By Joseph E. Anton
I am angry at the inhumanity and barbarism expressed by a bunch of thugs who claim legitimacy through a religious cause. Radicals in any religion are radicals first and have no attachment to a greater good. These are not crusaders seeking to provide justice in an unjust world—they are sociopaths who have been marginalized and want to do harm for harm sake. I am angry at our government for letting us down. Have we not been put on enough notice that terrorism is the principle threat to American security? You cannot blame airport security—suicide bombers armed with pocket knives will get through anything. I blame the failure of our intelligence system to anticipate and track the lurking dangers that face the US. Consider this:
- Our military has been focused on a Cold War Strategy for years.
- We do not have enough interpreters to listen to international phone calls who speak Arabic or Farsi (and who can understand the nuance)
- Our intelligence agencies have been emasculated for more than a generation, starting with the Church committee though each administration. The Clinton administration, which espoused the Deutch rule, which would not recruit agents who were bad guys! Anyone who can infiltrate a cell is not a paragon on human rights. Remember that John Deutch almost went to jail for breaching CIA security—what type of culture existed? (Clinton eventually pardoned him).
- Jerry Lewis (R. CA) was shocked that “such an attack” occurred! Where have these people been—have they not watched the nightly news. I am shocked that they are shocked.
I am angry at the Political Correctness mentality from Durban, South Africa to Main Street USA. The undertone is that American citizens should be charged and responsible with untoward conduct from anything from slavery to Third World debt. We have been making excuses for being compassionate, tolerant, caring Americans who treat everyone equally. I am angry at the economic dislocation that is occurring. Airlines, their employees (who work pay check to pay check), the insurance industry, etc, etc. The $40 billion in repair and defense spending has a nominal multiplier effect and won’t be the catalyst to restore our economy, which was already on the brink of recession. Who feels like spending a lot at Christmas? I am angry that this coalition will not last. This incident did not occur on their soil. Each government that is lending their support has their own agenda. The US is likely to be manipulated by too many players. The moderate Arab countries that are lending their support are all minority governments that are trying to maintain their hold on power. Do you really believe that Iran has closed its border to Afghanistan or Syria has embraced an American cause? Remember Iran tortured and killed Col. Higgins, killed the navy seal and threw him off the plane, and bombed the marine barracks, just to name a few I am angry at the enormous inconvenience I will experience when traveling and the ineffectiveness of the “feel good” security measures. Do you really believe there will be a marginal increase in security due to these measures? It’s like trying to lighten the weight of an airplane by emptying the ashtrays. I am angry I don’t know the answer to this problem. We have not entered into a new era—we have been in one for a long time—we just took our first hit. This “war” will last forever—terrorism can never be completely defeated, just curtailed. We must be prepared to hit targets hard and often and demonstrate that the cost of killing our civilians will be disproportionate. We must infiltrate other cultures with agents who understand those cultures and mentality. We must be prepared to sacrifice some safety and other reprisals. We must not stand still. We must be prepared to go it alone.