Bin Laden's Strengthening Of America

Dean Esmay has accused me of being a "worried paranoid" about the threat posed by terrorism (ok, so that wasn't exactly what he said, but it sounds good). I don't think that the issue is one of the degree of worry, but rather is one of being able to comprehend the threat that we're facing.

Pre 9/11 everyone knew that the terrorists could hit us. But no one expected the WTC style attacks. No one could comprehend the evil being planned.

Today, we think of ourselves as being more "with it." We "understand" the threat of Bin Laden & Friends. We pretend that nothing he can concoct could possibly be so evil, so beyond comprehension as to be a surprise to us.

I'm not saying that it will happen, but it could. How many people have thought about a situation in which the Air Force is forced to actually shoot down a civilian airliner? What would the effects of that be like?

First, it would demoralize the Air Force. The pilots don't want to be taking off on each sortie fearing that they will have to pull the trigger and kill 200 innocent Americans. They don't want every call to escort a civilian airliner to be a potential heart-wrenching event. Our Air Force will begin to fear their job, not because of the threat to the fighters, but because of the threat that they are forced to pose to civilians.

Second, if one or two airplanes had to be shot down, it would create an incredible level of fear among the American public. What if the next flight I'm on is one that for some reason, valid or not, gets shot down? How can I even attempt something like passengers of Flight 93, when I'll probably still get shot down? The fear and trepidation would be enough to shut down the American domestic airline industry for quite a while.

Now, here's a real stretch, what if that was actually a good thing for the nation?

Everything bad and evil has to have a little good in it somewhere. Economically, shutting down domestic air travel would be crushing to the airlines and their support structure, but for business, we already have the technology to communicate without the benefit of airlines. We can hold virtual meetings instead of real ones. We can sign deals via fax. Everything that can be done in person can be done electronically, except to shake a hand. Short term there would be an economic setback, but long term, it really wouldn't hurt us too much.

Tourism would suffer more as it would take longer to get to a destination. But is that all that bad a thing either?

Too much of the American lifestyle is go-go-go-go-go. Everything is fast paced. Vacation isn't so much the trip itself, but how much can I get crammed into it. We don't take the time to get to know each other. As our lives have sped up, we have started to lose the sense of community that can come only from spending the time to get to know each other.

With the airlines, you get in an aluminum tube and for maybe 2 hours, maybe 4, you can get to know the person next to you. It's hard to get to know the guy three rows up or the girl five rows back. The time and space just isn't there. There isn't a community, just 200 random people going to the same place.

Getting out of the air would mean more human contact. To travel, we would have to drive (where we could meet fellow travelers in restaurants or at rest stops), ride a bus (similar effects to driving), or ride a train.

Last May, I went to Illinois to help my sister move back home. One of the days we were there, me and my mother decided to take a day trip up to Chicago. We chose to get there via Amtrak's City of New Orleans.

Other than my sister, I knew no one in Illinois. In the three hours it took to get to Chicago, we met folks on their way back from the New Orleans Jazz Festival, a single mother in the process of moving to Minnesota, and many other interesting people. These are people that I never would have met any other way. We didn't form any lasting friendships, but for three hours, I got to learn more about what life is like in Middle America.

I also was able to see what small town America actually looks like. Small towns of 20 homes, all cookie cutter homes from the turn of the century, along the main street; corner grocery store. It was just like it is always described. They are a kind of town that we don't have in Florida. It was something new and different.

An evil and despicable act by a Saudi terrorist could be one of the best things to happen to this nation. It would force us to slow down our lives; give us an opportunity to meet our fellow Americans. It would bring us closer together as a nation, as a people.

And this is why I don't "worry" about a terrorist attack, no matter how evil or incomprehensible. The great irony of Bin Laden's attempts to destroy us is that he succeeds only in making us stronger. 9/11 did, and whatever he comes up with next will do the same.