Why hasn’t the U.S. been attacked since 9/11?

The recent carnage in Mumbai, India,  has highlighted the stark reality that the U.S. government has done a remarkable job over the past seven years keeping our country safe.  India, the worlds largest democracy, faces the same problems of a free and open society like ours, when it comes to attacks like this.  It now appears that the devastation was carried out by a small, well planned group of attackers with conventional weapons. Nothing much more exotic, in terms of armament or methods, than the Columbine shootings in 1999.  Terror does not require it.

So, how is it that we’ve remained unscathed in that time? Certainly, ‘luck’ (if there is such a thing) plays a part in it, but I would posit that the Bush administration’s unwavering vigilance and commitment to that cause is the cornerstone of our safety today.  While some have argued that such safety has come at the cost of civil liberties, I would argue that for the vast majority of American’s there has been zero impact as a result of those ‘lost’ (real or perceived) liberties.  I never like to use the argument that “if you aren’t doing anything wrong, you needn’t worry” because it’s too slippery of a slope. Governments need to respect the rights of individuals as well as the constitution which they uphold.  However, it is well established jurisprudence that in times of great turmoil, such as war, the needs of the many must outweigh the needs of the individual.  Are we not in such turmoil now? Would you say that your activities are impinged as a result of those ‘lost’ liberties such as ‘warrantless wiretaps’?  Believe me, the first time the government oversteps the mandate of keeping us safe from terror and prosecutes someone for tax evasion as a result of a warrantless wiretap, I’ll be the one raising the alarm.  It hasn’t happened yet. No, I don’t believe that it can’t or that it won’t happen….I do, however, have just enough faith in the system that when it does happen, there will be a method to rectify the situation or at the very least, call enough attention to it to prevent it from happening again.

As a country, we have a very short attention span.  I would hope that we don’t forget that despite being safe for the past seven years, we are constantly in the cross-hairs with a target on our backs.  That’s the price we pay for being Americans – so be it.  Part of that cost comes with a responsibility guaranteed us under the second amendment to the constitution – the right to own and bear arms.  One of the safeguards against a Mumbai-style terrorist attack is that we don’t have to rely on the police or the military to defend our lives. Average citizens in India did not have that right and now over two hundred of them lie dead, many waiting for police to respond.  Think about that when you weigh Senator Obama’s choice of Eric Holder as Attorney General.  Mr. Holder is an avowed gun control advocate and has said before that he does not believe the second amendment applies to individuals, but rather ‘well-regulated militia’, aka the military. With a Democratic congress and a clear gun-control agenda, it’s only a matter of time before President Obama sets his sights on American gun owners.

For more information on Eric Holder,  read an excellent article in the Canada Free Press: http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/6386