Last Friday, Umar Farouk Abbulmutallab attempted to explode a plane when he lit a bag which contained a combination of potentially explosive materials. However, his concoction did not explode and he was subdued by other passengers. President Obama ordered a review of the nation’s watch-list system and of its air safety regulations because of its failure in this case.
As I reflect on this incident, I realize that there are implications for our democracy. Many times, when systems put in place by our government fail to work, it is up to the people to take the initiative and insure there own safety. In the year’s sense 911, I have heard other stories of incidents that could jeopardize the safety of airline passengers in which the passengers took control of the situation. On the surface, this might not seem relevant to democracy, but the idea is that everyone participates and has a role in securing the safety of the group. The people do not sit back and passively expect the government to take responsibility for their safety. They realize that they must take some of that responsibility themselves.
The second implication is on measures the government takes to prevent future attacks. Contemplating the government’s potential reaction to last Friday’s aborted attack causes me to reflect on my thoughts on what took place in the aftermath of 911. I was disturbed by the fact that torture of prisoners was a part of the discussion on preventive measures for terrorist attacks. I was also ambivalent about some of the other measures taken which included keeping detainees in prison without trial for an indefinite period of time, and the patriot act. To me, this is a confusing and ambiguous piece of legislation that attempts to describe what our government may or may not do to prevent more attacks in the future. My attempts to understand the provisions of this act only left me more confused and increasingly uncomfortable.
In reflecting on the problem of terrorism, it is my overall conclusion that the American people have an active role to play in the solution which consists of being vigilant and of holding the government accountable for its actions in dealing with national security with regard to terrorism. In an ideal world, we would be perfectly safe and enjoy our freedoms. However, in enacting stronger security measures, it is possible that our basic freedoms will be curtailed. However, if we wish to maintain these freedoms, it is possible that our safety will be compromised. Sometimes, we may have to sacrifice freedom for safety or vice versa. These are the issues we face when confronting terrorism.