Don’t judge a book by its cover. That’s the theme that came into my head when we toured the Pentagon. From first glance the Pentagon looks like a really scary place. The very first personnel you’re likely to see is a security guard with a serious looking gun. Mind you this isn’t the typical pistol you see police officers carrying all the time. After having to show two IDs, we walked passed another security check point. Eventually what appeared to be an officer called our group in a semi-militaristic tone. That’s when everything changed. The officers giving the tour were very friendly and joked often. The biggest surprise was that there are so many stores and restaurants within the Pentagon. There were even paintings and pictures all along the hallways to keep the place from looking shabby. I felt like I was walking around a mall. Maybe the Pentagon isn’t such a scary place if you work there. I found it interesting that the only actual room we went inside was the 9/11 memorial. When I remember 9/11, I usually only think about the World Trade Center. However, plenty of people died crashing into the Pentagon and Pennsylvania that day too.
Unlike car crashes and diseases, we have universal faces to blame when we talk about terrorism. If we didn’t have figures like Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, I think U.S. actions would be significantly less justifiable. There are probably terrorists in every corner of the world, so the U.S. needed a compelling target to explain the invasion of Afghanistan. The attempt to capture Osama bin Laden and the capture of Saddam Hussein represent quantifiable goals. The war on terror, as discussed in class, can never be won. Even if we capture Saddam Hussein, there will be other extremists who’ll take his place. Because there will always be people who hate the U.S. and western ideals, we are never truly secure as we might want to be.
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