by T. Lynn Wright

Created on: January 10, 2010

I've often wondered why more intel personnel weren't terminated in the last nine years. It certainly seemed that we were more secure, we hadn't had to endure the silly and confusing color code on television that informed us that we were at elevated risk.

I always wondered what exactly we were supposed to do during those times, and I realize that Americans still haven't come to terms with the fact that terrorists are in the United States. They have been here since we became the United States.  And the intel people should be fired for inflcting these new travel restrictions.

There is no foolproof way to keep America safe unless we close all travel and secure our vast borders and coastlines. A daunting task, to be sure, and, after all, that isn't the new, global America, anyway. Intelligence people remind me of consumer safety people. Something goes wrong, and they rush to provide a quick fix that doesn't make sense.

The no fly list is cumbersome and ridiculous. Someone should be fired, because the man who attempted to blow up the plane had been in someone's sights and he was still allowed to board. This is an intelligence failure, and it highlights the failure of a system that goes back to post-9/11. 

It smacks of terrible communication problems, which contributed greatly to previous terror attacks. We are a huge nation, with warrens of agencies that don't talk to each other because of policy and ego.  Fire the intelligence people, Mr. President, and start fresh.

I plan to live my life as I do every day, I am not going to worry about the sky falling or about a terrorist in every seat. The risk is proportionate. Scores of human beings are killed in cars, in buses, by handguns. It is inconceivable to me that we are so terrified of an attack when we have a multitude of  domestic dangers that we blithely ignore on our way to the coffee house. 

We are so much more likely to be carjacked or robbed in the mall parking lot, struck by a drunk driver, or the victim of a shooting. I don't see anyone falling over themselves to frisk everyone who shops and drives in a suspicious manner. 

I have lived in countries in which a visit to the opera house meant a search of my bag and a body pat. I don't want to live my life in America this way. I don't want to be scanned and interviewed so that I might have the right to travel by air. I want to live in a free America - I risk my life every day to do so -  I am not afraid of terrorists.

I am afraid of my tax dollars paying incompetent people who pass themselves off as intelligent and then clumsily implement futile security measures.

Learn more about this author, T. Lynn Wright.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.