We have been asked to be partners in this war. We have been asked to show trust in our government and our country. Show us, you deserve that trust.

Americas War On Terror appears to be going very well. But, is it really? What is really the truth behind statements being made, for example : “Al Qaida has been broken,” or “we have made great strides in shutting down terrorism where it lives”? The government and press need to be very, very cautious when issuing such sweeping statements to the public. For many reasoning individuals, a credibility gap is widening every day.


Americans can understand the need for secrecy, for holding down leaks and military information. What we can’t understand is painting the canvas with broad brushstrokes of rosy misrepresentation, either for political gain or to soothe an unquiet population. The statements regarding Al Qaida are particularly irksome. According to sources cited here at Domestic Terrorism, and others, the total Al Qaida force, by the time we were ready to engage in Afghanistan was between 12,000 and 15,000 members. Currently we have roughly under 10% in custody. The rest? They have slipped the noose and gone to ground in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Somalia and Yemen. That’s a whole lot of trouble on the loose right now.


Certainly their conveniently centralized base of operations is gone in Afghanistan, but there are other places, including Pakistan, where they continue to operate schools of terror. Al Qaida, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas have always been loosely knit, fluidly mobile, highly secretive, compartmentalized entities. The loss of their Afghanistan camps hurt, but rationally, hasn’t hampered them to any great degree. Richard Reid, the accused shoe bomb suspect, was seen in Egypt with a known terrorist entity, where it is suspected, he picked up the PET for the bomb.


Knowing this, how can any reasonably honest person make statements like the ones I’ve heard lately? It is unfair to the American public, who are desperately looking for reassurance that this “problem” is well on it’s way to being solved. It is also dishonest. The mainstream press and the Bush Administration have received high marks for their handling of information during the beginning phase of this war. With 70% of the public saying they believe we will be attacked again, according to a recent CNN poll, this administration would be wise to avoid using rosy rhetoric and keep to the facts. We need honesty as never before from our leaders. We have been asked to be alert and aware at all times. We have been asked for patience and understanding with new constraints and restrictions on certain freedoms. This is a huge change for many Americans. I think it is only fair to require our government to be honest about the threat still very much alive in this world.


We have been asked to be partners in this war. We have been asked to show trust in our government and our country. Show us, you deserve that trust.