The United States should be on heightened alert in the coming days because of possible new terrorist action, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Monday afternoon. [...] The information authorities received was not specific but was sufficient to share with the public, Ashcroft said.
No. It. WASN'T.
I know it's early yet. I know that whatever it is hasn't happened yet. I don't care. You don't DO this. I can't believe he didn't learn that after the last one. You don't tell people to watch out without telling them what to watch out FOR. What are we supposed to be vigilant for? Trucks? Planes? Trains? Spores? Weird mushrooms? What?
The other thing is, it's a catch 22. If he was specific enough to warn people, then the terrorists would probably do something else. I get that. If he didn't warn someone about something, and whatever it is happened, then he'd get ripped for putting people at risk. I get that, too. But if they mean what they say and they want us to go on as normal, then we'll have to get used to operating on high alert. The police can't get on higher alert. We'll have to learn how to be vigilant without the authorities saying, "Hey, watch out! Our enemies still hate us!" I mean, I think we actually "get" that part, you know? I think we understand that the people who threw planes at us still hate us. It's not going to help to say, "Something's going to happen. We don't know what. We don't know where. But something."
The other thing that we are going to need to get used to -- and it will be incredibly difficult -- is that in order to catch people, the authorities may be forced to let some things happen. They'll try to stop them in time to prevent people from being killed or injured, but sometimes they'll fail. That's the way it's going to be for the next decade or so.
Attention Dubya and Mr. Ashcroft: this is the new normal. If we're going to get used to it, you have to get used to it first.
I would also like to kick the ass of everyone in every local media station. What good does it do for the public for the media to go to the airport and say, "Ashcroft just announced a new warning. How do you feel about that?" How do I feel? I'd like to make you eat that microphone for daring to say such a thing to me when I'm about to get on a plane. That's how I feel.
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
[Archives: 2001 and after]
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12/19/2001: vive la france
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