It only takes a casual perusal of the headlines to determine that America is indeed at war and one front of that war against Islamic fundamentalism has arrived on our shores, in our streets, in our air space, and on our Army bases.
Part One explored that reality.
Part Two takes up "A Plan to Counter an 'Ever-Evolving Enemy' " and an article by Ed Fuelner citing the Heritage Foundation's approach to dealing with Islamic extremists.
Fuelner is the president of that conservative think tank.
Fuelner points out the obvious, that this is a different war we're battling and that the enemy is not always distinguishable as the enemy but that we have nevertheless interdicted some 31 attacks, including Times Square, since 9/11.
I'm not certain what all the other 30 were but we didn't thwart the last two.
What saved us with the Christmas Day underwear bomber and the May 1st Times Square car bomb was dumb luck pure and simple-and the ineptitude of the perpetrators.
The steps suggested in order to protect America in this new war and with our ever-morphing enemy: .
Make the Patriot Act, set to expire in 7 months, permanent; .
Expand the Visa Waiver Program and reward countries that work with us; .
Determine a proper disposition of terrorist prisoners; and, .
Fix the chaotic system of congressional oversight over the Department of Homeland Security.
What isn't covered specifically in those simplistic steps is the absolute necessity of profiling which has been deemed an un-American infringement on civil liberties by America's liberals.
As the enemy recruits more and more women and non-Middle Eastern types, physical profiling will become more challenging so we must expand our horizons, and better educate the profilers as to the psychological nuances of infiltrating terrorists.
Mistakes will be made but sooner a mistake in the interests of America's safety and ruffling a few indignant feathers than a mistake of omission that could lead to a terrorist attack.
Another requisite in dealing with this ever-changing enemy is recognition by the administration that Islamic extremism is in fact the enemy.
Ignoring that truth known to every thinking American won't make it disappear and will embolden the enemy, if it hasn't already.
An absurd continuation of the current policy of denial, embraced by everyone from the president to the attorney general, cannot but lead to more frequent attacks by Muslim fanatics and will inevitably lead to an attack comparable in scale to 9/11, or worse.
As Fuelner concludes his article, "A false sense of complacency led to thousands of deaths and the destruction of the World Trade Center.
But if our government remains focused and takes the correct steps, it can keep Americans safe:" http://tiny.
cc/53n9n Fuelner is more optimistic than I am in that he assumes "government focus" is possible and that it will be sufficient to deter an implacable foe.