In A Post-9/11 World We Have Lost Some Of Our Personal Liberties, But Are We Safer?

Terrorism Expert Says Americans Safer In Post-9/11 World, But At Cost Of Personal Liberties -- Stars and Stripes

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — An expert on counter-terrorism intelligence gathering, in noting the mistakes that led to the Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks, said Americans are safer today than they were, but at a cost of some personal liberties.

"I think we have moved toward greater security at the expense of liberty," said Erik Dahl, assistant professor of national security at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. "We have fewer civil liberties."

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My Comment: While I would agree with the view that our personal liberties are 'disappearing', I will disagree with the view that we are 'safer'. Al Qaeda and other Islamic militant groups who have a deep hatred for the West are still out there, and they have not wavered in their determination to bring great harm to our shores. My biggest fear is that one day we may find ourselves experiencing a nuclear 9/11 event that would bring casualties into the hundreds of thousands. I know that there will be an outcry for action, and I cannot help but feel that this action will entail the establishment of a closely guarded and watched society that will monitor all behavior and movement. Talk about disappearing civil liberties .... after such a hypothetical horrible event the debate will shift to limiting our liberties, with the mass majority of the American public demanding it.