Considering Terror: Thoughts to Remember When Listening to Leaders

President Bush’s national address on the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks matched his speech that took place before Congress five full years ago, and just days after the attacks.

The speeches have a similar tone and both feature words like "terror," "war," "attack," "threat," "murder," "enemies," and "fight." Both create a fearful picture of a world at war, of a to-the-death struggle of good and evil, of the importance of offensive war maneuvers against our aggressors.

President Bush’s speech before Congress encouraged the invasion of Afghanistan. What is the purpose of the more recent speech?

Women and the War Word

War is a fearful word and we women are seldom among those who make the critical decisions. But it’s not just that there aren’t enough women in the situation room, why aren’t more women writing their representatives about the situation? Why do women hold back?

For many of us, political rhetoric stirs up unconscious thoughts, worries, and fantasies, says Dr. Michelle Berlinerblau, a psychiatrist who specializes in fear. "Most of us are still seeking the good, powerful, protective maternal or paternal figure," Dr. Berlinerblau says, "If we are repeatedly disappointed we sink into various degrees of hopelessness, helplessness, boredom, disinterest, and this may limit our responsiveness to the political situation."

To counteract this, Dr. Berlinerblau recommends that we pay attention to our emotional reactions to rhetoric. Are we responding only to the situation at hand? Or, are there some deep-seeded needs and fears that are affecting our responsiveness?

Understanding fear

Fear is a big part of our nation’s discussion about the Middle East and how radical Islam affects us. But it’s not just terrorists who encourage fear, but our own leaders of both parties and news media.

Fear gets our attention, creates emotional connection, and the panicky desire that our leaders DO something and do it quickly.

But an emotional, panicked, and quick response is not the best reaction to the long-term threat of terrorists and acts of aggression. A culture of fear has a difficult time being patient -- patient enough to seek out the causes of terrorism specific to time and place and pull it out at its roots. And fear is not logical or careful, but hasty and irrational.

So examine your leaders in all political parties and the media for messages of fear. How are those messages affecting you? How are they affecting our decisions as a nation?

War and the Constitution

What does the Constitution really say about who can take us to war and what we can do about it?

Professor Geoffrey R. Stone, Harry Kalven, Jr. Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, says that "nothing in the Constitution says that either the Congress or the president has extraordinary powers during wartime that are to trump ordinary civil liberties."

"On the other hand," Stone says, "the Framers of the Constitution were very thoughtful about the structure of government and they were obviously aware that wartime is different from peacetime and that there is a necessity to focus the energies of the nation when dealing with a foreign threat." He continues, "The Framers clearly did intend the president to be commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, but what they meant by that was not that he would be commander-in-chief of the nation," he says. "Rather [the Framers] were very skeptical about executive power and very nervous about the authority of the president in wartime," Stone explains, "so they clearly divided and separated the powers between the Congress and the president."

For more on this, listen to the WomenMatter radio show Women and the War Word: Fear, Facts, and Action.

Privacy and security

Should the government be allowed to listen in on our phone calls and read our emails in order to improve national security? Some suggest that there’s no reason to worry about wiretapping if you’re not doing anything wrong. Others argue that the Constitution protects Americans’ privacy for any reason and no reason at all, meaning whether you’re on the phone talking about terrorism or talking to your aunt Mildred about her peach pie recipe, your privacy is protected.

In the late 18th century, the framers of the Constitution sought to protect the fledgling nation from too much government prying, or "unreasonable search and seizure." The framers had survived invasive dictatorships in which kings oppressed the people with their limitless power.

The present-day question is whether warrantless wiretaps and Internet spying fit into that "unreasonable search and seizure" category. And if so, should the rules be refined to suit the age of terrorism? Since war zones no longer have marked fronts, intelligence is even more essential to security. But security can also mean refuge or sanctuary from an overpowering government.

What do you think?

How does fear limit our ability to respond to security issues? What is the executive branch’s role in keeping us safe? How do you feel about the government tracking your emails and electronic transactions? How much privacy are you willing to give for security?

Your input matters

Your representatives in Congress DO care what you think. Especially now -- 2006 is an election year and many representatives will be looking to reconnect with their constituents. Let your congressmen and women know what you think! Give your senators a piece of your mind! To get to your reps, click here.

To explore our archive of past Security Life Issue updates, click here.

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Update Posted on: 9/19/2006