Lest We Forget

It is rare for the country to be radically changed in a single day. September 11, 2001 was such a day. Al Qaeda’s evil plan left 3,000 dead and 6,000 injured. Today we mark the fifteenth anniversary of the day the towers came down. We should remember the dead, honor those who lost their lives while protecting us and resolve to do our part in the war on terrorism.

Unfortunately, the government is not doing enough to keep us safe. I have already discussed the Obama administration’s abysmal effort to fight ISIS. I believe their heart is in the right place but their decisions often lack common sense. At airports they assume a three year old boy, a ninety year woman and a nervous twenty-something from the Middle East are equally likely to be terrorists. I once read that they spend $10 on security per airline passenger while spending a penny per passenger on other forms of public transportation, the most likely source of future attacks. Local and state governments can also be foolish. Someone compiled a list of possible targets in my section of the state and included a popcorn stand.

An even greater problem is rampant political correctness. People had spotted several bombers acting suspiciously but didn’t notify authorities for fear of being perceived as prejudice. Donald Trump’s approach is equally damaging. I would guess that less than a hundred people are actively planning a terrorist attack. There are over 3 million Muslims in the country. We need to find the needles rather than going after the haystack.

What can we do? Most important, we can keep our eyes and ears open and report suspicious activity. Being of a certain ethnicity or religion does not constitute suspicious behavior. Finally, we must not give into fear. We should take reasonable precautions and then go about our lives.
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I hope we are safer on the twentieth anniversary of 911. Changes must be made for that to happen.