Imperial
Hubris by Michael Scheuer, 2004, Excerpts
The September 11
attacks were not apocalyptic onslaughts on Western civilization. They were
country-specific attacks meant to inflict substantial, visible, and
quantifiable human and economic destruction on America. Just under the noise,
death, and rhetoric yielded by the foregoing episodes of war lies a largely
ignored factor that may constitute al Qaeda’s main war effort – the steady
bleeding of the U.S. economy.
The immediate impact
is massive expenditures – at all levels of American government – that will add
permanently to the size and cost of government. In addition to the cost of
hiring thousands of federal employees for homeland security purposes; acquiring
buildings, equipment, and training to make them effective; and requiring
proportionate upgrading at state, municipal, and local levels; there lie what
must be substantial amounts of unpredictable expenditures for overtime wages –
in government and business alike – whenever Washington raises the threat level,
or when high levels of security are provided at public places or functions
heretofore not seen as serious security risks.
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