GROUND ZER0, New York, N.Y.--Mar. 14, 2004 -- Since 9/11, Europe has ducked and weaved and dodged the bullets and bombs of Terrorism. 

      As a body, Europe, with a few exceptions, refused to back America's War on Terrorism.   Some said they wanted to stand by and watch and not get involved, fearful of the backlash.
      That's over.
      Across Europe, the media is sporting the headlines:   "Terrorism Is No Longer A Spectator Sport."

    The deaths of more than 200 and the wounding of more than 1,000 in a Madrid subway has brought Europe's its own September 11, 2001.  Ironically, the attack came exactly 911 days following the attack on America.  
    Also, there has been no final confirmation as to the responsible actors in the tragic assault.    Terrorism, however, whether it be rooted in Al-Qaeda or politically charged separatists in Spain, is the foundation of the attack.
       It has resulted in an general alarm throughout Europe that no one is free of the dangers of Terrorism. 

           I remember when my good friend, Tony David, called me following the World Trade Center attack.  Tony is from Tel Aviv, Israel, and was my roommate in college.  He said, after assuring the safety of my family, "Welcome to the real world." 

         His point was that none of us are free from the dangers of Terrorism, and that all of us need to stand up to the Beast of Terror as equals, no matter how big our nation may be.

            Sometimes it is easy to think that what happened on Nine Eleven was an anomaly, and that dangling Terrorism or its threat in front of people is like screaming:  "The sky is falling, the sky is falling."
             Then, Madrid happens.
        It is as though Terrorism itself counts on Complacency to be its trump card.   It seeks to quell the fires of Vigilance, to let them die out as the sun shines and the birds sing, hopeful the relaxed sense of security will seduce the public to such a state that the next attack will shock us with bone-chilling Fear, Intimidation and a sense of Complacent Powerlessness that serves the end result of Terrorism--it empowers with the ability to pull the rug of Complacency from under people's feet.
        The short and long of it all--Terrorism is here to stay.

       If there ever was a time to translate the Pledge of Vigilance into all the languages of the European Community, it is now.   

      And, for the Americans who think they are safe from the Beast, perhaps they should get a copy of the Pledge in Spanish, or French, or German, just in case the crosshairs of Terrorism are still holding you in the center.

Mar 13--The Terror of 299 Body Bags Per Day In America

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