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On balance, are we safer from terrorism now than we were in
September 2001?
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THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Question of the week: “On balance, are we safer from terrorism now than we were in September 2001?” Yes: 10 No: 1
- Karen Anderson: “Yes. Besides all the safety measures used at airports, we now have agencies very aware now whereas their guard was down on 9/11.”
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Dave Appling: “Perhaps. But becoming secure against terror means taking terrorism seriously. We still don’t. We are at war, but we’ve declined to put our nation on a war footing. As to blood and treasure, we’ve borrowed all the treasure, and we’ve delegated the blood and other sacrifices to fewer than 1 percent of our people. And so on. We need to start identifying and acting upon root causes, and stop deluding ourselves with false mantras like ‘they hate us for our freedoms.’ “
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Chris Bryant: “Yes, the many increased security measures as well as the heightened awareness has greatly reduced the odds of a successful attack.”
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Bob Chidester: “Yes. But the fight is not over yet and we have paid a terrible price for this safety including enormous amounts of money, loss of American lives, and considerable loss in our freedoms and liberty.”
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David Cohen: “Yes, but only because we have a greater awareness of it than we had prior to 10 years ago.”
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Dennis Kennedy: “Yes! Primarily because we now realize we are vulnerable to attack in many different ways. The sleeping dog has been kicked!”
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Julian Mancias: “Yes. We are more alert and aware of terrorist groups.”
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Henry Miller: “I certainly believe (and hope) so. Anyone who has traveled by commercial air recently should have good evidence that extreme efforts have been undertaken to improve our safety. And this is only an obvious example. I’m sure there are many more things underway that we don’t even know about.”
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Lisa Pampuch: “No. Many of the actions the Bush Administration took in the years after 9/11 – torture, suspension of habeas corpus, extraordinary rendition, pooh-poohing Geneva Conventions, invading a country that hadn’t attacked us – made us more vulnerable to terrorism and inspired extremists, and what’s worse, weakened our economy, diluted our civil liberties, and ignored fundamental American principles.”
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Jeff Smith: “Yes, I believe we are safer than 10 years ago, not only because of all the security measures we have taken but also because we are more aware of the enemy – who he is and what gross evil he aspires to.”
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Steve Staloch: “Yes, but it has come at a price. In spite of campaign promises to the contrary, President Obama has dramatically expanded the reach of the highly covert “top secret America,” and individual rights of privacy are more diluted than at any time since 9/11.”
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