The Best Counter-Terrorism Plan

I was watching Fareed Zakaria's "GPS" show on CNN yesterday, and in his discussion about the Times Square bomb plot with his guest, counter-terrorism expert Richard Clarke, Clarke said something very important and profound (the interview starts at 14:27).

"We are going to have one of these attacks succeed. And I think that what we have to start talking about now, as a nation, is what our reaction is going to do.

Because the last time, 9/11 happened and we panicked. I panicked, everyone did. We overreacted, and in many ways, the things that we did were counterproductive. Other things that we did were wasteful. Some things we did destroyed our own value system.

So we should have this discussion now. If there is another attack and it is successful, what are we going to do, and what are we not going to do this time?"

The best counter-terrorism is to refuse to be terrorized. Yet, our governmental leaders here in the United States feel that they need to whip of fear in the populace in light of terrorist acts. I guess they think this will help them win votes. But this plays right into the terrorist's purposes.

Rather, we need to accept that terrorist plots are a part of our reality, and train our people to act accordingly. As Christians, we must remember that God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim 1:7).

The LORD is my light and my salvation —
__whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
__of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me
__to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
__they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
__my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
__even then will I be confident. (Psalm 27:1-3)