HOW SERIOUS IS THIS?

The "talking points" memos circulating through the cable news shows and talk radio shows, especially those connected to the current administration have stepped up the emphasis on just how serious the "threat" of terrorism is and just how "afraid" we should all be right now. This tactic is what kept this Party in power in the 2002 Congressional elections and the 2004 Presidential and Congressional elections, so it is certainly a good strategy to use it again. It might very well succeed again.

The main point of raising the question; "How serious is this?" is that since another massive attempt is being made to convince us (voters) that the "threat" is VERY SERIOUS, and could be "imminent" (a word used quite often to justify our entry into Iraq 1247 days ago). Well, there are a few things wrongs with this picture.

I have no doubt whatsover that there is a real and growing element "out there" that is dedicated to bringing death and chaos to the United States of America. This is a circumstance that has existed in one form or another for many decades (certainly pre-dating the threat from "Muslim extremists"). Throughout all these years, America continued growing and doing business and creating the avenues for the current breed of evil-doers to leave their training camps or homelands and come into America with little obstruction. That is the "fault" of leaderships from both political parties because dispite the growing signals the "trouble" was "over there". When the atrocity of September 11, 2001 happened right here in America many were shaken to the core. There was outrage and a burning anger and a commitment to "get them". Due to the roulette wheel that sometimes controls American politics it just happened that George Bush, a Republican was our President when the attack happened. He rightly proclaimed that he would commit all necessary resources to find and take out those responsible for the attacks. The vast majority of Americans were in support of that commitment (regardless of Party) and I would suspect that most still are.

After determing that it was in Afghanistan that we would find and destroy the evil ones that did the deed on 9/11, we attacked and in the process took the infamous Taliban out of control in that desperate country. We made some significant "hits" on Al Qaeda and their training camps. We had them on the run and they ran into the mountains and across the border into Pakistan.

Here is where I have to stop and make a few observations and ask a few questions.

In the aftermath of 9/11 our President made some very firey speeches stating his position (and therefore America's position as long as this Administration is in office). Among the major subjects in many of those speeches was the clear statement; "Any nation that knowingly harbors or aids terrorists will be considered terrorists themselves and expose themselves to the consequences of those actions" (or something very similar to that wording). In the planning leading up to our invasion of Afghanistan a deal of some kind was struck with the current government of Pakistan "allowing" the U.S. to fly over their airspace but would not allow any U.S. military personnel to enter Pakistani soil. At the time that may have been politically and militarily expedient except for one major thing. Al Qaeda and thousands of other "terrorists" fled into Pakistan and became untouchable by U.S. forces. We did not close the back door before bursting through the front door! But that's not the current issue.

For the past four years this administration and our current President have stood before the American people and promoted Pakistan as one of our strongest allies in our "war on terror" while in full knowledge and apparent acceptance of the fact that there are probably more "terrorists" and more importantly those we hold directly responsible for the attacks of 9/11 are being harbored IN PAKISTAN! The obvious question is Why? If America (specifically our current President) is truly commited to eradicating the leadership of Al Qaeda and many other known enemies of the U.S. and the very individuals who consistently threaten further acts of violence and destruction, how is it even remotely possible that "we" (meaning not only our government but all our citizens) continue to accept this situation? As the President has stated over and over; "you're either with us or you're against us". It is amazing that in this very real struggle we allow a "safety zone" like we used to have as kids playing the game "tag". No matter what Pakistan's internal politics or issues are they cannot continue to get a pass on this issue.

Having disrupted the Taliban and temporarily forcing Al Qaeda into the mountains and or into Pakistan our military (now fired up) was left with no one to fight. An enemy without a homeland is not the type of enemy our military is best suited to engage. So this Administration turned our attention on a prior adversary, Saddam Hussein. There were massive attempts first to connect Iraq to the attacks of 9/11, then came the build up of fear of WMD's that were surely there in mass quantities and were surely being readied for use against America because after all, Saddam hated the United States. The use of words like "imminent threat" (as opposed to just a threat) and "mushroom clouds" over U.S. soil were used day after day to justify our invasion of Iraq. Our country was successfully worked into a frenzy of fear so that a majority of Americans began to believe it all. We believed that Iraq and Al Qaeda were close allies and that Iraq "probably was" involved with the 9/11 attacks. American bought it all and about March 19th 2003 we engaged the U.S. military to "save ourselves" from what was surely an imminent attack. I'm not going to get into the details of the debacle we find ourselves in 1247 days later in this posting but suffice it to say things have not turned out as we were assured they would.

Back to the central point of this posting. We have been told from 9/11 on how serious the threat is from radical extremists. Currently we are being told this with even greater frequency. Our President has made hundreds of statements during the past five years that the protection and security of America and the American people is the most important goal of his Administration. These statements beg the question; "How serious is this?"

IF, and it is a growing "if" the threat to America is even close to being as serious as we are expected to believe, how is it even remotely possible that after five years our borders have not been controlled? How is even remotely possible that our ports have not been fully controlled? How is it even remotely possible that dramatic changes have not been made in our programs of student and other "visitor" visas? Either the "threat" is not as imminent as we are being told OR the current leadership should be censored for allowing the interests of business or other special interest groups to supersede the imminent threat to the citizens of the United States! You cannot have it both ways Mr. President. We are either in real and dire jeopardy or we're not. So, if we are (and this isn't just campaign tactics), then do your job and secure our borders and ports and change whatever rules of entry need to be changed and let the results of those necessary actions fall where they may. The American people are resilient and willing to make sacrifices for the truth. If people are plotting to eliminate us then let's go get the job of eliminating them finished and not even worry about what other nations will think or do. We are after all the "super power", right? We must stop playing the game their way and allowing safety zones to our enemies and we must close off the ways they can bring the battle here and it had better be now.

Time To Think Again