Believers in central planning should take a look at Washington's Metro rail transit system. While they will find many things to like, they will also see examples of how central planners -- and especially rail transit planners -- can get things disastrously and expensively wrong.

In some important ways we are safer, but in many others we are not. We have taken significant steps to become safer, but not enough. To be equally honest and realistic looking ahead, we must admit that the United States unquestionably faces a dangerous and uncertain future.

Americans can never be entirely safe from the violent acts of evil regimes and individuals. Sept. 11, 2001, ended our holiday from history and looking ahead it does not seem likely to appear on our calendars for many years to come.

Neither the framers nor subsequent political leaders had built in to the constitutional framework any plans to reconstitute Congress in the event of a catastrophe like 9/11. I called for Congressional leaders to at least create a commission to study the problem and potential solutions.

Democrats may think that people on watch lists should be denied their rights to own a gun, but what is next? Why not just put all people on "watch lists" directly in prison?

Recent attacks by al-Shabab in Uganda and the court hearing of an American charged with trying to join the jihad in Somalia are bad signs that a new transnational terrorist network is taking shape in East Africa, and President Obama has made the problem worse by ordering the killing of the man who could have helped disrupt and destroy the network.

An invitation to the world that works.

Should people lose rights because they are sympathetic to, but do not actually help, terrorist groups?