News of higher terror alerts overwhelms today's media. There is more specificity toward who, what, where and when terrorist attacks might occur.The government, along with the media, might be creating a culture of fear rather than knowledge.
Surely, one should be vigilant during the Bush administration's allegations of new terrorism threats and alerts. But these threats of terrorism are of no surprise three years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The United States has been on a constant alert of color coded levels of security, and with the recent news of a 90 percent complete plan for a follow-up to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it is perplexing to see that the government has not moved the terror alert level to code red.
The hesitation to heighten the level of security could be a way to divert attention from the recent controversial photos of humiliated Iraqi soldiers, which have created a public-relations nightmare. Instead of focusing on the mistakes of the U.S. government, the Bush administration could have moved the attention toward the fear inflicted upon the United States by terrorist cells. And hesitating to heighten the level of security is one way to divert attention from the shortcomings of our government.
Focusing on terror as opposed to governmental errors could also push people over the edge. This type of terror may or may not cause sleepless nights, but it is in the back of the minds of Americans. Having a constant reminder that another terrorist attack such as Sept. 11 could happen might create huge problems. People should not be forced to mull terror over in their minds at all times.
One must remember the resiliency of Americans after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Instead of inflicting fear throughout the United States, people should remember how Americans took a step back and realized that the U.S. is not invincible. The Sept. 11 attacks were a horrific series of events that changed society forever, but should not be events that drowns us in fear. They should instead create awareness of the world at large.
