Well Said!

The following came from the "Insight" page, or letter to the editor page, of my local newspaper. Ivy Scarborough is a well-respected citizen/lawyer/politcal expert/writer/commentator in this area. I have met him when he was a humble customer in my store and my roommate Katie met him when he was willing to offer her some free legal advice during her divorce a few years ago. He is a man of great integrity and his words come from much education and experience.

President's address shows decisive action in face of world's failure to perceive dangerous realities

Comments by Ivy Scarborough

International affairs and terrorism analyst Ivy Scarborough said Friday that the "President's address to the nation represented decisive action in the face of the world community's failure to fully perceive - much less address - the dangerous realities of our time."

Scarborough, who has traveled in eight war zones, including Afghanistan with the mujahadeen in 1985 during the war with the Soviet Union, had predicted in print and TV commentaries in the 1990's a "major and potentially catastrophic terrorist attack on the US in the foreseeable future".

He has viewed the response to the threat of Saddam Hussein's regime as another illustration of "a world largely out of touch with the reality of our times." "Though", Scarborough says, "there are historical precedents to nations and even whole civilizations losing touch with the grave realities of their time, we are faced with an unprecedented set of historical circumstances in view of the gravity of the threat in the 21st Century."

"Most of humanity and most political leaders of the world do not fully grasp the danger much less the great risks and hard choices that must now be assumed in order to face it."

"My concern has been that we may be faced with a phenomenon seen many times before in history: Major and perhaps repeated trauma inflicted on a nation or nations before there is full recognition of a dangerous reality. In view of the weapons now available that trauma will be beyond anything previously seen. Sept. 11 should have made this apparent, but there is an abiding reluctance to surrender the comforting assumptions of the past."

"The President has demonstrated courage. Regardless of one's views of his policies, there can be no doubt that he is sincere in his convictions and prepared to sacrifice his political future in upholding them."

"His resolve is formidable and was demonstrated in a less obvious way by his warning about war crime prosecutions. His caution that assertions by any Iraqi that he was 'only following orders' - known in international law as the Nuremberg defense - would not shield anyone from punishment, further illustrated how determined he is."

Scarborough is an attorney from Jackson, TN, a former adjunct professor of international studies at Union University, and a writer and TV/radio commentator on a variety of current issues, including terrorism, foreign affairs, national defense policy and American government. He has done extensive reporting and observation in various countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Israel, Russia, Georgia, Somalia, Sudan and Bosnia. He is used by the military as a lecturer on topics such as the Afghan war, international crises, and terrorism. Immediately after Sept. 11, 2001 he conducted briefings for the TN National Guard officer corps.

For several years prior to Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Scarborough had predicted in newspaper and television commentaries that there would be a major and potentially catastrophic terrorist attack against the United States. Mr. Scarborough has lectured for the military at the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, California and Ft. Benjamin Harrison on the Soviet - Afghan war and international crises.