He's dead at last? Stand by for trouble.

As I prepared to enter my blog posts for this evening, I heard the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed in a US operation in Pakistan.

I suppose his death was inevitable, sooner or later. I can't regard it with any great enthusiasm. It won't bring back any of those he sent to meet their Maker before their time. At best, it may bring closure to those for whom September 11th, 2001 is still a gaping wound in their psyches.

Bin Laden will now become a martyr in the eyes of surviving Al Qaeda loyalists and fundamentalist Muslim fanatics. I daresay we'll see 'revenge' terrorist attacks around the globe in coming weeks and months. I wouldn't be surprised if right now, some terrorist cell is plotting to bring down the Freedom Tower as quickly as possible after its completion, to 'honor' Bin Laden's memory.

Beslan- or Mumbai-style terror attacks are very likely indeed to come to our shores. German police have just arrested a group of terrorists planning what appears to be a similar attack in that country. I'm sure there are multiple groups planning the same sort of thing in other countries in Europe and North America. Our schools are frighteningly vulnerable to a Beslan-style attack, and while many of our major cities have improved their security policies and procedures to make a Mumbai-type attack more difficult, others are still hidebound by political correctness and refuse to make meaningful preparations. (Boston is an excellent example, where the Mayor's purblind political correctness appears to be a major liability when it comes to equipping his police force to deal with such a situation.)

My advice to readers? Increase your own security preparedness and situational awareness. The short-term risk of a major terrorist attack in the USA and/or Europe just went up several notches. If you live in Boston, or another city similarly afflicted with idiots in charge . . . consider moving. Now.

Peter