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Amidst all the
despair and
uncertainty that
gripped the
nation following
September 11,
2001, there
remained a
feeling of
resolve: resolve
to fight
terrorism;
resolve to
defend freedom;
resolve to put
the tragedy
behind us and
continue down
the more than
200-year old
path of
democracy.
Five years
later, America
now finds itself
engaged in what
President Bush
has called “The
Long War.” There
can be no doubt
the war for
America began
the day we were
attacked. But as
Dr. Walid Phares
argues in his
essay, “The
Patient Enemy,”
the war actually
began after the
Cold War
concluded, when
Jihadi
terrorists
determined that
U.S.-led
democracy was
now the enemy.
We take a look
at America’s
enemy in this
issue of The
Ripon Forum,
but not before
Homeland
Security
Chairman Peter
King gives us an
update on what’s
being done to
keep America
more secure. In
addition, the
Pentagon’s
future-warfare
czar, Terry
Pudas, takes a
look at one of
the main threats
facing our
military today,
while Parney
Albright, the
Department of
Homeland
Security’s
first-ever
Assistant
Secretary for
Science and
Technology,
examines one
area that is
keeping us safer
today. And James
Gass discusses a
challenge that
remains in the
effort to keep
our Nation more
secure.
In addition, two
veteran
lawmakers
identify big
organizational
problems in both
the Executive
and Legislative
branches. Former
Senator and 9/11
Commission
member Slade
Gorton finds
Congressional
oversight
wanting, while
former
Congressman Bob
Walker
demonstrates the
need for
Executive Branch
reform. And Jim
Laychak talks
about the effort
he is heading up
to build a 9/11
memorial at the
Pentagon.
Finally, Clay
Sell, the Deputy
Secretary for
Energy,
discusses the
Global Nuclear
Energy
Partnership and
how it will keep
us, and the
world, more
secure.
We hope you
enjoy this issue
of The Ripon
Forum and
remember not
only those who
lost their lives
on September 11,
but also those
who have given
and continue to
risk their lives
in defense of
our liberty
today.
Bill Frenzel
Chairman Emeritus
Ripon Society
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