When will we learn to connect the dots?

It is obvious we have difficulty connecting the dots when it comes to looking at various data and situations and arriving at a logical conclusion. I suspect most of us have experienced either in our own families or the families of friends when it was obvious that a member of the family had a drug problem. Behavior changed, money became a problem and associations changed for the worse. When one is not emotionally involved, it is rather simple to arrive at the conclusion drugs are involved.

However, if it happens to be a close relative, many possible explanations are considered to explain the changes in the hope it is something simple. That helps explain why treatment and confrontation are delayed.

On 9/11 we were unable to connect the dots with known information available because of laws that prevented one federal agency from talking and sharing its data with another agency. I'm sure protecting one's turf entered into it and jealousy among agencies contributed, but the sad fact is it did happen.

That hopefully has been totally corrected, but I am not convinced.

We had the shooting at Virginia Tech a few years ago when a student killed and wounded fellow students. In that case, it seemed to be a case of political correctness came into play. After the fact, it was obvious the student shooter had problems, but he was a minority and as a result, he was given more leeway rather than removed from the school.

The dots were not connected.

More recently, Maj. Nidal Hasan, a doctor in the U.S. Army, killed 13 fellow soldiers and wounded about 30 more. His peculiar behavior and espoused regard for Jihadists was reported, but again it seemed political correctness overruled all judgments and the dots were not connected.

The latest incident was the failed attack on Christmas day on an airliner headed for Detroit when a terrorist tried to ignite an explosive and was subdued by fellow passengers. In that case, several of our federal agencies were given warnings about this particular individual and the dots were not connected.

We are now jumping through hoops trying to determine how better to prevent terrorist attacks. This latest terrorist fit many of the known criteria that should have alerted individuals. He was already on a British watch list, bought a one-way ticket, had no baggage and paid cash. His father had warned the U.S. embassy his son had been radicalized.

How many more dots needed to be connected?

Contributing to the inability to connect the dots is the latest approach of the Obama administration to charge those personnel involved in interrogation activities of captured combatants with going beyond their limits. Now intelligence operatives may be reluctant to do anything beyond what is specifically ordered or written. Personal initiative evaporates when the potential for a commendation ison a par with a punishment if anything goes wrong.

That type of fear can travel through an entire organization in a relatively short period of time. I suspect that could have had an influence in the latest incident. Individuals may have thought intelligence people were being charged for actions seniors thought were wrong, and if I raise the issue about a possible threat and it does not pan out, I may be in trouble.

We are at war, and in war individual initiative is vital for success. is one of the major reasons why our nation has been so successful over the years against various enemies. Those closest to the action must be convinced they will receive total support from the top. That includes the military and civilians.

Donald J. Myers, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He can be contacted at dmyersusmc@aol.com.