Dan's Brother who works for Boeing sent this on... sorry no links

Bono urges constituents to be ready for sacrifices

By Benjamin Spillman The Desert Sun September 16th, 2001

Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, on Friday warned that the country should prepare for a fight against international terrorists that will likely include personal sacrifice, the use of ground troops overseas and the risk of retaliation against civilians by the enemy.

In a wide-ranging interview, Bono gave dire warnings of an immediate future she predicted could include intense scrutiny of airline passengers, a national system of fingerprinting and identification cards and the specter of chemical and biological attacks on the United States.

Priorities: She also expressed confidence that Congress was prepared to follow President Bush to war and said that the economic impact of recent terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C., and commercial airliners are not a high priority.

Bono, who plans to return to the Coachella Valley in time for a prayer vigil tonight, said the issues Congress will face upon her return are the most challenging of her lifetime.

"I think the most important thing here is for the American people to realize that it is really in their hands," Bono said. "I think it is important that members of Congress always recognize that national security is the No. 1 priority, even if it is not No. 1 in polling data."

Bono said she was at her Virginia home Tuesday watching news reports that she felt the impact of a third jet crash into the Pentagon.

Even before the Pentagon crash, Bono feared Washington, D.C., was in danger. She was on the telephone with her fiancé, Glenn Baxley, a Jackson, Wyo., businessman, when the impact occurred. "I told him I was already concerned about the Capitol. I hung up the phone and then I felt the explosion at the Pentagon and knew my worst fears were right," she said.

Sense of danger: Bono said there was initial shock, fear and chaos but never a sense that the government?s chain-of-command was in danger.

"Everything here is on such a high state of alert and security is so tight," Bono said. "I can only imagine it must feel like being on a military base at war time."

Bono indicated that she expects Washington and the rest of the nation to be jittery for some time.

When she returns to the Capitol she will prioritize support for measures that increase security at national landmarks, airports and other places. "The key here is to crack down. I think people are going to have to recognize that some of their conveniences are going to be gone," Bono said. "Whether we are talking about national ID cards I don?t know, or fingerprinting of everybody, I don?t know where we are going to go with security. I?m glad to show my identification where I need to go."

The Senate Friday night authorized President Bush to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against those who carried out assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but stopped short of giving him open-ended power to wage future military strikes against terrorists.

Also, in rapid succession the House and Senate approved $40 billion in emergency aid to the victims of the assaults and to help with recovery efforts.

The first $20 billion will be used for investigations, increased transportation security and military retaliation, among other things. The administration will need to submit a proposed plan for the use of $10 billion, while $10 billion will be available for use at will.

In addition to tax dollars, Bono said she accepts the possibility that thwarting terrorism will cost the lives of men and women in the military and put American civilians at risk of retaliation. "If that is what it takes to rid our world of these terrorists then, yes, I support it," Bono said.

When asked whether ridding the world of terrorists can be accomplished without the death of some troops and risking civilian lives she replied, "No, I don?t think that."

Protracted wars on foreign soil would not only result in a human toll, however. An economist at the University of California, Riverside said he expects the attacks will greatly damage the American economy. Sarkis Joseph Khoury, who specializes on international banking and investing, said investors worldwide turn to the United States economy as a beacon of strength.

He said the most important thing the government can do is assure the public that it is stable.

The question is how long will all that last," said Khoury of the impending fight against the attackers. "What will happen to the price of oil if we bomb (some place) out of existence? All of these things are very unpredictable."

So far, the oil producing nations of the Middle East have pledged to support anti-terrorism efforts and to maintain an ample supply of oil flowing throughout the crisis.

Bono said she hasn?t given much thought to the economic implications of the attacks. "But I?ll start worrying about that next week, perhaps.

-- Anonymous, September 17, 2001

Answers

Brrrrr. I'm chilled at the thought of the national I.D. card moment gaining support. When fingerprints are linked to soc. numbers linked to driver licenses or State IDs, then the gov't or anyone who takes over the gov't has a powerful tool for controlling/monitoring the moments of the US population. I wonder where Congressional Rep Ron Paul is these days. I'm waiting to hear his take on comments like these. Sure, we need better control over potential terriorists, but not at the expense of our individual privacy.

-- Anonymous, September 17, 2001