I’m having a hard time feeling right about our security alerts.
First, it seems like the most recent several have not been fully forthcoming at the first announcement.
The latest alert is based, we are now told, on intelligence that is years old.
Why should this additional information leak out after the alert is sounded rather than being given to citizens immediately?
This lack of full disclosure gives rise to cynicism among many Americans.
Second, if the purpose of terrorists is to disrupt our commerce, increase the level of fear and concern and interfere with normal social interactions, their goals are achieved by raising the alert level whether or not they actually strike.
Third, if I were a terrorist, I would most certainly move to secondary targets when every news outlet in the world announces that specific cities have heightened security because they are the expected targets.
Maybe our leaders should limit security alerts to local authorities only rather than publishing them far and wide.
Certainly our current approach seems fatally flawed, and if there is no workable solution, maybe it would be better to eliminate the alerts altogether.
