If Americans chose to ignore the many warnings before the horrors of last September, how are they doing now? Has everything changed?
The mood has certainly changed, in that the 9/11 trauma has made the threat of militant Islam the number-one topic. And the expeditionary force to Afghanistan certainly marked a change. But much else remains as it was, such as:
- Placing the sensitivities of travelers over the security of airplanes (e.g., looking for the implements of terror rather than the terrorists).
- Ignoring terrorism when it occurs (e.g., calling the double murder at LAX on July 4th a work dispute).
- Pretending that the supporters of militant Islam are good citizens (e.g., the FBI recruiting at the conference of the Islamic Society of North America).
- Inviting supporters of militant Islam onto the airwaves (e.g., the constant television appearances of such unsavory figures as Sarah Eltantawi and Ibrahim Hooper).
Because the U.S. Establishment refuses to name Islamism as the enemy, American defenses are weak, inviting the Islamist enemy to strike again, perhaps inflicting worse damage than on 9/11. In that case, today's reluctance will then appear as feckless as does pre-9/11 behavior today. (September 11, 2002)
