On any given day, it’s easy to be consumed by an array of thoughts: Big meeting at work, fix the dishwasher; call Dad, read the paper; Paris Hilton got kicked by a horse (ha!); the chicks on “The Apprentice” are making women in the workplace look bad; pick up the dry cleaning.
But in that cluttered mess of thoughts firing rapidly between your ears, when was the last time you thought about terrorism? And not along the lines of, “It’s horrible what happened in Madrid” or “What’s the deal with this 9/11 commission?”
Rather, are you actually terrified?
Do you feel unsafe driving to Dominick’s on Saturday? Are you scared to go to the top of the Sears Tower? Would you cancel travel plans because you are afraid of a hijacking?
It has been almost three years since 9/11, and terrorism is the unparalleled focal point of the federal government. John Kerry and George Bush are about to inundate us with talk about leadership in times of terror and defending our homeland security.
But before you cast a vote in November, maybe it’s best to ask now–when we’re determining which issues this year’s presidential debate should focus on–how much of a factor terrorism is in your daily life.
When I think about what terrifies me in America today, it has little to do with threats to my physical safety.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if there were a color-coded alert system for when thousands more jobs are lost or when another high school freshman class starts algebra without knowing how to multiply?
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There are many important issues that are overshadowed by the government’s focus to terrorism, failing to get the attention, criticism or tax dollars they might deserve.
In this year alone, the president has proposed a constitutional amendment to prevent gay Americans from marrying, Congress has passed a bill that gives separate rights to a fetus in murder cases in which the victim was pregnant, and next year’s budget has slashed through domestic social services. But the election probably won’t be decided on these issues.
Our promises to the world have been compromised as well. The New York Times reported over the weekend that the president’s plan to spend $15 billion fighting global AIDS is falling short of the mark.
But it’s OK. We’re routing out terrorists. (And liberating Iraq.)
Now, there’s no sane person on Earth who doesn’t love to see another terrorist captured. But if there’s one thing the 9/11 commission reports have shown, it’s that no matter how prepared we are, it is impossible to quell every terrorist threat all the time–which appears to be the goal of the Bush administration.
Are we really going to spend the next 10, 20 or even 50 years on the offensive, throwing all of our resources behind a war effort that has shown us more violence and death?
The problem with the war on terrorism is that it has no finite parameters. We could be paying for it–in dollars, social welfare and lives–forever.
In his State of the Union speech, President Bush said, “It is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable, comforting–and false.”
It’s dangerous when I walk to the bus stop every day. I could be attacked or hit by a car. But the city of Chicago isn’t about to stop traffic or post a cop in every alley to protect me.
Safety and precaution are important, but living in fear is just paralyzing.
So even if you’re not afraid anymore, maybe you should be.
A nation where a single issue is allowed to define an entire agenda at the expense of the general good is a very scary thing.
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