February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
That the Saudi kingdom has become a very dangerous place for foreigners, most especially westerners, has been a grim fact for some time.
The dead Irishman was likely considered a target of opportunity for the gunmen.
His particular nationality did not matter to his killers. His death was intended to serve as a warning to all outsiders.
It was, for sure, a reminder that we live in very dangerous times.
The danger level does vary depending on geographic location. Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Saudi Arabia rank high on this dubious list by virtue of daily events.
The presence of terror in such places is not simply a warning. It is a fact.
Less evident is the continued presence of terror and terrorists in this country.
We have been predisposed towards expecting bad things to happen since Sept. 11.
That predisposition, and all the security precautions that logically follow, have probably made the U.S. a safer place; but not, as we are constantly told, safe.
The heightened terrorist alert at the beginning of this week was a stark reminder that we are nowhere near to emerging from the long shadow of terror, actual, anticipated or simply imagined.
We are no longer completely shocked at the idea of anyone trying to blow up a building and killing as many people as possible.
The danger, however, is that our expectation of the worst, compounded by warnings of the worst that don’t quickly pan out, will dull our level of preparedness for the attack we are continuously told is inevitable.
That this week’s warnings of possible attacks directed at specific financial institutions were based on intelligence information several years old is not in itself a negative thing.
After all, the plans for the Sept. 11 attacks had been in gestation for some time before they were actually carried out.
But it might have been an idea for the Department of Homeland Security to tell people that the plans were not necessarily new, not necessarily in train at this specific point in time.
And it’s most unfortunate that the timing of the warnings are being questioned on political grounds.
If doubt is cast Homeland Security’s credibility and candor, then we are really heading for trouble.
Still, given that the plans existed at all, even if only in a computer and in the warped minds of those who rejoice in murder and mayhem, was frightening enough.
It is for the best that the public is informed if there is credible evidence of an attack.
But warnings should be measured and as informative as possible.
Meanwhile, those tasked with providing safety at and within our borders will, we are certain, do their jobs as best they can, regardless of either exaggeration, or soothing qualification.