| From the Publisher
By Roland Mangold In Memory of September 11
So much has been said and written about the tragedy that occurred on September 11 that the value of what I can possibly add to this lexicon is limited to catharsis. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these tragic events and their families.
Those who perished on that fateful day may well become the martyrs of the American cause. What these circumstances have illustrated is that those people, and all of us like them, are the true American heroes. It is the average, everyday American citizen who goes to work, contributes in a productive manner, pursues his hopes and dreams, loves his family, and holds dear to his heart the principles of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. These are the elements - times 270-plus million people - that help make America great. In order for us to do our part, we must go on with our lives and live them as fully and as richly as we possibly can. Doing otherwise would make the events of September 11 a success for all those who feel enmity toward the United States.
History has shown how little mankind has evolved over the past few millennia: It should come as no surprise the level of evil man perpetrates upon his fellow man. Tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine shootings and the attacks on New York and Washington, are all part of the incalculable price of freedom. When such events occur, they are invariably followed by the obligatory 'round-the-clock, wall-to-wall news coverage that turns over every rock and looks at every angle. Immediately thereafter comes the soul searching. "How could this have happened?" "What can be done to prevent another occurrence?" "Could we have caught it earlier?" "Can we eliminate these atrocities forever?"
The answer to this latter question is "no," not as long as the two major components in the equation are "freedom" and "humans." Put human beings into this petri dish that is Earth, with freedom as the medium, and you will get within that organic mix both benevolent organisms and destructive bacteria. We have had this sort of bacteria from the beginning of time, performing atrocities in the name of God, religion, sovereignty, survival, or just plain madness.
Eastern philosophy has a sanguine view of good and evil known as yin and yang: the intertwined serpents of black and white, two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. Christianity interprets things in a more ominous manner, attributing evil to Satan or the devil. No matter how one attempts to explain the evil in the world, one thing is certain: it is not going away. Unfortunately, it is as much a part of life on Earth as is all that is good.
Immediately following the terrorist attacks, many were quick to blame the intelligence community for lack of foresight or an inability to prevent such horrors from happening on U.S. soil. Unfortunately, the nature of secrecy means that we do not see the work performed by the thousands of dedicated professionals who toil around the clock to protect us. We never get to see the many victories that, I am certain, occur with profound regularity.
However, that is not to say that there is not an enormous amount we can learn from this horrific experience. One thing that has become clear is that we have relied far too much on technological panaceas. The party line now reads that artificial intelligence is not a substitute for human intelligence.
It is poignant that, several months ago, a friend of mine involved in GIS at a civilian U.S. government agency provided a now-timely critique of NIMA in light of recent events. His primary concern was that there is an over-reliance on technological solutions and subjugation of the system of human analysis and interpretation. He pointed out that there is an abundance of classified and unclassified information being gleaned from satellite and aerial reconnaissance, but there are not enough trained personnel to interpret and analyze this information. This point has been painfully and repeatedly brought out in the reportage of the September 11 events. Regrettably we will never know if this would have prevented the tragedy, a situation where even hindsight is not 20/20.
In the wake of these terrorist attacks, there is also the fear of a backlash effect that could lead to Americans abandoning their civil liberties in order to protect against identifiable and even invisible or perceived threats. We must be ever vigilant and fight for our freedom, yet not destroy that for which we fight. May God's light shine on George W. Bush, for our world is in his hands. In memory of September 11, 2001. Until next time...
Roland Mangold Publisher, Earth Observation Magazine
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