The latest chapter in the continuing “War on Terror” front is the admission by several high-ranking officials that another September 11th style attack is not only likely, but inevitable. Both Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge have revealed that the mightiest nation in the world is somehow powerless to stop a handful of fanatical zealots hell-bent on wreaking havoc within the United States. From the top of the government on down, there is a frightening consensus that the World Trade Center holocaust was just the beginning. There are even intimations that Al Qaeda (or a similarly-minded group) may have actually obtained rogue nuclear weapons.

But the question that no one seems to be asking is “Why is the next attack inevitable?” We know who these folks are, where they are, and how to stop them from getting into the country. We certainly do not lack the means to root out the potential evildoers and prevent their attacks. Even after Bill Clinton’s 8 years worth of neutering the intelligence community and gutting our military capability, we are still far and away the most formidable power on earth. America also has deep pockets to finance such a sweeping operation.

Another asset the U.S. can claim is that we finally have a President who is shaping policy in America’s best interest, rather than for the advocacy and perpetuation of some Utopian global borderless community. President Bush has shown that he is not afraid to ruffle feathers when American interests are at stake. He is receiving much guff from Europe over his steel tariffs, and much condemnation worldwide for his withdrawal of Bill Clinton’s signature on the International Criminal Court treaty. (Which was signed illegally by Clinton anyway, since the Senate voted down the treaty, and they are the only body which can approve treaties.)

So what is it that prevents the Unites States of America from taking the appropriate actions to defend herself? The answer is, quite simply, that we have lost our nerve for performing distasteful actions. Vietnam and Korea, right or wrong, were harsh lessons in the importance of the public’s opinion and capriciousness. Our next major incursion was Desert Shield and Desert Storm, in which fewer servicemen died than were killed by traffic accidents on bases that year. Short and sweet, 100 hours, in and out, no muss, no fuss. It has become increasingly apparent that the popular support for any military operation has a direct relationship to the number of men who will potentially be killed in action.

And make no mistake, to root out all the individuals necessary to neutralize the fundamentalist Muslim threat worldwide would be a bloody and costly endeavor. The Israeli military, certainly not weak by any standards, can corroborate this fact. Many men would have to do many dangerous things, risking life and limb.

Another insurmountable obstacle is the techniques that would need to be adopted at home to help prevent any suicide attacks. Racial profiling, strict immigration control, and deportation of all illegal immigrants are precautions no politician would dare propose. Yet these are absolutely essential to our national security. Our borders are porous, we have millions and millions of illegals in country, and the airports randomly search little old ladies for explosives, while letting Middle-Eastern men breeze by.

Therefore, it is not surprising that no one is asking why further attacks are indeed inevitable. It is because the people of the United States are actually willing to live in fear and potentially have the September 11th scenario (or worse) played out, as long as it means political correctness and cultural sensitivity are maintained. Until common sense and a legitimate concern for our fellow Americans safety replace the prevailing ideologies of the Anti-war, Anti-U.S. crowd, I fear we are all living on borrowed time.

© Copyright 2001-2009 John Hawkins
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