Today is Primary Day, and if you have no intention of voting
for your party choices then you lose any right to complain come
Election Day. Many voters consider this November's elections
unimportant, but they couldn't be more wrong. After attending a
forum last week on law enforcement and the war on terror, I find
the idea of Democrats regaining the House or Senate absolutely
terrifying.
There are simply no Democrats in leadership positions who
understand that the world changed drastically on September 11,
2001. Those few who do get it, such as Senator Lieberman, have
been ostracized by their colleagues in Congress. Oddly enough,
Senator Clinton has not suffered the same fate, even though she
has supported our presence in Iraq - albeit somewhat
halfheartedly. This doesn't mean, however, that she understands
how dire our national security situation is. That she has
abandoned Mr. Lieberman and supports his opponent speaks volumes
about her true allegiance.
The Center for Policing Terrorism at the Manhattan Institute
hosted a forum last week on the role of law enforcement in
preventing another terror attack in America. A distinguished
panel that included two former NYPD police commissioners, William
J. Bratton and John Timoney, addressed representatives of state
and local police forces. The keynote speaker was Attorney General
Alberto Gonzalez.
The opening panel, which addressed the homegrown terror threat,
was the most compelling and frightening. We were presented with
data indicating that we're now facing an enemy who may not look
at all like the September 11 attackers. Are we really prepared
for the disaffected blond, blue-eyed 17-year-old who's been
recruited via the Internet by an ideology that worships death?
The next stage of terrorism could hit small towns around the
country, shopping malls, and all modes of transportation.
While partisan politicians and celebrities bicker about how the
secretary of defense is conducting the war in Iraq, they are
ignoring the homegrown war and our efforts to monitor the
infiltration by Islamic fascists of local mosques, prisons, and
homes via the Internet. The importance of local law enforcement
in being the first preventers is paramount, yet there are fewer
street cops on the force since 9/11. This situation must be
corrected, for they are the ones who know their community and can
best intuit potential trouble spots. Efforts to establish
efficient databases connecting local and federal agencies are
already under way and will be vital in combating the enemy
within.
One of the panelists, a former New York Times reporter, Judith
Miller, reiterated the vital importance of local police
involvement and remarked that agencies need to regard reporters
as allies so that they can alert the public of danger.
I later spoke to Ms. Miller and asked her the question I was too
shy to air during the Q&A segment: Given that the only way to
handle the homegrown terror crisis is through covert activity and
monitoring, why is it that reporters, especially at her
newspaper, do everything possible to expose those efforts? Why
does the ACLU cite civil liberty violations whenever there's a
hint that some minority might be offended by a search? Ms. Miller
agreed that the organization's objection to the NYPD backpack
search was ridiculous and only served to alert the terrorists.
She also said, "Reporters know how to keep secrets. We keep
many."
Well, Ms. Miller may be one of those rare intrepid reporters who
are grounded in the reality of what we face today, but I have
serious doubts about others in the liberal press who relish
sabotaging the covert programs that have kept us safe thus far.
All the panelists warned that this enemy will never, ever quit -
and that neither must we. Thus, I fear any change in power that
may dismantle the progress made in this ongoing struggle. The
Democrats are living in pre-9/11 Neverland. They simply can't be
taken seriously.
Consider Senator Rockefeller's statement that Iraq was better off
with Saddam Hussein in power. Why is this man even on the
Intelligence Committee? Isn't having some a prerequisite? One
idiotic Senate study concluded that there was no relationship
between Saddam and Al Qaeda. Why? Because Saddam said so after he
was captured. Saddam has even admitted that his officials met
with Osama bin Laden, yet the Senate committee believes this
megalomaniac murderer of family and countrymen had nothing to do
with this.
Admittedly, mistakes have been made, because the world changed on
September 11. A shadow enemy emerged and conventional battle
strategies no longer applied. We are adapting and will succeed as
long as those committed to victory - not retreat - are in charge.
Vote as if your lives depend on it - because they do.