Over the past few months I've seen the Democrats cry foul everytime President Bush or Vice President Cheney talk about an attack on our homeland, and it's time someone put this into perspecitive. Let's look at why the American public SHOULD be afraid, and what the most important issue of this election really is:
Biochemical or nuclear attack within the borders of the United States of America.
Consider this scenario: Militant jihadists aligned with any of the multiple anti-American terror cells (Al-Queda is not the only one) decides that it is time to once again strike America. Unable to acquire nuclear fissele materials, they are able to acquire RICIN in a minute protected capsule delivery. Once they have the hundreds of thousands of tiny ricin capsules, patience and careful planning allow this deadly poison to be smuggled into the USA, perhaps into the hands of an established agent, with a long standing public retail store that allows access to the public.
Using chat boards, forums or even blogs (ack!), the terror cell contacts are activated nationwide. Perhaps a group of ten, both local and abroad, make travel plans to go on vacation with their family to the same city as the business is located in. All of these people look and act like normal, established US citizens. While they are there, they visit the store and make a purchase of a specified item, perhaps a fake cell phone or PDA or maybe even an article of clothing. Hidden inside such normal wares would be the encapsuated ricin, now being driven to different areas across the country. Tens of thousands of capsules could be hidden in such a small, personal item. And nobody would give a second glance to someone with a hollow cell phone or iPod.
This is where it gets scary. These average citizens have all taken jobs at food distribution & packaging plants. Coca Cola, Pepsi, Frito Lay (chip dips) and others only see these people as good, hardworking employees. Some may be specialists, some may merely work on the packaging line. Either way, ricin would be easy enough to smuggle in and distribute into these mass packaged foods.
Tens of thousands across the country would die.
Another scenario: The same terrorist cell has been able to acquire nuclear fissele material in the form of a 'suitcase bomb', sold onto the black market by a rogue ex-Soviet officer in the 90's (you know, back when these guys weren't getting paid and had to sell of military equipment to make a living). This scenario, the terrorists are once again patient, masking the radiation through heavy encasement and transporting the package to Mexico through illegal shipping means.
Once in Mexico, it is only a matter of patience to deliver this suitcase under the US/ Mexico border, using a series of established tunnels along the Texas border. A quick truck drive to a rented warehouse, the package is moved to a Uhaul truck, which then goes on the road to New York. Stopping only for gas, the Uhaul hits New York in under 48 hours.
Millions would die, New York state and much of the eastern USA would be uninhabitable.
In this last scenario, the terrorist forego the cost and hassle of acquiring nuclear fissle material and make a home made bomb, similar to what was used by Tim McVeigh. Except this time, they package it in a small private jet on a small private airfield somewhere in the remote Northeast. Their target?
Indian Point nuclear reactor outside of New York.
Millions would die, New York state and much of the eastern USA would be uninhabitable.
And there are many, many more very real scenarios lurking in the minds of people that take no greater joy than to slaughter us.
Are you scared yet? You should be. This election has no greater issue than a WMD attack on American soil. The next time you hear John Kerry say the Republicans are using scare tactics to win votes, instead you need to ask why he isn't addressing a very serious concern about the future of US citizens. It's not fear mongering, it's our new reality.
Why are Democrats afraid to confront it?