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The Terror Yet To Come?

To pose the question "Are we safer today from terrorism today than we were immediately post 9/11/?," is much like comparing the proverbial apples and oranges. The question could be debated endlessly. But to suggest that George W.'s actions in Afghanistan and the administration's current "War on Terrorism (now centered in Iraq)" has made us less vulnerable, any safer from attack by some extremist group or individual (let us not forget Oklahoma City), would be patently absurd.

The fall of Sadaam and the current civil war in Iraq were inevitable. When Bush came to shove, he merely sped things up a bit. Shia-Sunni-Kurd tensions have been simmering for centuries and were bound to boil over at some point in time. Islamic extremism is now showing its ugly face worldwide. Madrid.... Bali.... London. World wide Jihad has moved from being the idealism of a minority to an active and rapidly spreading international reality.

So far, America has been lucky. Its a miracle that some jihadist,Whetheer he or she was from some Al Qaida sleeper cell, or a loner with his own agenda like Timothy McVeigh, has not donned a pipe-bomb vest and raincoat and made an appearance at Grand Central Station ant rush hour or, even worse, detonated a nuclear device in Los Angeles.

The fictional works of the best-selling author Tom Clancy ("Patriot Games," "The Hunt For Red October"), has for years brought us incredibly well-researched and written novels that present plausible scenarios of international conflict. A few of these scenarios end with the world on the brink of World War III. The plots are horrifying but technologically feasible. His latest solo (he often co-writes with other authors) novel, "The Teeth of the Tiger," entertains us while chillingly reminding us of the current world situation.

The plot is simple yet more than plausible: A group of terrorists are escorted by a "Coyote" across the Mexican border into the U.S. where they are met by associates who provide them with false identities and driver licenses, and a small arsenal of automatic rifles. They then spread out across the country to pre-appointed cities where on a specific day and at an exact time, they are to open fire in crowed shopping malls. The plan marginally succeeds in one city with some loss of life, but is thwarted by the FBI and other national agencies.

The scenario Mr. Clancy describes is more than plausible. There is (and has been for years now) a real possibility that something like it could happen to America at any moment.

Have we as a nation been lucky? We have. So far. Let us hope and pray that our luck holds out.

Learn more about this author, Arthur Daniels.
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