America has always been accused having a short collective memory. It seems as though we are relapsing again.
Recently, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said that the only way we can have a victory in this war against terror is with the capture of Osama bin Laden and other top al Qaeda leaders, and he wants the Bush Administration to brief him and people like Senator Pat “leaky” Leahy as to the military gameplan.
Now there are some that think his comments are purely political, and if so, his timing couldn’t be worse. Unlike the military action taken against ethnic cleansers in Bosnia and Croatia that was conducted primarily from the air, we have men and women on the ground in Afghanistan and the Philippines. The criticism of our military policy only strengthens the resolve of the enemy. And this enemy is different than any conventional army we have faced before. It seems a reality check is in order.
Prior to the September 11th attacks, the terrorists lived among us. They had a manual on how to properly assimilate and not call undue attention to themselves. They went to a world renowned flight school to learn how to fly, not land. They tested our airline security systems and found out what could be brought on an airliner.
And they had no regard as to their own safety and survival.
Within hours after the destruction of the twin towers, we saw video of Palestinians on the West Bank laughing and celebrating the death of hundreds of innocents, just as they do with every suicide bombing that occurs within Israel.
It’s important to remember, unlike conventional warfare that is army against army, these terrorists target civilians. This enemy uses a bastardization of their religion to justify their murder. They expect to kill others as well as themselves in order to obtain the ultimate reward, martyrdom and 70 virgins.
This enemy is as ruthless as the Japanese kamikaze of World War II. But as Israel can attest to, these animals walk into crowded areas and pick civilian targets. They consider blowing up women and children the fast track to Allah.
Some in the Middle East have short memories too.
Earlier this week, a Gallup Poll showed that the great majority of people in the Middle East think our war on terror is unjustified. Even more disturbing is the revelation that the overwhelming majority of Kuwaitis are against us as well. It’s disgusting when countries that were overrun by a neighboring power, saved by us, now feel the moral authority to chastise us for our actions.
Now I have no doubt that there are al Qaeda terror sleeper cells just waiting for another opportunity to strike. They are just waiting for us to fall asleep again. They watch patiently while we concentrate on Enron, the Grammys, Gary Condit, Monica in Black and White, and the Olympic skating officials.
They watch while we grumble about the waiting time at airports. They wait while we bitch and moan about the necessity of “shadow government.” And they wait while we are slowly lowering our guard again.
What will it take to remind us that this enemy is not one in which our air force has to travel 14 hours to reach? This enemy is here. They are in our face. They want us to know they did it.
The September 11th terrorists used their own names when purchasing their plane tickets over the Internet. They know that the feds tap phones and the web is a free zone. They left their manual for us to find. They wanted us to know how they did it. They want us to know they can and will do it again.
They know that there are some in this country that will find a reason to forgive them. They know that there are those who’ll want to assure them aid and comfort as prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba’s Camp X-Ray.
Comfort them as long as lowly women do not administer their medical care to them. We must respect their religious traditions even though they are determined to exterminate every person on the planet not a Muslim. They know they can use suicide bombers in Israel to just walk in and kill civilians, in fact they are now using females who are of lower profile. This enemy adapts. This enemy is patient and they know we forget easily. When Senator Daschle and his followers seek to find a chink in the Bush armor, I hope they understand what is at stake.
Very few of these politicians have ever been in harm’s way, and unfortunately have no qualms about making statements that will make the enemy fight harder in the caves near Kabul. It’s a shame that our brave young men and women may just be numbers to them.
I hope the enemy doesn’t now see a new opening for another attack. I know the intelligence agencies and law enforcement have been taking these monsters off the street, but like roaches, you never get them all and they seem to adapt to whatever you throw at them.
So we’ll watch the Academy Awards, get ready for baseball season, and in general, just go about our business.
The good old days after 9/11 are gone. The days when people would let you merge into their lane on the freeway with a patriotic wave are gone. The only turf recognized by gang-bangers was the good old U.S. of A. Now they’re back to their old shenanigans. We were polite to each other. We were Americans. Now things are back to normal.
That’s what the enemy is counting on: How quickly we forget.
