The April 15th attacks on runners and innocent bystanders at the Boston Marathon were tragic and have sparked an outpouring of support across America and the world. Shortly before 3 pm nearly 5 hours after the race began, one device exploded near the finish line behind a crowd of spectators. Seconds later the second blast occurred. The two devices were what is commonly referred to as IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and usually contain all manner of material crudely designed to cause as much damage in as short a time as possible.
Just seconds after the initial blast law enforcement and off-duty military personnel began assisting in getting the wounded away from the area and to safety. In one video from The Boston Globe at least three uniformed military members could be seen pulling aside the mangled barriers that were blocking first-responders' access to the victims. What has universally been called remarkable is the response time by those at the scene. Quite literally it was seconds.
While the local police may be confused and confounded as to how this could happen, who would do this, and why perhaps it is the military that knows the answers. Since September 11, 2001 when Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked multiple planes the United States has been engaged in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is common for military members to lose their lives overseas not just by gun-fire but also by explosions caused by roadside bombs or IEDs. But still it is not just along the roads and the patrol routes that our military men and women must take extreme caution, it is within Iraqi and Afghan schools, mosque's (churches), and government buildings. Sometimes by the dozens innocent men women and children have been killed due to these attacks. However these types of incidents have been absent in America and other leading countries...until now.
One of the "changes" that were implemented after 9/11 was a series of protocol to prevent a terrorist's ability to gain access to an airliner for lethal intent. Americans have been subject to increased security at Airports and to travel abroad. In addition a new government department was created: The Department of Homeland Security and with it a slew of measures to ensure that authorities could locate and disarm individuals seeking to cause acts of terror. Up until now this has worked well. The international community has effectively stopped terrorists from hijacking another plane. Under the guidance of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama the world watched as Al Qaeda was beaten back on their own turf and slowly but surely victories in the middle-east came rolling in. The fall of Saddam Hussein and successful establishment of a democracy in Iraq, the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the targeting and killing of dozens of top Al Qaeda leadership. Perhaps America was lured into a false sense of security.
We still don't know who caused the attacks at the Boston Marathon. It is unknown if this was domestic or foreign terrorism, though terrorism it was. There are two scenarios: 1. It was foreign terrorism and that means that a new "Achilles heel" has been realized, or 2. It was domestic terrorism and that means our enemies are watching.
For all our heightened security and sense of self-awareness perhaps our greatest weakness is where we interact daily with the world. At our jobs, our schools, our churches. It would be far easier for a terrorist to target these public places that frequently have no security except the one guy at the front desk of the building. For over a decade terrorists from Al Qaeda and other organizations of unsuccessfully targeted airliners to get at Americans and other nations when the easiest route of all was down main street USA.
And so American will have to face a choice and the two options are not very desirable Either we sacrifice more rights and liberties so that our law enforcement officials can better secure our communities or we live in a state of fear. Perhaps since the Cold War America has lived a sheltered life. While we read in the "Foreign Affairs" section about a IED that killed 20 children or 38 soldiers somewhere in the middle east we don't blink because it's happening on some distant country. What if it became our country and our problem?
I'll finish with words of guidance a founding father provided over 200 years ago:
Just seconds after the initial blast law enforcement and off-duty military personnel began assisting in getting the wounded away from the area and to safety. In one video from The Boston Globe at least three uniformed military members could be seen pulling aside the mangled barriers that were blocking first-responders' access to the victims. What has universally been called remarkable is the response time by those at the scene. Quite literally it was seconds.
While the local police may be confused and confounded as to how this could happen, who would do this, and why perhaps it is the military that knows the answers. Since September 11, 2001 when Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked multiple planes the United States has been engaged in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is common for military members to lose their lives overseas not just by gun-fire but also by explosions caused by roadside bombs or IEDs. But still it is not just along the roads and the patrol routes that our military men and women must take extreme caution, it is within Iraqi and Afghan schools, mosque's (churches), and government buildings. Sometimes by the dozens innocent men women and children have been killed due to these attacks. However these types of incidents have been absent in America and other leading countries...until now.
One of the "changes" that were implemented after 9/11 was a series of protocol to prevent a terrorist's ability to gain access to an airliner for lethal intent. Americans have been subject to increased security at Airports and to travel abroad. In addition a new government department was created: The Department of Homeland Security and with it a slew of measures to ensure that authorities could locate and disarm individuals seeking to cause acts of terror. Up until now this has worked well. The international community has effectively stopped terrorists from hijacking another plane. Under the guidance of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama the world watched as Al Qaeda was beaten back on their own turf and slowly but surely victories in the middle-east came rolling in. The fall of Saddam Hussein and successful establishment of a democracy in Iraq, the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the targeting and killing of dozens of top Al Qaeda leadership. Perhaps America was lured into a false sense of security.
We still don't know who caused the attacks at the Boston Marathon. It is unknown if this was domestic or foreign terrorism, though terrorism it was. There are two scenarios: 1. It was foreign terrorism and that means that a new "Achilles heel" has been realized, or 2. It was domestic terrorism and that means our enemies are watching.
For all our heightened security and sense of self-awareness perhaps our greatest weakness is where we interact daily with the world. At our jobs, our schools, our churches. It would be far easier for a terrorist to target these public places that frequently have no security except the one guy at the front desk of the building. For over a decade terrorists from Al Qaeda and other organizations of unsuccessfully targeted airliners to get at Americans and other nations when the easiest route of all was down main street USA.
And so American will have to face a choice and the two options are not very desirable Either we sacrifice more rights and liberties so that our law enforcement officials can better secure our communities or we live in a state of fear. Perhaps since the Cold War America has lived a sheltered life. While we read in the "Foreign Affairs" section about a IED that killed 20 children or 38 soldiers somewhere in the middle east we don't blink because it's happening on some distant country. What if it became our country and our problem?
I'll finish with words of guidance a founding father provided over 200 years ago:
"Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither. Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security."
No comments:
Post a Comment