by Charles Simmins

Created on: May 08, 2008

Terrorism comes in different forms. According to the FBI, the number one agent for terrorism in the United States today are animal rights activists. Coming in second are anti-abotion protesters.

Fighting terrorism in the United States is a delicate balance between preserving our rights and preventing terrorism. Our open society, far more open than any other in the world, offers opportunities for terror attacks that in most nations would be unavailable.

One way to make the United States safer from terrorism would be a standard national identification card. There are anti-counterfeiting technologies that could be applied and safeguards imposed. Americans have long opposed national ID's, fearing the reach of big government more than terrorism.

Profiling would be an effective tool in preventing future terror attacks. There are nations, such as Israel, that have found effective methods of identifying potential terrorists through analyzing their behavior and appearance. The popular belief in the United States is that no one ethnic group, or no special appearance makes a person more prone to terrorism than any other. This is not a popular solution.

Securing our borders is a good means of making the United States safer. Some terrorists arrive from abroad and preventing their arrival, either legally or illegally, would be a good tool in fighting the threat. America's borders with Canada and Mexico are among the most open on the planet, and arriving at a port or airport from abroad is not much more difficult. The issue here is that the vast majority of illegal border crossers are not terrorists.

Controlling the sale of firearms is another way to reduce terrorism. This method involves the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and no court, as yet, has been willing to state that all sales of firearms can be banned. The really dangerous firearms, automatic weapons, have been banned for decades. Events such as the Columbine Massacre show that common firearms are deadly when used by murderers.

The Bush Administration has selectively implemented a policy of fighting terrorism overseas, determining that the threat of foreign terrorism can be diminished at its roots with appropriate action. The Administration has not engaged in fighting against every supporter of terrorism, however, leaving some nations and some organizations untouched as we destroy others.

Perhaps the best way to make the United States safer from terrorist attacks is for everyone, each and everyone of us, to be as alert as we can be to the unusual, to the signs of danger and to the extremists among us. Our freedom of speech means that the government cannot restrict, in large measure, hate speech, speech in support of terror and terrorist and speech advocating measures that could prove violent. We, as citizens, can be aware of the hatemongers among us, of the people who hold to extremism, and what they do about their beliefs besides talk.

The best way to keep the United States safe from terrorism is for each and every one of us to keep ourselves and our communities safe from terrorism. Don't support those who hate, who advocate the extreme, who demand obedience instead of thoughtfulness.

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