[Mpls] Terrorism as Minneapolis Issue

[Chris L Beckwith]

I imagine everyone is wondering what to make of reports now claiming Minneapolis may harbor an Al-Quaida terrorist cell. It seems difficult to know how to wrap one's minds around this; what can be said, thought, done when such a topic provides no obvious responses or options. Given the clutter of conventional civic topics discussed here such as zoning, taxes, budget deficits, school board elections, terrorism seems a terribly freakish category. Plain and simple, Tuesday's headlines came as a culture shock. Terrorism as a local issue? Certainly it would be much easier if our list moderator could tell us terrorism was not an issue proper to a Minneapolis Issues list, as if to say, the issue belonged somewhere else, anywhere but here. Our sadness, of course, is we no longer have the luxury of such a vicarious view.   Beckwith Ward 6