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A War Against Terror Or A War Against Truth?
By Thomas D. Segel
August 29, 2002

It is a cliche, but it is also a rock solid fact. One of the first casualties of war is the truth. If this isn't very clear to all thinking Americans, those who disagree with the premise are long overdue for reality checks.

We have just gone though a series of governmental pronouncements about our important allies and friends in Saudi Arabia. These are the same friends who gave us our el Queda kingpin, 15 of 19 September 11 terrorists, denial of airspace or facilities for the conduct of our war, payments to terrorists and terror supporters, refusal to allow the United States to speak with terrorist captives held in that country... the list is almost endless. However, according to our political elite, we are expected to believe the Saudis are friends.

Our new partners in the terror war are those we liberated in Afghanistan. They are already releasing hundreds of el Queda and Taliban fighters who are citizens of Pakistan. Some of these enemy combatants have already returned to attacking American forces. In widely played television interviews others are heard to say that when released they will return to kill Americans. When asked why we have not spoken out against these releases our state department spokesmen claim they don't know anything about such exchanges.

We are expected to believe their answer.

On the home front we are told our borders are being protected against enemy intruders. Yet anyone who lives close to either of our neighboring countries will tell you there is constant movement of people across those boundaries. In the southern districts of Texas alone, more than 100 aliens a day are apprehended. Along with those apprehensions are millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs. Yet, drugs are abundant everywhere and undocumented workers can be found on most street corners. If good people can come in at will to work and contraband can flow like water, it is not a great leap of imagination to picture terrorists coming in at will to do whatever they desire.

But, we are told the borders are secure.

We are also told airport security has improved with government trained workers moving in to do the screening. We now discover they make as many mistakes as the commercial screeners before them make... and have had little training before assuming their duties. Still abusing passengers continues. Equipment fails. Security varies and operational style differs from airport to airport.

Not to worry says our government. The airports are safe.

Air Marshals are being hired to protect us in the sky. But, government makes them dress in a manner that is almost uniform and they feel they do not blend in with passengers, as was the original plan. They work far too many hours to be effective and are leaving almost as fast as they are being recruited.

This is no problem says the security leadership. Our skies are being guarded.

Most Americans know the many barriers we face in attempting to build a protective wall around this country. In an open society the task is next to impossible. We have miles upon miles of open borders. We have even more miles of unguarded seashores. Container ships are rarely inspected. Foreign flag aircraft are already inside our country when they arrive at international airports. We know the mail system has already been compromised. We have more than eight million illegal aliens in the United States that we can't even find.

With all of these flaws for all eyes to see, our national leadership still insists on the hackneyed politically correct talk that attempts to sell our war on terror as being effectively handled.

For some unexplained reason, those who assume the mantle of power always feel the public is either unwilling or incapable of understanding the truth of any complex situation. This has become so ingrained within national leadership that everything spoken or placed in print by governmental officials is viewed with suspicion, if not complete disbelief. Still, they keep reciting the same tired words until even the tone of their comment reflects their duplicity.

When caught in these false, tailored answers, they usually claim they have been misunderstood or that they "misspoke". We have yet to hear the leadership stand up and say... Sorry we are lying.

Long before any of us living today could have heard his words, Daniel Webster spoke of what is required to gain the trust of the people. "The civilized world seems at last to be proceeding to the conviction of that fundamental and manifest truth, that the powers of government are but a trust, and that they cannot be lawfully exercised but for the good of the community. As knowledge is more and more extended, this conviction becomes more and more general."

In today's terms, he would have said the American people are savvy enough to know what is taking place in this world and too bright to be conned for any length of time.

Political Washington has yet to decide if it is really trying to fight a war against terror or wage a war against the truth. One day they may realize the people of this country know the difference. Let us all hope that knowledge doesn't come to them too late.