An American Muslim's View of the Hearings

Actually...terrorism has been around both the world and the U.S. for a long, long, long time. We just don't know about it. Each of the military branches' investigative services have their own terrorism investigative areas that chart, report on, and at times help other countries investigate anything that is even remotely close to being a terrorism plot or act and these services act in concert with the Department of State and other U.S. investigative services. Most Americans know nothing about all of this...if we did, there would be mass chaos and panic amongst the people. And these investigations and investigative services work...why? Because there is a lack of terrorism actions that succeed on U.S. soil as compared to other countries. Though I will say, since DHS was created I think the terrorism investigations and reports systems have been muddied a little.

Americans, especially those who visit foreign countries (I'm not talking about Canada) or live in foreign countries have always been considered easy targets because we are SO not aware of our surroundings and basically are stupid Americans (this is a term that is widely used about Americans by local nationals overseas).

I remember when I was stationed in Ankara, Turkey during Gulf War I...it became habit for me to crawl under my vehicle in the morning before I started it to see if there was anything suspicious hanging off of any of the parts...I even mentioned it to my mom in passing in a letter I sent her...she panicked and didn't understand that that was just a way of life when living in an overseas environment. And we did have an Airman who was the target of and died as a result of a terrorist attack when I was there...he wouldn't have been able to stop the attack as it was very sophisticated and difficult to find the bomb that was attached to his vehicle.

I still to this day pay very close attention when staying at a hotel or motel...no higher than the 4th floor...preferably the 4th floor not near the elevator but near the stairwell...not facing the main road, no balcony...I pay attention to things (packages, bags, suitcases, etc.) that are out of the norm...a newspaper box is an excellent place to put a bomb

I believe the paranoia started in earnest among the "normal" Americans right around 9/11 and has remained at a high level...but nothing has been done to educate Americans about what they do to assist the terrorists (whether they be Muslims, Black, Aliens, men, or women) in furthering their plots. It seems that relying on authorities, whether they are local police, national police, investigative services, or anyone else in authority, is the way Americans think...do not every take any action or learn anything that could possibly keep yourself and your kin safe...let the authorities handle it...and complain about it when you perceive that they haven't kept you safe.

America has been so prosperous for most of our lives, we became complacent. The rest of the world has been dealing with terrorism longer than us. Since action nearly always beats reaction, a glimpse of the world shows we should be more prepared. Not simply wait for the next attack.

:thumbsup:

Yes, with the two World Trade Center attacks the U.S. "discovered" non-domestic terrorism. But the rest of the world had been dealing with it for decades.

I still remember when the government actually told us to stock up on plastic sheeting and duct tape, with a straight face.

They were hoping you'd paint your house. :thumbsup:

American's complacence WILL lead to another attack on the scale of 9/11... I just hope I'm not around to see it.

I'm sorry to have to tell you CB, that it might come sooner than later.

Nmysys: Oh, I'm fully aware of this...just as I'm aware that another school shooting WILL happen. I can still hope that I'm not around to see it.

I think you should think about staying around and protecting your children. JMO

Anyone know when we switched from seeing illegal aliens as the big problem to Muslim terrorists as the big problem?

All I seem to read on these discussions now are warnings about Muslims and none about illegals.