13.6: 9/11 Attacks

In The 9/11 Commission Report, the commission concluded that one of the failures of public safety was the failure of public safety officials’ “imagination.” Moving forward, how should public safety officials address public safety threats using unconventional or nontraditional methods? After reviewing chapters 11 and 12 in The 9/11 Commission Report and the follow-up report about successes and challenges, readers should postulate a personal discussion as how success in the war on terror can be measured quantitatively. Consider the role of individual rights in conducting and measuring the war on terror.

In researching the posed questions, on the surface they appear nearly inseparable. As such, the reader may find them often intersecting. Although issues that intersect may cause convoluted issues, this may provide a wholesome approach, challenging personal innovative juices toward solutions. Differing issues often reside in the grey area, clarity of issue may be elusive, as may seem resolution. Thus imagination, creativity, and innovation are critical to solving issues. Repetition may slow down the process but at the same time provides avenues to rethink ourselves and perhaps even provide a different image to the world. An image this author suggests must contain the truth. The truth of challenges that lay ahead, truth in ethical behaviors, truth of remedies, truth of longevity of a remedy, and truth of failure. Political correctness has a place in society but not to the point it distorts truth, facts, and circumstance.

Although the majority of America’s efforts to thwart terrorism have been abroad, the U.S. must not lose sight of those that are amongst us. Having said that, the onetime bureaucratic systematic, silo of information and jurisdictional feuds and total lack of imagination on the part of leaders in critical positions have slowly eroded. The erosion has given way to new forms of thinking. As an example during the Y2K crisis the walls fell between agencies and the cooperation was second to none. The crisis was based on the theory that information networks that controlled power grids, information networks, banking institutions and governmental institutions would collapse. The information networks would be unable to transcend the cross over from years 1999 to 2000. A great deal of human manipulation and interagency cooperation transpired to make a smooth transition.

Once the crisis had passed, without the world collapse due to information networks inability to make the change from one century to the other and terrorist attacks on infrastructure did not occur, this nation went back to business as usual. In short America can no longer remain complacent to global concerns. America cannot rest on its laurels and be a nation of reaction, the new world order requires a proactive nation to take away the threat prior to the threat gaining momentum and support.

As illustrated in Chapter 11 of The 9/11 Commission Report, Al Qaeda used trucks, cars, boats and trains as suicide vessels, why would they not use airplanes? Specifically, when Al Qaeda could speculate with reasonable certainty based on American Ideology that if they were found out before they could carry out the suicide by airplane attack; we as a country would be hard pressed to shoot a plane load of civilians from the sky.

The following is a list of ten suggested steps that may be taken to impede the terrorist abroad and amongst us. First, a need to continue with the Community Policing aspect of law enforcement in this country and gain more involvement of citizens. Citizen vigilance is critical to the safety of our nation both on the domestic and international front. Second, a need to hold politicians and bureaucrats feet to the flame to ensure continuity of viable recommendations and they are provided resources to fruition. Third, America can no longer be seen as merely taking the high road in all situations. This country requires a reputation and respect retaliation in kind, tenfold when attacked. This includes having the intestinal fortitude to kill terrorist by whatever means necessary and not from behind the curtain but out in the open. Terrorist are not psychopaths, they are criminals. Criminal during a time of war and should be dealt with as any war criminal and America needs get over some its ideological policy dealing with terrorist in the American Justice System rather than as war criminals.

Fourth, America should remain with international alliances that have created strength through unity and build on greater relationships. These alliances should be empowered to act against terrorist, based on legitimate profiles of terrorist. These allies should be required to seize all assets from terrorists and put the assets into the coffers to help pay for the fight against terrorism. Fifth, bureaucrats or allies that withhold critical information from another entity in the fight against terror should be held responsible, civilly and criminally. Certainly standards are required to determine when bureaucrats or outside entities knew or should have known of the information and of its importance. Subordinates that had same information should be held to the same standard. Legislation in this context is not groundbreaking, similar but not the same are Domestic Violence Legislation in New York State made it a misdemeanor for police officers to ask a victim if they wanted the aggressor arrested in a domestic incident. They are under legislative mandate to mandatory arrest policy and only a judge will determine thereafter.

Sixth, continue through diplomatic channels to create the unholy alliances that at one time were thought of as distasteful to this nation. I believe the guide in this instance needs to be the old adage, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Seventh, foreign states providing safe havens for terrorist should suffer sanctions and time frames to adequately address the issue. Should this fail then force may be an alternative. If the sovereign nation giving aid to terrorist happens to be an oil producing state then perhaps an asset forfeiture program for taking control of their oil fields are in order. Eighth, continue to develop a form of democracy where possible without fear of retribution from terrorist. The elections in recent time in the mid-east have proven invaluable. Ninth, as America builds schools for war torn countries, a multi-national military presence may be necessary to prevent propaganda seeping into the school system.Tenth, use what means deemed acceptable by the professionals in government and American allies to secure weapons of Mass Destruction and eliminate by what means possible those who propagate the use of these weapons against the United States and U. S. allies.

The suggested list would seem aggressive and in part a hard liner approach. In short, it will be much better for a foreign nation to be America’s friend rather than a suspected foe. If bureaucrats or their organizations feel an action is in the interest of national security and passes muster through a layer of review (review team consisting of national and international membership) without unnecessary delay (prevent terrorist from slipping away) it should be implemented without fear of character assassination and propaganda retribution. America must realize that this is not our playing field; it is now a transnational field whereby the only rules are is that there are no rules. Domestic terrorist if acting under a transnational influence should be dealt with in the same fashion. Domestic terrorist that fall within our judicial system due to the type of crime and limited access to the transnational arena remains criminal actions over terrorist warriors.