by Tina Grazier
The internet has greatly expanded our ability to discover information and gather news from places around the globe. This can be a blessing, butit can also set your hair on fire! I mean, what is up with people who think all we need to do is bring our troops home and all will be well? Are you listening Congress? Several stories from across the great oceans serve as wicked reminders that the world, in this age of terrorism, is a very dangerous and unstable place:
The counterterrorism blog is reflective of these worldwide concerns and gives us, “just the facts, ma’am”:
France and the UK reinforcing security measures after the defection of Iranian Vice defense minister by Olivier Guitta:
Kuwaiti daily Al Seyassah believes that Paris and London have reinforced security measures after the Israeli Mossad provided them with reliable information on the terrorist threat represented by Hezbollah cells helped by Iranian Services based in the Iranian embassies and consulates in Europe French intelligence do not have a good grasp on Shiite sleeping terror cells operating inside the country, compared to their outstanding knowledge of Sunni terrorism. Keep in mind that Hezbollah already successfully orchestrated a wave of terror attacks in France killing over a dozen and injuring 300 in public places in particular in Paris.
Al-Qaida Escalates Campaign of Violence in Algeria By Evan Kohlmann:
Al-Qaida’s Committee in the Islamic Maghreb–formerly known as the GSPC–has continued to escalate its latest campaign of violence in Algeria. In the past two weeks, the group has released an unprecedented flood of communiqus claiming responsibility for a flurry of bombing attacks and armed ambushes on soldiers, policemen, and foreign workers from Russia and Canada. The group also released a new statement from its top commander Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud urging members of the Algerian security forces to abandon their posts and “repent or else be targeted for death by the mujahideen.”, The latest messages from Al-Qaida in the Maghreb noticeably mimick statements issued by the now-defunct Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) during the height of its military activity in 1995.
After 911 President Bush believed that one way to defeat the enemy was to “go on about our daily lives” since the goal of terrorism is to disrupt and destroy life and lifestyles. Perhaps we have taken his directive a bit too far, becoming complacent. Wisdom requires that we be aware and understand the enemy we face. The truth about the terrorist threat is that there are no firm lines regarding allies and there are no good or easy solutions; the landscape is ever changing and nearly every decision includes a regrettable trade off. Whoever finds favor to become our next president will have very tough decisions to make and will need our support. It is up to us to elect someone worthy of that support. America needs a good leader; our job as citizens, is to present a united front to the enemy. Too many of us don’t seem to understand this very fundamental concept.
Another story reflecting the seriousness and dangers of terrorism around the world comes to us out of the UK’s timesonline, “Bunker mentality as Israelis prepare for nuclear fallout” by Sonia Verma, Zikhron Yaaqov. The story is reminiscent of the fifties in Americaonly in this case the threat is immediate and intense:
As world leaders debate sanctions to curb Irans nuclear programme, hundreds of Israeli families are already installing bunkers in their homes to protect against radioactive fallout from a possible attack.
Thousands of private homes have been equipped with nuclear-proof equipment ranging from air filters to water-decontamination systems. But builders and contractors say that the demand in the past few months for fully fledged atomic shelters has surged, fuelled by speculation that Iran is building a nuclear weapon that it would not hesitate to use against Israel. *** …two thirds of Israelis believe that Iran, if it develops a nuclear weapon, would use it to destroy Israel. *** …The Knesset has speeded up construction of its own nuclear shelter, built beneath pine-covered hills outside Jerusalem.
We in America have been fortunate. Except for our aging seniors from the WWII generation, most of us have never had to deal with ongoing hardship, continuing assaults, or challenges of economy like the Great Depression. Are we unprepared to confront the dangerous world in which we live? Has abundance created the space for childish games, and political infighting at this most crucial timea time when we should be standing together? Will history tell of the time when America was lost to petty political power struggles? Will history record that we were relentless in defense of freedom or that we were a naive, spoiled lot who gave up our freedoms, preferring instead to pursue prurient pleasures?