Reflections on the "New American" Revolution
Sunday, September 11, 2005
In Hurricane Katrina's wake, some question whether battle against terrorism is the right fight
... the so-called war on terrorism has "done more harm than good. ... It has diverted our attention from other vital" missions.
Even those who remain exceedingly worried about terrorism found reason for concern after watching the response to Hurricane Katrina, which -- unlike a terrorist attack -- came with a few days' warning.
"This provides vivid insights into what (a terrorist) situation might be like," said retired Col. Larry Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. "It makes me even tenfold more worried -- if that's possible -- than I was before."
Much has been written about the lasting legacy of Sept. 11 as it relates to the nation's foreign policy, politics and psyche. But the timing of Hurricane Katrina has also prompted a conversation about the cost of focusing on terror.
"This terrorism paranoia has (created) unbalanced priorities," said Ben Wisner, an adviser to the United Nations on disaster risk, and a visiting professor at Oberlin College in Ohio.
"People have been taught like Pavlov's dogs; when the terrorism bell rings ... people salivate. They become hyper-aware of it to the extent that they don't pay attention to other risks," Wisner said.
"We live in a continent with very severe winters, hot summer, volcanoes, coastline, hurricanes, earthquake. ... The fact is these natural hazards affect people every year and in the aggregate kill a lot of people. We have to be concerned with the big picture."
For the past four years, terrorism has been the big picture in Washington. The administration's focus on war and terror was evident as Katrina blew through the Gulf Coast. The day the storm devastated New Orleans, Bush left his vacation home in Texas and flew to California, where he delivered a speech on the war in Iraq.
"After September the 11th, 2001, we've taught the terrorists a ... lesson," Bush said at the Naval Air Station in San Diego.
"America will not run in defeat, and we will not forget our responsibilities. We have brought down two murderous regimes. We're driving terrorists from their sanctuaries. We're putting the terrorists on the run all across the world."
As Bush spoke these words, tens of thousands of New Orleans residents were trying to cope without food, phones or police protection.
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