Cultural Event 2: Are We Safe After 9/11?

Last Wednesday I attended a speech in the BMU held by former CIA employee Dave Barrett. Dave was a member of the CIA during the Cold War and he had come to Chico to discuss whether the United States is safe after 9/11, and whether we have had success with “The War on Terror”.  Dave started his speech by saying that given the tremendous circumstances of 9/11 shock existed in many Americans. He went on to discuss that this shock spawned a new era of U.S. foreign policy, and National Security. Dave stated that because of the terror of the 9/11 attacks the U.S. is more aware towards terrorist attack and because of this we have not had any incidents on the home front.

In the second part of Dave’s speech he spoke about the wars that the United States started in the Middle East as a response to radical Muslim fundamentalists and terrorists. He stated that because the war in Afghanistan was not a war over oil or money that we have had much success. Dave said if the intentions are right and are not rooted in money and are based on spreading equality and democracy that it makes for better morale and success. He then went on to give Iraq as an example of a failed war due to insincere intentions of the U.S. government. Dave does not believe any experts on the Iraq war, or the war on terror. He believes there is only a select few of high ranking officials that really know what is going on, and what the real facts are, the rest is speculation. Dave believes in order to stay safe after 9/11 we must examine the changes that have occurred in Europe. Our economy has gone downhill while there has been booming. Al-Qaida has not been snuffed out and Bin Laden is still on the run, also gas prices have reached record heights, which he believes is all directly linked to 9/11. To reduce uncertainty Dave believes we must invest more money into intelligence (CIA), because they have disrupted the plots of Al-Qaida numerous times since 9/11. He believes that Al-Qaida has regenerated since 9/11 and we are in more danger now than ever. The Iraq war itself lowers our safety level, and Dave says the intelligence agencies must be on their toes, especially since summer is coming and it is the most dangerous time of year according to him.

Overall Dave gave a great speech about 9/11 and the War on Terror. His views are a little old fashioned for me, and he seems a little more paranoid about terrorist attacks than the average American. This may be due to his experience in the CIA, or some information he has received. I believe that the U.S. is safer due to better intelligence and because of the founding of Homeland Security, but I do agree with Dave that the Iraq War lowers our safety at home.