FBI director Christopher Wray warned the Senate Judiciary Committee that the likelihood of a terrorist attack is higher than it has been in years. He then went on to say terrorists could exploit the Southern Border.
Gee, Chris, are you just now noticing that we have an open border? Where have you been the past three years since Biden’s election? Is this the first time you noticed at least 4.5 million people illegally crossed the border since that time? Talk about closing the barn door too late. Sounds to me like you are trying to cover your ass and start shifting blame in case the U.S. is attacked. Not very reassuring.
Maybe the FBI would be more confident if they focused on external threats like jihadists, Chinese spies, and Iranian infiltrators rather than Catholics, parents who attend school board meetings, and other Americans who practice their first and second amendment rights. One can oppose the president or their school board supervisor and still be a patriotic American.
Avoiding Terrorists Attacks
As terrorist proved on 9/11 and more recently in Israel on 10/7, a well-conceived terrorist attack can kill thousands of people. We are lucky there haven’t been more significant attacks here at home, and the FBI is not alone in thinking the threat level has increased after the Hamas attack in Israel.
While you may want to take some actions to avoid becoming the victim of a terrorist act, the average American is more likely to be a victim of violent crime than terrorism. If you stay out of New York, Washington, D.C, and other potential target cities, your risk of being a victim of terrorism goes down. (In a happy coincidence, your risk of being a victim of violent crime also drops.)
I also recommend minimizing your time on airplanes, avoiding overseas travel, staying away from large public events, and being alert when you are in public rather than having your nose glued to your phone. Happily, those all align with my way of life, so it is no imposition on me. If your life involves international travel, meetings in New York, Los Angeles or D.C., at tickets to the Superbowl, well good for you, but not so good for your threat level.
Don’t Invite Trouble
One of my earliest firearms trainers would always point out that the best way to avoid trouble was to avoid places where trouble was often found. He meant be home before midnight, don’t drink in dive bars, avoid prostitutes, and keep out of dangerous neighborhoods, but the concept applies to avoiding a terrorist attack as well. Stay out of places terrorists might attack, and the odds are extremely high you will avoid being caught up in a terrorist attack.
The biggest threat I face when I leave my house isn’t a Hamas sympathizer. It’s a driver who strays over the center lane on the tight curves of our mountain roads. I address this threat by keeping my eyes open, staying on my side of the road, and driving a large vehicle with front and side airbags.
What is the biggest threat you face? How do you prepare to face it? Here’s one way to minimize the threats you face: Don’t do stupid stuff in stupid places.
Surveillance Society
The post-9/11 laws passed by Congress have subjected millions of Americans to increased scrutiny, less privacy, ridiculous banking laws, and far less freedom. Some would argue that it has also cut down on terrorism. That may be true, but was it a worthy trade? I often think not.
As a mostly retired individual living on the side of the mountain in the middle of nowhere who gets no financial aid from the government, I probably have more freedom than most Americans. I have the freedom to do pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want, and the biggest check on my behavior is my wife, not Uncle Sam.
But do I want more freedom? You betcha. I miss the days when I could fly without taking my shoes off or withdraw $5,000 cash from my bank account without being questioned by the teller or told to come back the next day. I want to decide when to wear a face mask and when not to. It would be nice to send an email and not thinking a government agency is scanning it for keywords. I also want to freely exercise my constitutional rights without ending up on a list of possible domestic terrorists.
Am I worried about a terrorist attack? It’s pretty low on my personal scale of concerns. That a terrorist attack may be used to get us deeper into war in the Middle East is a graver concern.
