As we approach another Presidential election, the terrorist menace facing our nation and the world has fallen in prominence in polls and in the news. Meanwhile, its network, which was in place on 9/11, has grown considerably in the past seven years and, thanks to the misguided and badly bungled war in Iraq, has many new recruits. With our economy teetering on the brink of recession, the war in Iraq devolving into a debate about the surge, and a Presidential election taking all of the oxygen out of the public debate, it is understandable that terrorism has faded from the nation's consciousness. This, however, is a very dangerous trend that must be reversed by our elected leaders on both sides of the aisle. The terrorist threat is real, not imagined, and should be fought with vigilance.
Anyone who thinks this menace is passé need only look at last week's bombing in a Baghdad market that killed at least 99 people and wounded over 200. Two mentally retarded women had explosives strapped to them, which were detonated remotely by al Qaeda. The women likely had no idea what they were doing and that they were about to be sent to their deaths. The sheer depravity of this act is shocking.
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Michael M. Shapiro, founder of ShapTalk.com, is an attorney who resides in New Providence, New Jersey. He currently serves as the Editor of The Alternative Press Contact Mike at mike@shaptalk.com