Hi,
Terrorism is the new worry of the 21st Century. Since we spent most of the twentieth century worrying about atomic bombs, we've replaced it with ARAB TERRORISM. If you remember the Irish practiced this on the English and the Basques on Spain in their prolonged fights for independence so it's not a new trick. A study of the Basque situation showed terrorism reduced their own region's economic income per capitva (personal) level by 10% so the perpetrators suffered economically as well.
It is too bad that the Press is so YELLOW JOURNALISTICALLY oriented today because that encourages the very acts the press vilifies. It publicizes them and creates an attitude of the terrorism having been successful. There is no question that when you are attacked even in a minor way, someone is sending a message that THEY DON'T LIKE YOU OR YOUR ATTITUDES!!!!!!!!!!! Gosh, what a revelation. Usually, one can walk away or turn away or ignore the insults but unfortunately when a bomb is used, it becomes dramatic.
What is all this drama created by the terrorists costing us economically and personally. Well, personally we've certainly experienced the lack of freedom in every day life. Travel has become more difficult, and gathering places like malls more suspect, and there is a general feeling of unease around strangers that has made America lose that small town camaraderie.
The cost politically has been the election of OVER MILITANT AND NOW OVER TYRANNICAL leaders and a constant chatter of suppression of whatever SEEMS TO NEED TO BE CONTROLLED. The economic costs in property, defense, and homeland spending, as well as the impact on financial markets is not really calculable. There is also the economic effect on supply chains increasing transportation costs including the more personal ones like our home delivery services.
The direct cost of the September ll attack in New York City is really the only factual example and that is cited to be more than $20 billion dollars for the immediate loss in property. They also estimate the attack cost the private sector $14 billion, the Federal government, $7 billion, clean-up cost was about $11 billion. All in all, it brings an estimated total of $95 billion. THIS COUNTRY NOW SPENDS ABOUT $500 BILLION ANNUALLY on combating or preventing terrorism in defense and homeland security. $500 billion is as much as if we'd had (God forbid) five or six 9/11 PER YEAR.
What makes terrorism so traumatic is the impersonal and surprise actions of the perpetrators that creates a kind of mass hysteria. The sudden loss of innocent lives by unseen enemies creates an emotional and psychological problem for people and creates an unsatisfied anger. However, I would like to insert a small measure of REALISM here.
The only difference between any major disaster like floods, hurricanes, fire, and travel crashes that kill large amounts of innocent people is that they LACK A PERPETRATOR. We spend a lot attempting to avoid disaster or repairing the damage but we pick up our marbles and play again! They happen, we mourn them, but we accept that a certain number of these disasters may affect our lives daily.
It is the addition of an ENEMY that causes the problem and makes us think we have to produce some kind of ANTI-ENEMY DEVICE that in the long run makes us far more uncomfortable and unhappy than the ORIGINAL CAUSE. Sure we have to let them know we will punish the acts but we ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LIVE FEARFULLY!!!!!!!!!!! That is giving the enemy the idea we are COWARDS. $500 billion should be enough to find the perpetrators and deal justice!!!!!!!!!!
David K. Levine in an article on the internet, "The True Costs of Terrorism and National Security" says: "Perhaps the costs are justified by the fears and real risks. Certainly, we must continue vigilance...............But what is needed is a sense of balance--a reasoned approach......"
And this is my point. If we accept the very real dangers every day of driving a car to and from our business and errands and the imminent danger that we face WITHOUT CALLING THE POLICE to escort us on our dangerous path; can't we bring that kind of sensibility and courage to the risks that terroism entails?
In London in World War II they lived their daily lives under the shadow of buzz bombs that struck without warning and citizens managed to face each day with cheerful, realistic and courageous caution. Yes, at least they could strike back at their enemy but that didn't change the daily hazard and they wouldn't allow that enemy the victory of seeing fear. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE HAZARDS TO MAN'S FRAGILITY whether by nature or his own destructive toys and we can minimize the cost emotionally, psychologically, and economically by taking a REALISTIC LOOK AT OUR REACTIONS. Are we in effect playing into the terrorists' hands by adding our OVER-DRAMATIC attitudes to their plunder????????????
Think about it. YOU ARE NOW SPENDING OVER $500 BILLION TO FIGHT SHADOWS ON THE TV SCREEN and losing the battle. Calm your fears, fight your hysteria, show the perpetrators your courage, and in effect SPIT IN THEIR EYE. And you know what??????????THAT COSTS NOTHING AND YOU CAN SPEND the $500 BILLION finding the guilty, or better yet, on our poor and needy.
Cheers, Connie
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