The Leader

Throughout human history, terrorism has been used to coerce, disrupt, injure and frighten states and civilians alike; in the past five years however, it has been used as an excuse for states to frighten their populations.

UWM is a prime target. The quad towers of Sandburg halls provide more residency than my home town, and on many days there are more than 20,000 souls on campus. Any kind of large scale attack or NBC (nuclear biological chemical) strike would make most documented terrorist attacks look tame by comparison.

It is not as if it is impossible either, the way terrorist attacks work is they take advantage of not only the total security net that federal and local governments erect as a kind of passive deterrence, but also the routines that keep society together. Their tactics are to undermine safeguards in ways that governments can’t think of, and do so in such broad strokes that they can’t adapt to while the plan is in motion.

Think of a country’s protection as a percentile, if a government places safeguards around 95 percent of the country, then it is still possible to cause a disruption five percent of the time. This makes it seem like an attack is unlikely; in many cases it does, in fact, deter people from attacking. Although, the possible avenues of attack are always increasing; and some security measures are simply too invasive or inconvenient to implement effectively.

For example, there are only two ways guaranteed to prevent another 9-11: the first is to demolish all buildings above ground, and the second is to ban air traffic of any kind. The world in which we live would not take either of these options seriously, nor should they. One of the major goals of terrorists is to disrupt the everyday affairs of normal people. If we change our entire society to prevent the actions of a few separatists, then not only are they winning, but we are giving up without a fight.

The way things are now, we already hear so much about the elusive terrorist threat that to say they are ineffective in their goals is both shortsighted and dangerous. The coverage their movements receive and the policies their threats spawn are proof enough that we give their activities much more than a passing glance. On the other hand, if the masses simply ignored the danger and buried their heads in the sand then there would surely be more attacks.

The balance between courage in the face of danger and unfounded bravado is a delicate one, but such a balance is neither impossible nor impractical. It is something, however, that should be a personal endeavor. Each citizens’ experience is different; and the federal government has shown an incredible ability to act much too slowly to effectively contain a situation, let alone rectify it.

Any broad plan enacted by the government needs to go through a multi-phase implementation procedure before it is even ready to be enacted. If these plans are designed and implemented in anticipation of an event (in this case a terrorist attack), then eventually it will need to be updated to incorporate new technology and techniques. This would be the same as a more personalized plan of action, but each individual is more aware of their own resources than the government is. That being said, the government has a great deal more knowledge about the collective resources of its people.

The Red Cross has issued an informational report outlining what normal people can do to prepare themselves for the unthinkable. It presents steps that can be taken so that in an emergency, each individual knows how to effectively deal with their own safety until help arrives. These steps include what to put in an emergency kit, and also how to set up a meeting place in the event that an evacuation is ordered.

UWM has its own system for emergencies, including terrorist attacks. But it, like many other contingency plans has not been updated in years and may not work the way it was intended when it comes time to implement it. Does that mean that students should stop going to class out of fear of imminent attack?

When it comes down to it, safety is an illusion that cannot be explained away with numbers and percentiles. Rather, safety depends on a person’s willingness to prepare for the worst. Once someone is prepared they only need to update their strategy periodically for it to remain effective. This can be the difference between being caught off guard and taking the emergency in stride.

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