Dark New Day In America

by Christopher G. Adamo

In one of the most vicious and transparent ploys of last year's election cycle, Democrats attempted to make the case that President Bush had received sufficient information to convince him that the attacks of 9-11 were imminent, but he chose to do nothing. Hindsight being 20/20, it is arguable that greater concern was warranted. However, no one can truly imagine the level of wailing and accusing that would have ensued from those very same critics, had the President recognized the specifics of the threat and taken proper actions to avert it.

All prior warnings and terrorist alerts would have fallen on deaf ears. America simply could not have foreseen nor comprehended the magnitude of the events that ensued, and would not have accepted drastic action as being warranted. But 9-11 did happen, and America received a brutal “wake up call” that should have been sufficient to convince the country of a proper response. Now, less than a year and a half later, our nation is divided and inconsistent as to what constitutes appropriate action in the War on Terror. And in its present state of contention, frequently bordering on indifference, America is without excuse.

Some within our culture have endeavored from the beginning to soften and blur the significance of the terrorist attacks. Even at the time of their occurrence, American TV stations were hesitant to run video of the scores of people jumping to their deaths from the burning towers. In the immediate aftermath, major TV networks began to cloud and distort reality by substituting terms such as "alleged hijacker" to describe the terrorists. Numerous incidents, throughout the nation, of Muslim immigrants lauding the attacks, were either ignored completely or covered only by local affiliates.

Having endured seventeen months of relative peace and quiet, the public has become somewhat complacent, and even apathetic towards the frequent warnings issued by the federal government. Airline pilots are yet to be allowed to carry firearms in the cockpits, despite the fact that having been thus armed, they well could have thwarted every hijacking on September 11. Yet, the public shows little indignation over this reprehensible situation.

Even the outlandish comments of Washington Senator Patti Murray, who spoke with near praise of Osama bin Laden, didn't result in the level of outrage that they deserved. Instead, the scandal has essentially dissipated, never having mushroomed to the degree that it would have in another time, when both patriotism and sympathy for America's enemies were taken far more seriously than they are today.

But certain things have changed in America, and to an appalling degree. State legislatures around the country do not hesitate to pass onerous and threatening laws (onerous and threatening to the American public, but not necessarily to would-be terrorists), ostensibly intended to protect the public from the threat of biological agents. However, the laws themselves pose a much uglier risk to the American people... that of fenced compounds and isolation camps for the infected, or those suspected of being infected, who refuse to submit to mandated vaccinations or other involuntary measures.

If such forced isolation of this country's lawful and decent citizens can be considered a worthwhile option in general pursuit of public safety, why then is the government so hesitant to take similar action against hostile foreigners conspiring within our nation's borders? Sadly, most Americans accept this situation, pacified by a false sense of security that results from having lived most of their lives in a place where they never had to face any kind of widespread threat. Yet such threats do exist, and are dangers whether they arise from hostile foreign operatives or a tyrannical presence in our nation's own governing institutions.

At this late date, America continues to be hampered in its response to the terrorist threat by those “enlightened” individuals who remain in denial of the true nature of our foe. The loss of three thousand innocent people, and the widespread rejoicing among supporters of the act, apparently only served to briefly tarnish their idealism with the harshness of reality. Perhaps the emplacement of surface-to-air missiles around the Nation's Capitol in the past few days, or the federal government's heightened warnings of another imminent attack, might shock them out of their utopic stupor. The enemy is still out there. It cannot be persuaded or appeased, but must be utterly defeated. A horrible alternative awaits us if we fail to regain our focus and complete the task.

Growing up during the turbulent decades of the ‘60's and ‘70's, Christopher  Adamo saw, to his dismay, the nation's moral foundations being destroyed  before his very eyes. But even then he was a staunch Conservative at heart,  and rejected outright the tenets of America's counterculture revolution.

 After a hitch in the Air Force, where he specialized in airborne  electro- optical systems, he pursued a career in the field of aerospace,  working for major defense contractors in California, Florida, and Colorado. But his career plans abruptly changed during the industry-wide downsizing that followed the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Presently he is working in the field of industrial instrumentation in the state of Wyoming. Concurrently, he has become involved in that state's political process, attending state GOP conventions as a delegate, and serving as a member of the Wyoming Republican Central Committee. He has also aided in the candidacies of local legislators and state senators, as well as a U.S. Senator and Congresswoman.

From 1993 to 1996, he edited and wrote for “The Wyoming Christian”, the state newsletter for Christian Coalition of Wyoming. During that period, he developed an acute awareness of the harm being done to Conservatism by liberal activists within the Republican Party as well as the Democrats. This remains a favorite theme of his articles, which now appear as a regular feature on GOPUSA.