I would be remiss to let this week go by without mentioning the recent attacks on our nation by Radical Islamic Terrorism. By now everyone should be familiar with the knife attacks in St. Cloud, Minnesota and the bombings in New Jersey and New York. If you are not familiar, do your duty as an American and get familiar real quick because all Americans face this common threat; whether you feel threatened or not. There is a lot about the initial fallout from these incidents that is bothersome so let’s get right into it.
To begin with, the responding authorities to each incident deserve considerable praise. The swift and commendable response of Officer Falconer to the attacker in the St. Cloud mall should not be taken for granted, trivialized, or criticized. Nor should the excellent investigative work of the various police/intelligence agencies that led to the capture of the N.J./N.Y. bomber. Both responses are deserving of the highest praise and recognition from the Americans these peace officers protect and serve.
Yet, immediately after such events, there is always the search for why such attacks occurred and who failed to see them coming. In the case of the bombings, muckraking journalists flocked to any sign of a controversial existence of previous knowledge police/intelligence agencies had in regard to the attacker(s). Any prior knowledge of the attacker is often blown way out of context. This is because the context in which the muckrakers find the info is always post-attack. The original context, as viewed by law enforcement/intelligence, was pre-attack. There is a considerable difference between the two.
In any case, the police/intelligence agencies are scrutinized by all these journalists and newscasters; sitting around their comfy couches, drinking lattes and discussing how, in retrospect, they would have done things differently. Journalists suffering from a Walter Cronkite complex pass over a few hastened notes and statistics in front of them and then pass judgment on intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Their ignorant, uninformed, and biased comments often cause Americans to question the very legitimacy of our policing institutions. Once again, everyone is quick to judge and evaluate the justice system, while demonstrating a pitiful ignorance in regards to how it works. Maybe they should consider the following, as a simplified example:
The FBI probably receives thousands of calls a year in regards to potential terrorist threats. A few of these (very few by number) may even be legitimate threats. Maybe the FBI is able to stop a few potential threats this way, even though they may not be recognized for it. Overall the FBI, like the majority of police agencies in the United States, lacks the manpower and resources to devote all energy toward every single incident, call, or tip off. Nor would it be an efficient use of resources if they did, as police agencies get a lot of calls and tips that are complete garbage.
Some tips are from legitimately concerned citizens. A lot are from crazies or simply from over worried, nosey, too-much-time-on-their-hands, chicken littles. The problem is, police (local and federal) have to respond to ALL tips and calls no matter what…maybe American’s do not understand that. The more people you have crying wolf, the less credence is given to each caller, and the fewer resources are available for police to give adequate attention when the wolves really attack. Hopefully readers can understand how this applies to both the Orlando and N.J./N.Y. attacks. If not, think about it awhile later because we are moving on for now.
Something else is troubling in regard to these incidents: both seem to be lacking in serious recognition from many Americans. This might be due to the fact nobody died in either attacks, thankfully. Or it could be due to the relatively swift and effective response by law enforcement and intelligence officials. Either way, it seems like many Americans have quickly gone about their daily lives without giving enough thought to what these attacks might truly indicate. To do so is not only disingenuous to those casualties of the attacks, but to us as Americans.
For example, it was reported all over the news how New Yorkers continued about their daily lives in the hours and days following the attacks. This is a good thing if it is a result of Americans having a true understanding of the danger they face, and being resilient in the face of that danger. Many Americans do possess this quality. After the attacks, many New Yorkers put on a tough face and went on about their business and there is nothing wrong with that. However, it is more likely a response by a people too coddled in our relatively peaceful nation to truly understand the meaning of terror.
Americans have never been faced with the kind of terrorism the Israelis experienced during both Intifadas. The Intifadas involved attacks on public places day after day, week after week. Buses, schools, streets, homes; nothing was off limits under those circumstances. It is crucial Americans do not underestimate the chance of something similar happening in our own backyard. Thus far (fingers crossed) our intelligence community and law enforcement have been largely successful in preventing such a thing. However, make no mistake; it could happen here if the U.S. is not diligent in its response to terrorism. Americans may think they are tough because they survived a fumbled bombing attempt but they have yet to be seriously hardened against true terrorism.
Overall, Americans were lucky this last week. We were lucky the bomber in question was not very adept with explosives. It is that much more fortunate the bomber was captured alive very shortly after the attack. We were also lucky an off-duty peace officer was present, aware, and had the means to stop a knife-wielding terrorist in his tracks. Radical Islamic Terrorism is on the rise. The evidence is right in front of us. The enemy has given us fair warning. They are uncaring, brutal, and would like nothing more than to see Americans suffer to their deaths. It is time for our nation to rise up to the challenge and destroy our enemy with extreme prejudice. Americans can only effectively do so if we recognize these terrorists for what they are, and support those who serve and protect us from them.
~DA
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