Consequences of Terror

The Consequences of Certain Terror

By Roy D. Follendore III

June 22, 2002

A terrorist attack by foreign organizations on the United States is certain. The problem is that it has always been certain. Just because we did not recognize that certainty does not mean that it did not exist before 911. Threat probability just does not work any other way.

The other day an asteroid the size of a football field passed between the earth and the orbit of our moon. Man has been that far out into space. Had we had a space ship in the right place we might have had astronauts there. It was that close. The problem is that we didn't even know it was there until it was there. Had it hit the earth, it could have done terrible damage. The point is that it didn't. It didn't not because we could have stopped it. And it didn't because we knew about it. But it could have hit the earth regardless of whether we knew about it our not. We just do not know enough to stop an asteroid from hitting earth.

The concept of terrorism is much like that. If we are going to stop an asteroid from destroying our earthly civilizations then we need to put some quality time into thinking about the problems, and the effects. Knee jerk solutions may not only be ineffective, they could cause a far greater catastrophe to humanity. The same is true for solving the problem of terrorism. Notice I did not say, "combating" terrorism. Just as we should not think of an asteroid in terms of combative solutions, we should not think of terrorism that way.

If terrorism automatically implies the concept of combat then all armies are in the business of terrorism. Since I don't think that most of us would want to believe that this is true, I suggest that the solution to terrorism is not to rig for combat by taking down our sails, but to take the wind out of the sails of the terrorists. Terrorism with a illegitimate political motive can be crushed. Terrorism with a legitimate political motive can legitimatised. If the State wages a war of terror then it is the State that has legitimatised terror. The State is obligated to operate within the law, or there is no law. The State is obligated to operate within Constitutional boundaries or there is no Constitution.

The fact is that our Government leaders have not done an adequate job at leading their organizations or managing our welfare. We have not developed our organizations that effectively communicate to solve problems. We have developed or organizations that "affectively" communicate to benefit those in power. The promotion process and the internal political leadership of Federal Agencies have long had a severe problem of leadership. Many of the departments within the Agencies of the Federal Government are headed by political animals who's paradigm weaken the objectives of the organizations to which they serve. The majority of our leaders are in their jobs to promote themselves, not serve the principles of their oath of Government office. Those who are dedicated individuals are branded misfits. We have seen this from the events leading up to the 911 disaster, a disaster in which the FBI participated by their failure to recognize the importance of individuals who must fight the system to do the right thing. Americans have not seen equivalent internal problem within other Executive branches but we should all recognize the certainty that it exists.

The problem our Government faces is not just terrorism nor organizational reform. We have always known that terrorism exists. We have known that Federal organizations have needed modern reform. The problem is not that analyzing, recognizing and communicating complex arrangements of data into useful knowledge is difficult. We have always known these difficulties have existed. The problem America faces is the recognition that our internal priorities have failed us because we have been willing to ignore them for too long. Our leadership has misplaced their personal priorities. Our Federal organizations were not prepared for the future, not because of the lack of money. And it is not because of resources or organizational structure. The fact is that the United States Federal Government is awash with money funded by bureaucracy. The failures of 911 did not suddenly come from an unseen enemy in combat. 911 arose from simple internal apathy. Our Government leaders failed us by having petty objectives that did not do justice to the defense of the Constitution and the United States. It was the legions of middle managers as well as their senior bosses that choose to do nothing rather than make the systematic changes that were necessary.

It was as though on September 11th an asteroid suddenly appeared in the skies over the Pentagon and New York City and no one previously cared.

In the aftermath, what makes any American think that these same leaders will suddenly begin to make decisions that are not in their own self serving interests? If America is going to solve the problems of 911, then America is going to have to have a National Public debate about these issues. A knee jerk wartime redesign of our Federal Government will only white wash and cover up the causes and solutions to terrorism.

.