Fight to win

There's no point in fighting a war against international Islamist terror unless we plan to win.

Today, nearly a year after the stunning attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, America is still not fighting to win.

It's not too late to change directions. It's not too late to refocus on the ultimate objective. It's not too late to redirect our energies, our will and our might.

But if we're going to win, we must first understand the ruthless, determined nature of our enemy and mobilize our nation's citizens for the battle of their lives:

A year later, we are still preventing airline pilots from protecting themselves, their aircraft, their crews and their passengers by prohibiting firearms in the cockpit. The final nail in the coffin of guns in the cockpit came in the form of a Federal Aviation Administration regulation change just two months before Sept. 11, 2001. Coincidence? No. Common sense dictates responsible men and women charged with the awesome task of flying the nation's airliners should be entrusted with weapons that could save themselves and strategic targets on the ground. Even a vast majority of America's anti-gun zealots believe in arming pilots.

The nation's borders are as porous today as they were a year ago. Immigration policies are still governed more by a misguided sense of political correctness than by national security considerations. America must do whatever it takes to ensure that no more terrorists enter our country. If that means bringing troops home from duties protecting other countries' borders, so be it. If that means spending significantly more on the Border Patrol, so be it. If that means temporarily deploying National Guard troops, so be it. It cannot mean business as usual on the borders.

Americans are still without any form of civil-defense system. There are no shelters for ordinary citizens, just for government officials. There are no early-warning plans for ordinary citizens, just for government officials. There are no stockpiles of food and medicines for ordinary citizens, just for government officials. In fact, there isn't even any national dialogue about civil defense a year after this tragedy – even as government officials speak openly and candidly about the likelihood of weapons of mass destruction being used by terrorists against U.S. civilians.

U.S. citizens are not being mobilized for what lies ahead. They are not being told about the dangers they face. They are not being enlisted in the war we are joining. Their vast abilities are not being harnessed to defeat the threat here at home. There are nearly 300 million Americans who can be vigilant watchdogs on the home front, but they are being given no direction. We can't defeat the enemy at home with more cops, more soldiers, more checkpoints and more government bureaucracies. We can and will defeat the enemy when the entire citizenry is mobilized to fight and win – as it last was during World War II.

Though the terror war has slowed the hue and cry for more unconstitutional restrictions on firearms, there has been little effort to overturn those misguided laws already on the books. Every law-abiding and responsible citizen in America ought to be encouraged to own and carry firearms, not only as a deterrent against terror, but a deterrent against all forms of violent crime in our nation.

Yes, we have to fight abroad – in hellish places like Afghanistan and Iraq. But if our war on terror is limited to offensive conflicts in foreign countries, we will not be victorious against this enemy which plans to strike at our heart and soul here in the homeland.

This is my modest prescription for winning the terror war. I outlined it shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks and have been shocked at how such obvious steps for securing our freedom and security have been ignored in favor of centralized, command-and-control, top-down plans from Washington.

It's still not too late to get it right. But it's clear that the initiative will need to come from the grass roots.

I am concerned about the tendancy I have to think the Federal Government have everything under control. How about some practical ideas on how to be more prepared?

It's still not too late to get it right. But it's clear that the initiative will need to come from the grass roots.

I don't think it will come until the politicians and elitists are killed in an attack.

Then there will be a whole new attitude and sense of urgency. Had one of those planes hit the white house or congress...well, you get the picture. - Tom

I agree. As the article says, there are all sorts of contingency plans for government officials, but what about
US? I wouldn't be surprised if they had a plan to repopulate the USA with congressional off-spring. YUK!

We need bomb shelters in our homes. Unfortunately I have a typical slab built home. I've been telling my wife we're going to build one, but haven't done much.

Can you imagine getting the zoning approval. (Basically I don't think you could get it. Best to disguise it as a back yard gardening project run amok.)

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