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BradleySheriff.com
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REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11 |
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Thursday, 03 September 2009 |
This month marks the eighth anniversary of September 11, 2001, when a surprise attack on American soil caught the entire country off-guard and plunged us into bloody, international conflict.
The enemy turned out not to be a country, per se, but an ideology. Even after the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, the 1979 siege of the American Embassy in Iran and other such hostile actions against America and others, it took the attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in 2001, and the death of 3,000 innocent Americans and foreign nationals, to wake most people up to the fact that we were at war with terrorism and they didn’t even know it.
The enemy turned out to be adherents to an extremely radical Muslim ideology whose mission is to destroy any and all who do not conform to their rigid, oppressive and violent world views. Since then, American and international forces have been waging bitter campaigns on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even eight years later, the events of September 11 continue to affect us in many ways, including economically and politically.
The primary responsibility of government is to protect and defend its citizens. No nation can prosper unless its people are secure, safe and free. This is not to say there aren’t other important roles of government ~ such as helping sustain the economy and educating a workforce ~ just nothing that supercedes people’s safety.
In my experience as a Secret Service agent, Emergency Management Director, 911 board member, Cleveland City Councilman, District III Homeland Security Council member and Bradley County Sheriff, I have seen the impact national security and public safety have on a community and nation.
Jobs, new industry, real estate, education, economic growth, leisure activities and tourism must all have a safe environment if they are to flourish and prosper. That is why it is important to develop effective partnerships between governments, businesses, public safety officials and citizens to protect our nation and meet threats of crime, terrorism and violence head-on. By joining forces, we can better fight crime and violence, stop the flow of drugs into our area, encourage anti-drug education in schools, control illegal immigration into the county and to be better prepared for potential disasters.
I have worked to enhance our national security by protecting our nation from a variety of threats, including terrorist organizations and others who, if allowed the opportunity, will not hesitate to kill and destroy our people, our culture and our way of life. I worked closely with our military during my Secret Service career and support armed forces that are well‑funded, well‑equipped, well‑trained and capable of protecting and defending American interests at home and abroad.
Locally, when crime and violence are allowed to get foot holds in an area, law-abiding people will begin to leave, families will look to other places to relocate, businesses will shut down and industry will not come into that area. There is a direct connection between safety, security and jobs.
With Volkswagen in Hamilton County, Wacker Chemical in Bradley County, the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge and continued growth elsewhere, our entire area has made great economic strides. But that doesn’t mean it can’t all evaporate if we don’t have safe streets and neighborhoods and a secure nation. The terrorist threats from around the world, the number of recent shootings in southeast Tennessee and continued gang and drug violence should concern all of us when Tennessee already ranks in the top five states for violent crime per capita.
If September 11 taught us anything, it is that we should never underestimate the importance of national security, homeland security and community security.
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