COUNTER-TERRORIST CHECKLIST

The attacks shook the United States of its superiority complex of approaching the rest of the world.  The country was already in an economic slowdown when the jets slammed into the towers, Pentagon and countryside.  These acts accelerated that slowdown.  The grief and loss of life, not only to the victims’ families and friends, but also to the entire nation was the most monumental emotional experience since the civil war.  There were very few Americans, unless they were confined to a mental institution or on medication, who were not profoundly touched by the loss of life.

There was no place more impacted by that loss than the people of New York City.  The realization touched me as I watched the funeral of a New York City police officer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and after talking to officers from an emergency service unit who told me it was one of three funerals that day and four more funerals were scheduled the next day.  The enormity of the loss of life and the sorrow inflicted on those who bore the direct attacks settled into my consciousness.

This then was part of the objective of the terrorists.  The act of killing would cause grief, sorrow and a profound emotional loss and the inability to function in everyday life.  The idea of causing chaos with the intended objective of confusing or disrupting the society is nothing new and is a stated goal within the terrorist act.  This disruption because of sorrow, fear or uncertainty leads to loss of productivity and an economic downturn.

The time utilized to plan economic projects, daily chores or weekly schedules are suddenly replaced with watching the news or planning how to protect one from future terrorist attacks.

The American republic has experienced this feeling and those acts have had the desired effect of altering the way we live and do business.

            The first major industry to loose was the airlines.  People did not want to fly for a number of reasons, The attacks, as they should have, shocked the American psyche and caused people to look for other ways to do business, more E-mails, fax usage and teleconferencing.  The FAA’s outstanding move in the early hours of the crisis to ground all aircraft, which no doubt saved other lives, also stranded thousands of American’s in different locations.  This lifesaving act left and indelible mark in the minds of the American public that if I take this trip, can I be sure of getting home. This question weighs, as the terrorists wanted, in the back of many minds and has caused many people to alter where they go and what they do to accomplish their work.

In addition, once aircraft began moving about the country, issues such as cockpit security, airport screening and the extension of check-in time began to factor into trips.

The friendly skies did not exist after that pivotal September day.  The nation was in transition from a peace time economy to a coalition building, war footing action in pursuit of an elusive enemy being harbored in a far away nation called Afghanistan.  The American public could not even spell it let alone find it on their maps.  This was not a third world nation because it was below that status in development.  It is a country that has seen twenty years of war, where women are shot if they show their face. Supplies are carried on horseback and you can park your donkey in a corral for 12 cents a day.

This poor nation was host to the Taliban government that, thanks to United States intervention, would be overthrown and with it, the protection the Al-Qaeda had received from it.

There is no doubt that this group and their approach to war poses an enormous threat to the citizens of the United States.  It is their goal to destroy the country that Americans have built and if possible turn it into an extreme Muslim state.