Who really has your back?
There is a sub-story in the Christmas attack on America by one – count them, one – terrorist. In the moment of truth when a terrorist with flaming pants was trying to ignite a bomb, it was not someone from our government who rescued the day. It was a fellow traveler. Someone who had no idea he would be called on to save his life and the lives of all the other passengers. With no security assigned to the flight, it was left up to whomever could provide it. The passengers and crew were left to their own devices. Thank God, someone stepped up, and a true tragedy was avoided.
I now believe our government and its far reaching systems can not guarantee our complete safety*. Oh, they’ll do all they can do and most of it is done correctly. But in the end, they can’t keep every crazed zealot who wants to kill us out of the arena to do so*. There are too many of them. They have the luxury of learning from their failures.
I’d agree to a full body scan prior to boarding a plane as part of everyone else getting one. Sure for now, we’ll all submit sheepishly to this scrutiny. After a period of no more attacks, we’ll want things to lighten up. That’s when the terrorist will attack again.
In The Art of War, there is this passage, “When your enemy attacks, retreat. When he stops, stop. When he rests, attack.”
Sound familiar? This is what the Viet Cong did to keep the greatest military force in the world chasing their tails. Oh yeah, it’s also what our early Minutemen did against King George’s finest troops. And why not, this works when we are few, and they are many.
During my Army training, our platoon Sergeant told us when we’re in combat, the only people we can count on are the ones we can see. While not everyone we see can be counted on, there is nobody else to ride to our rescue.
He was right then, and he’s right now. Let the government do what it can but at crunch time, we are all in this together. We need to act this way.
* President Obama agrees