NPR commentator speaks on terrorism

The Bush Administration failed to predict the future and as a result innocent people are suffering, said National Public Radio commentator David Cole on Thursday at the IU School of Law. \n“On 9/11 the United States had the world’s sympathy; today anti-Americanism has never been higher than now in the history of the country,” Cole said.\nThe Georgetown University law professor and writer for The Nation magazine spoke to a crowded audience in the Moot Courtroom at the law school. The lecture was sponsored by the American Constitution Society. \n“I had read about (Cole’s) speech being about our country losing in this war on terror and I agree with that, so I would like to hear his thoughts on the topic,” Bloomington resident Mel Hughes said prior to the lecture.\nAfter the 9/11 attacks, the Bush Administration’s attempt to prevent further terrorism has been questioned as to whether it is truly preventing or making our nation more vulnerable to terrorism, Cole said. \nIn its strategy to fight the terrorist threats in America, the Bush Administration made an attempt to adopt the approach of predicting what would happen in future attacks, he said.\n“The problem is that they don’t have the ability to predict the future,” Cole said. \nCole related the Bush Administration’s attempts to predict future attacks to the Steven Spielberg movie “Minority Report.”\n“There are many ways to effectively prevent terrorism,” Cole said. “And trying to predict events isn’t one of them.” \nIn his lecture, Cole explained instances where immigrants entering the United States were labeled as “bad guys” before they set foot on American soil. \n“Whether a person is an immigrant or an American, they are human beings first, and if they are in our country they deserve the full protection of our laws,” said audience member, David Keppel, a member of the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition. \nJohn Schlafer, president of the American Constitution Society, said he felt Cole showed a different perspective because “he recognizes that there is a danger” and Cole is concerned about it. \n“He is able to look past that fear to see how we’re actually doing in protecting ourselves, and I think that’s a perspective that we need to see more of,” Schlafer said. \nCole said the Bush Administration can take credit for things such as increased airport security and a strong military, but they need to keep their self-defense to preventive measures and within the rules of law. \n“The Constitution is only as strong as the people who believe in it,” Cole said. “And they really have more power than many realists and skeptics on the planet.”