measures.

People want perfect security around everything, and they want it right now. The media has taken to this theme and constantly runs stories which supposedly highlight the government’s inability to protect the country from terrorists. These reports claim that our borders are porous and more vulnerable than ever before. Our ports are likely places to smuggle contraband or weapons. Regardless of the improvements in aviation security, weapons are still getting past the airport screeners. In my personal favorite, a local television newscaster highlighted the urgent need to upgrade security at Washington D.C.’s waste water treatment plant, since it could be a potential target for terrorists.

These demands for immediate and perfect security against any and all threats show the same naiveté that believed a terrorist strike would never happen within America. Perfect security is an illusion. We have never had it, and we never will. Yes, America’s infrastructure can pose likely targets for a terrorist attack. However, we can’t possibly hope to defend everything; we simply don’t have the resources. Conversely, terrorists don’t have the resources to attack everything. By knowing our enemy and knowing the types of things and places he will attack to make his statement, we can attempt to forecast what is truly at risk and act appropriately. Of course, we have to be right all of the time. The terrorist only needs to be right once.

Make no mistake, our country is at war. This is not the war on drugs; the war on crime; or the war on poverty. Our enemy seeks to do our nation grave harm in every way they can. We will never be able to go back to the way we thought life was. Try as we might, we will never have perfect security. We cannot secure everything all of the time. While terrorists will always attack where we are weakest, they have their agenda as to the types of targets that they will strike and how they will do so. Maybe this target list includes Washington D.C.’s outhouse, maybe it doesn’t. We can be sure of one thing; they will strike again. This is the nature of war. Those who wish to play the part of Chicken Little and claim that the sky is falling because of a perceived threat everywhere would be better served to get to know our enemy and defend against the targets that matter to him.