What if the next attack is the last?

Homeland Security NTARC News
WND.com
It's easy to forget the Islamic terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. In fact, the bulk of Americans already have.

Our government has precipitated this view by requiring nothing of ordinary citizens. There are no gasoline or ration coupons, there are no long lines to buy tires or other products used in the war, and there is no military draft. In fact, for the bulk of Americans, 9-11 was a television mini-series that played way back when. It drew oohs and ahhs when it ran, but now it's over.

It is the military alone that has paid the price. And for the bulk of Americans, that suits them quite well.

It is possible – and I have held this view – that such complacency was a testimony to the effectiveness of our intelligence agencies. The NSA in particular, it seems, had the capability of listening in on certain terrorist telephone calls about where the next bomb would be detonated. Thus the work of the FBI and Homeland Security became considerably easier, and more pre-emptive.

It's also possible that this view is wrong.

Recently, I have found myself wondering: What if the next attack on American soil – the one so many experts say they feel is inevitable – is not a single attack? What if, instead, it is a widespread, crippling blow designed to finish the United States as a world power? What if it destroys 8-12 of America's cities with nukes that were gradually put in place during the time interval since 9-11? What if it releases a follow-on biological attack?

Put another way, what if the reason there have been no attacks following 9-11 is that there have been no attacks following 9-11?

Despite the fact that 9-11 failed in its goals, it is impossible not to admire bin Laden as a military strategist. The concept: Hit the financial center in New York and the federal government in Washington, D.C. Remove the capability of the U.S. to respond militarily by crippling the Pentagon. Throw the government into turmoil by destroying the White House and the Capitol building.

We don't honor the people on the plane that went down in that Pennsylvania field nearly often enough. Nor do we appreciate that grounding and diverting civilian airliners that day prevented other attacks. The character of the 9-11 attack increasingly leads me to believe that the next attack on the United States will be a large, crippling attack beyond the comprehension of most Americans.

For the left, ending the war on terror is easy. Quit fighting. Give the Islamists what they want, which is commonly perceived to be Israel (there they go again, giving away something that isn't theirs to give). For those of us who know the cycle of aggression and appeasement, the answers are not quite so easy. A nuclear North Korea and probably within another year Iran indicate that most of the world is ready to accept "nukes are us" franchises in terrorist nations. Civilization cannot survive this, simply to give aging leftist boomers another few years of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.