The Threat From Within

The Threat from Within Cal College professor's book takes a new look at terrorism By Jane Ammeson - Times Correspondent | Posted: Sunday, December 6, 2009 12:00 am As those on both the right and the left of the political spectrum grow more strident in their thinking, America becomes more vulnerable to domestic terror attack, says James Pastor, who earned a Ph.D. in public policy and is an associate professor of public safety at Calumet College of St. Joseph. "There are a whole bunch of extremist ideologies percolating especially in the U.S.," says Pastor, author of "Terrorism and Public Safety Policing: Implications for the Obama Presidency" (Taylor and Francis 2009, $79). "In my book, I frame what I consider a new model of policing around contemporary America and world events as it relates to what I perceive as an inevitable rise in terrorism extremism including that centered around radical Islamic thought." With the economic meltdown, people are more stressed and angry, causing them to question the system. "And the questions are coming from across the spectrum of political thought," says Pastor. "The left can't talk to the right and the right can't talk to the left. Depending upon what your world view and biases are, people tend to see the problems as being from the other side. People aren't saying calm down, we need to rationally talk about these issues. Instead positions are becoming more hardened and that makes finding solutions even more difficult. We in our respective world views are really not ready to grasp the realities and commitments on both sides of the political arenas." Pastor, who is president of SecureLaw Ltd., a Chicago-based public safety and security services firm, draws upon not only his background in public policy but also in his former career as a police officer and as an attorney. He believes that many people aren't connecting the dots to see what a perilous position the country is in now. "I paint a picture that is really not very pretty," says Pastor, who grew up on the southeast side of Chicago where his father worked in the steel mills. "I'm a great believer that we need to see what is happening but it's the kind of thing people don't want to touch. The enemy is not only Al Qaeda, it's us. Our real threat is internal. We need to wake up and people on both sides of the political perspective should try to tap down this anger and rhetoric." According to Pastor, terrorist plots have been uncovered in Springfield, Ill., Dallas, Denver, New York and North Carolina in the past few months. His book, besides outlining the increasing threats, also offers solutions to the problems we face. "We tend to just see our own self interests," says Pastor. "If we don't say we're in this together and work beyond our own self interest and work with well intentioned people on all sides, then we're going to Balkanize ourselves and that is a dangerous thing to have happen." SecureLaw Ltd. Phone: 312-423-6700 65 West Jackson Blvd., #112 Fax: 312-692-2322 Chicago, IL. 60604-3598 www.securelaw.info Email: [email protected]