ATTACK ON AMERICA?
In the wake of every terrorist attack on America, we keep hearing especially politicians saying “we must do what needs to be done so that it never happens again.”
I believe that’s the wrong question to be asking, but rather should be asking, “why did we allow it to happen in the first place?”
Following every tragedy that happens here in America, the response in recent years has been to erode more liberties in exchange for the promise that it will never happen again. And the result is it continues to happen again and again.
We heard the argument following the rash of hijackings during the ’70s and following the crash of TWA 800 and bombing of Pan Am 103. The result was that four airplanes could be hijacked simultaneously and used to attack Americas financial center and our nations capital. We heard the argument following the bombing in Oklahoma City. The result was the total destruction of the World Trade Center. We heard the argument following every school shooting and kids continue to carry weapons into schools to murder other students.
Terrorists everywhere can celebrate the attack on America because their goals are being accomplished. Their desire to instill fear into the hearts of Americans is accomplished as Americans fear flying and are willing to exchange their freedom for the false feeling of security. Their desire to destroy our free democratic system is accomplished as we allow the government to further intrude into our private lives in exchange for a false feeling of security.
No, we don’t need to ensure it never happens again… we need to get at the root of the problem and why we allowed it to happen at all. Americans should look inward and ask why our great country can support despots throughout the world in exchange for oil and wonder why the victims in those regions consider us the enemy.