Five Years Since 9/11 Changed Our World

Five Years Since 9/11 Changed Our World

Five years have passed since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Even after five years, watching the news footage is still heart-wrenching and painful. The immediate result of the terrorists' actions was something the perpetrators could not have anticipated. America rallied and demonstrated our resolve. Americans should again unite and be proud of what we've accomplished while working together to win the war against terror.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks Congress and the President created the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. Its mandate was to determine what breakdowns in our systems allowed the terrorists to achieve so much devastation, and make recommendations to help prevent such attacks from happening again.

The report includes a history of Islamic extremists back to the 1970s. It traces the rise of Osama Bin Ladin and al-Qaeda. It concludes the terrorists have been at war with the U.S. since the mid-1990s. However, Bin Ladin and al-Qaeda were left virtually unchecked despite numerous terrorist attacks and warnings directed at the U.S. and Americans throughout the 1990s, until after 9/11.

The Commission found many vulnerabilities that al-Qaeda was able to exploit. It made suggestions for strengthening America's homeland security. My House Colleagues and I have taken action on the Commission's recommendations. The 9/11 Commission Report recommended, "Congress should support legislation for the expedited and increased assignment of radio spectrum for safety purposes."

Congress has acted to solve this issue. Tucked into H.R. 4241 is the Digital Television Transition Act. By the end of 2008 a segment of the analog television bandwidth will be used to create a dedicated new spectrum for public safety communications. For the first time, all of our first responders will have a single set of frequencies that they can tune to, in the event of a major emergency. This will allow police, firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency first responders to all work together and make our communities safer.

The 9/11 Commission concluded that the CIA and FBI didn't talk to one another because of the "wall of separation" between them. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the Subcommittee on National Security, I participated in 11 hearings on the 9/11 Report prior to the House passage of the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act (H.R. 10).

That legislation reformed America's intelligence community. It established the National Intelligence Director (DNI) to serve as the head of the intelligence community and National Counter Terrorism Center to achieve coordination across departmental lines.

The commission's report found that most of the 9/11 terrorists possessed valid driver's licenses. Most entered the country legally on temporary visas, with entry permits for six months. Four of the terrorists had been in the U.S. for extended periods, although none was a legal, permanent resident. Several had fallen out of legal status and were, therefore, in the United States illegally.

The REAL ID Act (H.R. 418) also satisfied the 9/11 Commission recommendations to close the loopholes that allowed the hijackers to remain in the country even when stopped by police for routine traffic violations. The uniform standards mandated by the REAL ID Act will close this loophole and make it harder for terrorists to obtain a driver's license. The REAL ID Act requires that applicants prove that they are in this country legally. Many people are surprised to learn that proof of identity was not a requirement for obtaining a license, in some states, before the REAL ID Act became law.

There is no question that America is safer today. I was flying home from visiting our troops fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan with a stop over in London, on the very day the arrests were made foiling a terrorist plot. British intelligence was able to uncover the plot with the help of U.S. and Pakistani authorities. The arrests came after months of work and suggest that the new coordination between our intelligence agencies is helping prevent additional acts of terrorism. In a recent speech, the President revealed many additional plots that have been uncovered and derailed.

Although we are safer, we have more work to do. The Commission made other recommendations that Congress must still implement. Border security is an important issue that we have not addressed yet.

The 9/11 Report states: "Our investigation showed that two systemic weaknesses came together in our border system's inability to contribute to an effective defense against the 9/11 attacks: a lack of well-developed counterterrorism measures as part of border security and an immigration system not able to deliver on its basic commitments, much less support counterterrorism." One of our top priorities must be border security.

Islamic extremists have attacked American interests since the 1970s. They became increasingly destructive since the early 1990s, resulting in the 9/11 attacks. They are serious about their desire to kill Americans. We must not forget that they have been fighting a war against America for over a decade.

The plots that we have stopped and the post 9/11 attacks in London, Spain and Bali serve as reminders that we have made progress and are safer, but that we must remain diligent and have more work to do.

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/columns/9.8.06.shtml