The war at home
By Jacob Novak

As one of the many eyewitnesses to the destruction of the World Trade Center last week, I support full-fledged military strikes to retaliate for this atrocity. Attacks against military targets in countries that allow terrorists to act freely in their midst would send a strong message to future perpetrators of similar acts.

But what if no country, even those known to support terrorists in the past, played even a minor role in these attacks? For those of us who crave a strong response, the idea of not having a specific enemy to target is as hard to bear as the attacks themselves.

There is, however, a way that we as a nation can fight back, and that entails making sacrifices here at home. After Pearl Harbor, the American people did what they had to do to ensure victory over our enemies. Millions of young men enlisted in military service. On the home front, Americans conserved power and accepted food and fuel rations. Price controls were set, and entire industries were sacrificed for the war effort. The resolve of Americans to help win the war made a tremendous difference on the battlefield. Once again, we need to make the kinds of sacrifices that were made in 1941. And if it comes to asking individuals to cut back on their luxuries and conveniences in the name of safety and national security, I have the greatest faith in the ability and will of the American public to do so. But are our government and our corporate leaders willing to do their part? Of that, I’m not so sure.

During World War II, America’s large companies and small businesses were subjected to new regulations, price controls, and even outright suspension of certain activities. Thousands of elected and appointed officials created agencies that made new laws and aggressively enforced them. In 1941, our government didn’t have to wait for Japan to attack us again. It made the necessary moves, eagerly and quickly.

Once again, it is incumbent upon our corporate and government leaders to do the same. They must do what so many people have been urging them to do for years: The corporate world must put human safety above all else, and it must set aside short-term profit for long-term success. Simply, our corporations must start thinking about future generations. For decades, safety experts have been urging the airlines to eliminate all carry-on luggage on flights. They’ve suggested putting plain-clothes armed guards on flights, as Israel’s El-Al does, to deter hijackers. They’ve lobbied airlines to pay security guards and other key staff decent wages. But those proposals have been ignored, largely because of the potential short-term costs.

The airlines aren’t the only proponents of this madness. The entire business community shares in the blame. Quarterly earnings reports and daily stock prices dominate the efforts of our companies. Well-established corporations with long, proud histories live and die based on three-month performance evaluations. Too many essential industries make rash short-term decisions at the expense of long-term health or even existence.

The September 11th attack was aimed at capitalism. And, in part, our commitment to capitalism is what makes this country great. But obsession with short-term profits at the expense of long-term sanity isn’t real capitalism. It’s a form of piracy, and just bad business.

Our government bears responsibility, as well. For years, our lawmakers have granted large corporations too many freedoms. Far too often, the Right has fought to meet the demands of the corporate world, however shortsighted. One result is an airline industry that successfully resists tighter safety regulations and functions under a Federal Aviation Administration that is as much of an industry cheerleader than a watchdog.

The Left plays into the hands of the airlines by telling us our civil liberties will be jeopardized by the presence of undercover armed agents aboard airplanes. Yet it’s abundantly clear that hijackers would be deterred in the face of armed authorities. Despite continued suffering from terrorism, Israel hasn’t been victimized by a hijacking since it started putting undercover guards aboard its passenger flights.

Making changes, such as banning carry-on luggage and putting armed undercover officers on planes, won’t be easy. But they must be made. Will the airlines make those changes? Will our government force them to do so? If not, that should make Americans just as angry as they are over the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Jacob Novak is a financial producer for CNN and an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU.