Impact, lessons of Orlando massacre

By Chang Se-moon

Omar Mir Seddique Mateen was reported to have shouted "Allah Akbar" and pledged allegiance to ISIS before he opened fire early Sunday (June 12) morning in a packed Orlando nightclub, Pulse. He killed49 and wounded at least 53. As a practicing economist specializing in assessment of economic impact, I can give you the following assessment as to the impact of the Orlando Massacre.

It makes no difference whether Mateen was directed by ISIS or acted spontaneously as a lone wolf after being influenced by ISIS ideology. He is a Muslim but not like most Muslims who are peace-loving, perfectly normal religious Muslims, just as Hitler is a German but not likemost Germans who are peace-loving, perfectly normal civilized Germans. The point is that he is not alone; he is a part of the movement no matter how small the group of radical Islam may be and no matter how faulty the ideology of radical Islam may be.

Based on the assumptions that there will be no changes in government policies toward fighting radical Islamic terrorism and that similar attacks will continue to occur in the future as are highly likely, these attacks will slow down economic activities that are associated with concentration of people.

We do not know when but we are certain that some of us will encounter terrorists somewhere, which can be airports, rail and bus stations, sporting events, festivals, restaurants, movie theaters, conventions, neighborhood shopping malls, tourist attractions, graduation ceremonies, casinos, and many others where people congregate.

Threats of these attacks will slow these activities, and tip the economy over to a recession if the economy is not strong enough to begin with. Importantly, the impact will not be limited to the countries that are attacked directly by these radical Islamic terrorists. Other countries will also be affected in today’s global economy. The economy cannot be separated from terrorism.

What can be done?

I will stay away from the gun control issue in which I believe both pro- and anti-gun control stands are irrational. Instead, I want to make a simple, or rather humble, proposal that may be termed as LET LEO BE FREE. Needs for this movement are nowhere more important than in the United States, although all other civilized countries will be better off by paying attention to why I am suggesting it.

Not to waste so many lives lost in the Orlando Massacre, why do we not start LET LEO BE FREE (Free LEO in brief) movement? LEO stands for Law Enforcement Officers, which include police officers, sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, and others who dedicated themselves in protecting us from all these horrible attacks.

I think it is about time to show our unconditional support for these LEOs by letting them free to do their work of protecting us, rather than criticizing them for just about everything they do and squeezing any breathing room for them to function as LEOs. If we do not let LEOs be free, we may well become prisoners in our home, feeling afraid of going anywhere outside.

If we are truly to LET LEO BE FREE, we may not be able to eliminate all attacks from terrorists, but we will be able to substantially reduce their attacks. If you doubt, just ask LEOs near you.

By supporting them, I mean that we should not be critical of them for making unintended mistakes that happen to anyone working hard, and allow them to work with their instinct without having to worry about how they will be viewed and judged. We should let them know that we depend on them and show confidence in their ability to protect us.

Everyone all over the world wants to know what will happen to the presidential election in the United States. Orlando Massacre is likely to steer more votes to Donald Trump for his stance on radical Islamic terrorism. I am not making any moral judgment of whether Trump’s stance is good or bad. I am simply stating what I believe to be the reality.

Trump, if elected, will not be able to stop all attacks from fanatic Muslims, but make their attacks fewer as time goes on. His impact on prevention of attacks from radical Islam will, and will have to, extend well beyond the United States to the rest of the world. If not, any reduction in these attacks in the U.S. will only be temporary.

As these attacks from radical Muslims repeat, more American voters will overlook personal defects of Donald Trump, and support his candidacy. These voters are not racists. They are simply scared of the senseless attacks and frustrated at the lack of leadership from their government and at the silence of the mainstream Islamic communities.

Chang Se-moon is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. Write to him at: changsemoon@yahoo.com.