Rember back to the end of April and my report on May 1st when a member of the US State Department declared the "War on Terror" was over?

Remember almost a week after that report, I wrote another entitled: War on Terror Far from Over - Ask Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula?

Now  we are being told by our intelligence agencies that the "War on Terror"  is still very much alive. It was terrorists, who may have connections  to Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda leaning groups, who planned and executed the  assault on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya which killed our  ambassador and 3 other members of the diplomatic corps. We are told this  was an act of terrorism.

But what about the bluster from State that the war was over?

Did the Administration of President Barack Obama start counting its chickens too soon before the eggs had a chance to incubate?

Is this an example of believing that if we say it loud enough and long enough it will become reality?

For  those thinking that there are not people in the world who hate America,  its citizens and all we stand for, you are sadly misguided, misinformed  and mistaken. Our country may have won a few battles in this  unconventional war that doesn't fit into our mindset of what a war  should be, but we have not won the war.

Most  of us are ready for our troops to be removed from Afghanistan. Most of  us are tired of hearing, watching and learning of how our troops are  being killed by "friendlies".  Yet the reality is Afghanistan is still  just as dangerous and just as conducive to a return to the Taliban and  becoming a haven for terrorists as it was when we invaded in retaliation  for 9-11.

Does that mean I want one more life to be spent in that backward and impoverished country?

Not in the least bit.

The sooner we are out of that nation, the better. There is a reason  that Afghanistan is known as the graveyard of empires. The sooner we  accept that and move on and out, the better we will be and the slaughter  of our troops will end.

Yet,  it's not just Afghanistan. There are countries and people in those  countries stretching the breadth of the Mediterranean, the expanse of  Asia and to the shores of the Pacific Ocean who see us as evil and  worthy of death.

It  is time Americans accept that the "War on Terror" will never be over.  We must remain on a constant vigile, but not be reactive with fear and  panic with restrictions on our freedoms, but with sound, practical  contingencies whenever an attack takes place.

The  State Department and its head, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was  naive to think that terrorists would respect the American uniform so  there was no need for the Marines and security personnel to carry and  have loaded, live ammunition in their weapons. When will some of our  leaders realize that all the good intentions and pretty words will not  change reality and that the terrorist mindset is not persuaded by these  overtures. When will our leaders learn that such words and non-actions  appear to those in the terrorist camps as a sign of weakness, not  strength. Terrorists view our idealistic platitudes as vulnerabilities  to be exploited.

The "War on Terror" over?

Not by a long shot.

It's time to be ready for the next attack with loaded guns this time.

Because  I can assure you that as certain as the sun will rise in the morning,  there will be another attack and another and another as long as we  continue down this path of "tip toe through the tulips".

Soon those tulips will adorn our graves.

From  the Cornfield, I abhor war. I abhor killing. I am a realist. There are  thousands, if not millions, who would dance on our graves if given the  opportunity. As the ancient adage proclaims "peace through strength".  America must maintain that strength against all enemies, domestic and  foreign.

UPDATE: News Source Links

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/office-of-the-director-of-national-intelligence-tries-to-explain-evolving-intelligence-on-benghazi/

http://stltoday.com/news/national/us-officials-explain-libya-attack-intelligence/article_6886fbc8-9763-5389-8851-237c47f6ecb6.html

http://businessweek.com/news/2012-09-28/u-dot-s-dot-intelligence-finds-organized-terrorist-attack-in-libya

http://articles.cnn.com/2012-09-28/africa/world_africa_libya-us-intelligence_1_libya-attack-benghazi-attack-terror-attack

http://washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/spy-chief-defends-obama-administrations-accounts-of-benghazi-attack-cites-shifting-intelligence/2012/09/28/b16cc996-09a3-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html

http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019291985_uslibya29.html