Adam's Apple
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- Apr 25, 2004
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Why Has U.S. Been Spared?
By Peter A. Brown, Orlando Sentinel
July 8, 2005
The London bombing once again begs the question: Why haven't terrorists struck the United States in the past four years? Certainly the effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are still felt by Americans.
Unfortunately, terrorists have succeeded in changing how we live our daily lives. Americans worry more about being blown up now than when thousands of Soviet ICBMs with multiple nuclear warheads were pointed at the United States.
These days, we live under the constant fear of being the next victim of a random act, a mentality that makes us more fearful and less generous to strangers and forces changes in behavior that cost us all time and money.
Nonetheless, it is useful to ponder why the bad guys haven't struck within the United States itself since 9-11. It certainly is not because Osama & Co. hate us less than they once did. If anything, the U.S. destruction of his puppet regime in Afghanistan, its invasion of Iraq and the American-led war on terror make us even less popular among Islamic extremists.
And it is not as though they have given up their efforts to wreak mayhem and havoc. The bombings in London's public transit system were similar to the attack on the Madrid rail system that took almost 200 lives in March 2004. In addition, there have been sporadic acts of terror elsewhere around the globe since 9-11.
Of course, the fear is that al-Qaeda is just biding its time planning some really horrific act, perhaps employing a weapon of mass destruction, against the United States. Sadly, that could well be the case.
Yet, we might also consider the possibility that the U.S. government's response to 9-11 has been working. What if we have thwarted active terrorist plots or discouraged al-Qaeda's planners from focusing here, forcing them to concentrate their efforts overseas?
for full article
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/orl-edpbrown08070805jul08,0,3716232.column
By Peter A. Brown, Orlando Sentinel
July 8, 2005
The London bombing once again begs the question: Why haven't terrorists struck the United States in the past four years? Certainly the effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are still felt by Americans.
Unfortunately, terrorists have succeeded in changing how we live our daily lives. Americans worry more about being blown up now than when thousands of Soviet ICBMs with multiple nuclear warheads were pointed at the United States.
These days, we live under the constant fear of being the next victim of a random act, a mentality that makes us more fearful and less generous to strangers and forces changes in behavior that cost us all time and money.
Nonetheless, it is useful to ponder why the bad guys haven't struck within the United States itself since 9-11. It certainly is not because Osama & Co. hate us less than they once did. If anything, the U.S. destruction of his puppet regime in Afghanistan, its invasion of Iraq and the American-led war on terror make us even less popular among Islamic extremists.
And it is not as though they have given up their efforts to wreak mayhem and havoc. The bombings in London's public transit system were similar to the attack on the Madrid rail system that took almost 200 lives in March 2004. In addition, there have been sporadic acts of terror elsewhere around the globe since 9-11.
Of course, the fear is that al-Qaeda is just biding its time planning some really horrific act, perhaps employing a weapon of mass destruction, against the United States. Sadly, that could well be the case.
Yet, we might also consider the possibility that the U.S. government's response to 9-11 has been working. What if we have thwarted active terrorist plots or discouraged al-Qaeda's planners from focusing here, forcing them to concentrate their efforts overseas?
for full article
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/orl-edpbrown08070805jul08,0,3716232.column
