[Rhodes22-list] Katrina, 9/11, Could be Political

[Robert Skinner]

Good piece, Brad -- thank you.

As a compliment to your citation, here is a thought.  
I have lost the name of the originator, but the quote 
stands alone well enough: "America will remain the 
land of the free only as long as it is the home of 
the brave."

Terrorism in the nuclear age:

As terrorism is a borderless phenomenon (I hesitate 
to call it a war, as it has no territorial objective), 
it is certain that there will eventually be another 
"hit" within our borders.  

Given that, rather than continue to give up domestic 
liberties, shouldn't we concentrate on controling the 
worldwide production and trafficing in radiological 
materials, as they are the only means by which 
terrorists can totally destroy our ability to live in 
major cities?

Radioactive contamination such as that resulting from 
the Chernoble meltdown could (for example) result on 
making New York city uninhabitable.  I propose that 
we keep our eye on this ball, rather than worrying 
about much less devastating (tho they _are_ awful) 
chemical and explosive attacks.

Keep your eye on the ball:

Somewhere, we need to suck it up and acknowledge that 
life in the 21st century has risks, and concentrate on 
dealing with the big ones like Katrina and nuclear 
terrorism.  There is no putting the nuclear genie back 
in the bottle.

If we are to remain the land of the free, we must be 
brave enough to recognize and live with some levels of 
risk as just we now deal with bad drivers on the road.  
Suicide bombers, while spectacular, cannot compete 
with drunk driving as a killer of innocents.

Let's have perception of real levels of risk, 
reasonable but not Draconic precautions, and balance 
in our responses.  International vandalism is not a 
justification for wholesale repeal of civil liberties, 
unlimited invasion of privacy, or a bunker mentality.

Bravery:

Bravery is not the absence of fear.  It is feeling 
fear, acknowledging it, working through the potential 
for paralysis, and dealing with it as we get on with 
life, and the tasks which we have before us.

Do-do occurs, but we cannot always have our eyes on 
the ground to avoid stepping in it -- we need to look 
up to the horizon of our aspirations -- and watch for 
snipers in the trees.

/Robert Skinner
-------------------------------------------------------
Brad Haslett wrote:
> 
> September 11, 2006 Remembering the 'Blessed Terror'*By* *Suzanne
> Fields*<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/author/suzanne_fields/>
> ...
> "This war will be long," says the president, "but it will end in the defeat
> of the terrorists and totalitarians." But only if we can summon the will to
> see and understand what's at stake.