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Possible summer terror spectacular vs. terror fatigue
By WDavidStephenson | July 2, 2007
The news from ABC that DHS has intercepted chatter reminiscent of what was heard (and ignored) in the summer of 2001, is a reminder of another aspect of the asymmetry of terrorism.
On their side of the ledger, there’s the willingness to take the long view, such as the interval between the first and second World Trade Center bombings.
On our side, post-9/11 security jitters have been replaced by angst about Paris’ incarceration, Brittney’s antics, and whether we can get our hands on an iPhone.
IMHO, the big challenge will be to build the kind of sustained awareness of the terror threat — without dissolving into hysteria or witch hunts — that is common in Israel. That requires both more (and more effective) outreach by DHS, a call to action by President Bush (which would have little impact anymore because of his dismal public approval ratings, and — here’s the castor oil, folks — some personal responsibility on our part.
It ain’t Sept. 10, 2001 anymore, folks, and is unlikely to ever be again. It’s time that we shoulder some of the burden ourselves. Now back to our regularly-scheduled programming
Technorati tags: homeland security DHSDepartment of Homeland Security George BushWar on Terror terrorism antiterrorism smart mobs networked homeland security Al Qaeda ABC News
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