The media does a great job helping to instill fear into the hearts and souls of millions of Americans who believe we’re in serious danger of a terrorist attack. Terrorist threats shouldn’t be taken lightly, but we shouldn’t allow current circumstances to dictate how we live our lives daily.

As I thought of what a terrorist attack on American soil looks like, I quickly shifted my focus to that of national security. Here are some questions I asked myself: 1) Are we taking care of business here at home stateside? 2) What role does the media play? 3) What are we doing to educate ourselves on the topic of counterterrorism initiatives?

The Buzz….

There’s no better place to start than by reviewing what people are saying on social media about the current state of affairs.

Ernesto Dodd ‏@secondcityape Feb 20

“Project Fear Day One: No Security if we leave, by crossing boarder crime is coming to our way. We all know how good Europe is at protecting borders.”

Manvendra Singh ‏@ManavRachna_92 Feb 19

@manoharparrikar

“Sir please call back all our soldiers to our borders. They are protecting us from outsiders and we are fighting in ourselves.”

With mixed reactions across the country on twitter the topic of national security has become a leading subject of discussion this election season. Terrorist groups such as Isis, the Taliban, and Al Qaeda have plotted to instill fear into millions of registered voters, leaving us to ask potential Presidential candidates’ what their strategic plan outlines for handling a terrorist attack on the United States. While Presidential hopefuls such as Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Ted Cruz, and Bernie Sanders have spoken on the issue of counterterrorism, the candidates’ have yet to unveil a clear cut strategy for addressing the matter.

1. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME IN THE USA

Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II and my father served in Vietnam. They fought and sacrificed much along with millions of other Americans soldiers’ to preserve freedom to keep our nation safe from the threat of an attack on U.S. soil. During this post 9/11 era we have focused most of our military efforts overseas fighting in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, while government officials have allowed terrorist groups such ISIS to infiltrate our borders here at home. While a major terror attack hasn’t happened since 9/11, attempted attacks of terrorism have been made our country, but were quickly exposed by the CIA after an extensive investigation. Extremist groups such as ISIS are growing rapidly within our own borders as extremist leaders are using social media to recruit members to join their cause and to spread their message of fear. What a revolutionary concept! Wouldn’t it be a novel idea if our leaders used social media to help military recruiters’ seek out perspective recruits’ to serve our nation? I guess our local, state, and federal representatives are busy worrying about setting their own personal agenda instead of reaching out to Uncle Sam to make life easier for our armed forces.

According to Fox News, in recent weeks President Obama submitted a proposed plan to Congress to slash funding for counterterror programs by an estimated $330 million dollars within the next year. A large portion of that funding supports programs related to extreme terrorist attacks across the nation. While the decision for budget cuts makes sense from a financial perspective it puts a strain on our military due to a lack of resources to fully complete their jobs adequately and efficiently. Isn’t it time to cut through all of the red tape and just admit that our nation’s leaders are operating a dysfunctional government that can’t seem to agree on matters as important as national security? It all boils down to whose ego is bigger than the others.

2: IT’S THE MEDIAS’ FAULT

If the president gets his way, and cost for counterterrorism programs are reduced, this could influence terrorist groups too increase their efforts of plotting a terrorist on attack on the United States. Terrorist groups such as ISIS thrive on the very idea of using broadcast media to promote their ideologies to large audiences. The media relishes the opportunity to report negative controversy. Negativity is what they rely on adding their own demonic twisted spin on the thought of an attack. Perhaps they don’t realize this only helps advocate and promote the message of terrorist groups. It seems they simply don’t care because they are more concerned with ratings. They want to be the first to report on the subject matter. As a result, this only instills further fear in viewers which is counterproductive in helping to disband and limit the possibilities of an attack against the United States.

Instead of being an impartial 3rd party, the mainstream media is more than responsible for helping to promote the divide between political parties instead of helping to unify the cause. For example, the media has their share of media experts, but they don’t offer a credible solution for how to resolve the tension between the parties nor have they made suggestions for how to provide concrete solutions for addressing counterterrorism reform. After all these so called counterterrorism experts all have an opinion. However, are they telling you what you want to hear or what you need to hear?

3 EDUCATE YOURSELF- STOP RELYING ON OTHER PEOPLE FOR YOUR NEWS

Our elected officials and Federal Government are responsible for providing solutions for preserving and securing the borders’ of our country so that tomorrow’s generation will live to experience what it means to be an American living in freedom protected by U.S. Constitutional rights. As a country, we spend countless hours bickering and disagreeing amongst ourselves. As a divided country we our helping terrorist bide their time to plot an extreme attack against our country. I say it’s time that we start working together instead of against each other before it’s too late to address the issue of national security.

Put your personal feelings aside, it’s worth noting that there are many people out there who are without a clue, and know zilch about how our nation’s national security program operates on a daily basis. For example, while I had little knowledge of the topic, I was surprised at how much information is available on national security. There is valuable information online that can help you make an informed decision as to which candidate to vote for this upcoming election year. With each article that I researched it felt as if I were turning over a rock, and finding a silver dollar underneath of it. There is wealth of information out their online. Take advantage of all the resources that are available to you.

Don’t solely rely on hearsay for information that may be inaccurate. You’re going to wish that you prepared yourself before going to the poles this election season. Doing a little bit of homework beforehand will help you to relax and make a calm conscious decision with a clear mind if you simply know the facts that matter most to you.

YOUR TURN- EXPRESS YOURSELF

There you have it! The opportunity to hear things from my perspective on national security. Now I want to hear from you. Are you someone that considers yourself an expert on the subject matter and have valuable information that you would like share? Do you have questions or an opinion? Hey don’t be afraid to take the plunge, your opinions are valuable. Let me know in the comments or find me on Twitter at @clewis35.