The attempted Christmas Day attack has reminded all of us “there are bad people out there.” But as we listen to the pundits, experts (an expert is someone who says he is one!), pontificators, and bloviators we are reminded that there are no certainties in life.
The natural reaction of government, in fact all bureaucratic organizations, is to punish all, the innocent and the not so innocent. We will see increased times for screening, we will see further delays and inconveniences heaped upon the traveling public but in the end we will be no safer. It was reported today in the New York Times that it took over seven hours to get through screening in Toronto.
There are things, which could be done to make us safer. We could use profiling, however that has serious civil liberty concerns. We could use full body scanners but that has privacy concerns. Hopefully cooler and more rational heads will prevail and we do what is best not only for the traveling public but for the nation as a whole.
Regardless of what we do, we will not be one hundred per cent safe. If history is our guide we must be mindful that our adversary will find a way around our defenses through adaptation and innovation. After World War I, France decided it would prevent any German invasion by building the Maginot Line. The Germans, not content to do what the French General’s wanted, chose instead in World War II to attack through the Ardennes. The Maginot Line while impressive merely caused the Germans to adapt and use innovative tactics to accomplish their purpose the conquering of France.
There is another lesson from history—one should not become complacent. The question is whether as a nation we will learn from the past.
