Three Years Later Terrorism Remains a Threat

**By U.S. Rep. John Hostettler** Sept. 8, 2004

The images of Sept. 11, 2001 are seared in our minds. Though three years
have passed since that horrible day, we can still visualize the
fireballs resulting from airlines crashing into the two towers of the
World Trade Center, the smoldering Pentagon and the crater in a
Pennsylvania field that represented both the depravity of man and the
heroic levels to which he can rise.

But the feelings we experienced that day have diminished with the
passage of time and the demands of life. We don't feel with the same
intensity the anger at men who would kill so many, so coldly; the
confusion as reports of new attacks and threats came in; the horror of
watching people leap 100 stories to their death; the heartache as people
searched for a lost father, daughter or wife.

It's easy for concerns about terrorism to fade when we've experienced so
much success in the worldwide war against terrorism. Thanks in large
part to quick and decisive action by the Bush Administration, there were
no follow-up attacks to Sept. 11. And we've kept the terrorists off
balance since.

Over the last three years, nearly two-thirds of the al Qaeda leadership
have been taken into custody or killed. With the help of other nations,
we've disrupted the group's facilitators - those who move money, people,
messages, and supplies. The Department of Justice has charged more than
260 individuals as a result of terrorist investigations, and convicted
or secured guilty pleas from more than 140 individuals. A handful of
terrorist cells in the United States have been disrupted.

Terror networks have lost access to nearly \$200 million, frozen or
seized in more than 1,400 terrorist-related accounts around the world.
The Patriot Act has allowed law enforcement to track terrorists on our
soil using the same tools that have been effective in fighting organized
crime for decades.

But we cannot become complacent. Our enemies have not surrendered. They
are still determined to attack, destroy and kill. They are active in
their pursuit of weapons capable of killing large numbers of Americans.
Their hatred is undiminished. It hardly seems possible, but their
tactics are becoming even more deplorable.

Last week, terrorists armed with explosives, guns, grenades and booby
traps seized a Russian school, killing more than 400 children and
parents. The week before, a female terrorist detonated a bomb made of
TNT, iron bolts and metal fragments that killed 10 Russians near a
Moscow subway station.

In August, terrorists set off explosions on two Russian commercial
airplanes, killing all on board. Two public buses were destroyed by
suicide bombers in Israel. Twelve men from Nepal, who worked as cooks
and cleaners in Iraq, were beheaded or shot in the head by their
Islamist captors.

At the same time, Iran and North Korea - two of the world's chief
sponsors of terrorism - are pursuing nuclear weapons programs.

In other words, our national security must remain as high a priority as
it was on Sept. 12, 2001. We must continue to bolster our armed forces,
because a strong military will serve as a deterrent to our enemies. And
if they are foolish enough to attack, then a strong military will defeat
them.

A strategic component of our military strength is found in facilities
that provide the creative and state-of-the-art tools that give an edge
to our men and women in uniform. That's why it's so important that the
Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center continue to play an integral role in
our national security.

We must also be forward thinking when it comes to homeland security. Our
enemies are always adapting, taking advantage of new technology and
looking for chinks in our national armor. The Patriot Act brought U.S.
law enforcement agencies into the 21^st^ century. But we cannot rest,
because our enemies will not rest until we have eliminated them.

Other areas that demand our diligence are the closely related issues of
immigration and border security. All 19 of the Sept. 11 hijackers
entered the U.S. legally as a result of our immigration laws. As a
result of numerous hearings held by the House Immigration, Border
Security and Claims Subcommittee, which I chair, Congress has learned
that the personnel levels needed to enforce our immigration policies and
secure our borders are insufficient. This obviously must be addressed
and will be. Likewise, it would be foolish - and potentially
disastrous - if we don't provide our immigration and border enforcement
personnel with the resources they need to do their job effectively.

The three-year anniversary of that horrible day of mass murder gives us
a chance to reflect on the lives that were lost, the heroism that was
displayed and the strength of character and resolve that Americans
demonstrated as they picked up the pieces.

It is also a sober reminder that we live in a dangerous world where a
pleasant and routine morning can be shattered by the unimaginable and
murderous actions of a small band of determined extremists. If we don't
want to add another tragic day of commemoration to our calendar, we must
do everything in our power to keep our nation strong and safe.

\- 30 -