The Watchdog Report
By Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom
We’ve
recently read of the evil plot that was foiled by officials in the
In fact, every recent terrorist attack also shared this same common thread. Just look at both World Trade Center attacks, the USS Cole attack, the subway attacks in Madrid, the nightclub bombings in the Philippines, even the recent bus attacks in London. It’s no secret that every one of these murderous acts of terror was carried out by radical Islamic extremists. Yet, here in America we seem afraid to speak this simple truth.
Many among us are content to ignore the Islamic jihad that is spreading across the world today. Other countries don’t suffer this same blindness. After all, the British authorities had no trouble homing in on the problem. They knew what to look for, and they found it. Sadly, here at home we take a politically correct, head-in-the-sand, “check everyone and everything” approach. What’s more, rather than focus on the evildoers who threaten us, we treat every traveler as a suspect and we obsess on weapons rather than the terrorists that use them.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, airport screeners were instructed to focus on metallic and hard plastic objects. Fingernail clippers, scissors, Boy Scout knives, and even plastic crochet needles have become airport contraband. Travelers are forced to stand in line as each and every passenger and each and every bag is checked for these “dangerous” objects. And screeners are so focused on not offending a particular ethnic group that they end up offending nearly everyone.
Yet, we turn a blind eye to the obvious. It is obvious that these terrorists fit a certain profile.
But instead of looking at probable threats, airport screeners are told to search even frail, elderly grandmothers and afflicted people in wheelchairs. Meanwhile the radical Islamic extremists, bent on terror, sneer at our official foolishness as they busily scheme their next mission of devastation.
It’s high time for America’s elected officials to address the root of the problem. Airport screeners should immediately stop the absurdity of equally treating everyone as a suspect. It not only wastes time and resources; it practically assures that the real terrorists will have a lower chance of being detected.
As long as terrorists can expect the same “equal” treatment as everyone else, they’ll simply stop carrying the “object of the day.” Instead they’ll find new ways to bring down airplanes and buildings. The people carrying out the horrors will be the same, but the objects and tools they use will be different.
Knowing this, how ludicrous is it to obsess on the tools rather than on the people? As it stands, we can only be sure that the next terrorist attack won’t involve fingernail files, shoes, or shampoo. On the other hand, the next attack almost assuredly will involve radical Islamic extremists.
The profile of evil is obvious. If we continue to ignore this fact the terrorist will continue their deadly attacks. If we hope to win the war on terror, we must recognize our enemy both here and abroad. Once we remove our self-imposed blinders and let ourselves see the enemy, we will much more likely win this fight that the terrorists are trying desperately to turn into another world war.