Homeland Security

In essence, George Bush and the current Administration have finally achieved some tangible homeland security, albeit in a most unusual manner, after many years of incompetence and blundering in trying to protect the USA. Plunging oil prices and world wide financial problems have significantly lessened possible terrorist activity directed at the USA because state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran, Sudan, Syria and Cuba have seen their oil revenues and/or their economies decline precipitously in the past few months.

Big time financial troubles have also hit some former nations on the USA’s terrorism watch list such as Iraq, Libya and South Yemen. Terrorism, it seems, has been relegated to the back burner by the bad guys of the world due to lack of funding, internal political unrest and diverted focus. Even more significantly, Russia and China as well, have been sidetracked with economic and political problems that have lessened their threat to the security and welfare of our country. Our economic fortunes of late may seem to be all bad, but there is a bright side to our stock and financial market meltdowns because we are currently safer from state sponsored terrorism as well as un-stated terrorist organizations than we have been for many years. Keep in mind that places such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and some South American nations are not on the USA’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, but are considered “safe havens” and/or gathering places for known terrorist organizations. All in all, as a nation we may be experiencing some severe economic challenges but at least we can take comfort in knowing the terrorists of the world and their sponsors are suffering as well.

Comments

[Timo Kokko]

Victor,
Interesting way to look at things. Along the same vein, the environmentalists should love W now that Americans are driving ten billion miles less per month.

[Andrew Smith]

Don't be fooled. The US will not be safer until this ridiculous imperialistic foreign policy changes. While it's true that Iraq is considerably less violent and US troops will begin to draw down, the status of forces agreement is a total sham and will have US forces in Iraq long after 2011. Forces will be shifted to Afghanistan and will also be there for a long time now that violence has flared up again. Israel and Hamas are at it again in the Middle East, and you know the US can't just stand back and watch, plus Russia shows no signs of backing down to US pressure to cool its belligerant stance. While the economic downturn has certainly hurt the economies of traditional state sponsors of terrorism, to say this has made us safer is dubious. If one defines safety as having less threats to one's own life and property, then we are considerably less safe than in previous years considering the threats to our liberty and possessions created by our own government. Our leaders spend our money like its water, burdening us and our children, demanding more and more sacrifices to enhance government power in the name of security. They're selling us out to China and gradually chipping away at our right to keep ourselves safe to fund their relentless military march to spread "freedom" around the world. That's not security or safety, but oppression in its subtle form and it fuels the fires of hatred, encouraging more and more terrorists to take shots at US interests.

We are in more danger than ever.